Question About Disclaimers Before Anime Episodes

[Speedy Boris]

Lately I've been watching certain shows where each episode begins with one or two main characters commenting on how you should watch in a well-lit room and a safe distance from the TV.

When did this trend start? Is it a mandatory requirement for each show on the airwaves, or do certain ones just decide to make them? And if all of them do it, do most American companies decide not to include them on the R1 DVDs?

[something]

[ QUOTE ]
Speedy Boris said:
When did this trend start?

[/ QUOTE ]
I want to say it was after the Pokemon seizure fiasco, but that may be an urban legend.

[Lego]

Actually you may be right disarm. I think it's equivlent to the seziure warnings on most video games. Basically it's telling you to sit at a decent distance from the TV so your eyes don't melt.

Speaking of warnings, I love Cromartie High's and Excel Saga's heh.

[Johnny]

[ QUOTE ]
disarm said:
[ QUOTE ]
Speedy Boris said:
When did this trend start?

[/ QUOTE ]
I want to say it was after the Pokemon seizure fiasco, but that may be an urban legend.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I was going to say too.
It's not just anime though. It appears on live-action Tokusatsu shows too.

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

Jubei-chan actually incorporated it into the opening sequence of the first episode.

Gotta love Akitaroh Daichi's sense of humor. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[jlazar]

Pretty sure it was in response to the Pokerat seizure incident (while overblown, does appear to be a real event).

I've seen some funny bits for this spot. Rizelmine had some great fun getting ecchier and ecchier with these, to the point where you get closer and closer to see the good stuff. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

[perigee]

According to the Translation & Cultural Notes for Risky Safety[ QUOTE ]
On the evening of December 16, 1997, red and blue flashing lights in the background of Pocket Monsters (Pokemon) TV episode 38 caused 685 children all across Japan to suffer headaches, nausea, and in some cases, even photosensitive seizures resulting in the hospitalization of 150 viewers. Since this unfortunate event, all anime broadcast on Japanese television begins with either a text or spoken warning advising viewers to watch television in adequate lighting, at a reasonable distance from the screen.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'd like to make another plug for this cute fairy series since it's been in TRSI's closeout bin for a while (@$7.99/vol) and may be in danger of going OOP. You can preview episode 1 in its entirety on Animenation's funbox page (http://www.animenation.net/anent/riskysafety/funbox.php?v=risky).

[Puppet Master]

[ QUOTE ]
perigee said:
According to the Translation & Cultural Notes for Risky Safety[ QUOTE ]
On the evening of December 16, 1997, red and blue flashing lights in the background of Pocket Monsters (Pokemon) TV episode 38 caused 685 children all across Japan to suffer headaches, nausea, and in some cases, even photosensitive seizures resulting in the hospitalization of 150 viewers. Since this unfortunate event, all anime broadcast on Japanese television begins with either a text or spoken warning advising viewers to watch television in adequate lighting, at a reasonable distance from the screen.

[/ QUOTE ]

What's weird is I still remember it the seizure incident being reported out here in the U.S. on the news. I forgot what show it was for a long time till I saw the actual show myself never forgot that.

[masterpez]

Although it's unlikely, but I'll ask anyway....has that episode ever been released here in the states in some form, either shown on tv, or put on a dvd??

[Puppet Master]

[ QUOTE ]
Lego said:
Speaking of warnings, I love Cromartie High's and Excel Saga's heh.

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha those are classics they just sound so stupid but their truly funny. CHS has the best one by far though. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[Philemon]

[ QUOTE ]
pez said:
Although it's unlikely, but I'll ask anyway....has that episode ever been released here in the States in some form, either shown on tv, or put on a dvd??

[/ QUOTE ]

No. Interesting enough, all the materials on Pocket Monsters omitted references to Episode #38.

[martod]

[ QUOTE ]
Puppet Master said:
[ QUOTE ]
Lego said:
Speaking of warnings, I love Cromartie High's and Excel Saga's heh.

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha those are classics they just sound so stupid but their truly funny. CHS has the best one by far though. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
The best disclaimers I've seen are definately Mahoraba's.

[Vallen Valiant]

[ QUOTE ]
Philemon said:
[ QUOTE ]
pez said:
Although it's unlikely, but I'll ask anyway....has that episode ever been released here in the States in some form, either shown on tv, or put on a dvd??

[/ QUOTE ]

No. Interesting enough, all the materials on Pocket Monsters omitted references to Episode #38.

[/ QUOTE ]

More than that, the mechanical pokemon Porygon, introduced in that episode, was never mentioned again. Effectively, it was victimised and relegated to rare background appearances

[fantasydewdrop]

[ QUOTE ]
pez said:
Although it's unlikely, but I'll ask anyway....has that episode ever been released here in the states in some form, either shown on tv, or put on a dvd??

[/ QUOTE ]
That episode is under a world-wide ban, I believe. It has never legally been released on DVD or VHS, and most likely will never be in it's current form (though, they could try and edit the scene in question to be less hazardous). There are copies of it floating about though; crazy college kids that happened to tape the episode would swap it around, and it's spread a bit from there.

This event also caused the darkening of scens with bright flashing lights in anime. Before this, for example, all of Pikachu's electric attacks were not dimmed. All episodes after this were produced with the dimming, and dimming effects were added to all the previous episodes. Other shows also dim flashing lights now. I don't know how many shows older than Electric Soldier Porygon retroactively dimmed for later releases, but many shows produced after Electric Soldier Porygon were dimmed durring flashing lights.

[PhilipReuben]

On the TV airings, every anime that has aired since the Pokemon seizure incident features that exact warning, usually just as text that appears over the beginning of the episodes. Some anime are more creative about it by having the characters say it (Risky Safety) or making it come up with animation and music (KareKano) and so on, so those are the only times you see on DVD, in R2 or R1.

[AbeChinchilla]

[ QUOTE ]
Philip Reuben said:
On the TV airings, every anime that has aired since the Pokemon seizure incident features that exact warning, usually just as text that appears over the beginning of the episodes. Some anime are more creative about it by having the characters say it (Risky Safety) or making it come up with animation and music (KareKano) and so on, so those are the only times you see on DVD, in R2 or R1.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, an example of this would be Final Fantasy : Unlimited. The disclaimer would show up as an overlay during the prologue/recap portion in the front of show. These probably weren't on the masters for the DVD release, which is why the text (thankfully) isn't present on ADV's DVDs either. The text can really obscure the animation.

[ic14]

[ QUOTE ]
Speedy Boris said:
And if all of them do it, do most American companies decide not to include them on the R1 DVDs?

[/ QUOTE ]
I guess they just arent given them when they get the masters.

In some cases they get "disclamiers" like the Cromartie ones, but i think that may be more for comedy.

[indigo0086]

Two words

"Reduce Liability"

[kusanagi-sama]

The episode in question is the following (On ANN):
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=270&page=25

1997-12-16 - EP 38.
Electric Soldier Porygon
Dennou Senshi Porigon
でんのうせんしポリゴン
<font color="red">This is the infamous seizure episode.</font>

[Speedy Boris]

[ QUOTE ]
Philip Reuben said:
On the TV airings, every anime that has aired since the Pokemon seizure incident features that exact warning, usually just as text that appears over the beginning of the episodes. Some anime are more creative about it by having the characters say it (Risky Safety) or making it come up with animation and music (KareKano) and so on, so those are the only times you see on DVD, in R2 or R1.

[/ QUOTE ] Ah, that makes sense. Thanks! (and yeah, I figured it had something to do with that Pokemon episode but I wasn't 100% sure)