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““Lost in Translation…” – A
Researched Essay (with Facts) Opposed to Anime Editing”
By: Pitman
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For my junior year in high school, I had to write an
essay in which I had to pick a side on a controversial issue; I picked anime
editing, and, of course, chose to be opposed to it. The following essay does
have my opinion, but it mostly contains researched facts.
Lost in Translation…
Imagine while watching a movie, you saw a scene in which a father took a
bath with his two daughters. Would this be disturbing? Yes, perhaps, to
Americans but not to Japanese people. In Japan, the father would not be viewed
that way, and the scene would have brought about very warm memories to children
and parents. In anime (Japanese cartoons) shown in America, many things that
would be accepted by the Japanese, such as nudity and sexuality, are edited. For
example, there was a scene like this in the anime movie My Neighbor Totoro in
which a father took a bath with his two daughters. The American producers felt
that the father might be viewed as perverted, so they wanted to edit or cut the
scene. Because the scene would have been accepted in Japan, and because the
studio that made the film, Studio Ghibli, doesn’t allow edits in its films,
Toshio Suzuki, one of the producers of the film, would not allow such editing. (Nausicaa
of the Valley of the Wind 2). To Suzuki’s knowledge, nothing happened as a
result of leaving in the scene, and no one complained. (Condry 1). This helps
prove that many things that are edited in anime do not need to be.
What would it be like if there was a television show consisting of scenes
of both Star Wars and Star Trek? One of the biggest abominations of anime
editing was the combining of the three original, unrelated Japanese anime, the
Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and
Genesis Climber Mospeada, into the American 1980’s release of the new show
Robotech. This might be comparable to the Star Wars-Star Trek hybrid. About half
of anime fans hated this combining of the three unrelated shows into one. They
also objected to other editing, including changing the characters’ names to
"American" names and making "censor-appeasing" edits. Because of this editing,
some critics "consider the show to be an abomination that runs rough-shod over
its original sources [the three shows from which it was made]." (Robotech 7).
Editing of anime in American distribution is an abomination that tampers
with original anime storyline and a great art form. The original creators of the
anime that is edited usually aren’t even notified of it. (Editing… 6).
Furthermore, the Japanese cultural experience that fans would have gotten from
uncut anime is lost. Because of these reasons and others, most American anime
producers make uncut anime, which should set the standard for the rest of anime.
(as found through links on List… 2; Editing… 6; Ninja… 1).
In order to make anime more suitable for children, such things as violence,
drugs, tobacco, alcohol, nudity, and sexuality are often edited. (Editing… 1-3).
There is also editing in order to adhere to cultural sensitivities, taking out
references to homosexuality, for example. (Editing… 3). There is "Americanizing"
of anime, or making it look as if anime took place in the United States or is
even American-made. (Editing… 1-2). Finally, there is editing of miscellaneous
things that American anime producers want, which may result in poor translations
or a changed plot.
Such editing has caused at least one original anime creator and studio to
object to anime editing, Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, respectively; the
anime is their work, and they believe that they should have control over it. (Nausicaä
…Naushika) 1). From research of online petitions, it can found that many anime
fans also object to editing in anime. (as found through links on
Www.PetitionOnline.com 1 and ThePetitionSite.com 1). Products should be altered
to fans’ wants.
Interviews with five professors of Japanese show a clearly negative
attitude toward most anime editing. Dr. Ian Condry, who is an assistant
professor of foreign languages and literature and assistant professor of
Japanese cultural studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),
the most revered science college/university in the United States, and who also
studied at Harvard College and Yale University, states that anime editing is
“disappointing” and is sometimes not needed; anime, being an art form, should be
left unedited. (Ian… 1; Condry 1). Dr. Jayson M. Chun, an assistant professor of
history in the humanities division of the University of Hawaii at West Oahu, who
has taught a college class on anime, thinks that anime editing is a necessary
evil, in order to be able to show anime in the United States at all, but
personally hates it; he thinks that editing should be as minimal as possible.
(Chun 1). Dr. Gregory H. Mason, who is a professor in the English department at
Gustavus Adolphus College, and who also has a special interest in Japanese
literature and film and teaches in the Japanese department, hates anime editing
with a passion. (Japanese… 1). He believes that all anime should remain
completely uncut (he feels that the only exceptions are that Japanese writing
should have translation subtitles and that editing of completely grotesque and
sexual anime is okay) in order to retain artists’ works. (Mason 1).
