More Amazon Anime and Manga bans. Japan now very worried.

[crazybars]

This was in my feed today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsO4G6pUflU

Japanese Twitter and Japanese companies and creators are starting to notice Amazon banning Anime and Light Novels over Political Correctness to conform to a narrow idea of Western moral values (US in particular.... ho boy

I just wanted to let you guys know, this shit storm has been brewing for months now, and it's not pretty.

Read the Japanese twitter posts in the vid. Japan is really not pleased with Westernization being forced down their throat by force and ransom through US companies like Amazon and their Japanese branch. I got nothing else to say except Japan is Prettty angry this time. I thought the Sony censorship backlash was bad, but even the Manga and Anime creator are worried now. This is much much worse and it scares me.

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Amazon delisted items and pre-orders from:

Bakarina (Like wtf is offensive in this? Foreheads?)
No Game No Life
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash
The Greatest Magicmaster’s Retirement Plan
I Shall Survive Using Potions
How Not to Summon a Demon Lord
Clockwork Planet. (Yeah.... this is literally a character story on a clockwork planet)


https://forums.j-novel.club/topic/3391/books-preorders-missing-from-amazon
https://old.reddit.com/r/GGdiscussion/comments/hqw3sk/jnovel_club_amazon_delists_some_light_novels/
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-07-15/publishers-comment-on-amazon-kindle-delisting-of-at-least-15-light-novels-manga/.161872


*update 7/28/20
Greenfrost posted a thread on Mangadex about Amazon Jp not shipping certain newer Japanese editions of Manga to U.S.A . we'll see how that turns out.

https://mangadex.org/thread/290308/1/#last_post

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For context on why this is probably political correctness gone nuts and not just random, Amazon did this 4 months ago.

amazon-removes-various-anime-figures-including-hatsune-miku-and-kaito-tenshi-twin-angel-from-storefront-claiming-items-promote-child-exploitation

https://boundingintocomics.com/2020/03/05/amazon-removes-various-anime-figures-including-hatsune-miku-and-kaito-tenshi-twin-angel-from-storefront-claiming-items-promote-child-exploitation/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeOCPVZ0YQM

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I will also add more examples of forcing Japan to conform to Western morals for context why the Amazon delistings are significant part of an obvious trend.

Thread on Mangadex about Australia July Banning some manga as child pornography.

https://mangadex.org/thread/286978/1/#post_2625767

Context Overall sample of the weirdness.

https://boundingintocomics.com/2020/02/02/for-second-time-funimation-promises-uncut-release-of-tsugumomo-delivers-censored-version-instead/
https://boundingintocomics.com/2020/02/18/funimation-edits-joke-to-remove-light-sexual-humor-in-bofuri-i-dont-want-to-get-hurt-so-ill-max-out-my-defense/
https://boundingintocomics.com/2020/03/06/sentai-filmworks-changes-dialogue-to-explicitly-reference-misogyny-in-dub-of-to-love-ru-anime/
https://boundingintocomics.com/2020/06/03/square-enix-censors-maams-martial-artist-outfit-for-upcoming-dragon-quest-adventures-of-dai-mobile-game/


Ken Akamatsu who's the mangaka of Love Hina testifying in the Japanese diet House of Councilors his concerns over manga censorship dictated by foreign governments.

https://boundingintocomics.com/2020/07/07/love-hina-mangaka-warns-about-a-future-where-japanese-works-are-regulated-by-foreign-standards/
https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2020/06/29/love-hina-manga-creator-discusses-mangas-freedom-of-expression-with-japanese-government

"This month, I was invited to participate in a House of Councillors witness questioning session, but instead, a member of the DIET [Japanese government] asked me, 'What measures are needed for Japanese manga need to survive in the world?' I replied, "First and foremost, freedom of expression. Compared to other countries, Japan's forte is its freedom of creativity. However, with foreign platforms becoming more and more dominant, I would like to avoid a situation where Japanese works are regulated by foreign standards.'"

