Ask John: Gundam Wing Questions

Question:
I had two questions on Gundam Wing, the new anime series that Cartoon Network has picked up for Spring 2000. First off, who makes it? There are rumors that FUNimation cut a little too much out of DBZ, going way too far under (adult content-wise) Cartoon Network’s content standards. So I just wondered who makes it, so I can judge how much they will volunteer to cut.

And second, how much censoring will Gundam Wing probably have, based on cable television standards? Does it have a lot of violence (not mecha violence, but blood and guts human to human violence)? Does it have a decent amount of nudity?

Answer:
Allow me to preface my answer with the fact that it’s been probably two years since I watched Gundam W, and when I did watch all 49 TV episodes and 3 OAVs, I watched them all untranslated. That being said, I must also say that, given that the Cartoon Network premier of Gundam W is still several months away, anything I, or anyone in my position, may say is purely speculation. I believe that the American television broadcast of Gundam Wing will be one of, if not the singular most important events in the immigration of anime into Western culture. The advent of the professional translating companies like Viz, AnimEigo and AD Vision affected only the relatively small American anime fandom community. The premier of shows like Tekkaman Blade, Sailormoon, Samurai Troopers, and Dragonball came at a time before anime was largely recognized by the mass-media and public as a Japanese style and art-form. Gundam Wing will be the first serious, teen/young adult-oriented anime series to premier in the West on broadcast television. The fact that it will be premiering on the Cartoon Network, a station staunchly devoted to providing family-friendly, non-controversial fare, makes this premier all the more important.

By anime standards, Gundam W is neither unusually dark, serious or violent. It is, however, more adult-oriented in its complexity and content than shows like Pokemon, Sailormoon and Dragonball. For twenty years, the Gundam franchise has been Bandai’s golden child, so the likelihood of Bandai allowing extreme, heavy editing are likely relatively slim (or so I would imagine). Furthermore, Bandai itself will be producing the dubbed episodes that the Cartoon Network will then edit and air. I have no doubt whatsoever that the series will be edited. The point of interest lies in just how much editing there will be. There is little to no sexual content in Gundam W, but there is violence. The multitude of mecha destroyed every episode could be easily explained away through dubbing and the invention of “remote controlled robots.” The degree of physical, human violence in the series can be said to be on par with any American prime-time television police drama like NYPD Blue or The X-Files. But, this is a “cartoon” aimed at children, and that moves the criticism to an entirely different realm of consideration. It is very easy to imagine parental or religious groups raising a cry against Gundam Wing’s depictions of teen-age boys threatening others at gunpoint, making murderous threats, and beating and even actually shooting enemies. While some of this footage will, no doubt, be removed and other parts softened in the dubbed translation, the entire somber atmosphere of the show, characterized by betrayal, rage, politics, and the threat of imminent violence, dominated by the characters’ attitudes of self-serving martyrdom and ends that justify means, is impossible to edit or alter. Doing so wouldn’t leave enough animation intact to create a half-hour episode.

My point is that, regardless of how much editing is forced upon Gundam W, the series will still be very different than anything else that’s ever appeared on American television. If the series does well in the ratings, especially if it is presented relatively uncorrupted, than I would imagine that it will go a long way toward enlightening the American public at large that anime is more than just “cartoons:” more than just a children’s medium. Gundam W, because of its broader potential audience, has more potential than even Princess Mononoke to expose Americans to the depth and scope of anime. If Gundam Wing turns out to be a ratings failure, or gets pulled from syndication due to overwhelming public denouncement, then we fans will have to persevere, wait, and hope for another anime, and another opportunity to present anime, as a serious art-form and cultural phenomena, to the American public.