Japanese Legislature Postpones Vote on Ecchi Ban
The Asahi Newspaper reports that the current Japanese legislative majority Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) intends to delay voting on the adoption of a proposed ban on sexually provocative visual depictions of fictional characters that appear, in any respect, younger than 18 years of age. Anime translator Dan Kanemitsu has theorized that the DPJ may intend to delay a vote until the assembly’s next regular session begins in June.
The proposal has been widely criticized and opposed by the Japanese manga/anime industry which perceive it as a compromise of freedom of expression. The broad language of the proposed bill would certainly, if passed, impose a nearly mortal stranglehold on manga and anime in the styles and genres they currently and have traditionally existed in.
Personally, I’m surprised that this bill has even made it as far in serious legal consideration as it has. The DPJ’s rumored decision seems like a familiar and very Japanese action reminiscent of the three year “study” on the effects of lolicon art; put it off and quietly forget about it. I suspect that even Japanese politicians are smart enough to realize how harmful to the Japanese economy and social identity a ban like this would be.
Source: Anime News Network
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“Personally, I’m surprised that this bill has even made it as far in serious legal consideration as it has.”
If the Polanski Swiss tax cheat exchange is any indication, it’s probably one of those things we’re forcing on them in return for going easy on their eating whales and blue-fin tuna. =p
Definitely John, it could be so harmful that a ban like this could hands down kill the entire anime and manga industry and seriously harm MANY, MANY other fields as IT IS NOT directly banning anime/manga/hentai, it could ban from anime to a book, a movie, a poster, a tv ad, and who knows more as moralists hiprocites seem to have so much free time to waste on this rather than protect real living persons.
On the 64,000,000 question: Will Starcade give it a rest with his rant this time or as usual show up to post when it comes to news like this?
Lets wait and see 🙂
Who you think you are American pigs for “allow” or impose policies. To hell with the walles, or are you mental?
YOU WIN!!
Especially with that rant…
Seriously, if they’re in that much trouble because they can’t basically have a bunch of otaku whacking off to a 12-year old in panties or less, there really DOES need to be a serious re-examination of the entire otaku culture…
Kyouki,
I’m not sure exactly what it is that you are talking about, but I have a feeling that’s because you never mastered the English language.
Starcade,
Once again you have mischaracterized “otaku culture.” Large section of anime fans of no interest in “fan service” featuring under-aged characters. Many of the otaku who do enjoy such material are in fact still teenagers themselves. Who would be interested in scantily clad high school anime characters? How about high school students. Your standard of logic would also lead me to believe that otaku exclusively care about giant robots OR homosexual men OR ninja OR samurai OR animated adaptations of children’s toys/games and NOTHING ELSE.
If a law like this were to pass in the U.S., heavy restrictions could be placed on MTV, high school cheer leading, and (naturally) comic books. That would be a mess.
Kampfer: The problem with that statement is that it really appears as if loli-porn has exploded on the anime scene right about the same time the Japanese industry decided, in a (futile) effort to try to survive fansubbing, to start marketing more to the domestic otaku than to the wider world audience.
I do not believe those two actions to be mere coincidental.
Additionally, one has to wonder about what “otaku exclusively care about” when you see the types of toys and dolls being sold to them. If it’s a female character, chances are, it’s essentially naked.
Frankly, as far as the last statement goes, maybe it is time to reexamine the non-prurient worth of all three of those things.
I wonder what would be starcade thoughts if he were to go to Japan and see with his own 2 eyes that the school girls in super mini skirts and pantyshots that flood anime nowadays are not only a product of the author imagination/fantasies/or similar but rather the author portraying what one see in Japan in a daily basis on the streets?
That is what girls from middle school to women around their 30’s wear, particularly short are those of middle and high school girls!!! Most westerns are always amazed when they witness with their own to eyes that the girls do not leave the super mini skirts even on temperatures on the MINUS level!!
