That's not what I meant.
I'm talking about the censorship of free speech and expression, much like what America tried to do with SOPA. You are not going to find things much different in Japan as everyday, they are trying to crack down on file sharing and piracy.
ok ... you can not compare apples and oranges ... and that is what you are trying to do
back when I was in school (admittedly that was a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time ago) ... censorship referred to things like free speech and expression
it did not refer to stopping bootlegging copies of music (which was very common back in the days of 8-track tapes)
govt attempts to prevent illegal copying of music/video/printed material, etc is not censorship
I suggest you read it up on internet, and keep in mind that it was co-established by America AND Japan.
once what the acronym meant was explained ... I understand what it is
and from what feedback I have seen from mangaka, and anime producers ... they dont seem to mind if it is a series that is not going to be brought over here to America anyway
the impression I have gotten over the years is that they appreciate their work being enjoyed outside of Japan if fan-subbing is the only way it can get out of Japan
I can also very easliy understand their anger and frustration when their stories get "Americanized" by idiotic "licensing" companies ... pictures get redrawn, and dialog gets completely re-written in order to make it more "acceptable" to the America public ... or at least that is the moronic reason the licensing companies hand out :(
Also it's good to bear in mind that in Japan you will be, well, alien.) And for a very very long time if not forever. And even for japanese there are many drawbacks and restrictions (some in general, some is from non-japanese's point of view). Japan is no more of land flowing with milk and honey than any other country and very little resemble what is described in most manga and anime. And yeah, they have "Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement" (ACTA) and going in "Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement" (TPP) direction.(
absolutely ... if I ever do get to live their, I will always be considered a gaijin ... just as I was considered a "foreigner' when I was living in Germany
and I fully agree with your comments about Japan not being like what we see on anime or in manga ... Japan would not be worth much as a country if it was
over the years I have been to something like 42 different countries ... and I have seen parts of some of those countries that regular tourists never get to see ... I have seen a lot of "reality", and most of it is not very pretty, which is why the tourist industry makes sure that the general public never finds out about that "reality"
You think YOUR internet is bad?
Hahaha.
....orz
the problem is not our internet ... that works quite well
our current problem is with the new law "SOPA" and what is being done with it
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what I wish someone could do ... is find a way to open a dialog with the Japanese mangaka and anime producers and try to explain to them that they would make a LOT more money if it was easier for people outside of Japan to be able to even GET the manga and anime they produce
I think that if they could be gotten to understand that their going through "licensing companies" is just shooting themselves in the foot
there are more than enough bi-lingual Japanese that could do correct translations of their anime and manga ... so that we would not have to wait for lame "dubbed" versions of animes to be made, sometimes a year or more later after the series came out in Japan ... and we would not have to get butchered versions of manga either
for the anime all they would have to do is sub-title it and convert it over to the appropriate format for the region it is going to
there are already at least two companies that could handle the distribution of anime and manga ... JList and White Rabbit Press ... and those are just what I personally know ... there are probably more
if it was easier for those of us otaku outside Japan to even GET most of the anime and manga that is produced ... there would be less need for SOPA and ACTA and any other laws like them