I do not think it should be banned. Assuming people liking this stuff are peadophiles, so what ? At least they're not hurting anyone, are they ? Truth is, peadophilia is atrocious because it hurts children. When children are unharmed though, what's the problem ? If anything, maybe watching this kind of stuff keeps some people from having to look for the real stuff.
With animes, it's also very difficult to decide where you draw the line (pun not intended). With real girls it's easy because you can draw the line at a certain age. Men can look at pictures or videos of girls older than the legal age but who look much, much younger (it happens) because at least they're old enough to decide by themselves whether they want to be seen naked or not. With animes, where do you draw the line ? What size of breasts is considered to look old enough ?
Next thing you know, small tits will be banned from porno just like in Australia!

That "Watching fake pedo-porn keeps them off the streets" argument is weak sauce. Watching regular porn doesn't keep me from having sex, if anything it makes me want to do it even more. Rubbing one out over a picture gets old very fast and leaves you wanting for more. And somebody who gets off on little girls is no different.

As for why it's prominent in anime (I don't really know if it is as I don't really watch it). Asian culture is all about extremes, especially Japanese culture. Women character either seem to have enormous breasts or almost none at all. It's all about playing to a fetish to keep viewers happy and fantasizing.
What are the creators of the anime saying by having the character look like that? Is there a point to it? That's a big difference between having something for the sole purpose of fetishism and having an actual point that drives the narrative. If it's all about getting boners then I see no problem censoring it. "Freedom of speech" is thrown around too easily these days where everything seemingly falls under it, regardless of what you actually have something to say or not.
I completely understand why they would censor this stuff, if it is that "tantalizing" that it crosses some line.

It's a tough call, since I'm all for freedom of speech. However, there are a few issues to deal with here. Most unedited anime I've seen that airs during primetime in Japan has elements that are "censored" in order to appear on American television (Bleach characters regularly say "shit" and blood is usually reduced depending on the circumstances). A lot of Funimation's dubs end up on Cartoon Network, which caters to children during the day and runs mostly animated programming - so I'm fine with them cutting out some of the more extreme stuff even it's a show produced with adults and teens in mind. Little kids do stay up late on the weekends after all.

I'm having a tough time with the whole "it's only a drawing" argument. What if they aren't just characters drawn to look like children, but are then put into very adult situations? Is it okay to have a topless anime girl that looks 11, but not okay to feature her raping a baby with a sword? Graphic yes I know - sorry - but where does one draw the line? Pedophilia IS a crime, and rightfully so. And if it's a fetish, people can go look for it themselves on their own time. What if the fetish is for four year old girls? Is that permissible, even if it's "just a drawing?" Keep in mind too, most of the characters in "Avatar" would qualify as not being real but instead something drawn albeit in with a computer program.

I guess it's all in the way it's handled. Kirsten Dunst was playing a similar role in "Interview With The Vampire," but they kept any sexual innuendo to a minimum and didn't have her traipsing around in bondage outfits. Does covering up the main character a bit take away from the "artist's vision?" Yeah probably. But if his vision is to turn children into sex objects, then maybe it's not a vision that needs to be shared on broadcast television where a general audience has access to it.

There was an update on the Funi blog a few days back. Conveniently, I wrote a (very) little something about it:

http://www.mangalife.com/news/TheDanceintheVampireBundBrouhaha.htm

The reason most people are pissed at Funi isn't because of the censoring, but because of the way they presented it. They stated the show would be censored because of scenes they deemed inappropriate for the American audience. Who the fuck are they to deem what is appropriate for me? If they would have said something along the lines of "We will censor certain scenes in this anime because they contain material we do not want to have associated with our company and name brand." Well that would have been fine. I watched the first few episodes of the show and the scenes in question are few in number anyway (at least up to the point I saw) unfortunately the show just isn't that good. I know they just want to cash in on the vampire craze, but I really wish they would license something like Kaiba instead. As far as the "lolitaness" of current anime is concerned, it really has been on an upswing ever since moe became uber popular. I will be happy when this trend dies.

My stance on censorship is always the same.

If Funimation doesn't want to broadcast or release as is, they just shouldn't have bought the show. I can understand their reasons, but censorship is never a good option.

