quote:
Because they're enforced by a frankly ridiculous law - if the artist chooses to obscure detail then fine - but I cannot say for certain whether they use mosaics because they want to or because they're forced to.
The law was originally put into place during the American occupation and rebuilding of post-WWII Japan. So, blame us for the law. Now, at first, the artists were pretty much forced to conform (whether they wanted to or not.)
Now, so they conformed... but they did so in a pretty "up-yours" way. They would use the idea of glowing genitals (where there was a big glow where the penis or vagina should be) via shadows, tenticles, doll-look, mosaicing, bodily positions, shilouwets, only rough outlines that hinted at a shape, etc. All these ways still pretty much told you what was going on, even if you didn't see it.
But, as time went on, more and more artists became more and more risque with getting around the law. Bed sheets became thinner and thinner. Arms and legs were more and more likely to show parts of the vaginal and penis (and just barely cover up something.) Black-bars became smaller and smaller. Glow-spots shrunk in size. Mosaicing became less and less. It almost became a game to see who could draw the most erotic and bishoujo of images, with the least amount of self-censorship, and still be within the confines of the law.
For example, pick up one of the adult-bishoujo, DOA doujinshi's. The black bars that are often used in it are barely a pencil-lead width in thickness. If you pick up some of the older (1980s) doujinshi, the self-cenorship was more.
quote:
Originally posted by Interzone:
As Lamuness explained, this would apply to mainly older games where no detail was orignally drawn in. But what about new Trabulance and ZyX games (even Casual Romance Club) that do very clearly depict genitals and mask them only with an ultra-thin mosaic? Do the artists not have the presumably uncensored pre-mosaic CG? If they do, what is the problem?
Problem I see with it is this. Okay, lets say artist X did draw in the genetalia (both male and female), and then chose to put in even the thinest of mosaicing (whether it be black-bars, glow-spots, or whatnot). It was the artists choice.
Now, if you ask me, if you want to remove the mosaicing, you have to ask the artist first, as you are changing their work. Regardless of why the artist put the mosacinig or self-censorship into the work to start with is moot.
By just flat out removing the mosacing (or repositioning the arm, drawing in genetalia, removing strategically placed bed sheets, etc.) you are alterting something that really isn't yours. Now, if you say, "Hey Artist X, mind if we translate your game into English and remove the mosaicing?" And the artist says, "Sure, no prob" then it's fine. But you have to get permission first.
Now, yes, in most newer manga and games a band-aid, or a black line 2 pixels wide would cover more than the artists own mosacing, and it would be no effort to remove it; however, the artist put it in there in the first place. It should be there choice to remove it.
For example, Kondom (who does the Bondage Fairies Series) was specifically asked if his art could be changed to show genetalia. And he said, "Yes." In fact, he actually redesigned his own characters to look much younger than they originally did.
Anyway, I don't mind it when mosaicing or self-censorship is present or not. I have a ton of laser disks and region 2 DVDs (not to mention artbooks) where the self-censorship is present, and a ton where it is not. Both have their bonus'.
I guess what I really get bothered by is when the art itself is changed without getting permission to change it from the original artist.
