I don't get how anime is "little kids shows" in Japan.

[cutliquidsnake]

I mean, in Naruto, he stabbed a knife RIGHT THROUGH HIS HAND. When I was eight years old, I would have found that really disturbing. Is it actually true that little 8 year olds see this on TV every day in Japan?

I can understand teens, but not kids. What's Naruto rated in Japan?

[braves]

I mean, in Naruto, he stabbed a knife RIGHT THROUGH HIS HAND. When I was eight years old, I would have found that really disturbing. Is it actually true that little 8 year olds see this on TV every day in Japan?

I can understand teens, but not kids. What's Naruto rated in Japan?

Naruto is aimed at young boys in Japan.

It's just a cultural difference. Though, it's interesting to note that while the Japanese have such lax standards when it comes to violence on their TV programming, they have a fairly low rate of crime- especially when compared to the U.S.

[Draneor]

I mean, in Naruto, he stabbed a knife RIGHT THROUGH HIS HAND. When I was eight years old, I would have found that really disturbing. Is it actually true that little 8 year olds see this on TV every day in Japan?

I can understand teens, but not kids. What's Naruto rated in Japan?

Kids to young teens really. Plus, remember that there is a large difference between an eight year old and a ten year old in terms of cognitive abilities. I think if you looked at many other kids shows and tokusatsu--you would find them a bit more mild in nature. Which is not to say there aren't cultural differences is what is appropriate for what age.

However, even that isn't very useful by itself as a quick example will show. Kanokon was pulled from online streaming from GyaO and Biglobe because it was the #1 most popular show for both male and female elementary students on those websites. Clearly, that was not the demographic they were going for with that show.

Regardless, anime--outside of Sazaesan and other family/kids shows--isn't generally that popular in Japan. Most anime are otaku shows, which generally target a young adult male audience. There are notable exceptions (like Fuji TV's noitaminA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noitamina) block). Even kids shows--like Pretty Cure--can sometimes draw a significant adult audience (otaku, in this case).

[something]

Is it actually true that little 8 year olds see this on TV every day in Japan?
Depends on the show. Yes, Naruto IS aimed at young boys in Japan. They have different perceptions about what is appropriate for different age groups than we do in North America. (Though there are limits in Japan too, mind you, see Draenor's comment about Kanokon - it's not a sex/gore free for all for 10 year olds in Japan either). That doesn't mean older people don't watch them too though.

Also note that a lot of anime aren't meant to be kids shows. Most of the "otaku" shows air at 12-2am, and are aimed at older audiences. Not necessarily "adults", but not 12 year olds either.

[Splitter]

It's just a cultural difference. Though, it's interesting to note that while the Japanese have such lax standards when it comes to violence on their TV programming, they have a fairly low rate of crime- especially when compared to the U.S.

That's mostly due to Japan's class ladder. They are meticulous about everything you can and will do in your life and how you go about doing it. That's why you always see kids in anime striving for top schools even though they're in middle school. It's a very competitive country and having even the slightest run-in with the law there will damage your reputation and chances for a good job much more severely than it would in America.

[chloes_fork]

I think if you looked at many other kids shows and tokusatsu--you would find them a bit more mild in nature.
Speaking of tokusatsu, I was rather surprised when watching The Super Robot Red Baron DVDs that in a couple of scenes where characters were attacked with knives, there were actual blood sprays from the wounds -- not quite the geysers you see in some Japanese movies, but definite sprays nonetheless. It was a good bit more graphic than I think would have been permitted on an American kids' show, even in pre-PC times.

[Shiroi Hane]

Kanokon was pulled from online streaming from GyaO and Biglobe because it was the #1 most popular show for both male and female elementary students on those websites. Clearly, that was not the demographic they were going for with that show.
OK, you've successfully boggled my mind.

[Draneor]

Speaking of tokusatsu, I was rather surprised when watching The Super Robot Red Baron DVDs that in a couple of scenes where characters were attacked with knives, there were actual blood sprays from the wounds -- not quite the geysers you see in some Japanese movies, but definite sprays nonetheless. It was a good bit more graphic than I think would have been permitted on an American kids' show, even in pre-PC times.

Oh I don't doubt it. At the same time, there are also popular children shows like Maple Town Monogatari (known in the US as Maple Town), Anpanman, and Time Kyoshitsu: Tondera House no Daiboken (known in the US as The Flying House). The later is particularly interesting given its origin. Similar anime for children are still being created today. I guess the point I was trying to make is that not all or even most children's anime are filled with the level of violence Naruto has.^^U

[ArcticMech]

Kanokon was pulled from online streaming from GyaO and Biglobe because it was the #1 most popular show for both male and female elementary students on those websites. Clearly, that was not the demographic they were going for with that show.
OK, you've successfully boggled my mind.

