Ask John: Public Service Announcements in Anime?

Question:
I recently saw the first Cowboy Bebop, subtitled, and during the preview for the second or third episode, there was a joke that said that good kids stay a distance away from their television sets. I wouldn’t have thought much of it, but I recently saw another anime that said the exact same thing. (Though I can’t remember which one. It may have been Trigun or Jubei-chan, or even Marmalade Boy though I doubt the last.) Was there an incident in Japan that sprung these masked and barely hidden public service announcements?

Answer:
The most obvious example of this is the disclaimer that appears at the beginning of each episode of Kareshi Kanojo no Jijoo. White letters on a black background, very intentionally reminiscent of Evangelion, appear before the beginning of each episode to warn viewers to watch anime in a well-lit room at a reasonable distance from the television. In fact, though, all anime broadcast on Japanese television since 1999 include a warning for viewers to watch anime in a well lit room away from the screen. Some series, like Kare Kano, Risky Safety, Steel Angel Kurumi and Hanaukyo Maid Tai make the warning a part of the anime itself. Most shows simply include a text warning at the bottom of the screen on every episode. Many times, this text warning is not included on home video versions.

This public service announcement is a reference to Pokemon. Perhaps you remember, or perhaps you didn’t hear that about a year ago, episode 38 of Pocket Monsters in Japan had a full screen of bright, flashing alternating colors that caused epileptic-type seizures in over 700 viewers, mostly children. Needless to say, that particular episode has never been broadcast in America. If you’ve seen the Simpsons episode in which the Simpson family goes to Japan, you’ll notice in that episode a reference to a Super Seizure Inducing Robot cartoon on television, again, a reference to Japanese animation causing seizures in some viewers.