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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THey Are heroes
w00t!
Yay for MangaGamer!
Finally a mag that makes the right decisions.
me likey...
I clapped at the end of the quote. I support this decision 100%.
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.
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.
American here. We have a LOT of people with guns. The US government is absurd, but they aren't (completely) stupid. It's why we have nice things like checks and balances in government as well so many laws that they want simply can't survive due to all the red tape.
Where as in parliamentary nations there's only one group that bills (or whatever equivalent you have) needs to pass through offering almost dictatorial status on matters such as these.
Before you basically give us the equivalency of Soviet Russia or communist China you should consider why our nation has been so stagnant in terms of freedom of speech.
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
I bless this company!
Aleast ths person is enjoying the mockery of being honest.
This means Higurashi is illegal in Canada.
Faaaaaaaail.
If only Nitro+ teamed up with them...
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.
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***
Mangagamer is now incredibly awesome
\o/
Nice one MG!
Thank GOD!! Free at last, Free at last, thank lord almighty FREE-AT-LAST!
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 :)
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.
Well played, my Dutch brothers.
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.
Ironic how it's foreigners who are fighting back harder than the original creators.
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?
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.
ROW ROW fight the power!
Great to see a company sticking to their guns for once.
Here's to a future Umineko release.(wishful thinking)
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
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).
Are they going to uncensor all previously censored games?
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.
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...
they did good. not that the art of Higurashi is even worth fapping over but they did good...at least in principal...
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..