Ask John: How Often Are Anime Canceled Because of Unrelated Circumstances?

Question:
Has there been any other anime that has been cancelled because of an unrelated act like during the School Days anime in Japan being pulled after an incident with a girl with an ax?

Answer:
Anime releases get delayed somewhat often, usually due to budget limitations or production setbacks. The production of director Katsuhiro Otomo’s Steamboy was delayed by several years because its initial financial backers withdrew their support for the film. Then when the film finally began production, its release was delayed because the climax took longer to animate than anticipated. Similarly, the release of the first Hellsing Ultimate OVA was delayed by a month to allow the production staff more time to work on it. And due to numerous production delays, the 7 episode Giant Robo OVA series took six years to be fully released. But delays or cancellations due to circumstances not directly related to the anime are much less common. TV Saitama also canceled its plans to broadcast the Kodomo no Jikan anime television series, once again citing the recent spate of juvenile violence as the reason, despite the fact that the Kodomo no Jikan anime contains no significant violence.

On September 18, 2007 a 16 year old girl in Kyotanabe, Kyoto Prefecture allegedly attacked and killed her father with a hatchet. Less than a week later, on the 24th, a 15 year old boy in Tatsuno, Nagano Prefecture turned himself in to police after attempting to kill his father with an axe. Days later, on the 28th in Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture, a 15 year old male student slashed another student’s head with a six inch long knife during a classroom fight. In response to this shocking rash of juvenile violent crimes a number of Japan’s regional television networks including TV Kanagawa, Chiba TV, and TV Aichi cancelled their broadcast of the violent final episode of the School Days anime television series. And the Tokai TV and KBS Kyoto television networks canceled their broadcasts of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai episode 12.

Going back a bit farther in time, the nationwide Japanese broadcast of the first Full Metal Panic television series was delayed from October 2001 until January 2002 out of respect for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America. Broadcasting an anime series in which terrorism was a major theme was considered inappropriate so soon after the September 11th tragedy.

In 1988 and 1989 Japanese serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki kidnapped and murdered four pre-adolescent girls. More specifically, he violated, mutilated, and even partially consumed the girls’ corpses along with taunting the girls’ families. In the early 1990s I recall reading that the Japanese home video release of the violent Angel Cop OVA series was delayed in response to the “Miyazaki murders.” Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to verify this fact, but Angel Cop OVAs 1-3 were released on October 1, 1989, December 21, 1989, and February 1, 1990. Episodes 4-6 were released simultaneously on May 20, 1994, implying that episodes 4 & 5, at least, had been completely finished but had been previously unreleased.