MangaGamer Refuses to Censor Loli Content
- Categories: Games, News
- Date: Dec 13, 2009 19:51 JST
- Tags: Censorship, Eroge, Higurashi, Law, Loli, Politics, Translation, Visual Novels
English language visual novel publisher MangaGamer has gone back on a recent decision to censor some of its recent titles over concerns about loli content; their upcoming releases of Soul Link and Higurashi will now go on sale completely uncensored.
They describe their decision in a recent statement:
After a lengthy and heated discussion, we have decided to release Soul Link and Higurashi uncensored with all CGs intact.
As you all may know, the issues in Japan following the outcries of this past year have left many companies wary and overcautious when it comes to deciding what constitutes child pornography.
With the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada cracking down and restricting content even more, we were no exception. As a company who hopes to offer our products to the entire English speaking world, we originally felt it necessary to take extra precaution to ensure that neither our company nor our customers would face prosecution or other action as a result of our products.
This is why we originally felt it was necessary to remove Nanami’s CGs and replace Satoko’s naked sprite with the sprite where she covers herself with a towel. We wanted to ensure the safety of our staff, our consumers, and our ability to continue producing these games.
However, as many fans have made it clear, we have to choose where we draw the line carefully. The images we have released in our games so far and the images in these games being released soon are acceptable under Freedom of Speech.
Furthermore, our products are being sold to a mature audience who is capable of making responsible decisions about what material they buy.
Also, as many have already said, if we wish to continue in this business, we must push for our own standards as well. Although it is impossible to say there will not come a time when we are forced to censor content in a game, we do intend to proceed selling our products uncensored.
Just whether these noble sentiments are enough to deflect charges of being “virtual child pornographers” remains to be seen, but it is at least a relief from the spineless response of the Japanese industry, and are also preferable to the stealthy censorship employed in certain other English language titles.
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w00t!
Yay for MangaGamer!
Finally a mag that makes the right decisions.
THey Are heroes
me likey...
I don't see how it makes any difference either way. From what I've seen, the art in 7th Expansion's VNs is horrible. For example, the hell is wrong with their hands??
Their hands, maaan.... They're HUUUGE, maaan! XD
You don't need to be on drugs to notice this as a fact.
I clapped at the end of the quote. I support this decision 100%.
MangaGamer...The Ero-God smiles upon thee!
The United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada have become more fascist than the US? What alternate reality have I fallen into? It should be the US that persecutes people for what are essentially thought crimes, not them. This world is fucked.
I bless this company!
I'm glad they're doing this. If something like a lawsuit does come up, I'm sure that they'll have lots of support.
thumbs up
Aleast ths person is enjoying the mockery of being honest.
If only Nitro+ teamed up with them...
This means Higurashi is illegal in Canada.
Faaaaaaaail.
100% support...... spiritually...
What the fuck is up with her hands?
It's obviously an advanced case of Hinamizawa Syndrome.
So, suppose one day that the anime second season gets licensed - will they put a bathrobe on naked disembowelled Rika?
yeah wtf is the point in censorin cartoons anyway lol there not REAL LEVAE IT BE
"Furthermore, our products are being sold to a mature audience who is capable of making responsible decisions about what material they buy."
THERE IT IS! THERE IT IS! The one single statement that SHOULD be repeatedly stated to any straw feminist who riles on lolicon. The amount of common sense in this sentence is staggering and yet many idiots STILL. DON'T. GET. IT.
I feel I have to vote with my wallet on this one... Haven't bought something I could pirate save for manga in quite a long time, but I think I'll be getting Koihime Musou from MG when it comes out in a few months.
Mangagamer is now incredibly awesome
\o/
Do they still use DRM?
I would like to economically support them too, but that fact has prevented me from purchasing from them in the past.
I would like my "Freedom" in full, not only in part :)
ROW ROW fight the power!
Nice one MG!
Thank GOD!! Free at last, Free at last, thank lord almighty FREE-AT-LAST!
i'm surprised they even had to waste their time thinking if they should censor this or not.
It's normal that it should be uncensored since it's only fiction.
But they at least said some smart words,so it's okay.
Ironic how it's foreigners who are fighting back harder than the original creators.