"I completely understand why they would censor this stuff, if it is that "tantalizing" "

"ok, cut that bit, i was slightly tantalized" (which of course makes the censor a pedo for being "tantalized"...BURN THE PEDO" :)

But lets not stop at the crime of child abuse, for all crimes are bad.
Lets censor everything that may "tantalize" a potential criminal.
All women must be fully clothed, otherwise it may "tantalize" a rapist.
No scenes of fires or fire engines...it may "tantalize an arsonist.
Absolutely no guns or knives.. MURDERERS are out there waiting to be "tantalized".
etc etc

Makes you wonder how Japan is one of the safest countries...what with all that "tantalizing" going on.

In the case of the series mentioned above, the character is an aged vampire in a young persons body (i.e. transformed at an early age?). She is not technically a 'child' then is she? I know the imagery is there, but it in context to the show, the character is far from a child other than physicality.

Some may call this an excuse, but context does matter, and on a case by case basis, these thing have to be looked at. It is probably OK in this particular aspect, but in others, not so good.

I'm sure there are will be work-arounds (like Cecil B. DeMille working around the American Hays Code) but no system is perfect!

If funimation is being up front and clear that they are censoring the stuff for business reasons, it is simple, do not buy their discs and import the Japanese originals (then of course your own countries border/customs can deem whether or not the stuff is 'indecent' - and that is another whole kettle of fish). I understand that lots of companies edit and censor releases (Hello, Miramax) for one reason or another. I reserve the right to not purchase their product.

@brettlv5506 he only had the Manga. And he owned a ton of different type of manga across the board not just the Lolita stuff.

A few years back, I remember having a discussion with a friend in regards to the issue of sex and erotic behavior being comingled with images of young girls and women in Anime, Manga and Japanese culture. My friend, who had been teaching English in Japan and Okinawa for a few years informed me that this was very disturbing aspect within Japanese culture that deeply disturbed her. She was even more disturbed by how accepted and entrenched this psychosis was in the minds of many Japanese males. As an attractive an educated woman (she attended Harvard) it was one particular issue that made it difficult for her to date men while living in and around Japan. As a father and a fan of Anime, I told her that I was deeply disturbed by some of the subtle and blatant imagery and innuendo I would occasionally come across while watching anime. She didn’t blame me for being disturbed and assured me that there was no redeeming value in even the most subtle inferences that came across my television screen and that it was solely done for arousal. This was not only her deduction but also the impression she got from Japanese women. Does anyone actually believe that if an American animation production company produced an ongoing television show that produced images (and imagery is what we are discussing) of young or teenage children constantly flaunting themselves about the show in a sexual manner that there wouldn’t be a public uproar? Could any sane person justify it by presenting (as we see here) some “contextual” argument?
I’m sure any pedophile would feel both happy and enabled to have someone justify their habit for them. Do you realistically think the arguments many of you are presenting here won’t be used by some pervert later?
Personally, I can’t compromise my moral code or the welfare of children simply because I want to watch an unedited cartoon. I also refuse to accept any argument that might aid in igniting any pedophile’s sick imagination. Just because most members of society would not indulge in such behavior doesn’t mean we should play some sort of Russian roulette with those who would hurt children just to pacify some desire to entertain ourselves. Why risk feeding the beast?
Years ago, I remember some Metallica fan who was trying to convince someone that heavy metal music didn’t incite violent behavior. After listening to his uniformed rants for a few minutes, I jumped into the conversation. For a few minutes more, I listened to him recycle his arguments and then volleyed back with my own. I informed him that I knew firsthand that he was wrong and that his arguments stemmed solely from a personal love of metal and not from any empirical or experimental evidence. Of course, he then wanted to know where I derived my information. That’s when I informed him that I was a guitar tech and had worked with some of the very bands he enjoyed. My best friend (who is still in the game) also informed him that I knew what I was talking about. I then went on to share how many times I got into scuffles (or broke them up) before a show started (once or twice) as compared to how many AFTER the music started (innumerable). Obviously, I wasn’t trying to convince this kid that metal music was bad but I knew that from first hand experience that aggressive music could incite aggressive behavior and it didn’t matter if we were in Texas, Maryland or California. No matter the venue, it was the same result.
Before you think I am digressing, can anybody prove to me that such imagery in Anime isn’t a means to feeding someone’s depravity? Can anyone quote any psychological study or quote an expert who studies the psychology of pedophiliac behavior that would agree that such imagery would be beneficial to a society? How about finding a child psychologist who wouldn’t fidget in their office chair after watching a few episodes of such a show? How about a member of any police force or an FBI agent who has handled materials from a pedophile bust? If not, then your arguments are no different from that Metallica fans skewed ramblings.
Then again, if watching video of children (or images of) using profanity and exhibiting sexual angst is what entertains you, then, maybe you’re standing closer to an abyss that you’re just too afraid to look into. Could it be?
Let me ask this. Many of us know that much of the Hentai that exists out there involves the same imagery (schoolgirl) but follows through with far more explicit displays. Tell me, do the same arguments being used here still apply?