LOL. I completely forgot about that incident. LMAO reading about it the first time around, and just did so again.

[Rolancehack]

I think it has more to do with our Parental Groups and FCC regulations then anything else. Ours are a bit more fanatical about stupid things (we actually are not supposed to show people physically attacking others (note how many times to see a character punch someone compared to a punch being thrown, and a person flying back without the impact being shown. This does not apply to robots or monsters though. Nor are we supposed to show bullet firing guns.)

My personal opinion though, is simply that we don't expect our (USA) kids to know what's wrong from right (i.e. the phrase, "He's just a kid, he doesn't know better.") So anything imitatable we shy away from. Or in layman's terms, We think our kids are too retarded to not stab themselves.

[cutliquidsnake]

Is it true though, that as Naruto progresses (I've only seen the forst 27 episodes) there are some really dark themes that even make some adults feel uncomfortable? That's what I read in a review anyway. When does that start? I have the first 6 box sets.

[Lego]

I think it has more to do with our Parental Groups and FCC regulations then anything else. Ours are a bit more fanatical about stupid things (we actually are not supposed to show people physically attacking others (note how many times to see a character punch someone compared to a punch being thrown, and a person flying back without the impact being shown. This does not apply to robots or monsters though. Nor are we supposed to show bullet firing guns.)

My personal opinion though, is simply that we don't expect our (USA) kids to know what's wrong from right (i.e. the phrase, "He's just a kid, he doesn't know better.") So anything imitatable we shy away from. Or in layman's terms, We think our kids are too retarded to not stab themselves.

Looking at the past and current TV situation in the US without getting to political, I couldn't imagine something like Kanokon airing on a normal cable station in the US.

[something]

Is it true though, that as Naruto progresses (I've only seen the forst 27 episodes) there are some really dark themes that even make some adults feel uncomfortable? That's what I read in a review anyway. When does that start? I have the first 6 box sets.
I watched 120-some episodes before stopping and I can't say it ever got disturbing. There's some definite violence and mental/emotional issues for some characters but it's nothing extreme in any way.

[braves]

Is it true though, that as Naruto progresses (I've only seen the forst 27 episodes) there are some really dark themes that even make some adults feel uncomfortable? That's what I read in a review anyway. When does that start? I have the first 6 box sets.

Not really, but it depends on the type of person that we're talking. ;) There are 3 scenes of torture, one goes by really fast and you should be coming up on it pretty soon and the other 2 are later in the series and more disturbing than the first one that I mentioned.

[braves]

I think it has more to do with our Parental Groups and FCC regulations then anything else.

I don't really think the FCC has does anything anymore. I mean, do you watch the type of stuff that's airing in prime time slots nowadays? Some very risque stuff. And while Parental Groups do have a voice, they don't really have that much power.

Or in layman's terms, We think our kids are too retarded to not stab themselves.

Too be quite honest, most of them are.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-03-10/boy-dies-after-imitating-naruto-in-sandbox

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-03-04/teenager-video-with-naruto-quote-leads-to-arrest

NOTE: I'm not trying to make fun of the kid who died, I'm just trying to show that some kids don't know any better.

[doink-chan]

Kanokon was pulled from online streaming from GyaO and Biglobe because it was the #1 most popular show for both male and female elementary students on those websites. Clearly, that was not the demographic they were going for with that show.
OK, you've successfully boggled my mind.

LOL. I completely forgot about that incident. LMAO reading about it the first time around, and just did so again.

How old, exactly, were the elementary schoolers watching Kanokon, I wonder? If they were in the latter grades, I suppose I could understand. Some kid probably discovered it while going to GyaO and/or Biglobe and went "Check out this, it's got panty shots/etc." to his friends and it spread from there, I guess. Actually, though, the content of ep 7 was a big factor in why the free online streaming was stopped too.

When AT-X aired Kanokon, they had a warning before it, IIRC.

braves: As for Rolancehack's comments about FCC regulations, I think he was referring to the regulations about children's TV and not all TV.

[Yuriko]

I saw some pretty gruesome (by today's standards) stuff as a child growing up in Europe - a children's television show over here which I vividly remember even now was Tottie (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473321/plotsummary), in which one character was burnt to cinders by another and permanently killed off in a pretty horrible way. Star Wars had dismemberment and death, Flight of Dragons had me crying bucketloads at certain events, and the novel version at least of Watership Down wasn't a picnic either.

Did me no harm though at all, I'm gentle as a pussycat. So long as actions have consequences and I knew it was serious so I shouldn't copy it was just like fairy tales to me...most of which are also pretty gruesome if you have an active imagination now I think of it!

~Y

[stfram]

What I don't get is that "Little Snow Fairy Sugar" was aimed at an adult audience.

That still boggles my mind.

