General Discussion

One Piece, Naruto and Bleach should still be fine, they might just need to tone down stuff like the sexy jutsu and killing etc.

Stuff like Deadman Wonderland, Index, Blood+, Kuroshitsuji, Air Gear and Death Note might have to be reclassified Seinen and only be available to people 18 and over. That would half their sales. Not sure how stuff like Kara No Kyoukai will do.

The Law is so vague and poorly planned it's like the CCA all over again.

I believe is really exaggerated, banning is not the solution! They should use rating system instead, like video-games. So M or R-rated anime/hentai shouldn't be sold to minors, or transmitted at night (like Cartoon Network's adult swim)

I guess enterprises will continue making animes with that content, but to be sold exclusively outside Japan.

However that wasn't really the case when anime series or manga going banned and it is not properly as solution, but remains very unfair. Many teenagers and young adults wanted to watch anime and reading manga; that doesn't mean going to abandon their likes and interests, even myself never changes not a single bit nor listen to these to get this over. Banning anime and manga was overly too much.

KazamiHayato 風見ハヤト

I hope Hunter X Hunter will be fine ^^

I think that the whole thing is complete BS. Afterall look at what they still broadcast on japanese TV http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2010/12/16/sexy-anime-was-banned-but-look-what-they-left-on-tv/

This is not a ban; it is merely a censorship for minors. Its purpose is to restrict 18+ material from being marketed to minors. So 18+ magazines, manga, etc. have to be shrinkwrapped and have the 18+ labels to prevent minors from purchasing them. It's similar to what is already in place in other countries. Apparently, Japan never had age limits on adult material.

That's the jist of the law, but there are other stuff within it that's vague and haven't even been discussed before it was suddenly passed so a lot of people are angry over it. However, it is NOT a ban on anime or manga. Companies are protesting because having to re-label some of their popular shonen titles as seinen or even adult will reduce their sales.

For the record, guys, you all need to stop reading directly from Sankaku Complex.

TOKYO —

A Tokyo metropolitan assembly panel passed a controversial bill Monday to toughen regulations on the sale of comics and animations containing depictions of ‘‘extreme’’ sexual acts.

The bill to revise the metropolitan government’s ordinance seeking sound upbringing of youth will likely clear the assembly’s plenary session Wednesday for enactment.

Amid complaints from the publishing industry that the bill could violate freedom of expression and stifle creativity, a clause was added demanding the assembly give consideration to artistic and social expression and apply the ordinance carefully. But the clause will not be legally binding.

Protesting the assembly’s move, a group of 10 major publishers selling comics such as Kodansha Ltd., Shueisha Inc. and Kadokawa Group Publishing Co, issued a statement Friday that they will refuse to take part in the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2011 to be hosted by Tokyo Gov Shintaro Ishihara in March.

The bill calls on publishers to impose self-regulation on the sale of comics and animations containing depictions of rape and other penal offenses and those ‘‘unduly lauding or exaggerating’’ incestuous affairs so that people under the age of 18 cannot purchase or access them.

The bill will designate those that the metropolitan government determines as particularly malicious as ‘‘unhealthy books’’ and ban the publishers from selling them to young people.

The regulations will take effect on July 1 next year, and will not apply to comics and animations released before then.

At Monday’s meeting of the assembly’s general affairs committee, the bill gained approval from members of the Democratic Party of Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party, while those of the Japanese Communist Party and another minor caucus opposed it.

The assembly first submitted a bill of similar content in March but was voted down in June due to opposition from publishers as well as criticism by the assembly’s largest caucus—the DPJ—that the scope of its regulations was vague.

The initial bill stated that comics and animations depicting sexual intercourse by characters apparently under the age of 18 would hamper the healthy development of children and must be controlled.

because face it, Japan when it comes to self-regulation has always been one of those to bend over backwards. You just need to look at their policies worldwide. How would this affect us as people who view anime from that country in the long run I wonder...

but then...

In what is being referred to as "The Third Impact" by Japanese animation fans, a reference to an event in the popular Neon Genesis Evangelion series in which otherworldly creatures exterminate all life on earth, Bill 156, a revision of the "Youth Healthy Development Ordinance," has been passed, enforcing stricter regulations on anime, manga and other related images in an effort to prevent exposure of lewd and inappropriate material to minors. Shortly after they received word of the bill's passing, denizens of the internet set forth, setting discussion boards ablaze with infuriated talk of how the world as they know it has turned upside down and nothing will ever be the same.

The restriction will begin in July of next year, and many have already suited up for action. In response, many members of the infamous 4chan message board, most known for their work under the guise of "Anonymous", have teamed up with a group of renegades from Japan's 2ch discussion board. Determined to show that they mean business, as per the Anonymous way, members have been distributing software designed to perform denial-of-service attacks on various Japanese government websites and institutions, similar to the attacks on those considered enemies of the much-talked-about WikiLeaks. Speaking of, some members are scouring the WikiLeaks cable documents themselves, searching for any ammunition to use against the Japanese government.

"This is unacceptable," says an Anonymous online user. "This was a blunt attack to the freedom of speech and artistic creativity. The government of Tokyo just proved that they just don't care about public opinion, even if the "people" support this (this isn't even clear), the major part of the publishers and people intellectual active in the country will despise this law because it is against the freedom they managed to achieve through decades of publications, and this can in the future extend to another fields."

The coming attacks will no doubt be an annoyance to those targeted, though these actions will have questionable results. It is entirely possible that the Japanese government could view such retaliation as a childish tactic and further put a grip on the law they have passed without allowing for any future consideration. Whatever the case, the Japanese animation industry looks to have a very interesting future ahead of it. Anything can happen between now and July, so keep your eyes peeled on the East.

Do you think they would make the rating of hatsune miku go up because of the things they wear like rin? XD

One thing that got me about the anime and manga 'ban' was that, as far as I understand, it's restricted to the Tokyo jurisdiction, isn't it? That said, theoretically, some of these publishing houses could just up and move somewhere else and be spared the task of having to re-label their products, right? Or, to continue producing whatever they were producing that was affected by the new law.

Just some random food for thought.

hope it won't affect the coming master piece Evangelion Q...

well if it happens then it happens

just got one thing to say....good luck rebuilding your country japan!!!^^

that's not a sarcastic comment, it's japan for god sake...they had the military boom then the economic boom, after that the cultural boom....can't wait to see what boom they'll have next..

BTW I'll just ask this, what do you think is the most significant cultural flow that Japan has contributed to the world? Oh...and don't you dare answer sushi.....

this is crap it will make anime Similar to other cartoons and boring

It ain't gonna work. The Japanese themselves seemed to be pretty pissed with this law so it'll take like six months for the longest for said law to take effect.

Or shorter, if the Japanese fans are persistent enough. And I don't see why not.