Point is, all this loli-ban and nonsense is only an issue for westerners moralists that want to impose their beliefs on other countries where the issue at hand is not even an issue, hence my example of all middle and high school girls with mini-skirts, believe me you see mini skirts right and left and of course occasionally the panties of such girls and you don’t see Japan infested with pedophiles, so lñeave alone niche anime series or hentai with lolis!!
Hope japan does not give in to pressure from the west that could not be more envious of Japan’s people, its culture, its safety, its society, where you have isolated events but unlike the US and many western countries women can feel safe on the streets at day or night without having to worry of beinf raped, when YEAH, even those school girls with miniskirts don’t even have to worry with the dirty eyes of men watching their every move, people is considerate of each other and try to not get in the way of other and so on…
To the west and particularly all those non-rational moralists just move on and don’t be envious of Japan’s society that works as yours would to see it work, your problems and issue are not THEIR issue. Unlike you 99% of Japanese know to the difference between reality and fiction unlike you.
YES, Japan may not be perfect, it has its issues too, but don’t try to fix something you should not care about and leave the country deal with real issues.
If you don’t like anime or anime with lolis or whatever you esteem not appropriate, fight so IT IS NOT SHOWN in YOUR COUNTRY and have your people fight against you and decide if they let you impose your beliefs. In other words MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS if all you want to do far from helping is merely impose your ideals, your beliefs, your morals.
I’m getting tired of the “Those Japs are all pedos” meme when those same hypocrites are defending the guy who directed Rosemary’s Baby and will likely to be first in line to watch Kick-Ass.
GATS: Sorry, you won’t get either of those from me. Try again.
chise: The problem is that it’s already coming over to our country, as, for example, Strike Witches is already licensed over here by the US licensor, Funimation.
I hope the Handley case really gets people to re-examine what’s going on with anime and manga — I really, really do…
The problem is that this is the kind of anime which is going to come over here unless it is legislatively stopped.
Well said, chise. I’ve ranted about starcade’s views before (this is not to see he/she isn’t entitled to them, naturally), and it’s the usual speel about freedom of expression, ect, ect. The real problem is these depictions of underaged shenanigans AREN’T REAL. THEY NEVER HAPPENED. COMPLETELY MADE UP.
Americans have a real problem telling the difference between fiction and reality. The vast majority of us believe fiction influences our reality. This is true in extreme cases, but for the vast majority of us, fiction doesn’t influence us to do anything we weren’t already going to do. If this were true, anyone who popped in a copy of Gears of War would be slaughtering folks in the street.
Or, just beause someone catches a glimpse middle-school anime character’s panties doesn’t mean they’re going to go out to the nearest school and cause mischief.
starcade, you frequently bring out tales of doom and gloom involving the US lolicon invasion that’s going down. Besides Strike Witches (your sole example in many posts) how many anime can you name that have obvious loli eliments? I can think of 3 (not including SW) off the top of my head, and only one of those is meant to be perverse. Compare this to the number of titles available, and it doesn’t stack up. Even if you name 10 or 20, that’s still not even close to an invasion. I’m also curious what you consider “lolicon.”
I don’t predict too many legal strongly loli releases (hentai or otherwise) in the US, because the backlash wouldn’t be worth it.
I am starting to wonder if you are not the person with the real issues starcade if you see lolis in most anime, such vehemency to make us see how much you dislike nowadays anime, how you see nowadays “otakus”, the “invasion” of lolis in the US, ect, etc, etc,
Do you want school girls/lolis banned in anime because they have a “bad” influence to you? do you feel tempted by such anime?
Because otherwise your problem is easily resolved by either not watching the stuff you dislike, which works for most people, or if you consider the industry in a decadent state just entirely stop watching and involving with anime and/or manga.
If there is not much anime with lolis in Japan much less you can say there is an invasion in the US. All your invasion reduces to strike witches which you mention anytime you can, exactly as PockyBox.com says.
starcade: “The problem is that it’s already coming over to our country, as, for example, Strike Witches is already licensed over here by the US licensor, Funimation.”
