This question has been asked for many an Anime. Whenever an Anime
movie or series is being considered for production in the states
the buzz on the streets starts up and the questions begin to fly….
Will they cut out any of the scenes? Might entire episodes be
cut? Will they be editing the audio tracks? Will they be digitally
editing (painting) over some scenes to eliminate nudity or unwanted
elements? Or what about straight out using mosaic? (Mosaic is
a form of digital blurring, much like the effect of covering faces
of "nameless" snitches on the evening news, just with different
parts.)
Some of those might seem funny at first mention, but ALL
of these options have been employed on American produced anime
within the last few years.
I'm
sure some of you are thinking 'Yeah, but that's just on hentai
titles.' BUZZZ!!! Wrong! Targeted shows range from general audience
titles like Escaflowne and Tenchi Muyo to adult titles such as
La Blue Girl and Demon Beast. Heck, even Pokemon is edited.
Whether we like it or not - editing happens.
Fans who've seen the original Japanese version complain that
the dialogue in the "Uncut" versions is not a true translation
of the series, but instead the language has been downgraded and
replaced with modern day slang. Other fans have complained that
some of DBZ's more bloody scenes have ended up on the cutting
room floor. So if the show has been edited, then why is Funimation
calling their DBZ uncut?
When
I spoke with Funimation on this subject, I was informed that the
company has levels of "Uncut". For instance, when the company
first receives their material for DBZ, they immediately go to
work to trimming the content to make the show fall under the guidelines
for PG-13. Funimation stated that very little actual cutting is
done to accomplish this stage, but that there is some. Next, they
translate the script and "Americanize" the dialog to appeal to
US audiences (and this is just for the subtitled version!). After
Funimation finally dubs the show, they call this their "Uncut"
version.
Of course we're not done quite yet. To make the show even more
family friendly, and allow it to be shown on Cartoon Network's
Toonami Block, they make further changes.
Now for most fans, the end result is still really cool. However,
many fans (after all fan is actually short for fanatic!) want
to see every little scrap there ever was of the show and are disappointed
with the end results.
But
never fear o fans, because DVD is here and Funimation has answered
your prayers! If you've ever looked through the local VHS you'll
notice the Uncut and Edited Funimation versions are both DUBBED!
Yes, it's true, and Funimation has assured me, that the DBZ DVDs
are completely uncut - for the Japanese Language version
(yes lazy..you're going to have to learn to read again!!).
To clarify, if I were to put a Funimation DBZ DVD in my DVD player
and watched the Japanese Language track, I will receive DBZ in
it's entirety. Original Music Cues, Soundtrack, Script, and even
Video remain intact. Of course, this is only for the Funimation
releases of the series (Vol 18+), not the Pioneer releases (Vol
1 - 17). Alas, those remain edited.
Heated debates and questions will always float around the Net.
Editing is here to stay. American producers may not want to edit
the incoming shows, but federal restrictions and TV guidelines
often tie their hands.
But
there is hope because the American producers are listening. While
some companies are continuing to produce uncut VHS versions of
their shows, others, like Funimation, are making the completely
uncut versions available only on their DVDs.
If you want to continue to see the completely uncut (and typically
Japanese) versions of Anime, let your voice be heard in the ears
of the American Producers.
However, keep in mind that these same producers make money when
their product STAYS on TV. They'll do what it takes to make it
work.
---- By AniManiac
