PETA Game Parodies and Censorship: My Thoughts

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Who is going to censor meat? You might be surprised.

Let’s start off with an acknowledgment. Most of these games are bad, bad controls, grotesque designs and over the top writing.  I would like to point to the Pokémon games, how you can keep the battle system of Pokémon somewhat intact but suck the joy out of it is impressive in its own way.

I doubt that meat is going to be removed from videogames any time soon.  Eating meat is just too popular. That said, we can imagine a world were few if any people still indulge in eating meat, where the act is frowned upon by the general society, and where people do not want their kids exposed to the “immoral behavior” of eating it.

In that world, we can imagine censors removing references to eating meat much like they do for tobacco and alcohol today. After all, eating meat is immoral, and as groups like PETA tell us, has all sorts of negative health effects. Isn’t there a responsibility to protect the impressionable from the dangers of meat consumption?  This might seem absurd, but only because it’s about eating meat. Replace the word meat with tobacco and its reality. The only thing really missing is public acceptance of the idea eating meat is bad.

Whatever you think of the science or ethics of eating meat you must admit it’s something a lot of people do, both now and historically. Loads of art already contains meat consumption, sometimes as a key part of the plot. If you morally reject eating meat you can look at these works in two ways. You can take on the logic of the book burners, not watch them at all and work to stop people from consuming them. Or you can accept that we live in a morally complex world, that not everyone agrees with your beliefs about meat eating, and try to appreciate what the artist was trying to do.

Back to PETA I think it’s laudable that they make games to address things they don’t like. Also, I don’t think they hate most of the games they parody.  I get the feeling they like Pokémon and just decided to attack the elements they don’t like in the most bombastic over the top way possible. It’s not a good way to win converts, but when preaching to the choir it is sure it get a lot of “Amens”

As for me, I will continue eating meat, not smoke, and consume art containing both.

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The Localization of Super Mario Kart 

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Thanks for reading. If you liked the video and like this editorial, please consider supporting my work on Patreon or Minds and follow me on twitter. Also please continue to support Censored Gaming for the important work they do.  Thanks.

-Gedaemon

Review of Dragon Ball Super Ep. 113: Carrot and Cauliflower

Ep. 112 Review

We start where we left of last week; Caulifla has driven off the robots and challenges Goku to a fight. She’s ready for a rematch. So Goku, who still hasn’t recovered is in base form, facing off against her in super Saiyan 2. At first Goku appears to be completely on the defensive. but in an obvious twist, none of her hits are landing. Whis points out Goku’s level of skill as a martial artist allows him to deal with Caulifla, who is a simple brawler.  

Finally Caulifla lands a hit, so Goku starts drawing on his old tricks, like the afterimage technique. But Mary su- I mean Caulifla keeps adapting.  He makes Goku transform and he goes right to Super Saiyan two, since he hasn’t recovered the power for three. It’s more than enough to overwhelm Caulifla however. After a drawn out fight were it feels more like Goku is teaching than fighting to win, she proves to Goku she has the ability to go level three, or even beyond.

Goku invites both Caulifla and Kale to attack him. Their double team makes quick work of Goku, in his level two form . . . Until they don’t. Goku can now follow their attacks, and transforming to Super Saiyan three he can more than keep up with their power.  But he quickly powers down, denying us our show.

Goku doesn’t have the stamina yet for Super Saiyan three but Caulifla seems satisfied just seeing it.  Kale even tries to do it, only to once again become the legendary Super Saiyan.

Well, what to say about this episode? It was a fight, but more than that it was Goku teaching. Goku is happy to build someone up even if they are a potential enemy. I also wouldn’t be the first to remark on the personal similarities between Caulifla and Goku. They both love power and fighting.

However I think problem with Caulifla is unlike Goku she doesn’t seem to have to work for her power ups. She is already on the verge of mastering Super Saiyan two which she has only had for a few days. It took Goku the better part of seven years, training in the other world. I understand that the Universe six Saiyans are starting from a higher base level, or at least that’s my head cannon since Cabba was already at such a high level in is base form during the Universe six tournament, but there is a difference between power and skill even in Dragon Ball.

In any case I don’t mind Caulifla or Kale, I just wish they were written a bit better. But maybe the next episode will deliver on that.

Another point was how straight forward this episode was. That isn’t bad, especially in something like Dragon Ball. By focusing on one fight at a time it becomes easier to follow and stretches the arc out. It makes a longer; better arc overall. I hope they keep that up.

-Gedaemon

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Dragon Ball Super Ep. 112: Three Little Saiyans, Also Vegeta

Ep.111 Review

 

Goku is still pissed off about Jiren dismissing him. At the same time all the other teams have decided he is vulnerable. Team three attacks Goku, seemingly overwhelming him. Gohan wants to intervene but he has his own problems in the form of two very strong Namekians from Universe six.  

Meanwhile Kale and Caulifla are talking. After watching Son Goku battle Jiren Caulifla is super excited. She thinks since she is a Saiyan too she can get much more powerful.  A warrior named Monna interrupts their conversation. Caulifla is all fired up to fight, but Cabba interrupts and says he will fight her. Pissed off to lose her fight Caulifla stomps off.

