In the last few decades, Attack on Titan has been among the more decent titles that have minimal to no fan service at all. There are some graphic and gory scenes during fight sequences, but nothing outrageous enough to attract the wrath of the censor board. However, that rule or sentiment doesn’t seem to be uniform across the board.
There’s one country where Attack on Titan has been censored in the most bizarre way possible. The censored version changed a fundamental aspect of the anime-manga series without affecting the narrative in any way. But then, what’s the problem? The problem lies in the absurdity of this entire ordeal.
Attack on Titan’s bizarre censorship in Malaysia
Anime and censorship in the same sentence are more than enough to spark outrage in the anime community. With an anime as massively popular as Attack on Titan, the outrage would be even more aggressive. However, the way Malaysia has censored the anime-manga series doesn’t evoke anger or aggression, but only confusion and laughter.
Throughout the story, the Titans remain naked. So Malaysia changed this aspect by putting clothes on them. From black briefs to pants and more, the Titans can be seen with clothes during fights and even the Rumbling. This X post shows what the manga pages look like after the censorship.
The Attack on Titan manga in Malaysia is very different…..
There the titans wear a pair of underwears because of the censorship laws there💀 pic.twitter.com/1VTlHA3A0Y
— Wally⚡ (hiatus) (@WallyyTheGreat) February 2, 2021
It’s quite amusing how something so insignificant can be seen as indecent and inappropriate in a manga where millions of people get trampled to death. There’s violence and so many controversial themes that challenge the ideologies of the world that we live in. This small change is quite bizarre and doesn’t make much sense.
It also highlights how Attack on Titan is unproblematic for the most part, if this was the only part that had to be censored. Unlike most mainstream anime, Attack on Titan doesn’t have fan service or questionable explicit scenes.
While the censorship doesn’t change anything narratively, seeing the Colossal Titans with pants takes away the feeling of terror. Putting a smile on fans’ faces rather than evoking concern for the characters. This suggests how even small changes can alter the mangaka’s vision.
Censorship disrupts the connect between the creator and the readers
For fans of the series, it has now become a running meme. Some even question whether this censorship is real, given how the fight scenes are even more disturbing, as every encounter with the Titans leads to bloodbath. It needs to be mentioned that even gore doesn’t justify censorship.
Considering how Attack on Titan is unproblematic for the most part, one can’t help but question the need for censorship. Even the smallest instance of censorship can alter how the creator intended to convey a certain aspect of his story. After all, Hajime Isayama intended for the Titans to be portrayed that way.
Attack on Titan is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