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-------------------------------For the curious, Note on biases
There's more material on Clownfish tv. They're kinda my go to guys on rumor news for Media entertainment censorship because they always have their sources on screen for you to double check and I myself don't find insane Anti-Wokening ranting by Tim Poole effective. You gotta say why it's bad, not chant a useless slogan usually used like an insult.

And yes most of these articles and vids lean towards conservatism because they're all against self censorship over political correctness so unfortunately the coverage is skewed by political affiliation. Plus I'm lazy, Bounding into Comics usually backs their claims with tweets, sources we can double check etc.


*edit2 : 7/23/20

 

[421cookies]

I dropped kindle back when they decided to remove Shougakusei Hajimemashita
Also their royalty share sucks on top of that

 

[Thoraxe41]

The one series I did get off Amazon was Shield Hero and that's still there for now.

It's pretty dumb. Hopefully the Japanese Goverment does something to slap Amazon in the back of the head.

 

[MrIncognito]

It's worth noting that it is extremely likely that Amazon laid off staff in droves due to the pandemic, replacing them with an algorithm that says "X people have reported this item, take it down"

 

[Greenfrost]

I have a question. What anime and manga have been banned on amazon? Because, if we're talking about ones that don't follow political correctness, then that's a lot of them.

Also, The west is certainly extreme with their morals these years, but trying to push their views onto other cultures seems kinda really bad. Japan should push back, because that's not right.

Actually, now that I think about it, didn't Instagram or something ban "Japanese style art" a while back. A war on Japanese culture it seems.

 

[Thoraxe41]

@Greenfrost

Top of my head. Oriemo, No game no Life, How not summon a demonlord, Bakarina, Something with Potions. A few Light Novel translators/publishers such as J Novel Club and Yenpress have had series taken down for no reason and some pre orders canceled.

 

[Richman]

A war on Japanese culture it seems.

Inb4 self insert story about a guy from an eastern culture defeating the evil western empire.

 

[Greenfrost]

@Thoraxe41

How Not to Summon a Demon Lord and Oreimo are still available on Rightstuf in America, with the former's next volumes up for preorder. Honestly, I don't even remember the last time I bought Anime/Manga on Amazon to begin with. The don't even sell Aniplex stuff there. Although, granted, those releases are highway robbery.

 

[PantsMan]

I remember Amazon having these kind of purges regularly as far back as 2012. Steam does it all the time as well with their garbage attempts at having a VN section. Same old schizophrenic puritanism that on one hand wants to cash in on all that sweet localization money, on the other is paranoid about its "PR image", running afoul of decency laws or whatever.

Normally I'd say this is a great opportunity for alternative, smaller distributor services to gain much-needed traction, but it's been proven time and again how difficult it is to compete with what those services can get away with price, exposure and convenience-wise. Especially when piracy already sets a pretty high bar for how much effort people are willing to put in to pay for physicals and official copies. I don't think it'd be a stretch 'till we start seeing companies actually starting to cater to those standards; that mainstream market appeal is starting to become too good an opportunity to have to constantly fight to put products back on shelves over.

It'd be like the Comics Code Authority days in the States: "it's not censorship, just a self-imposed limiting of distribution lol. Retail has no effect on the actual creative content being made!"

 

[theo1996]

From what i have noticed its not only manga its literally anything on the internet tat doesnt adhere to their political ideology, even neutral stuff and things that might encourage thought that goes against their agenda, even videos on youtube, books, videos ,movies literally anything.

 

[crazybars]

@theo1996

Yeah, things are not going well in the Western world. But let's not go there for now. That fist fight will probably drag on for another 2 decades. Let's focus on this worrying sub sect of PC censorship first.

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Political correctness trying to force Japan to conform to Western moral values by force is truly an incredibly disappointing showing of how people don't think about what they're doing and repeating history like "forced Westernization".

Treating the Japanese like disobedient children and trying to spank them into Westerners through force like we're Japan's parents? Wtf is this, how is that not gonna backfire? Truly, we live in the dumb dumb times when even Amazon is being retarded now.

*force being the censorship, delisting, and business sabotage etc.