If you've got nothing better to do, check out this article from my town's newspaper.

Something tells me, after reading many articles about this case, he was in possession of hentai that depicted "younger-looking" adult women.

3 years ago, I would agree that censoring it was wrong, derka derka derka, all that stuff until I went to Japan over a summer. In even the "family friendly" shops in Akiba, this kind of hentai is in your face soon as you walk in the store. It's accepted as just a slightly kinkier genre of anime. But then there were also an uncomfortable number of stories in the papers and on the TV programs for the 3 weeks I was there (when they're actually DISCUSSING news) about rape amongst high school kids, or women getting kidnapped and tortured, or children being raped and killed, etc.

I don't live there so i really can't say how much, if any at all, of this lolita hentai has an effect on Japanese sex culture. But dudes are doing TIME for that shit here. Pedophilia is a very dangerous fetish, for the victim AND the guilty. If I was an alcoholic (not that I'm comparing), I would want far less beer commercials on TV. That's one of the reasons they have so many strict rules in producing them.

I agree with the things Wax and panik have said so far. The problem with this is, even if you are doing some sort of "good" (you aren't by the way) this is just the first step to start banning other things that a very specific group of people dislikes. Japan needs to review not their censorship laws, but their attitude and behaviour as a society towards themselves. It's a very rigid society in many aspects, and one that encourages their people to keep their problems to themselves, never to open to others, not even relatives or friends.

As I said above... people in my country (Canada!) are doing hard time for this sort of shit. They can't exactly allow these DVDs to be released, uncut and uncensored, and then allow the authorities to go on and lock dudes up for buying them. If you read the article I shared, the man is doing 90 days for possession of pictures of "underage-looking" women. His life is OVER. He is now a registered sex offender!

Today I'm going to draw an underage naked girl slaughtering a puppy. I will do time for child porn and animal cruelty.

I personally don't think it should be censored. Not just because I'm a fan of anime or into the moe culture, but because I despise censorship. As others have noted, censorship on the whole is bad as it leads to more censorship. While I don't think censoring a single anime show will lead to the outright censorship of other things, it's a pebble to start building the wall. We've already seen it with video games, and now we're moving to anime.
As for the underage part of it there seems to be two sides, those who understand at least part of Japanese culture and those who don't. People who are really into the anime scene(and I'm not talking about those who only watch Naruto) don't care so much that such portrayals are there. While people who aren't into the anime scene think it's repulsive. Again, as others have pointed out, there is no proof that viewing an anime or looking at illustrations of underage characters leads to sexual desire for real underage girls.
For a more practical argument, compare it to what else has been released. Years ago ADV released Elfen Lied which contains nude characters much younger than Mina(disregarding her "actual" age). While there was nothing sexual about it. It was more innocent in some scenes and extremely violent in others, minus the scene which depicts one character's sexually abusive step-father. Regardless, it is still there. You could also look at the influx of bishoujo, or visual novel games for the computer. While very few of them actually get translated and localized, and even then they aren't widely known about, they get released without censorship. To skirt around the issue JAST USA just changes the character's age. Though if a character looks 10, saying she's 18 isn't going to matter much in the long run. MangaGamer has stated they won't censor or change anything.
Plus, as far as I understand the US law, the images in question don't come into question unless they are photo-realistic, or have no artistic merit. So until the supreme court rules one way or the other we will continue to have this debate and the lower courts will continue to rule in differing ways when it's brought up. Besides, you certainly don't have to reach very far on the internet to find all of the lolicon content you want free of charge and it's much worse than Dance in the Vampire Bund. Nobody seems to care about that. As I say with illegal downloading of music and movies, whether you think it's right or wrong, it's too widespread to stop. Unless drastic measures are taken in the form of monitoring all activity on a computer, it won't stop. Also, you ever look up Jacque Fresco? He's known for photographing underage girls nude and has caught flak for it, but his photobooks are still available to legally buy at Amazon and other bookstores.
As I said I'm big into the moe culture of anime and I import a lot of artbooks from artists such as Range Murata, Goto-P, KEI, POP, and Takamichi. Many of these artists depict underage looking characters nude or semi-nude in their illustrations, though usually not in a sexual situation. I've been doing so for years and have never once heard from customs, the FBI, the police, or whatever. In fact, there are many companies based in the US who sell these imported items. So it's obviously not a huge concern for the government. I guess my point is that it comes down to personal morals and taste. Just like religion it doesn't make anybody right or wrong, it's up to the individual to decide what is right for them.
In my opinion we shouldn't be worried about the censoring or removal of lolita content from anime or art, but instead focus efforts on the real world. Trying to protect society from imaginary things because a few dysfunctional people go through with their urges is just the same as banning violent video games because somebody might shoot up a school. It's ridiculous. Instead let's focus on abolishing child marriages in middle eastern countries, sex slave trade rings, real child pornography, and even abusive parents. Those have a real harmful effect on children and society, not drawings of underage characters in sexual situations.

