Ask John: What’s in the Box?

Question:
On the first episode of Please Teacher when Kei is helping Mizuho move when that box falls why do they blur out whats in it? And what is in it?

Answer:
The digital censoring in Onegai Teacher episode 1 is intentional and is part of the original animation. To allay any fears, it’s not something added specifically for the American release of the show. The very fact that you’re asking what was in the box means that the censoring has accomplished its goal. The censoring is a very subtle and very complex, multi-layered joke. Ultimately, it’s purpose is to get the viewer to wonder, “What’s in the box?”

If the animation were to clearly identify the contents of Mizuho’s cardboard box, it would immediately limit itself to a single meaning and interpretation. As long as uncertainty exists, viewers have the freedom of interpretation. The Onegai Teacher manga clearly identifies the contents of the crate as alien technical devices, confirming Kei’s suspicion that Mizuho isn’t an earthling. The animation is a bit more playful. By leaving it up to the imagination, the animation creates several different possibilities, all of which simultaneously affect the viewer’s enjoyment of the show.

Mizuho is at first embarrassed about the contents of her moving boxes. In the animation, the box in question may house incriminating alien technology that Kei isn’t supposed to see. We also have to recognize that Mizuho is an attractive young and single woman. Especially with the benefit of knowledge of the entire series and particularly Mizuho’s mother’s predilections, maybe Mizuho’s box is full of sex toys (no pun intended). A third possibility is that the box is full of personal effects or possibly feminine hygiene products that young women may feel embarrassed about discussing or having seen in public or by the opposite sex. The joke especially comes into play with this possibility. The contents of the box may be perfectly normal and innocent, but still something that a young woman may feel shy or embarrassed about having a strange man see. Finally, the content of the box could be something else entirely.

It’s virtually impossible to watch this sequence without at least some of these thoughts occurring in the viewer’s mind. And all of them at once serve to expand our view of Mizuho. If the box was clearly full of alien technology, we would see Mizuho as just an alien. If the box was full of sex toys, we would see Mizuho as a sultry, sexy woman. If the box was filled with toiletries, we would see Mizuho as an average Earth woman. Clearly seeing the contents of the box unconsciously limits our interpretation of the scene. If the scene wasn’t censored, we probably wouldn’t even remember this particular sequence individually. However, the clever censoring makes the scene memorable and controversial while it forces us to expand our interpretation and impressions of Kazami Mizuho.