First off, I'm in a bit of a manic mode, so I will ramble. Ignore this as "old man yells at cloud" and you'll likely be happier.
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I'm thinking of the days before Cartoon Network showing anime on Toonami in the afternoons (long before they started and ended up migrating to "Midnight Run"). I've got VHS tapes / DVDs of Akira, Elfin Lied, Serial Experiements: Lain, Evangelion, or even the stupid Ranma 1/2 (which has a lot of toplessness), and things like that. Those would never be on Toonami. I remember being age gated out of Heavy Metal at Blockbuster. Hmm. Shows like this are now shown on streaming services. I'm a fan of Dorohedoro or Berserk, for example.
So, I guess it is actually less of an issue in the anime sphere. Is there a comic / novel service that works on the edgier works? The services I've seen seem to be fragmented so I can never get what I'd want on a single service, so it isn't worth investing to me. Also, I'd rather just buy the digital versions instead of a subscription, like I own digital versions of GUNNM (humble bundle sale
![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
).
I wonder what would be considered the most extreme of the "family friendly" impression that'd be shown mainstream. DanMachi? They spend far too much time talking about breasts at the start of the second season, I stopped watching. Added nothing to the show or story. .... Maybe Ghost in the Shell: SAC? I wouldn't touch Made in Abyss with an 11 foot pole if I were them. (no idea of the current line ups)
The Sci Fi channel (long before the name change) used to have hard sci-fi anime movies on the weekends. That was great. Saw Appleseed.
Now that I think about it, I'm still miffed that Cartoon Network didn't air an episode of Outlaw Star (can see it on the DVD bundle I got) that had hot spring fan service, while the main character was trying to climb a mountain and kept being tossed off said mountain into the springs with the female cast or others. In the first episode they censored a poster above the MC's (Gene Starwind) bed of a topless lady. Neither change really affected the story and characters though, so it was enjoyable still.
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I suppose the issue is two fold. The production side is less experimental (no 52 episode seasons any more for example), but I'm not sure if the more extreme shows are being made less often or just at a lower ratio to the overall number of productions, and the other issue could be the localizing side which may pick and choose more strictly.
If anything, I really don't want to or have the time to research and write an anthropology paper about cultural trends, but my perspective as someone that spent far too much time watching anime growing up and is now closer to 40 than I realize on any given day, is likely different from most. Also, my opinion is just that. My opinion.... until I dig up production facts, which I stated I don't want to do.
..... man, I miss Tenchi Muyo. The story itself wasn't great, but I loved the universe. Each additional show in the said universe just got worse though.