Throwback #41 - Censorship Much?

See this picture? This is in the Manga where Rangiku's right side below her ribcage is completely removed by Ayon. It's a pretty bloody and uncomfortable scene, but it's deemed appropriate because of the audience it's intended for - teens/adults. I personally believe toning down something when it's intended for a certain audience is, at times, ludicrous. If it's meant for teens/adults, then MAKE it for teens/adults. This is clearly not intended for young kids, but there'll be irresponsible kids who watch it and may be frightened or grossed by it or irresponsible parents who don't have a clue on what their child if watching. My gripe with this is what the Anime did when they completely toned down this specific scene of Rangoku vs. Ayon ~ you either keep the original source material (despite it being violent) or don't show it at all (which defeats the purpose of turning Manga into Anime). Not only is it toned down 100%, but it's censored with the background being red. Is the audience supposed to identify that this a pretty horrid scene to look at (which it is)? There are way way way more bloody scenes in other Manga I've seen, did THIS specific scene have to be censored? I personally have seen Manga turned Anime with specific key violent scenes being not altered ~ completely showing blood, organs, and BEEWBS. In Bleach, what is the intended audience? Kids? Teens? Adults? Well, like any form of entertainment, it has a rating system. This grinds my gears a bit because it's clearly intended for an audience who knows that Bleach is an action Manga ~ there is bound to be violence in it since the primary weapon of choice in this is Zanpaktou.

Here's the Anime rendition of this fight. It's pretty much the Manga rendition, but in Red. It's depicting Rangiku being severely wounded rather than having her complete right side removed. They did this with other scenes in Bleach and, to be perfectly honest, some make sense and some don't. For me, this scene is pretty damn short that you didn't even need to censor it. Just show it, cut scene, and we're through. If it's for an intended audience, then make sure kids (who are easily frightened of scary or gruesome things) don't watch. AND, if it's really intended for adults/teens ~ then show the scene, it's a pivotal point to Rangiku's character, but not the focus of this Arc. You either show the original material or don't show it at all ~ don't adjust it just because some people may/may not watch it and are underage. CONTROL what you watch folks and remember, you watch anything at your own risk (regardless of what the rating system is or what it's depicting).

So what do you think of Censorship? To me, it's hit-n-miss ~ sometimes it makes sense and others it's just overprotectiveness. Comment below and let me know. I hope you enjoyed this week's Throwback. Look forward to Throwbacks every Friday. As always, you all stay classy now Bleach fans.