Funimation announced this past week that they have acquired the rights for Dance in the Vampire Bund. Shortly after making the announcement, the Funimation representative said that the streaming and home video (DVD and BD) would be edited because of content they found “unsuitable” to release. Since this revelation, internet backlash has been immense against and for Funimation and rightly so. Sites such as Funimation’s own blog, Mania, Anime News Network, MyAnimeList and various other sites have unleashed a hell storm on Funimation.
Really, Funimation?
That being said, as its the weekend, Funimation has yet to respond to the overwhelming fan response against their decision to edit and censor anime. I expect come Monday, they will hopefully have changed their minds and will release it uncut and uncensored. If they choose to keep the current position, this will not end well for them at all. They would be considered hypocrites because they let stuff like Rin, Shin-chan, Strike Witches and various other anime series go unedited and uncensored. Do you see the hypocrisy? Its that big building that has majority share of the U.S. anime market.
I have read the first three volumes of Dance in the Vampire Bund (which is being released uncensored and uncut by Seven Seas, go to your local bookstore and buy it). I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. It’s perfectly fine. There is no nefarious agenda involved Mina’s lack of clothes. Funimation has no right to tell us, the consumer, what we can and can’t see. I’ve also seen people use the “Handley excuse” – if people actually did research on the case and dug deep, they’d see it would have nothing to do with possessing loli. ANN and various other media outlets have led you to believe it does. They’ve installed a fear factor into both us and the companies.
People, who are in support of the censorship, say it will never happen again and this is a one time deal. WRONG. They’ll do it again, and again, and again if they get away with it just once. You would be ignorant as can be to believe otherwise. That’s why you need to pick a side and not hold middle ground. You are either for censorship or against it. There is no middle ground. If you are for, I pity you and wish you the best of luck in the harsh world. If you are against it, you have my deep respect and I tip my hat to you.
I’m not calling for a boycott of all Funimation products, even though I myself am doing a semi-boycott (as in not buying expensive first releases, waiting for dirt cheap releases and collections). The less I give, the better I’ll feel. I will ask that should this be released cut and censored, to boycott it and send a message that this crap is unacceptable in 2010. I’m not expecting much, but I sincerely hope that tomorrow Funimation will issue a statement regarding the enormous outcry for this debacle. I can only hope they make the right decision – which would be to release this anime series uncut and uncensored.
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