[doink-chan]

According to the Japanese Wikipedia entry (http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%A1%E3%81%A3%E3%81%A1%E3%82%83%E3%81%AA%E9%9 B%AA%E4%BD%BF%E3%81%84%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A5%E3%82%AC% E3%83%BC), "Little Snow Fairy Sugar" was meant to appeal to both otaku and kids, and was intended to be aired both at midnight and in the morning.

However, if I'm understanding it correctly, it only aired in the morning on some stations.

[Garasharp K7]

I think if you looked at many other kids shows and tokusatsu--you would find them a bit more mild in nature.
Speaking of tokusatsu, I was rather surprised when watching The Super Robot Red Baron DVDs that in a couple of scenes where characters were attacked with knives, there were actual blood sprays from the wounds -- not quite the geysers you see in some Japanese movies, but definite sprays nonetheless. It was a good bit more graphic than I think would have been permitted on an American kids' show, even in pre-PC times.

Oh yes, a lot of the tokusatsu shows and movies were like that at the time. The original Kamen Rider, for instance, had a lot of scenes of people being melted into puddles of goo. Ultraman Taro, which is probably one of the more juvenile Ultra shows, had a fair few eps which focused on the deaths of loved ones - like the one episode where some poor kid is told his father was killed by a monster. It was handled in a fairly serious manner for a toku show.
Then you had the Gamera flicks where the big turtle killed all his foes in messy ways - remember the knife-headed monster Guiron? - or Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster, with people drowning in toxic sludge, acidic mist dissolving the flesh from their bones, etc. Fairly disturbing stuff.
A lot of anime back then had its' moments too. Anyone who's seen the original Devilman can attest to that. :)

[Rolancehack]

I think it has more to do with our Parental Groups and FCC regulations then anything else.

I don't really think the FCC has does anything anymore. I mean, do you watch the type of stuff that's airing in prime time slots nowadays? Some very risque stuff. And while Parental Groups do have a voice, they don't really have that much power.

The FCC regulates a lot of stuff, I know our prime time TV may seem risque, but there are some fairly odd regulations that are pretty easy to work around. For instance (and I know NYPD Blue sort of skipped around it) you supposedly can only show 2/3 or so of a naked butt on TV. It's weird stuff like that, the "no physical contact between human like people," and no bullet firing guns (cause lasers are that much safer...).

[stfram]

According to the Japanese Wikipedia entry (http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%A1%E3%81%A3%E3%81%A1%E3%82%83%E3%81%AA%E9%9 B%AA%E4%BD%BF%E3%81%84%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A5%E3%82%AC% E3%83%BC), "Little Snow Fairy Sugar" was meant to appeal to both otaku and kids, and was intended to be aired both at midnight and in the morning.

However, if I'm understanding it correctly, it only aired in the morning on some stations.

That's good. I've read repeatedly on this forum that Sugar was specifically intended for adults, and nobody at the time bothered to contradict that statement.

Being that the Japanese can be somewhat...open with their fetishes, I took it at face value.

[Takato]

To be fair, most of the content in kid's anime in Japan isn't that much more violent than the content in Disney movies. Some Disney movies can be fairly violent and dark too, like The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and The Black Cauldron. Even a movie that's considered to be "fairly-friendly" like The Lion King deals with a lot of themes about death. What I want to know is it true that Fullmetal Alchemist is a kid's series in Japan? I can understand something like Naruto or Sailor Moon being considered for kids, but I read in the FMA manga where Arakawa talks in her interview segments that it's a kid's series in Japan. I just can't imagine FMA being a kid's series with all the scenes of heads exploding and that one scene later in the anime where it's implied that Rose is raped by the military

[Fencedude]

Japanese demographics and american demographics are...not the same.

Who cares anyway? If you enjoy the shows, isn't that enough?

[something]

What I want to know is it true that Fullmetal Alchemist is a kid's series in Japan?
Well the manga ran in Monthly Shounen Gangan which is supposed to compete with Shounen Jump and all, so yeah, FMA is definitely directed at a shounen audience too.

[leongsh]

Who cares anyway? If you enjoy the shows, isn't that enough?
Hear! Hear! That's all there is to it.

[Prede]

Who cares anyway? If you enjoy the shows, isn't that enough?
Hear! Hear! That's all there is to it.

Yeah I don't even pay attention anymore at "who the show is aimed at". If it's good I'll like it :sdsmiley:, no matter what the "target audience" is.

[Suwako Moriya]

If it's good I'll like it :sdsmiley:, no matter what the "target audience" is.

The term target audience became meaningless years ago for a variety of reasons. That's the best way I can put it. Seriously there are only three types of shows. Shows I like, shows I don't like, shows I'm indifferent to, and shows I have yet to see. Wait that's four types, apparently I can't count.