Anime is generally edited in order to make it appropriate for children.
This is done because cartoons are still thought of as for children in the United
States, whereas in Japan, there are anime genres meant for kids, as well as
separate genres for older viewers. When American companies attempt to edit all
anime for children, many things, such as nudity and sexuality, violence, and
drugs are edited. (Editing… 1-3). This completely ignores the desires of older
fans, who are well-represented. (as found through links on List…1-2; Ninja… 1).
All major American anime producers should produce uncut versions for these fans.
They could use labels on DVD’s to keep younger viewers from harm. Dr. Melek
Ortabasi is an assistant professor of Japanese comparative literature at
Hamilton College, who teaches a class on Japanese film. (Curriculum… 1). Dr.
Ortabasi, herself a parent of two small children, feels it should be the role of
parents to keep their children away from uncut anime with objectionable content.
She thinks that uncut anime should be available. (Ortabasi 1). Dr. Chun thinks
that editing should be as minimal as possible and that we can easily fault the
companies who edit nudity and sexuality and violence. (Chun 1-2). In Dr. Chun’s
view, anime is an intelligent art form, and is about more than just violence,
nudity, sexuality, drugs, alcohol and tobacco. It would help, he asserts, if
people stopped concentrating on those things, and recognized its artistic
features. This, combined with teaching more about anime, will help it become
more accepted. (Chun 2). Dr. Mason generally disagrees with anime editing, but
he makes an exception for completely grotesque and sexual things. (Mason 1).
A character in a television show simply being homosexual as well as the
extreme of pornography have been controversial among viewers of television and
media in general. But where should the line be drawn in regards to sexual
expliciteness? Anime, like all media, sometimes has had nudity and sexuality
edited to adhere to cultural sensitivities. (Editing… 2-3). But some argue that
if things such as homosexuality are explored in anime, then they will become
more accepted. Dr. Maryilyn Bolles, an assistant professor of Japanese and
Japanese studies at Montana State University, thinks that the presentation of
different types of sexual orientations, such as homosexuality, shouldn’t be
edited. She also thinks that editing of religious-affiliated things is not
needed. (Marilyn… 1). Dr. Condry is both surprised and "most disturbed" at how
much editing of nudity and sexuality is done; homosexuality exists, and Dr.
Condry can’t comprehend why there is so much editing done to nudity and
sexuality. He believes that showing homosexuality would help it become more
accepted. (Condry 1).
If uncut anime can cause acceptance of homosexuality, then perhaps it can
also cause acceptance of Japanese culture. Anime is also sometimes edited in
order to "Americanize" it, or make it seem as if it takes place in the United
States or is even U.S.-made, in such ways as renaming characters to "American"
names and changing the music to more American-sounding music. (Editing… 1-2).
However, this blocks Americans from another culture, and if anime with Japanese
culture is shown, then Americans will learn and begin to accept Japanese
culture. Dr. Chun thinks that while Americanization in anime might have been
necessary years ago when Japanese culture was more foreign to the United States,
now, with the vast knowledge of Japanese culture gained over the years (with
anime being a big help in that), it’s time to get rid of Americanization. (Chun
1). Dr. Ortabasi objects to Americanization in anime in that, if the United
States is to become more international, it would help to expose Americans to
things culturally different from themselves, like things in anime. (Ortabasi 1).
Some examples of Americanization include renaming characters with
"American-sounding" names, changing flags to American flags, changing references
to foods to "American" foods, and changing Japanese writing to English.
(Editing… 1-2). Ortabasi adds that on anime DVD’s, notes could be provided to
explain foreign things that are unique to Japanese culture. (Ortabasi 2). Dr.
Bolles agrees that anime can teach us about Japanese culture; she thinks that
showing anime without Americanization wouldn’t be watched less or be less
profitable and that, in fact, the reverse might be true. (Bolles 1). All three
(Dr. Chun, Dr. Ortabasi, and Dr. Bolles) disagree with editing or changing
Japanese music in anime. Ortabasi comments that it is "annoying and culturally
limited/limiting." (Ortabasi 2).
