Maryland School Library to Remove Dragon Ball Manga

[simonsebs]

Maryland School Library to Remove Dragon Ball Manga (http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20091007/NEWS01/910070391/1002/Schools-library-book-pulled-for-sexual-content)

I'm not really sure how to feel about this. As a fan of the series the scenes described in the article are taken out of contex. This also highlights the cultural difference between Japan and the U.S. This series has been around since the late 80's, the library should have reviewed the manga before they got it.

[Skinview]

Some of the things taken issue with are silly, but depictions of "sexual contact between children and sexual innuendo among adults and children" are not good things to put in a children's book. I'd pull the book from circulation.

[nimrod]

I would like to see the manga before making forming an opinion. I will say that the depiction of patting a girls crotch then pulling down her panties seem to be taken out of context. Not having seen it this is pure conjecture, but it seems to me he was just curious and had never seen a girl before.

[simonsebs]

I would like to see the magna before making forming an opinion. I will say that the depiction of patting a girls crotch then pulling down her panties seem to be taken out of context. Not having seen it this is pure conjecture, but it seems to me he was just curious and had never seen a girl before.

Yes that is exactly the reason that scene took place.


Some of the things taken issue with are silly, but depictions of "sexual contact between children and sexual innuendo among adults and children" are not good things to put in a children's book. I'd pull the book from circulation.

The thing is this is not a childrens book. I have a copy and it is clearly rated T for teen. That's why I said the library should have checked before they put it on their shelves.

[zharth]

Wow, this is utterly ridiculous. I'm also a fan of the series, and while it contains a few dirty jokes (what's new?), I haven't come across anything I would actually describe as offensive.


Some of the things taken issue with are silly, but depictions of "sexual contact between children and sexual innuendo among adults and children" are not good things to put in a children's book. I'd pull the book from circulation.

Those descriptions are gross exaggerations, and pulling this book from circulation would be much more offensive than the allegedly "disgusting" "drawings and story lines" contained within. :rolleyes:

[Bob S.]

The books are rated T due to the fact that the series is based on fighting and violence. That this parent is suddenly upset over the books over nudity and sexual exploration is stupid.

I actually saw the pictures in question. I am not completely knowledgeable of the characters, but the boy in question claims to be 14, bu if so, he actually looks more like an 8-year-old with a tail. In the scene, the boy is bathing and they show his front, which consists literally of two curved lines, kind of what a prepubescent would look like in that kind of drawing. There was absolutely nothing specific.

A girl, about 16, is helping to give him a bath and he is very immodest and ignorantly naive of what others look like naked, more like a very young child. The girl takes a bath and he questions why she has an extra butt on her chest, where she gets angry, corrects him, and tells him that if he was older, she would accuse him of being a perv.

The other scene where he touches her panties and pulls them down is a part of his naivete and innocence. He is curious to see what she looks like and, while she is asleep, is curious. There is absolutely nothing sexual about the scene. He just innocently notices that she is different, feels like a kid would, and pulls her panties off.

There was nothing unusual about the scene that would warrant the necessity of it being removed and absolutely does not rise to the "sexual contact between children". Whether there is more with innuendo between children and adults is unknown to me. I wish I could find this scene online.

Bob S.

[simonsebs]

I actually saw the pictures in question. I am not completely knowledgeable of the characters, but the boy in question claims to be 14, bu if so, he actually looks more like an 8-year-old with a tail.


Well the character in question, Goku, doesn't know how to count at the beginning of the series. About a year after the series starts he learns how to count and we find out he's 12. So that would make him 11 at the start of the series.


I wish I could find this scene online.

These episodes cover the volume of the manga in question.

Dragonball ep.1 (http://www.megavideo.com/?v=1VUIBB9Q)

Dragonball ep.2 (http://www.megavideo.com/?v=LTB5K85Z)

Dragonball ep.3 (http://www.megavideo.com/?v=C8VP9DC0)

Dragonball ep.4 (http://www.megavideo.com/?v=7VW4IEE0)

Dragonball ep.5 (http://www.megavideo.com/?v=AC8MVFTG)

Dragonball ep.6 (http://www.megavideo.com/?v=5X83P2E5)

Dragonball ep.7 (http://www.megavideo.com/?v=LEYUVJAV)

[Arnabas]

I used to work in a book store and had a mother come into the store, dragging her son behind her. She was furious and just about threw the book at us, saying we were selling pornogrphy to children. She was absolutely livid that this comic, with its scenes of good, wholesome and totally acceptable violence should *dare* to show a young boy's penis.

I flipped through it. There was really nothing bad at all.

The bit with the panties was Goku curling up with Bulma to sleep in a way that he was used to doing with another, male character. He rested his head against her and noticed that she didn't have a "bump" between her legs. Not understanding what was wrong with her, he took off her panties to examine her and was shocked to discover that her penis was missing.

Really, I will say that some Japanese stuff comes across as pervy, but it's harmless. But as has been pointed out many times, many North Americans have no problem letting their kids see realistic depictions of violence and death, but should they catch a glimpse of a bare breast-- or even worse, evil genitals-- then they go mental.

[Fitz1980]

I used to work in a book store and had a mother come into the store, dragging her son behind her. She was furious and just about threw the book at us, saying we were selling pornogrphy to children. She was absolutely livid that this comic, with its scenes of good, wholesome and totally acceptable violence should *dare* to show a young boy's penis.

I flipped through it. There was really nothing bad at all.

The bit with the panties was Goku curling up with Bulma to sleep in a way that he was used to doing with another, male character. He rested his head against her and noticed that she didn't have a "bump" between her legs. Not understanding what was wrong with her, he took off her panties to examine her and was shocked to discover that her penis was missing.

Really, I will say that some Japanese stuff comes across as pervy, but it's harmless. But as has been pointed out many times, many North Americans have no problem letting their kids see realistic depictions of violence and death, but should they catch a glimpse of a bare breast-- or even worse, evil genitals-- then they go mental.

One problem that we often run into with comics and animation is that many North Americans have is this idea that comic or cartoon automatically is meant for kids. Animation can be for kids, teens or adults and in Japan they make all 3 types; and just because something is animated doesn't mean it's Disney.

As for the mother in your book store; I used to work at a movie theater and had the same thing. We had a family that stormed out demanding their money back from "Titanic" after the nude drawing scene. They knew that it was a disaster movie about 1,500 people dying. They knew it was a romance so it would surely have a PG-13 sex scene (which it does) Kate Winslet's cleavage revealing dresses were OK but as soon as her nipples appeared on screen for like 15 seconds "WE'RE OUT, GIVE US OUR MONEY BACK."

[nimrod]

Give her some hentai and see if her perceptions change on how innocent Dragon Ball is.

[simonsebs]

Controversial Book Series Banned From Wicomico Public Schools
(http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=11321353)

Here's an update to the story.

They say the second (more famous) series, Dragonball Z, is still under review. I doubt it will be removed. For some reason people being punched, kicked and blown up by energy blast isn't as bad as a little bit of nudity.

[Croydon]

It still amazes me that people will get wild up and angry over nudity but do not have the same reaction towards violence. Many television drama series geared towards teens have graphic sexual contents and violence but no one says boo but if anything were to show every day nudity, people are ready to cause a storm.