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PROFANITY:

if you have ever been to japan i am sure you have seen the porn vending machines. i am sure you have seen the show where all those naked men are lumped together and have to escape the flesh lump (genitals censored, japan may pull profanity to its limits , but genitals are not allowed)

children will run by large posters of women holding their nippled and wearing nothing else. the japanese dont care. it the human body. if you are ashamed of the body of someone so beautiful imagin how ashamed of your own body

Wow, o.O That really shocked me! I knew about anime not being overly popular in Japan, and that manga was the actual "mainstream item" as that article so aptly puts it. But to hear so many anime that are considered for teens in America is meant for kids shocked me.

I guess it's because America's roots are so Puritanical. Even though the 60s pretty much broke every American moral shackle, profanity and nudity, etc, are still widely considered "immoral" if portrayed publicly. Personally I simply don't have a taste for those things. I also believe the media has a very strong influence on what develops in kids' minds. But I also think since society in general is extremely different in Japan than it is in the U.S., perhaps the influence profanity and nudity have on Japanese watchers is different from how it influences American fans.

I know that in Europe nudity isn't nearly as looked down upon as it is in the U.S., because as Aiko said, they don't have issues with looking at the human body. European art portrays nudity extremely often; it's usually tasteful and beautiful. Just spend one day in the Louvre and see for yourself.

But to defend America's views, as I said, a lot of it stems from our Puritan roots which have not entirely disintegrated even two hundred plus years later. Some people view nudity and sex as intimate, private things that should only be shared by committed lovers. I know I personally have a problem with boys (or girls) who watch porn, especially if they are currently going with someone. I would feel shocked and hurt if my boyfriend were looking at porn. It would make me feel like I wasn't good enough for him. I don't know if the mentality is the same in Japan.

Profanity in America is very different from what it is in Japan too. The connotations associated with the words are very strong and hurtful. If the American mentality changed so that those words were commonly accepted and people didn't take offense by them, no one would have a problem with it, but that's not the case. If someone cusses when they're frustrated, it's one thing, but I hate it when people swear at me. Not to mention, profanity in English is simply in bad taste, especially if it's used excessively. I know a group of guys whose every other word is "f***" something or other. Their vocabulary seems extremely limited. This is not to say everyone who swears is in bad taste. My most intelligent friends still cuss. I don't for religious reasons, but it's tempting, and some people say it helps them get rid of their tension. I don't mind it if it's used to relieve frustration and not directed offensively at a person.

I wouldn't say American views of nudity or profanity are wrong in comparison to Japanese views - just different. Perhaps both are good. I really don't think the U.S. is ready for a change, anyway.

I do think it's funny that anime is meant for kids and yet the majority of viewers are teenagers in European and Western countries. When I met a 10-year-old fan of Yuu Yuu Hakusho, I was shocked her mother allowed her to watch it, because I knew it had lots of swearing and violence. It's practically rated R by American standards! But omitting the violence, profanity, and occasional nudity, you can usually see that it really is meant for kids. Doesn't make me stop liking it though. whee Though I prefer manga by a long shot... a very long shot. Perhaps another reason anime is more popular than manga in the U.S. is because Americans like to watch TV more than they like to do any kind of reading at all? I am a bookworm and don't watch much TV, but I do think that's true for many Americans. And I still watch a fair amount of TV.

I must admit... I was shocked by the porn vending machines, and I turned bright red and got laughed at. xd My friends went into Condomania and I sat on a chair in Daiba mall, staring longingly into the pet shop...

I'm not surprise becuase each culture has their own thing.

It is sad thet much of America adopt most of the Puritans ideas becuase the Puritans warped the bibical teaching of the bible. Becuase of such a tight old it had, the blacklash was great.

I do understand that there are some things excepted in America cartoons for kids but not for Japanese.

I agree with a lot of the points the essay writer brought up, and I do think America, as a whole is still stuck in the Puritanical mindset, and generally taught that their ugly as sin under their clothes, and that it's only to be seen by those closest to you. I happen to think that it's a beautiful thing, to be naked, and says a lot about yourself, emotionally, if you can, or can't be naked in public, and not be ashamed. Who we are, is who we are, and what we become is shaped both by your enviroment, and ourselves, so even if it's meant for kids, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it as an adult. Hell, I still occasionally watch some Tom and Jerry, or Loony Toons, when I catch it on the tube. Childhoood joys, and pleasures are NOT something you should have to drop, when you hit a certain age, in my opinion.

i dont know any thing about the bible, and i am sorry to say, as personal feud with soemone i have to make sure my future dotn hear of it (i suggest you not enquire more)

darn i forgot to type my "future children" this is why i stick to my own language of japanese.

not to be offensive, its just that if i know more i may be tmepted to know een more.　

｛Edit] just ignore it, it s a personal i fight i had with it, it s a personal i fight i had with someone who is telling me offensive stuff, and i wish not to kno more of the bible telling me offensive stuff, and i wish not to kno more of the bible.

Sadly yes most americans do have the puritanical views but i was brought up by a european mother so it is not a shock to see a female body for me and It didnt seem a shock to me that anime in japan is not that big look at many american things to american it seems mundane or childish to us.