Editorial by Chris

Decmber 1, 2000

If there's one word that makes American anime fans cringe, it's the ever unpopular 'editing'. For an anime fan, the word editing carries a negative connotation. It means being unable to see a series from Japan in its original form. While most anime fans are opposed to editing of any kind, it is not something that can just be wished away with a petition or complaints to companies. Until the 1990's, editing in anime usually required the cutting of entire scenes that were thought to be unsuitable or objectionable. However, now there is a new tool available: digital editing. In regards to anime, digital editing has offered mixed results, but it does have advantages.

Instead of having to cut out entire frames of animation, companies can now digitally cover objects and leave the footage intact. The most recent example of this is the broadcast of the Tenchi Muyo! OVA series on Cartoon Network. In the original version, there was quite a bit of nudity involving the character Ryoko. Through digital editing, a bikini was painted over Ryoko, which allowed the scene to remain intact. Other examples include the editing of blood and gore in Gundam Wing. These two series show what can be done with proper funding and quality work. However, there are examples of digital editing that have provided less than satisfactory results. The earlier seasons of Dragon Ball Z featured poorly done editing. One of the worst examples is in an episode where Gohan is in battle and a magic cloud covers him when an enemy punches him. The cloud does not match Gohan's movements, which makes the overlay quite obvious. This is the total opposite of the Tenchi Muyo! example, where the addition of a bikini to Ryoko is flawless and totally unnoticeable to the viewer.

However, there is also a darker side to digital editing: editing to send a particular message. One of the worst examples of this is in the early episodes of Sailor Moon produced by DiC. In one episode, Serena (Usagi) is riding in a car without a seatbelt. The editors felt it would be wrong to send a message to kids about riding in cars without seatbelts, so they digitally painted a seatbelt over Serena. A similar example can be found in Blue Submarine No. 6. For the TV broadcast version, digital editing was used to remove cigarettes from the mouths of characters. In many cases, the cigarettes have been replaced with toothpicks, and in some, nothing at all. What really makes no sense is that the smoke was left intact. People will see a character smoking thin air or a toothpick. The idea behind that kind of ridiculous editing is baffling. As if there wasn't enough exposure to smoking in the real world that editing it out of anime would make the world a better place. Editing to send a moral message to the audience is totally uncalled for. It is not right for a company to change the meaning of a show to promote ideas that were not originally present.

With the current level of technology, there is no denying that digital editing is the next step in editing anime. As so many other things in this world, it's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there is Cartoon Network, Pioneer, and Bandai utilizing digital editing to keep scenes as intact as possible, the best purpose that digital editing can serve. On the other hand, there is FUNimation, which uses poor quality editing to censor violence, and DiC, who used it to send moral messages to the children of America. In a perfect world, there would be no editing of any sort, and fans in one country would be able to see a show as the original audience viewed it. This is far from a perfect world, and every country has differing standards. However, editing anime to adapt it to American standards and morals is unacceptable. If editors are going to paint seatbelts on Sailor Moon, why stop there? If wearing seatbelts is good, why not have Captain Kirk and the Enterprise crew wear them so they don't fall out of their seats? Why not edit smoking out of every live action movie and TV show? Those who wield the editing scissors must do so carefully, or anime will suffer even more ridiculous edits. The editing of anime is a necessary evil, but with the proper use of digital editing, it doesn't have to be.