Not that I’m even remotely interested in Strike Witches, but how is it any more of a bad influence than Miley Cyrus wearing provocative clothing and dating a dude 10 years her senior?
“I hope the Handley case really gets people to re-examine what’s going on with anime and manga — I really, really do…”
Yeah, because Japan’s entertainment should be held to more scrutiny than a court system which arrests a guy over a drawing. BTW, the Aristocrats didn’t kill Hollywood, so I’m not sure why you’re worried about what’s currently popular in Japan.
“The problem is that this is the kind of anime which is going to come over here unless it is legislatively stopped.”
They tried that with the American comics code. It didn’t work, because they found out that people would rather read quality material from guys like Robert Crumb and Bill Gaines than sit through “harmless” superhero fare.
PockyBox: And my opinion is that they wouldn’t be drawing stuff which, given the capability, they didn’t wish to do either.
I guess, from my experiences, I am a believer in thoughtcrime. Sorry if that offends you.
The concept and desirability of freedom has taken a significant hit in my book, given my experiences with anime fandom. I’ve attended cons where multiple voice actresses have been sexually assaulted, and, on top of that at the same con, another threatened with same.
I’m sorry — I think the interest in a lot of this comes from the fact that I think a lot of these anime fans would do this if given the chance to do so.
Much of their fandom is based in illegal conduct anyway — what’s a little sexual assault between friends, right?
The more I see the fandom, the more I am convinced that I had better be legally barred from anime conventions before I do something a whole lot of people are going to regret.
Maybe it’s a function of me being older and having spoken to some people who aren’t as crazy about having anime shows around as you guys…
Maybe it’s just that I’m sick and tired of things being acceptable just because everyone (of preferred socio-political status) does it…
—————
Chise:
There are people who say I do have real issues. I’ve gone to jail before, and almost certainly will again. I’ve been banned from at least one convention, and should be banned from a second if they had a brain in their head.
Thing is, I use that “issue” to understand that there must be real and hard limits as to what people are allowed to see and do. Period. Otherwise, you end up with a bunch of little brats running over the place, with the place only tolerating it because of how much money is poured into it.
Otherwise, you don’t want me playing by the same rules.
And if I divorced myself (save forcibly) from everything I hate, I wouldn’t wake up in the morning.
———
GATS:
I’m worried because this child-loli-porn garbage is what is becoming more and more prevalent in Japan, again as an effort to save the Japanese industry.
starcade: I see your point. I do at least think companies should take more responsibility when they produce some of that crap by making it clear-via disclaimers-that they don’t condone certain types of behavior, and that it is in fact immoral and illegal irl. [Though in Mike Judge’s case, he only did that because the kids who acted out scenes in B+B were too stupid to realize his characters were lacking in common sense.]
starcade thing is what you see as SOLUTION is not the SOLUTION. This is an endless circle, you are generalizing us anime fans as criminals or potential criminals that will bee at some point influenced by anime to commit a crime undoubtedly if we are not stopped NOW!
So what is wrong, the anime regardless of genre or the individual? What do you want to punish, the anime or the individual?
Why must everyone suffer because of some mentally uneatable persons? Why do we all have to take the punishment?
EVERYTHING can be good or bad that all depends in the individual. If we consider what you say true then why first we don’t ban cars, after all they cause all kind of accidents everyday and kill lot of people, why don’t we? cars are the real evil not the drunken, drug-addict conductors right? People can use a knife to cook or kill, lots of people are killed with that everyday on the streets or home why don’t we ban them? Why don’t we ban all those evil western developed first person shooters and all all those gamers…murderers in potential?
WHY? Why is is that when it comes to sexuality, something that should be the most natural thing, all hypocrites regards it as something immoral, something that we much be ashamed of? Why does everyone wants to ban things related to sex?