Naruto production company Joker's president says censorship will kill anime's global appeal

The censorship system for film, television and animation works has different standards around the world. Therefore, when introducing works from other countries, some deletions and modifications will naturally be made to adapt to the current national conditions, which may occasionally lead to some misunderstandings about the work itself.

Recently, Michiyuki Honma, president of Studio Pierrot, which has produced works such as "Hikaru no Go", "Naruto", and "Bleach", clearly pointed out in an interview with foreign media "Natalie" that censorship will affect the global influence of anime works.

Michiyuki Honma mentioned that 30% of Joker's current marketing comes from overseas markets, and for this Michiyuki Honma cited the popular "Naruto" animation as an example.

Although "Naruto" has made some deletions and revisions in some regions due to censorship, the reason why the "Naruto" animation series with more than 700 episodes is still influential overseas is that it is faithful to the original work (meaning no deletions and revisions).

Michiyuki Honma also pointed out that it is difficult for anime works to "become popular overseas or become long-term series". Limiting the violent and sexy content in order to cater to the market may not be what overseas audiences want to see. "Works that are popular in Japan are also popular overseas. I think the wrong approach should not be taken when creating animation."