 

[yoofo]

This'll blow over. Banwaves on Manga and Light novels and VNs always do. Doesn't mean it's good though.

 

[deltarayedge]

America is the onky country that exists anyway. Everything is just another state.

Better invest in your crappy recycled superhero comics, kiddo.

 

[PantsMan]

@crazybars

Censorship and forced Westernization

But you see, it's worse than that. The US government hasn't forced Amazon, Steam, Sony or anyone to take these policies in a war against Japan; it's completely voluntary and internal. It's not censorship, just a business strategy which for some reason they think is viable. Companies are held to far less accountability in that regard because it's ultimately assumed if they go too far within the bounds of the law another competitor will simply take their place. It would be much harder and controversial to argue (in the US at least) for the government to step in and force these companies to stop being such prudes and sell Japanese products again.

 

[rh75]

@PantsMan

Censorship isn't only done by the government. It can be done by businesses, colleges, and individuals since the act of censoring is the suppressing or deleting of anything objectionable.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/censoring Look at the verb, not the noun definition. I don't know when it became acceptable to believe that only governments can censor speech. However, by saying it you give a free pass to companies, colleges, and individuals to do whatever they want with things/ideas/speech they find objectionable.

Talking with your wallet is the best. The sad thing is there are too many people who only want convenience and quantity, and who don't care if titles are removed.

 

[PantsMan]

@rh75
You're missing the point despite coming to my same conclusion. Retailers are free to choose what they sell (legally), and creative teams/publishers can (mostly) do whatever they want to the content they own, regardless of how much this might limit their distribution. The retailers get away with it because they're not objecting the existence of the product, just choosing which of them to carry and sell. Publishers and creators can self-censor their stuff all they want for whatever reasons, since it's theirs anyway. Both of these have an impact on the content being made, but legally nobody can do anything about it without serious government intervention, aside from supporting alternatives with different practices.

 

[theo1996]

@pantsman No its not legal, when you have a certain policy that could be chaged at any point and time to include anything and everything that could be meant, especially when you sign a specific contract .and a company on very general and broad terms delists your product for (((""policy infingment""))) ,without any specifics, that is breach of contract and very dirty and dishonest legal practice. They always bet on the plaintiff not wanting to fight a big technocratic entity as that wold be detrimental to their finances and time. Its unironically time to make a FOSS/free-speech alternative to amazon(original idea pls donut steal).
@crazybars I wasnt trying to divert the topic just posted an observation of mine, I agree its really sad that this is happening, hopefully Japan will wake up to this modern western stupidity.

 

[Cyberbeing]

A quick glance over the YenPress and JNovelClub LN titles Amazon US has banned so far, suggests they are targeting those which have nudity of young girls in the color illustrations (often available in free previews). This is just an assumption, from checking the LN previews of No Game No Life, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord, The Greatest Magicmaster's Retirement Plan, I Shall Survive Using Potions, Clockwork Planet, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash, and Infinite Stratos on Bookwalker.jp. Surprisingly enough they do all have at least one color image with partially hidden full nudity (not necessarily even sexualized, just nude) in at least one LN volume. This common trend could obviously be broken as they start banning more titles, if that isn't the actual reason. It would become rather worrying if they are banning over something more broad than that.

 

[NodiX]

@theo1996

No its not legal, when you have a certain policy that could be chaged at any point and time to include anything and everything that could be meant, especially when you sign a specific contract .and a company on very general and broad terms delists your product for (((""policy infingment""))) ,without any specifics, that is breach of contract and very dirty and dishonest legal practice. They always bet on the plaintiff not wanting to fight a big technocratic entity as that wold be detrimental to their finances and time. Its unironically time to make a FOSS/free-speech alternative to amazon(original idea pls donut steal).

Except that there's no contract when you publishing on Amazon, even when publishing ebook exclusively through Kindle Select.

 

[carbryvietia]

The 1st amendment in America only applies to the government. Censorship is a thing yes, but private corporations have a right to censor and restrict what "speech" (in all forms) occurs on their platform, ala PragerU v. YouTube.