Ask John: Is the American Anime Fanbase Spoiled?

Question:
In the 80s the only way anime could be on TV or available in America was in a heavily condensed form; look at Robotech, which was three anime series compressed into one new story, and other examples such as Star Blazers, and the Americanized Captain Harlock. Edits like this lasted into the 90s with Cardcaptors and the Americanized Sailor Moon.

In present day, companies like ADV and Geneon are constantly licensing and releasing new anime on DVD. Prices on anime and manga are getting slightly cheaper (at least compared to the old days) and anime is being shown on TV like Adult Swim and the Anime On Demand channel. we’re even starting to see certain shows on AS with little or no editing. Things certainly have gotten better over time.

But, then companies release an edited show or manga, like Tenjou Tenge, One Piece and so on, and the anime fanbase’s blood boils, 5 page threads erupt and even spawn campaigns to “boycott” the companies that release the “impure” product.

Am I the only one, that thinks the anime fanbase of today is spoiled? We have so much to chose from and so much to work with, but when something comes out slightly edited like Tenjou Tenge (Which edits don’t sound too major to me) the community bursts into an uproar.

Answer:
I’m certain that my response to this debate will be considered draconian or at least unrealistic by some critics, but it is my own honest opinion as an anime fan that’s been deeply devoted to the art of Japanese animation for many years. Quite simply, this is an argument based on principles. In our contemporary society of endless opinions and concern over respect for dissent, the idea of principle seems quaint, but in this case I believe that concise simplicity is effective and appropriate. I’m prepared to admit that many American anime fans may be overzealous or quick to criticize but slow to praise, but I believe that most of the vocal critics of the American anime industry all have a principle in common that they themselves may not even realize. When we, as fans, are outraged by the drastic alterations made to anime for commercial ends, we are objecting to the corruption of art by greed. I think most anime fans realize that anime and manga are commercial art, meaning that they are made to be sold, but also that they are genuine art that deserves at least a degree of respect. In that light, I think that anime fans have a right to expect and demand English language releases that show respect for artistic integrity.

As a matter of principle, the extent to which a piece of Japanese (or any foreign) literature, be it published or filmed, should be altered for English language release as minimally and unobtrusively as possible. Extensive alterations are disrespectful to the effort and integrity of the original artist or artists, a display of anti-intellectual ethnocentrism, and a betrayal of consumers. Censoring or heavily altering a work implies that an outsider or foreigner knows more about the original work than the actual creator, which I find offensively egotistical. Attempting to make a foreign work more palatable to a local audience instead of just trying to make it accessible to local consumers isn’t altruism; it’s greed. And finally, if I read censored Tenjho Tenge or watch edited One Piece, I’m not actually reading Tenjho Tenge or watching One Piece. I’m not absorbing the works that Japanese artists created. I’m experiencing an original work created by Japanese artists and American businessmen. That’s not what I’m interested in; not what I’m willing to pay money for; not what I’m willing to spend my time with. I don’t believe that it’s “elitist” or unreasonable to be interested in Japanese art and desire to actually appreciate Japanese art- not Japanese art that’s been altered to theoretically better suit my tastes by an American corporation that doesn’t know me and doesn’t know my preferences.

During the 1980s and 90s anime was commonly available to Americans in either a heavily edited form intended for mainstream American consumption that had no knowledge or interest in Japanese art and culture, or in niche market releases targeted at discriminating consumers looking for imported Japanese pop culture. At the beginning of the present decade, fueled by the explosive popularity of Dragonball and Pokemon, anime became a profitable fringe mainstream commodity in America. While many veteran anime fans hoped that the sudden increased awareness of Japanese animation in America would result in increased respect for and interest in Japanese culture and art, instead the anime boom resulted in many licensors and distributors trying to quickly and profitably capitalize as on the boom. Trying to capitalize on the current manga explosion is exactly what DC Comics is attempting to do with its censored presentation of Tenjho Tenge.

Does adding underwear and obscuring exploitive panels in the Tenjho Tenge manga alter the story or change the effect of the work? In my opinion, the answer is a definite yes. The story may not change, but the tone of the work is severely compromised. The story no longer occurs in a brutal, adult world of drastic, ultimate actions and choices. The American “TenTen” is a story in which nothing goes to the limit. When nothing is stripped to primal nakedness, there’s always a degree of separation from utmost extreme. The American Tenjho Tenge remains “safe,” because it stops short of going to extremes. That’s not the story that creator Oh! Great originally created, and not the story that manga fans worldwide came to respect and enjoy.

It may be argued that the attention of English speaking fans is being unfairly focused only on CMX and Tenjho Tenge when there are many other examples of censored and edited anime available in America that don’t receive the same criticism. But on the other hand, TenTen has been fundamentally altered by a distributor that claims to maintain a principle of not making such drastic alterations. I’m known as an extremely hardcore anime fan, so it should come as no surprise that I object to even minimal liberties taken with imported art, Japanese or otherwise. Yet on behalf of all anime fans, I don’t think that American anime fans are selfish to want to appreciate Japanese art that retains its “Japanese-ness.” Re-makes are a perfectly viable option for American distributors that want the benefits of a franchise but not the responsibilities. I don’t think anyone can debate the fact that the American anime distribution industry has grown over the past decades. Unfortunately, examples like the American releases of the Tenjho Tenge manga, the One Piece and Tokyo Mew Mew anime, and a dubbed Steamboy that’s missing 14 minutes of footage all illustrate the fact that the availability and demand for Japanese art in America has grown, but the respect for the artistic credibility of Japanese art and its creators has not matured at an equal pace. I don’t believe that fans who point out and complain about this fact are selfish; I consider them pro-active.