What’ sad is the fact that most of the people fearing their cartoon could be censored is the basis of their moral philosophy. When you get to the point of stating moral relativism or subjectivity, then you certainly have entered a realm that NAMBLA would appreciate. Seriously, if anime were to fall of the face of the earth today, life would go on unhindered. That’s what we’re forgetting. This series or any other is not essential to our society’s ability to function. As far a censorship is concerned, most everyone here is a hypocrite. Only a truly honest person would admit they practice censorship to some degree every day of their life. As far as an imposed censorship is concerned, well, we all for it and only a liar would deny it. How many would like it if a Muslim extremist stood outside of high schools and handed out terrorist propaganda in the form of comic books? I mean…they’re just pictures, who would it hurt? How about if NAMBLA stood outside of high schools and handed out comic materials endorsing man-boy love materials and referenced ancient Greek culture for justification? How about if some psycho gave out comics endorsing his personal view of eugenics and evolution that told people they should kill anyone that they felt hindered their ability to survive? The fact is (and it’s basically been admitted here) that in Japanese culture there are adults who are titillated by such imagery. Just because it’s accepted over there, doesn’t mean it should be here.
Here is what basically being said…

Two wrongs make a right. In other words, we already have materials for sale displaying children in sexually provocative ways so; why not bring more into our country! That is what is essentially being said.

Porn doesn’t make we want to rape someone. However, the fact is that porn does titillate and has been known to cause psychological damage to children, teens and adults. Study the effects porn has on women and adult relationships. It’s called “google”. Remember, the Lolita factor and pedophilia are separated by a very thin semantic thread.

If it isn’t real (comic or anime), then it doesn’t hurt children. Can anyone produce one psychologist or law enforcement officer who would agree with such a claim?

Trying to protect society from imaginary things because a few dysfunctional people go through with their urges. Wow! That’s exactly what the FBI tries to do in pedophile rings! Remember laws aren’t set up to protect us from the vast majority who adhere to them, they are set up to protect us from the few dysfunctional people who WON’T!

We can’t impose our western values on other cultures! Uh, we can and we do it everyday. Besides, even those people who think its wrong can’t seriously believe that we should import another country’s depravity or dysfunction to avoid risking such an imposition.

WOW! Isn’t amazing how morally ambiguous the world becomes when it starts to interfere with our cartoons. The fact that these stories could easily be told without such imagery should clue us in, but, for some odd reason, it doesn’t.

The fact is, I’d prefer just not endorse anything that might be harmful to a child or children in our society. It’s bad enough that we enable drug abuse, alcoholism and spousal abuse in our society. Why compound things? There is more and more evidence that our society is becoming sexually over stimulated (again, google) and many of you think that risking more isn’t going to hurt. Instead of throwing a selfish hissy over our cartoons being edited, let’s try applying a law that seems to transcend all cultural and religious boundaries, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember, before you respond, the chances are, you’ll get your naked little girls, so don’t be too hostile.

Let me also ad that for those who use the "They did it in Interview with a Vampire so it's OK" argument. Did Kirsten Dunst prance around in a thong only? Was her character sexualized in any way? Short answer, no. They do address her frustration as an old soul in a young body but do it without being crass.