[Prede]

If it's good I'll like it :sdsmiley:, no matter what the "target audience" is.

The term target audience became meaningless years ago for a variety of reasons. That's the best way I can put it. Seriously there are only three types of shows. Shows I like, shows I don't like, shows I'm indifferent to, and shows I have yet to see. Wait that's four types, apparently I can't count.

So true. Spoken like a true master. (I'm not sure what you are a "master" of, but you can be sure, you are a master.)

Shows I like
Shows I don't like
Shows I'm indifferent to
Shows I have not seen (yet)


That's all there is. I wonder if "Shows I LOVE!!!!1!1one!" is a sub section of "Shows I like" or it's own category?

[cutliquidsnake]

To be fair, most of the content in kid's anime in Japan isn't that much more violent than the content in Disney movies. Some Disney movies can be fairly violent and dark too, like The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and The Black Cauldron. Even a movie that's considered to be "fairly-friendly" like The Lion King deals with a lot of themes about death. What I want to know is it true that Fullmetal Alchemist is a kid's series in Japan? I can understand something like Naruto or Sailor Moon being considered for kids, but I read in the FMA manga where Arakawa talks in her interview segments that it's a kid's series in Japan. I just can't imagine FMA being a kid's series with all the scenes of heads exploding and that one scene later in the anime where it's implied that Rose is raped by the military

I watched lots of Disney movies when I was a kid, and none of it was as violent or bloody as Naruto. I've never heard of any controversy from a disney movie, yet back in the late 1990's there was lots of controversy over Toonami for the shows being too violent, and that was only edited anime.

[Rolancehack]

To be fair, most of the content in kid's anime in Japan isn't that much more violent than the content in Disney movies. Some Disney movies can be fairly violent and dark too, like The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and The Black Cauldron. Even a movie that's considered to be "fairly-friendly" like The Lion King deals with a lot of themes about death. What I want to know is it true that Fullmetal Alchemist is a kid's series in Japan? I can understand something like Naruto or Sailor Moon being considered for kids, but I read in the FMA manga where Arakawa talks in her interview segments that it's a kid's series in Japan. I just can't imagine FMA being a kid's series with all the scenes of heads exploding and that one scene later in the anime where it's implied that Rose is raped by the military

I watched lots of Disney movies when I was a kid, and none of it was as violent or bloody as Naruto. I've never heard of any controversy from a disney movie, yet back in the late 1990's there was lots of controversy over Toonami for the shows being too violent, and that was only edited anime.

There's controversy over Disney movies, but only over things like perverted animators and blatant rip-offing.

[relentlessflame]

Kanokon was pulled from online streaming from GyaO and Biglobe because it was the #1 most popular show for both male and female elementary students on those websites. Clearly, that was not the demographic they were going for with that show.For what it's worth, I have sincere doubts about the validity of this claim. From what I could tell from my research at the time, this statistic was based on a single day's report-out which, for all we know, could have been based on an absurdly small sample (which, not to mention, isn't by any means scientific). Yet, when you read the English blog posts talking about this, they make it sound like it got pulled from GyaO because it was "so popular with kids", when I found no statement anywhere to support that conclusion. It was just that one anecdotal one-day stat and a subsequent pulling of the show (that also happened to coincide with its being pulled off of most everywhere else in Japan) that made people somehow put "two and two together". That and people kept going on and on about how it aired in the mornings in Japan, and kept forgetting that it was on an anime-only pay satellite channel that always aired otaku anime at all hours of the day.

All that to say, as usual, I think the fact-checking on this claim was very loose, but this is how Internet urban legends are born, I guess: a grain of truth, and a lot of generous extrapolation. It makes for a good anecdote, though! :sd:

[russ869]

To be fair, most of the content in kid's anime in Japan isn't that much more violent than the content in Disney movies. Some Disney movies can be fairly violent and dark too, like The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and The Black Cauldron. Even a movie that's considered to be "fairly-friendly" like The Lion King deals with a lot of themes about death. What I want to know is it true that Fullmetal Alchemist is a kid's series in Japan? I can understand something like Naruto or Sailor Moon being considered for kids, but I read in the FMA manga where Arakawa talks in her interview segments that it's a kid's series in Japan.
It's not exactly Disney but, anybody ever seen "All Dogs Go to Heaven?" It's a "kid's movie" that shows animated animals drinking, smoking, gambling, and mowing each other down with Tommy Guns!!

[ChibiGoku]

It's not exactly Disney but, anybody ever seen "All Dogs Go to Heaven?" It's a "kid's movie" that shows animated animals drinking, smoking, gambling, and mowing each other down with Tommy Guns!!

I do want to point out the original movie had a rating of PG when it was first submitted to the MPAA. They later toned it down and removed some stuff to get the G rating.