Ban on anime forthcoming in China

China has done it again, folks: there will be a ban on anime soon, at least that’s what seems to be in the mind of government officials discussing anime in the country. Of course that not all anime cartoons will be banned. Banned anime will include mostly gory, violent, obscene anime cartoons, which to be honest, can be said of many of these productions. Anime is a form of art in many people’s opinion, a way to express one’s self and society, either through hyperrealistic imagery or more lenient subjects. Anime cartoons are the most popular genre within cartoons, and even China, these Japanese cartoons have an enormous fanbase.

A ban on anime would impact video streaming sites a lot, and fans will surely be very disappointed to see series like Blood-C banned in China. China’s Ministry of Culture has come forth a statement saying that glorified violence, terrorism and vulgar erotic depictions in anime will no longer be allowed on the Chinese internet. The officials have also announced that they have already issued a warning to websites hosting such anime on their servers and letting users stream them freely.

Moreover, the ministry did not just target anime cartoons and their ban in a press conference earlier today, but aimed directly at streaming sites. According to government officials, streaming websites which host anime or TV shows from foreign nations will have to present publication licenses in order to add these foreign productions to their portfolios. The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of China will be responsible with approving or denying these publication licenses.

Now, for anime fans in China: the following anime series will most likely be banned in China: Blood-C, Terror in Resonance, High School of the Dead. I am honestly sorry about that, I’m personally a fan of the latter series, and in my opinion, if High School of the Dead warrants a ban, we’ll have a smaller anime list in China, by the thousands when the government starts cracking down on streaming websites.