@Desbreko:

Huh. Well I guess I was wrong then. If that's the case, I guess I do have a bit of a problem with the censorship in question.

Still, I trust FUNi's judgment for the most part (on non-streaming-related matters) so i still don't consider it nearly as big a deal as others seem to be making it. Also, they're delivering a truly epic FMA: Brotherhood dub at the moment, so I'll go ahead and forgive them this slight transgression.

@Ace:

If they had just used the nipple-less broadcast version, I doubt people would care that much. However, Funi completely cut out that scene, which is about a minute long, in their streaming version. (And I assume it will be the same way for the DVD/BD release, from the sound of it.) They didn't even bother splicing in a shot of some background or whatever and leaving the dialogue, they cut the entire thing.

@stararnold:

That's the magic of the periphery demographic. Just because a show isn't marketed towards a certain audience doesn't mean they can't find enjoyment in it.

A good example from the current US market is the Disney Channel series Phineas and Ferb. It's a cartoon about two step-brothers and their pet platypus. The show is aired with the intended primary audience being about 8-12 years old. However, I still watch it as an 18 year old (and might I add avid hater of almost everything else on that channel.) On top of that, almost everyone in my circle of friends my age either regularly watches this show or has seen it and liked it. The creators have gone on the record stating that their intention was not to make a kids' show, but to make a show that didn't exclude kids as an audience. You might even say the audience it's being sold to is the one outside the target audience.

As for anime itself, it also partly hearkens back to my previous comments. Cultural differences. since children in Japan are generally exposed to more mature themes and elements, children's programming from Japan would naturally appeal to teens and even adults in other countries. Therefore, a lot of these kids' shows come over to Western shores marketed to an older crowd.

As for adults avoiding shows they're not the target audience of, I know of plenty of people in their twenties or higher who still watch Chowder, Flapjack, Transformers Animated and plenty of other newer kids' shows without any kids in the room at all. And I'm sure you'd be surprised at the number of people without children or younger siblings who went to see The Princess and the Frog or Ponyo (which was marketed to children even in North America.)

@Ace:

Regarding what you said in response number one, if that's the case, then how is it that lots of grown-up people in Japan (and by extension, the world) would intend to watch almost anything Anime regardless of target audience? I mean if you look at the animated films and series made in North America, normally grown-ups wouldn't watch something that they know isn't really for them to enjoy and so they tune in to what they know partly/entirely targets them.

@twilight luna:

Nah, it's alright. I understood what you meant fine. I'm just saying that the alcohol and swearing, etc. doesn't necessarily indicate that it's not meant to be a kids' show. One Piece's main character has an alcoholic mentor, for example. It's just Japan has different standards for what kids should and shouldn't see, so they can get away with a bit more of that kind of thing.

Shin: Thanks for clearing that up, I can definitely see why they might consider being cautious about bringing that scene across the pond. And if Des is to be believed, those who actually watch the series are hardly going to notice anyway, heh.

@Ace:

Ok, yeah, I can see where you're coming from there. I understand a bit more how Funimation really did need to censor some stuff, but what I meant about anime not being kids' shows had nothing to do with hardcore stuff. Sorry if it sounded that way! All I meant was that normally, I find anime with cursing and the use of alcohol and drugs. But yeah, I can understand what you're saying.

@Shinmaru:

Yeah, I've seen through ep3 so far. Also got ep4 and 5 sitting in line behind some other new stuff I need to catch up on.

I saw both the uncensored AT-X broadcast and the censored Tokyo MX broadcast of that scene, by the way. The censored version just removed her nipples.

5: Explicit sex scenes involving very young-looking people, from the sound of it.

Just to be completely clear on the content -- and I'll put the description in spoilers in case it might offend someone -- the most likely scene to be cut involves the main character, a vampire with the body of a young girl, being rubbed with protective lotion from her male protector, whom she then teases by showing her body and asking him if he believes it to be immoral to admire her in an erotic way, since she is of course much older than he is but still with the body of a child. Her breasts are also flashed for a brief moment in this scene.

So, it's not a sex scene, per se, but it's more sexually explicit than most TV anime (and much more direct about it, too). Clearly, at least part of it is meant for titillation, but the scene isn't pointless from an artistic point of view, either, which is why I wouldn't cut it given the choice. But obviously that's out of all our hands, haha.

@twilight luna:

1: Most anime's primary audience is kids. Ignoring hardcore hentai and particularly gory stuff, this is all essentially children's programming. Naruto, One Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist, the list goes on. You just don't consider it kid's stuff because Japan has different standards. Obviously the series in question is an exception, but I really don't see how a necessary cut to keep lawsuits at bay equates to Americanization.

2: It's been said before, this one was probably part of a package deal. It's not like FUNi to license something they know they would have to censor unless there's another series in it for them that they want more.

3: Hardly any licensed anime is censored from its original material anymore. That's part of the reason this is so newsworthy.

4: "Manning up" isn't exactly the issue when the you're concerned that the public at large will demonize you. This is a business decision more than a "FUNi are prudes" decision.

5: Explicit sex scenes involving very young-looking people, from the sound of it.

I apologize in advance if I come off a bit gruff here. I'm not trying to sound rude, but at the same time I sometimes find it hard to politely express my opinion.

@Desbreko:

Have you seen the second episode yet? There's nothing more explicit than what is in that episode ... at least so far.

@Zakuro Rose:

Maybe, but there was no mention of editing in the initial press release, which makes me wonder.

