China’s Ministry of Culture is the body in charge of China’s online animation content. they have just released a black list of cartoon videos which are now illegal to view in China. Most of the videos on the list are violent in nature and come from Japan. Some of the shows blacklisted include “Highschool of the Dead” and “Blood -C”. China Central television said “the shows promote sex and violence and could even teach viewers how to make explosives.” Censorship is a common thing in China, where the central government gets to decide what contents the citizens are exposed to. However, many don’t believe that this censorship is unfounded. Some people believe it is reasonable to ban such mature content from being seen by China’s youth.
“The Ministry of culture has in recent years cracked down on illegal content among mobile games and online cartoons offered by major internet companies…inspectors so far have punished 13 video streaming sites with 29 illegal animated series.” Much of China’s animation market offerings come from other countries. Many Japanese shows have become very popular over the years. “Shows like “One Piece” have fostered a large group of followers.” Some Chinese animation enthusiasts are calling for a rating system instead of bans. They acknowledge that many shows are not for kids. While this is true, many of the older fans don’t see why they should be prevented from watching their favorite shows when they are of age. “I am already 24 years old, and I am still banned from watching animations?”
Source:
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2015/04/03/chinas-censors-take-aim-at-a-new-target-japanese-cartoons/
China needs to understand that the reason why so many countries have such high regard for freedom of expression is to defend those ideas that are popularly labeled as “bad”. Only in an environment in which people can freely access different types of entertainment will they develop a skill for distinguishing quality content from the deplorable one.
I don’t really buy the argument that violence and the manufacturing of IEDs could stem from cartoons. The parents of our generation grew up watching shows like Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes, but you don’t see full-grown adults dropping anvils from buildings or chasing others around with a giant hammer. Age restrictions would be far more appropriate than outright banning these cartoons completely.