Dragon Ball Causing Controversy Again
The first volume of the Dragon Ball manga has become the center of controversy in Wicomico County, Maryland. A mother of a 9-year-old who borrowed the book from the local Pittsville Elementary and Middle School library contacted county council member Joe Holloway to complain about sexual content present in the book available to children. Holloway presented examples of “nudity, sexual contact between children and sexual innuendo among adults and children,” from the graphic novel to fellow county council members during a council meeting yesterday. Wicomico schools Superintendent John Fredericksen stated his intention to have the book temporarily withdrawn from circulation until it’s reviewed by a committee that judges the suitability of “red-flagged books” for the children’s library. Councilman Holloway said of the book, “The drawings and story lines are disgusting.”
Viz Media initially released Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball manga series uncensored in America in 1998. In 1999 a consumer complaint to a Toy’R’Us store about the Dragon Ball manga containing “borderline soft porn” imagery caused the retail to cease carrying the comic title. In early 2000 Viz began censoring the Dragon Ball manga. In March 2001, in response to vehement encouragement from the fan community, Viz ceased editing the Dragon Ball manga and began distributing the books with a “13-and-up” reader advisory.
Source: Delmarva Now! via Daizenshuu EX
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Ah, the ignorance of the mainstream mob. Was this addition one of the newer ones that had the 13 and up advisory? If so, there’s no one to blame here but the school for not doing their research on the material before distributing it to their students and the parents for not educating themselves on what their children are reading. Even if it was an old edition, they should have still researched it. You’d think someone would have had a clue about anime and manga sometimes containing “adult” content. Once again, we find it’s much easier to slam the content of a manga that wasn’t originally meant for US audiences because its contents offend our sensitive American sensibilities.
And this mother undoubtably did more harm than good when she discovered the “offensive” content, probably screaming about the nudity and sexuality in front of her child and condemning it as if it were trying to rape him then and there. This child is now on the right path for to be uncofused and ashamed of his body and sexuality when he gets older, just like the rest of us. She probably wouldn’t have an issue with the DBZ anime wherein folks beat each other up, but nudity, that’s where the red flag gets raised.
Seriously, is critical thought dead in this country, or are we just about to pull the plug?
Man, I remember when something as “explicit” as the content in DB was the kind of stuff you laughed along with on Benny Hill. Now they’re willing to fine a network for accidentally showing a woman’s nipple, but we accept a corporation gang-raping one of our citizens. What the fuck’s wrong with our priorities?
The beauty of Toriyama’s “offensive” comics is the abrupt and frank manner with which it plunks poor back water Son Goku in the middle of a city girl’s adventure. It’s hilarious, but without context (or common sense), all of a sudden “it’s that explicit Japanese stuff.” Only in America. Goku’s never seen a girl before, thinks cars and airplanes are metal beasts, has an intrinsic love of all people unless they give him reason to be suspicious, and doesn’t mind dropping trou to take a leak right in the middle of a conversation.