What I'm about to say, here, has been bothering me for about a month, but up until now, I've just kept it to myself. I was going to write up an Editorial for Daizex, but Mike, having reached Fandom Nirvana, doesn't want to get the site involved. I'm warning you now that this is pretty long, but I feel like I have to say it.
As you may or may not know, in last month's issue of the American Shonen Jump (that is, February 2004 -- remember that every issue comes out a month ahead of time), censorship reappeared in DBZ for the first time since the end of the Saiyan arc. On page 235, #16's 00b3r-famous technique, "Hell's Flash," made its appearance. Or rather, it should have. Instead, what we got was this:
Now, I don't claim to have any idea what they were thinking when they did this, but that's beside the point. The bottom line is, it makes no sense, because:
With all of that evidence, the idea that Viz would have any legitimate reason to censor "Hell's Flash" is absurd. While I suppose that it could just be a "momentary lapse of reason" (as Pink Floyd so eloquently put it) on the part of the company, I am inclined to think that this change marks the start of a much stricter censorship policy. I really can't think of any other legitimate cause that would make them do this. So... I'm worried. Very worried.DBZ Viz Adaptation Facts wrote:1) They've used the word "hell" before, in a variety of contexts.
You don't have to get far into DBZ to see this; take, for example, the first chapter of DBZ volume 2, "A Warrior in Hell." Looking at the series up to this point, they haven't been shy at all about using it in either concrete or abstract terms, even though the comic has been officially "censored" since mid-2000.
(Note: please don't confuse this with the original DB; despite its own problems in the past, the Dragon Ball portion of the manga has been officially "uncensored" since early 2001, and no current edition of that series is edited for content.)
2) They've used worse language than this before.
Although there isn't really much swearing to begin with, Viz has used both "damn" and "bastard" where they felt it appropriate. I don't pretend to speak for any of you, but I'm pretty sure that most of you would consider "hell" to be far less offensive than either of those two words. So, even though they use "harsh" language infrequently, severity of language clearly shouldn't be a problem here.
3) There's plenty of other "bad" things they haven't censored.
Despite the (2000) censorship's prohibition on sexual innuendo, raised middle fingers, and frontal nudity, there are plenty of other "objectionable" things that Viz has let through untouched. Among them are images of death (including suicide, impalement, broken necks, decapitation, disintegration, rending in twain, and downright murder), the bodies of the dead, the death of God (Kami), beatings of children, torture (in the sense of making an incapacitated foe suffer, rather than killing them immediately), and more. And yet there's all of this fuss over a measly little word.
Now, to some of you out there, "Inferno Blast" in place of "Hell's Flash" no doubt seems like a relatively minor transgression. And, to tell you the truth, it really isn't that big of a deal. HOWEVER... consider this: If the word "hell" is now suddenly taboo, doesn't it stand to reason that other, similar things, will be changed in the future? I am of course referring to our dear friend, Mr. Satan. The name "Satan" in the English language is inextricably linked with "Hell" imagery, so logic dictates that if one goes, the other will probably follow. And that's just not acceptable. It's not just the betrayal of changing the name of a well-known (and popular) character, but the fact that he appears so often after he's introduced, that -- should his name be changed -- we will rarely, if ever, see another uncensored DBZ chapter, all the way to the end of the series. Plus, at the rate Shonen Jump is currently going, he's gonna show up in less than 6 months.
I know that complaining about it must seem kind of pathetic, but I've already done what I can and written to the magazine about my concerns. I've grown to dislike petitions since my previous exploits, because too many idiots get involved who either have no idea what the thing is about, or just want to be stupid. Either way, it grates on my nerves to much to attempt something like that again.
I don't know what to do, now... I might write in again in the next few days, but I suppose the most I can do at the moment is to suggest that those of you who actively read the US Shonen Jump magazine and DBZ Graphic Novels write in about it, as well (the Shonen Jump Letters Page e-mail address is: letters@shonenjump.com). The only thing about that is that you absolutely should NOT make it angry or obscene, because nothing gets a letter thrown out faster than colorful invective laced with death threats. If you do write to them, feel free to use the information I've presented here, but please don't be rude.
Anyway, I apologize if this seems rather pessimistic or otherwise uncharacteristic of me, but Viz's English version of the manga is something I've really enjoyed, despite its occasional missteps. It's about the only real part of English-language DB that I still genuinely care about. I don't want my enjoyment of it to be ruined by this nonsense.
So, that's my rant for now... anybody want to comment / offer suggestions / take my mind off of this?
