luinthoron wrote...
skn wrote...
Law only applies to selling to the Japanese market, 'not' non Japanese. AliceSoft can legally sell an uncensored Evenicle 2 on GOG for example, without any legal repricusions. As Evenicle 2 is being sold on international\non-Japanese storefronts, it is absolutely possible for them to make, and sell the uncensored version of Evenicle 2 without reprecussions*.
I believe this was primarily a cost-saving measure(they probably do not have the original source images, or they were drawn without genitalia, making it an additional cost to 'uncensore' them), rather than a legal one.
* Up to a point, the case can be made that Japanese people have access to Fakku, Mangagamer etc as well, even if they aren't the target audience, therefore AliceSoft's product 'can' be sold to the Japanese, making it a breach of the censorship law.
IIRC, the reason why minori required MangaGamer to keep their western releases with (reduced) censorship was that they were afraid of the uncensored versions finding their way back to Japan and the company being held responsible. This seems to be the likely case with at least some of the others as well. Although I can't say for sure in cases where there exists only one multi-language version, those may well just be a case of taking the easy way out instead of providing an uncensored version for non-Japanese audiences. In any case, be it fear of repercussions or cost-saving measures (which would be avoided if there was no need to produce censored art in the first place), the result is the same - customers who expect western releases to be uncensored and who refuse to support censored releases will not buy them, resulting in less income for the company and therefore less tax income for Japan. Making this a perfectly good argument against censorship for a politician without making them sound like they just want to see more of their porn.
Considering it's clearly not marketed towards the Japanese, but rather towards western audiences(as it's English text only, etc), I'd say it's a pretty safe win-case if it made it to court. So legal fees would be an issue.
Is what I'd say, but then I remember it's in Japan, and the Japanese legal system is horrible where they definitely could hold AliceSoft responsible(I.e, they lose what seems like an pretty open and shut case)...
Anyway, 100% agree that they should change their censorship laws. It's a ridiculous law to begin with(not just the law, but how it's enforced), where tentacles penetrating anuses is fine *facepalm*.
Scipizoa wrote...
I was really looking forward to this till I saw it was censored. I have so much love for Yaegashi Nan's art but I kinda feel like by buying it censored I promote censorship in the West and lazy porting for markets outside Japan.
Was kinda hoping that with the rise of companies like JastUSA, Sekai Project, MangaGamer and Fakku and stuff like that we'd kinda finally see a real big push for all releases uncensored but I see a fair few titles that really interest me unwilling to alter their titles for the Western storefronts and so far haven't bought them. :(
My mind is like:
Buy it = Promotes more releases
Buy it = Promote lazy ports cause we'll just take anything
Don't buy it = Open their eyes we want uncensored content and that's how they'll get the money
Don't buy it = Think their isn't a market for it and therefore stop releasing games over here.
Rock and a hard place.
100% gurantee this is the choices and therefore outcomes:
Buying it = promote lazy ports.
Not buying it = Think there isn't a market for it, so they stop releasing.
BUsinesses are horrible.