Editing of anime in American distribution describes the process of altering anime to prepare it to be distributed in the United States (and sometimes also for Canada) and forms part of the process of localization. This process is generally applied only to series intended for broadcast on American television; series released directly to DVD are not subject to such alterations. On top of the translation of dialogue into English, this process commonly includes censoring audio/visual content to adhere to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and television network regulations and standards and editing content to conform to American cultural norms and/or to prepare it for distribution to a younger audience than it was originally intended. This type of editing may involve altering nudity or sexual innuendo, violence, profanity, possible racism (in most cases, there is no racism in any anime but nevertheless is still removed to avoid confusion), and/or religious reference(s).
This process may also include editing references that might confuse viewers who are unfamiliar with Japanese culture. Edits of this type commonly include the substitution of place names, food, and/or cultural elements not found in the United States. This may also include the changing/removal of titles, character names, and honorifics, the removing of issues such as marriages between cousins, non-pornographic depictions of homosexuality, and/or references to Japan's view of events (such as in the case with World War II). Opening and closing credits or scenes may be shortened to allow more time for advertisements in a television time slot.
This type of censorship is not unique to anime and is also practiced in imports from other countries and even in original American productions; both Batman: The Animated Series and Spider-Man: The Animated Series (especially the latter) were censored a lot for violence by the Fox Broadcasting Company during the production process, and the Canadian series ReBoot was censored post-production by the American Broadcasting Company for sexual content and scenes that executives believed would promote incest.
Read more about Editing Of Anime In American Distribution: History, Current American Companies Licensing Anime, Creators' Attitudes
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