Shinobu

Well....
For a while, sure, it was on-track to become another manga release. Then the shower scene pic and stuff started showing up. Now in Japan, that's no big deal, at least we think it's not, but the American licensee probably became alarmed. Now remember, KW is writing the story for local consumption. She care's not a whit about how this would "play in Peoria". On the other hand, there are people here in the US, if it is drawn or animated, it has to pass muster for kids. Clearly after the "Sensei no baka" shower scene, and later, as we've seen, there is no possible way to make Kodomo no Jikan a regular release. It can't even be released as an "adult" title, because of the loli element in it.

Even though the Supreme Court has said itself that drawn images can not be considered child porn, it just takes an opportunistic lawyer to throw their sabot into the works, and now you have an expensive lawsuit. So it was just easier for Seven Seas to throw in the towel, and move on.

Now on the other hand we have our own underground manga distribution anyways, so we'll have our fill of KnJ as long as KW writes it. You'll just never see it as an official release here in the US.

You can have sexy underwear, or comfy underwear. But not both...


Unless they're shimapan.

Shinobu

I've found the best way to get any KnJ books is to get a friendly clerk at a Japanese bookstore (like I did at Shinseido at Mitsuwa in San Diego), and have them put in the order. 8 tankoubons and two other KnJ books came out to about $100. That bypassed all the Amazon.com crap, and I waited a while and just picked them up.

The advantage is that the clerk can order them with the ISBN numbers and of course can read all the kanji on the computer screen to order the books.

nitrogen

Thanks for the clarification, Shinobu. I had forgotten about how litigation-happy Americans can be at times and that indeed if someone were to try to publish this, the prude brigade would bring in their army of lawyers. Then again it doesn't explain away why you can buy them at a local bookstore in Sand Diego in Japanese, but not in English. What if they were printed in English outside the USA and then imported? Would the same thing happen or it it just that the US publishers just don't want to publish it?

God, I love censorship. It really drives formidable innovation in order to bypass it.

'Freedom of expression is the foundation of human rights, the source of humanity, and the mother of truth. To strangle freedom of speech is to trample on human rights, stifle humanity, and suppress truth.' - Liu Xiaobo

ChavoDel8

no way KnJ can fly in feminist America.

they can ban stuff like GalGun,Neptunia and dead or alive for being "child porn",i can imagine what they will do to 10 year old Rin

just dont mess with their guns and violent videogames or riots will break out.

make war,not love

Shinobu

Well, to do that, you'd have to pay for the rights, and unless they are going to do this in the UK or Australia, it's not going to happen. If someone did, sure, you could import it in the US.

You can have sexy underwear, or comfy underwear. But not both...


Unless they're shimapan.

Dark Samus

Shinobu-neechan, we're playing Quiz in Rin's Birthday Thread....join us XD.

La Oscuridad en el Corazón es igual a la Luz en el Alma

Samuraisedge

I certainly won't argue with you on the last two lines. People here seem to have less of a problem with games depicting decapitation and dismemberment, but if it involves sexual content of any kind, regardless of the character's age, that's a deal breaker. Kind of shows where our values really lie.

Dark Samus

Amen to that Edge. Amen to THAT........I see little kids playing Gears of War and GTA and no one says anything, I guess it's the same over there too.

La Oscuridad en el Corazón es igual a la Luz en el Alma

Newnonimous

This country LOVES violence whether they admit it or not. Everywhere i see people start arguments then a fight breaks out and people watch. In sports fans would mock the opposing team and that fan starts a fight and people join in. Now you got young people these days trying to do gun shooting or bombing in schools or start bullying people at school or on the internet. I mean i can go on but you get the point. So i doubt violent video games would be banned anyway.

Armonía y discordia son arbitrarias, 無意味な概念...

Samuraisedge

It seems people like the violence, unless it's unleashed on themselves. I don't mind it in games and movies, because it not real. However, I never want to see someone injured or killed in real life (not innocent people that is). The real problem, that there are some who can't tell the difference from fiction and reality, thus they might be tempted to recreate this environment in the real world. All you need is an impressionable youth, or person whose head is not firing on all four cylinders, and that's recipe for disaster. Your last statement certainly rings true. The U.S. will probably ban porn before they ever ban violent games and movies.