Even in Super Saiyan form, Cabba doesn’t seem to be a match for Monna. He soon finds himself on the edge of the arena. He is knocked off the side of the ring, only to be caught by Vegata of all people. Vegeta looks pissed off he had to intervene and throws Cabba back in the ring, then sends Monna flying.

After Cabba thanks him, Vegeta knees him in the chest and says he hates seeing weak Saiyans. He also reminds him of his promise to show him the Saiyan home world. Furthermore Vegeta says he will use the super dragon balls to resurrect universe six so Cabba can keep him promise.

Freeza, hiding behind a rock here’s the whole thing, but before he interferes Monna is back and tries to steamroll Cabba again. After insulting his teacher, Cabba manages not only to go super Saiyan again but Super Saiyan two. Like an idiot Monna isn’t impressed an attacks him, only to get curb stomped. With a huge ki blast Cabba knocks her out, but is exhausted in the process.

Vegeta is satisfied by the fight and turns his attention to Jiren. Toppo steps in but Vegeta isn’t interested in fighting the second tier fighter, at which point Toppo points out he is also second tier. Vegeta goes blue and starts fighting.

Meanwhile Freeza decides to fight Cabba, challenging Cabba to come in at full power. This of course doesn’t do much and Freeza goes into sadist mode. Cabba tries using the Garlic gun to defend himself but of course this is useless too. Freeza goes golden, for what reason I have no idea, and blows Cabba out of the ring. It seems he just really likes beating up Saiyans.

Goku and Vegeta end up back to back. This is in a great image. Goku explains he is still recovering, and is fighting at less than full strength. The fighting continues. The robots come at Goku and they are taken out by Caulifla. Thanks to Cabba she has her power back and wants a rematch with Goku.

I liked this episode. It had predictable moments but it was not predictable in and of itself.  The animation was also good, and it advanced the plot and arcs of a lot of characters. Vegeta really shined. He can’t stand being the object of hero worship but he can’t ignore such honest feelings either. It shows the difference between his cold exterior and his relatively recent development of compassion for others, which has been slowing building since DBZ.

If I were to complain I would say that Monna was a lame heel for Cabba to get his big victory on I would also allowing Cabba and Caulifla to reach SS2 so easily is lame, there should be some serious tension for an in battle transformation. Consider that Goku and Vegeta trained for years to break that barrier, and Gohan nearly died in battle to do it. I also wish they would show us the battle between the Universe six Namekians and Gohan and Piccolo. Not only is the tag team element interesting, but Gohan and Piccolo are fan favorites.

Next episode seems like it might be interesting with Goku vs Kale and Caulifla, but we will have to wait and see.

-Gedaemon

The "Problem" With Fandom

As Rick and Morty fans rioted over Szechuan sauce many have raised the question: what is the problem with fandom?

The problem with fandom is that it’s looked at from an outsider’s perspective.

Critics have labeled the fandom as toxic: the domain of angry young men. They say the fan community has become a place not of love, but of hate. That it’s out of control.

It’s certainly true the fandom is not controlled. What exactly is supposed to control them? Fandom, any fandom, is a subculture. It is not and should not be under the control of any one person. Should any group of people be judged by its loudest or most immature members?

The defining trait of fan culture is passion. Passion can lead to positive or negative actions but overall the positive aspects drive the fandom. There are volumes of fan art, fiction, lore articles and videos, and chatter. It’s not always good, but sometimes it’s equal to the original. Fandom helps breathe life into a franchise. While general audiences or writers eventually get fatigued, fan communities help keep interest and viability in the work. A handful of fans even live the art in a way which sometimes comes off as weird, but certainly adds to the community and the original product.

That isn’t to say there are not problems in certain fandoms. Any time you get a large group of people together they often start acting in odd or unacceptable ways. Some people are influenced too much by group dynamics and some genuine jerks seek shelter and protection within fandom and other sub cultures. But these traits are not limited to nerds or fan culture. You will find those things at play everywhere. In-group out-group dynamics tend to turn people against each other based on arbitrary distinctions, and allow people to justify things that normally would not be acceptable. 

Fandom is no more toxic than any other part of our society.  Fandoms are made of people with different morals and interests, but united by their passion. The fandom ought to be adored for the love and work they pour into their hobby, not mocked and certain not targeted for public condemnation.

-Gedaemon

Dragon Ball Super Ep. 111: Hit Gets Hit Alot

To the surprise of Goku, and none of us, Freeza shared his energy with Goku. He also tells Goku the gods call his power ultra-instinct

Meanwhile Hit has begun his match with Jiren. We know going in he won’t win, the question is how will he lose?

Standing off, they do paint quite a picture. A picture which breaks by Jiren easily beating Hit down.

At the same time Goku watches the match from a hidden place, when two Namekians attack him from behind. Gohan and Piccolo stop them. Simultaneously Vegeta fights Ribrianne, because it’s too much to focus on one thing at a time. At least this segment is short and we go back to Hit. He’s getting hit a lot but that’s part of the plan.  He has been memorizing Jiren’s timing, so he can use his time skip effectively. It works and Hit freezes Jiren in time at the edge of the arena.  Hit orders the other members of team 6 to leave Hit to him, preparing to sacrifice himself to take out Jiren.