Finally, anime has been edited for any other reasons American anime
producers want, which may result in poor translations or accidental plot
changes. For all of these reasons, Dr. Ortabasi, Dr. Bolles, and Dr. Chun agree
that uncut anime should be available on DVD. Dr. Ortabasi wants to see the
original Japanese versions of anime with and without English subtitles on DVD. (Ortabasi
1-2). Dr. Bolles agrees that there should at least be uncut versions of anime
available that could be shown on television in later hours and could be released
on DVD. (Bolles 2). Dr. Chun also agrees that there should at least be uncut and
original Japanese versions of anime available on DVD, for the viewers who can
"handle" it, and he suggests that a warning sticker could be applied to these
uncut DVD’s for parents [in fact, he doesn’t even ever watch dubbed anime and
only watches the original Japanese versions; he understands Japanese]. Dr. Chun
feels that, as an adult, he should be able to at least watch uncut versions of
anime. (Chun 3).
These highly-qualified professors whose opinions on this subject matter
object to anime editing. But the people with the opinions on this matter that
have the most merit would be the original creators of anime, and if they
disagree with editing in anime, then anime editing ought not occur. There is at
least one case in which an original anime creator and studio have objected to
the editing of their anime. Hayao Miyazaki, one of the most renowned anime
creators of all time, whose film Spirited Away is the top-grossing film of all
time in Japan, and Studio Ghibli did care when their film Nausicaä of the Valley
of the Wind was severely edited by New World Pictures in the mid 1980’s under
the new title Warriors of the Wind, which was released on video and shown on
HBO. (Hayao Miyazaki 1).
Because New World Pictures thought that Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
could only be made into a children’s action movie, about one-fourth of the movie
was cut (twenty-three minutes were cut out of the original 107 minutes, making
the edited version of the film eighty-four minutes long), because those parts
cut were "slow moving;" as a result, the storyline was changed. Also, the film’s
main character, "Nausicaä," was renamed "Princess Zandra," and most of the other
characters in the film were renamed as well. The English voice actors and
actresses weren’t even informed of the film’s storyline, which made the voice
acting mediocre.
Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli were unaware of this editing to the film and
were very unhappy about it. They asked those who had viewed the edited version
to "dismiss it from [their] minds." As a result of this experience, Studio
Ghibli started a new policy of never allowing a foreign company to edit any of
its films. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was re-released, uncut, with its
original title (translated), by Disney, in 2005. Before he would allow Disney to
re-release the film, Miyazaki sent the company a real Japanese sword with the
message: "No cuts." [Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind (Kaze no Tani no Naushika)
1; Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind 2; Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 3]
There is a large fan-base in the United States that advocates uncut anime,
and products are really about the fans, right? It can be found from very limited
research that there are at least an estimated 25,000 anime fans who support
leaving anime uncut out of at least 200,000 anime fans in general in the United
States. (Napier; page IX). The 25,000 opponents of editing therefore only
represent 12.5% of all fans. The number 25,000 comes from only two sources: (1)
online petitions, from the two most popular online petition sites, Petition
Online (http://www.petitiononline.com) and the Petition Site (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/),
in which petitioners want anime to remain uncut in some way and (2) the Otaku
Alliance, an online alliance against anime editing. Admittedly, this is a crude
estimate, as one person may have signed multiple petitions. Nevertheless, the
opposition to anime editing is apparent. And the number of signatures on the
petitions and the number of members on the Otaku Alliance are growing. (as found
through links on Www.PetitionOnline.com and ThePetitionSite.com; 1991… 1; SJR
1).
For example, there was a large enough fan-base against editing in the anime
Yu-Gi-Oh!, which was handled for America by 4Kids Entertainment, that, by
petitioning for years, the fans were able to convince 4Kids Entertainment to
release uncut versions of Yu-Gi-Oh! on DVD with the original music, the original
Japanese version with English subtitles, and a better dubbed version giving a
better translation. (Yu-Gi-Oh! 4).
Most American producers of anime would agree that anime shouldn’t be
edited, as most producers today generally release uncut anime (although they may
make edited versions for television), so the few companies that release only
edited anime need to “get with the program” and make uncut anime.
Here is a sampling of some of the major American anime producers and the
type of anime they generally produce: "Uncut" or "Edited:"
• 4Kids Entertainment – Edited
• AD Vision (Owns ADV Films) – Uncut
• DiC Entertainment – Edited (Although, it does allow ADV Films to make unedited
releases of its licensed anime.)