On another note, I can't be the only one wondering what's up with them releasing Strike Witches uncensored (which has loli boobs that are even less relevant to the story) yet now feeling the need to censor Vampire Bund. Unless there's some super-explicit scenes in Vampire Bund that I haven't seen yet, that makes no sense at all.

1. Anime normally isn't for the little kiddies, so of course, it's just another way of americanizing the crap out of it... -_-
2. How come they didn't know about these scenes before licensing it? Reasearch anyone?
3. I'm kinda tired of hearing stuff about this from every other anime that gets licensed. Can companies just keep the original stuff already?
4. Man up and get over it. If people don't like what they're watching, they can go be prudes somewhere else. All ya gotta do is stop watching.
5. I have failed to see what Funimation has deemed "inappropriate" because they don't specify on Anime News Network.
*is not amused* -_-

@Desbreko:

They probably had editing in mind before licensing the anime. They phrase "after viewing the unedited as well as the Japanese broadcast edit" is for politics so people don't jump on them about how they "didn't review the anime yet" blah blah blah.

I wonder if the same edites will apply to the Japanese Audio (english subbed) option per Region 1 volume of this vampire-themed Anime series. Becasue sometimes while seen in Japanese, an Anime may appear in at least two alternate edited versions (the Anime adaptation of "Witchblade" for example).

I'm just amused that they apparently didn't know about those scenes before licensing it. Package deal or not, that's a bit dumb, given that half the talk about the show online revolves around loli boobs.

Oh well. R2 BD rips gogogo.

@Ace:

That, and it's totally not worth releasing an uncensored version of something few people would buy if it means their assets could be frozen and their business flushed down the toilet due to accusations of distributing child pornography.

Personally, I think if FUNi were so inclined, and were challenged on this point, they could take it all the way to the Supreme Court and get a big, fat victory due to the literary/artistic/political/scientific value clause in the Protect Act. I mean, Vampire Bund actually does contain interesting social critique (which is part of why it has three good episodes, haha), and even its most "offending" scene could be interpreted as a critique of how society views sexuality (although admittedly many people would ignore that, haha). (Frankly, Handley probably could have taken his case to the Supreme Court, too, or so argues some experts in this sort of thing. The ANN commentaries on this issue are an interesing read.)

Unfortunately, FUNi is a business, and a rather limited business, at that, even with its high standing in the anime industry, so it isn't going to carry that torch. It just isn't in FUNi's best interest, especially considering that it in all likelihood is not totally invested in this series.

Again, even though I cannot blame FUNi in this situation, I think it's pretty sad that it believed the current climate is such that it was in its best interest to censor the material rather than fight for free speech.

You know what's so great about this? If you don't like an anime's dub...YOU CAN WATCH THE UNEDITED SUB ONLINE! It's like...a CHOICE. I realize not all people have steady access to the net, and I feel bad for them, but, still, the opinion is there, is it not?

Well, it all depends on the edits I guess. I never heard of this series before, so I don't know how "bad" it gets if uncensored. >> As long as they don't destroy the series, it should be fine unless it goes 4kids bad. I don't think they're going to try and do that with this, it's Funimation for crying out loud! Most of their stuff is aimed towards teens and adults, not young children.

Anyway, that's just my thoughts.

Seriously, guys, I've gotta go with the pro movement here. Censorship in general isn't usually something I'm for (as a One Piece fan with vivid memories of the 4Kids dub,) but I doubt they'd even license something they didn't think they could get away with releasing uncut unless it was part of a package deal with something else they wanted more. That, and it's totally not worth releasing an uncensored version of something few people would buy if it means their assets could be frozen and their business flushed down the toilet due to accusations of distributing child pornography.

Might as well give my two cents, even though just about every other anime fan on the 'net already has. :p

I'm normally against censorship -- and in a perfect world, I probably would not have censored whatever will be censored in this release. (We don't know what will be edited, but it will likely be bits and pieces of the OP and a fairly explicit scene in the second episode.) I mean, Mnemosyne has content that is way more sexually explicit (not to mention far more violent, and in much crueler ways) than Vampire Bund, and FUNi released that OVA unedited.

The unfortunate reality of the situation is that FUNi is in all likelihood covering themselves in case of potential backlash from the whole Christopher Handley deal. And, frankly, I don't blame them. I don't particularly like that the company believed it had to edit the content of the series, but I can't in good conscious rage at FUNi about it like some people seem to be doing.

The people squawking about never buying any FUNimation products again because of this are particularly hilarious. How often is this going to come up? And who the hell was going to actually buy Vampire Bund, anyway? (I've been watching it. The series has three good episodes, one good but highly divisive episode and three crappy episodes. I wouldn't buy it in a million years.) I get being annoyed by the censorship -- I really do -- but FUNi has a pretty solid reputation about not editing whatever it licenses. The aforementioned Mnemosyne wasn't touched. Baccano! is a really violent series, and FUNi didn't edit that. I doubt FUNi touched Higurashi, and the level of violence in that series actually repulsed me (though ultimately I wouldn't touch it either). And so on down the line. Again, I think it's an unfortunate reaction to a particularly sensitive perception of anime.

Really, the whole fiasco has me and many others convinced that Vampire Bund is part of a package deal for an anime FUNi actually wanted -- say, the hugely popular Bakemonogatari (also made by SHAFT). Why else would FUNi license an anime it knew it might have to edit, lest people blow up? (Even though I don't think anyone who cared would have bought it and threw a fit over loli boobs.)

Anyway, the whole thing is a mess. Hopefully whatever FUNi gets from this was worth it.

Well, Dance in the Vampire Bund, while incredibly deep and complex, could be considered a loli by a passerby.