Are u kidding me, how can u say it is uncensored, when you remove some scenes, if that's not censorship then I don't know what it is. I mean if you remove/alter/edit of a scene, that is censorship, but by calling it uncensored but having some scenes altered that is still censorship isn't it? Here, "This is why we originally felt it was "NECESSARY TO REMOVE" "NANAMI’S CGs" and "REPLACE SATOKO’S NAKED SPRITE" with the sprite where she covers herself with a towel." what bullshit, fucking hypocrites, fuck it I'm importing this game.
Oh no! Will I have to see the extremely high quality and arousing H-scenes of Higurashi?!
Wait a second...
FUCK YEAH!
See how easy it is to get my money?
Well played, my Dutch brothers.
You might want to be careful before you jump the gun a little:
http://mangagamer.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/about-the-release-of-higurashi/
- Removal of the Music Room
- Removal of the Mini Game
- Removal of the Staff Room
Mostly i wonder about the mini game,what it was.
But those other things i would like a small explanation.
Well it doesn't effect the game too much anyway.
Isn't this very, very illegal in most Western countries?
How long until MangaGamer gets shut down?
Can I even purchase their products as a Canadian?
Overtrhown your goverment, place a good one, make new laws, then Canadians can buy the games. :D
Are they going to uncensor all previously censored games?
Great to see a company sticking to their guns for once.
Here's to a future Umineko release.(wishful thinking)
It's good they're standing up to overly cautious crackpots. Here's hoping others follow their example and stop following the directives of people who wouldn't buy their games anyway (I'm looking at you Equality now).
I don't even like loli but I am reserving some cash to purchase... it will actually be the first "mature" purchase I make since I was 15 ^^ (I am 24 now so WOW Oo), internet really made my life easier all these years ¬¬
...BUT these guys deserve all the support I can give them! Now if they would only release some other stuff...
***cof cof*** FSN ***cof cof***
I might actually support them after this instead of just downloading their stuff illegally. Hopefully this encourages more companies to do the same and release loli uncensored without doing stuff like changing the character's age either.
of course higurashi has no lolis getting plumbed...
way to self congratulate yourselves MangaGamer...
I take it you simply didn't read the part about Soul Link?
Eff yeah =)
Equality now, do your job.
they did good. not that the art of Higurashi is even worth fapping over but they did good...at least in principal...
Good job, MangaGamer. At least someone out there still publishes stuff without censoring it all to hell.
well is good to see people figthing for the freedom of expresion, but they should put " no kids were undressed in the making of this game "before feminist start saying otherwise...
Who would fap to Ryukishi's drawings of Satoko anyway?
It's not about fapping, it's about freedom...
FUCK DA MAN!
Thumbs up for MangaGamer..
MEN AND LOLICON!
WE ALL STAND STRONG, AND THE FEMINAZIS WILL FALL!!
Great to see them taking a stand.
Unfortunately I still won't be buying from them. Me want a physical copy of a game. Not just a download.
Who do you think is going to flush a bunch of money down the toilet and produce an English-language version of a VN in hard copy that maybe a dozen people will buy? Never mind the fact that companies aren't likely or even able to just GIVE licenses away.
If you don't read Japanese and you want to read Higurashi, it's idiotic not to buy MangaGamer's release.
We're lucky we're getting an English release AT ALL.
Amen to that! Freedom of Speech and Expression WILL PREVAIL!
Everyone knows Higurashi's "loli" are not real children but sausage shaped beings in the form of semi humans. I mean look at those meat gloves and tell me that is a human.
But isn't 2-D loli illegal in the US as well?
"The first conviction of a person found to have violated the sections of the act relating to virtual child pornography, Dwight Whorley of Virginia, was upheld in a 2-1 panel decision of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in December 2008.[11] This was in apparent contradiction to a previous U.S. Supreme Court ruling that stated virtual child pornography was protected free speech."
and from sankaku's article, "It is not a required element of any offense under this section that the minor depicted actually exists."
So by keeping the loli in would get their US customers in hot water. And while MangaGamer is a netherland's based company, 2-D is illegal there as well.
He pleaded guilty, and was not "Convicted" so it does not set a precedent. :) Can't use that case as a standard yet.