• VIZ Media – Uncut
(as found through links on List… 2; Editing… 6; Ninja… 1).
There are many things in Anime that are edited, such as violence, drugs,
tobacco, alcohol, nudity, and sexuality, Japanese cultural references, plot, and
dialogue. (Editing… 1-3). But anime editing ought to stop. It ruins a great art
form. Fans don’t get to see the whole story and don’t get the cultural
experience they would have gotten had anime been left uncut. (Editing… 5).
Finally, the Japanese creators of the anime that is edited aren’t even usually
notified of the editing. (Editing… 6). As a result, the norm should be uncut
anime, as most American anime producers follow that example. (as found through
links on List… 2; Editing… 6; Ninja… 1).
Works Cited
"Editing of Anime in American Distribution." 10 Apr. 2006. The Wikimedia
Foundation. 10 Apr. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editing_of_anime_in_American_distribution>.
"Robotech." 08 Apr. 2006. The Wikimedia Foundation. 10 Apr. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robotech>.
"Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind (Kaze no Tani no Naushika)." The Hayao MIYAZAKI
Web. 10 Apr. 2006 <http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/nausicaa/>.
"Hayao Miyazaki." 10 Apr. 2006. Wikimedia. 10 Apr. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayao_Miyazaki
>.
"Kaze no Tani no Naushika (Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind)." Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ). The Hayao MIYAZAKI Web. 10 Apr. 2006 <http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/nausicaa/faq.html#warrior>.
"Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind." 10 Apr. 2006. Wikimedia. 10 Apr. 2006
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausicaa_of_the_Valley_of_the_Wind>.
Condry, Ph.D., Ian. E-mail interview. 06 Feb. 2006.
Chun, Ph.D., Jayson M. E-mail interview. 12 Feb. 2006.
Mason, Ph.D., Gregory H. E-mail interview. 16 Feb. 2006.
Ortabasi, Ph.D., Melek. E-mail interview. 22 Feb. 2006.
Bolles, Ph.D., Marilyn. E-mail interview. 06 Mar. 2006.
"1991 People Have Join the Alliance.". The Otaku Alliance: Otaku of the World -
Unite!. 10 Apr. 2006 <http://www.dbzoa.net/index.php?module=postguestbook>.
"Www.PetitionOnline.com." Petition Online. 10 Apr. 2006 <http://www.petitiononline.com/>.
"ThePetitionSite.com." The Petition Site. 10 Apr. 2006 <http://www.thepetitionsite.com/?ltl=1144736350>.
Napier, Susan J. Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle. 2nd ed. New York:
Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
SJR, The Webmaster of the Otaku Alliance. E-mail interview. 08 Feb. 2006.
"Yu-Gi-Oh!." 10 Apr. 2006. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 10 Apr. 2006
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu-Gi-Oh%21>.
"List of Anime Companies." 06 Apr. 2006. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 10
Apr. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_anime_companies>.
"Ninja Scroll: The Series - Vol. 1: Dragon Stone DVD." Video Universe. 10 Apr.
2006 <http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6073500 >.
"Public Broadcasting Service." 10 Apr. 2006. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
10 Apr. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PBS>.
"DVD." 10 Apr. 2006. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 10 Apr. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD>.
"Ian Condry." MIT Foreign Languages and Literatures. The Massachusetts Institute
of Technology. 15 Apr. 2006 <http://web.mit.edu/condry/www/>.
"Japanese Studies (JPN)." Academic Catalog: 2005 - 2006. Gustavus Adolphus
College. 16 Apr. 2006 <http://www.gustavus.edu/oncampus/academics/general_catalog/current/index.cfm?pr=japanese>.
"Appendix D--International Dimensions." Gustavus Adolphus College. 16 Apr. 2006
<http://www.gustavus.edu/oncampus/academics/Dean_Faculty/curr-com/study/appD.cfm>.
"CurriculumVitae." Melek Su Ortabasi . Hamilton College. 16 Apr. 2006 <http://academics.hamilton.edu/comparative_literature/mortabas/>.
"Marilyn Bolles (Guggenheim)." Montana State University-Bozeman. 16 Apr. 2006
<http://www.montana.edu/wwwml/Bolles/>.
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