I’’s manga edited Posted October 9, 2005 at 9:44 pm

Anime On DVD has posted a review of I’’s, Vol. 3. I was disappointed to read that the US publisher, Viz, has edited this volume for nudity. Earlier volumes were apparently edited as well. I find the decision to edit I’’s odd, considering that Viz chose to market the series as part of their Shonen Jump Advanced line, supposedly for older readers. Shouldn’t the mere notion of doing an edit of this nature send big warning signs that the title isn’t appropriate for your intended audience?

I’m reminded of the whole CMX/Tenjho Tenge fiaso, which I wrote about earlier this year. From what I gather, the edits have continued and CMX has refused to acknowledge the collective outcry.

Unfortunately, I’’s and Tenjho Tenge are not the only manga titles that have been Puritanized en route to US shores. Following Tenjho Tenge, Anime On DVD set up a discussion forum devoted to manga editing. It’s probably the best place to go to find out which titles have been edited or otherwise share your thoughts on the subject of editing in general.

Personally, I would like to see our US manga publishers take some responsibility and choose their licenses more carefully, or translate mature titles faithfully and package them accordingly. Censoring an existing creative work is degrading to the artist and insulting to the fans.

Comments for This Entry Here's what others have said about this entry.

  1. Titus Barik said:
    October 10th, 2005 at 12:04 pm

    Is there any indication on the actual books or packaging that says that the work has been edited from its original form?

  2. Adam Parisot said:
    October 10th, 2005 at 1:23 pm

    Okay, I checked my copy of I’’s, Vol. 1 and it does indeed contain a small note on the publishing info page. It reads, "Some scenes containing nudity have been modified from the original Japanese version." I believe this was not the case with the initial release of Tenjho Tenge. I can’t comment on any other titles.

    Point taken; Viz did provide notice of their changes. I picked up the first volume without even considering that it might have been edited, so naturally I did not check.

    If there is no notice, then it’s a stickier problem. Barring intimate familiarity with the original Japanese tanks or word of mouth from a similarly informed source, there’s no way for a casual reader to know.

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