The provisions within the PROTECT ACT of 2003 still stand though. The part that was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court was the fact that the CPPA of 1996 was too vague. The PROTECT ACT of 2003 specifically states an obscenity clause.
And obscenity laws are the worst since they rely on the Miller test and are set by a community standard. So one jury/judge/etc may view one thing as obscene while another set may not.
"The PROTECT Act includes prohibitions against illustrations depicting child pornography, including computer-generated illustrations, also known as virtual child pornography.[1][2][4] Provisions against virtual child pornography in the Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996 had been ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2002. However, the provisions of the Protect Act are distinct, since they establish the requirement of showing obscenity as defined by the Miller Test, which was not an element of the 1996 law."
And yes, I is quoting wiki as its written in English instead of legalese.
Whilst I'm all for freedom of speech and whatnot, this does mean I can't buy the games without being partyvanned.
Derp.
You assume there's someone out there with authority who cares that you made a purchase from some "MangaGamer" company.
There isn't.
It's incredibly unlikely that you'd be "partyvanned" for buying their game. A more reasonable way you could be charged for having bought it would be getting vanned for some other reason, and it being found on your computer.
If the company were to take flak, records of their customer base would be handed over and people purchasing items that are illegal in their nations could then be prosecuted.
They may be a company based in the Netherlands, but they've had laws on the books forbidding 2-D loli longer than the US has.
I'd be a little... cautious about purchasing the games. Consider the paper trail should you get partyvanned and have to try and come up with a defense that keeps you from having to "squeal like a piggeh"
Obtaining them by other means probably isn't the best idea either...
Though whoever prosecutes somebody on the basis of Satoko's naked sprite is the biggest twat ever.
I am sending this to Equality Now right now!!!
that would show them!
Yes viva la lolilucion!!
The original Higurashi has like one CG, and I think there's like one sprite of Satoko with a nipple showing or something. I cannot believe there had to even be debate on that, our censorship laws are pretty ridiculous.
It shows her full body, I think.
I was one of the people who e-mailed them. Great to hear that they're not censoring the games. More loli for everyone ^_^
good for you *hi-five*
There's still justice in this world, I knew it.
+1 for them
This site's reputation is rising quickly. Back in June, people were saying, "MANGAgamer? What idiots, that's not manga!" Now many people are pushing others to actually buy the games from them instead of just torrenting them.
The more Mangagamer sells, the more others will think about what they are doinng.
*cough* Yast *cough*
Removing loli ero CGs? Fuck NO!!
That's like taking away the fried chicken from your KFC meal or replacing Horo with a beaver tooth fugly transvestite.
"a beaver tooth fugly transvestite."
named Holo
This is Higurashi we're talking about, not some fancy eroge. If you're expecting delicious cake ero, get out.
This is Higurashi AND SOUL LINK we're talking about..
fixed
Or just replacing the cover.
It's nice to see a publisher doing what is right for once.
MangaGamer, Legendary Heroes of Justice.
Mangagamer banzai!
Pimping for your sponsors. Class!
Let's hope other publishers stand up for freedom of speech like mangagamer is doing.
Freedom and loli for all.
amen to that. (there is still hope for the ero world)
The Ero God is looking after you.
Thank god, I hate it when they censor things for the sake of censoring
There is no sake of censoring, its for the sake of mankind.
...which is bullshit. These people have made the right choice.
A new hope.
Is it really a good idea to talk about this on Sankaku when we know the Femnazis are watching?
Ero wars episode 4: a new hope
Now if only they'd sell physical media instead of just downloads. Call me old fashioned, but I refuse to pay for bits, and I'm disappointed every time they release a game I've hoped to see in English, because it means that it's stuck in download-only hell.
knowing that many people would prefer to just download the uncensored original for free, they were left with little choice but to risk and release as it is, knowing that this would appeal mostly the hardcore fanbase.
This is standing up for your industry and what you believe in. Take note, Japan. Kick Agnes Chan and EN to the curb on these matters.
It's nice to see drawn child pornography for once.
i hope my Comic LO to come back
Finally a company shows backbone!
Take that, femnazis!
This feels like a victory! I feel like raising my fist and yelling my happiness out to the world!
lol. XD
i just opened up my window and shouted "it's my money, and i need it now!"