Of course this is Dragon Ball, where raw power is far more important than special powers. Somehow Jiren starts to resist being frozen in time. Before he can, Hit goes to deliver the final attack. Of course it’s futile, Jiren breaks out of Hit’s time power and defends himself. Hit futilely goes on an all-out attack and Jiren beats him down. It’s all incredibly formulaic. Jiren sends Hit flying, taking him out of the tournament.

The grand priest declares half the time has passed, and for some reason the sky turns green. Jiren meets back up with his teammates and declares the warriors he needed to fight are gone; He leaves the rest to Toppo and Dyspo as he starts meditating. Two scrubs attack him but are beaten back b Jiren’s energy alone.

Super’s writing has been letting me down lately. I think the problem is the show is giving me too much time to think. I’ve been watching shounen fighting shows long enough to know the standard tropes and can figure a lot of stuff out.

But Super knows large parts of its audience are longtime fans, so they should try to keep us guessing. If I can guess the general lay out of the episode after the first few minutes, that’s lazy writing.

Perhaps things would be different if I was marathoning the show, or I didn’t hear the occasional spoiler on twitter, though I try to avoid those. Perhaps if I had less time to think there would be more of an impact. But this is a weekly show, and I am reviewing it as such, so I can’t give it a pass.

I will admit parts of the episode were fun. Hit pushed Jiren to his limits, used a good strategy and revealed a new finisher. Jiren overpowering time control was kind of cool but it’s predictable by this point. And Hit standing around and talking before trying to finish the fight seemed not very much like what an assassin would do. Being a professional rather than a fighter or a sadistic nutjob is kind of what set Him apart. His talking during battle should be kept at a bare minimum.

I hope the next episode, which appears to feature a lot of Cabba and Vegeta will be less predictable.

-Gedaemon

Ways Games & Anime Have Censored Smoking: My Thoughts

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First off, I don’t like smoking. My dad smoked and I always hated it, it’s smelled bad and it was bad for him. I told him to quite several times but he never did. I’ve never tried it and I don’t intend to.

However, it didn’t take long for me to start scoffing at the ridiculous censorship I saw.

For better or worse smoking is part of our culture. It’s a bigger part of Japanese culture because more people there smoke. Cultures have different values and if you can’t deal with that you stay away from them.

In western media only bad guys are allowed to smoke, if at all. They are immoral so censors allow them to engage in “immoral” activities to show their immorality. Lots of villains in anime and videogames smoke too. For instance corrupt businessmen often enjoy cigars. But you also see “cool” characters smoking. For example the protagonist’s older male role model often smokes. Sometimes the protagonist even smokes. The idea of the “cool smoker” was once an acceptable trope in the west, but at some point we decided it was important not to associate smoking with positive traits. Japan, apparently, didn’t get the memo.

One thing you should notice is these ideas of “immoral” or “cool” are simply assigned to the person smoking as the artist requires. Smoking is just a tool the artist is using to convey a certain idea or emotion.

From an artistic standpoint, smoking has a lot to offer. It adds a stylistic flourish to otherwise boring character designs, it can fill empty space on screen, and it can hint at stress or depression. The series I dealt with in the script had elements of all of this. So, every time a censor or some busybody decides to chop content from an already existing anime or videogame, they cheapen it. They remove a visual or worse, a story element, all to protect people from the idea of smoking. When you censor you almost always wind up with an inferior product, because you are removing an element the creators meant to be there.

Most of the videogames I went over only had minor edits. But censors ripped apart some of the anime to remove objectionable content. No one pretends that the original dub of One Piece is acceptable anymore, even if they continue to advocate for “necessary” censorship. But even minor edits make things worse. Look at the last stage of Fist of Rage 2; compare the background with Mr.X smoking and without. Without that cigar animation he looks boring and unremarkable. That cigar and a few minor animations give him so much more character.

So why was this done? Mostly because parents do not what their children exposed smoking. Parental advisory codes reflect this. Worse, corporations do everything they can to get lower age ratings. Higher age ratings, in a practical sense, mean fewer consumers.

In an ideal world would we expose children to smoking? Maybe not, but we don’t live in an ideal world now do we? We live in the real world where life and people are imperfect. People drink and they smoke. Sometimes they do even worse drugs. At some point we are all exposed to it. If I had a kid I might try to limit their exposer until they are at an age where they can tell fantasy from reality. This is a hard thing to do, but it is the role of a parent, not a network executive or a localizer. That’s my point: art—and anime and videogames are art—should not be limited because it might have a negative impact on young children. If you have a problem such content you should avoid it. It isn’t up to anyone else to protect you or your kids from ideas you don’t like.

All that said I love many of the series I wrote about here. In particular many Toonami series were a big part of my life growing up. And despite the edits I am grateful they were there.

Finally, many of the people who have to make these decisions did want to. They had to comply with regulations and network policy. Their goal was to get anime and videogames out with as few edits as possible. I can respect them, even if I believe those edits are unethical.

-Gedaemon