Kotaku East East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am. Prev Next View All

"Censorship level: Thailand" is no joke! Check out just how tough the country's censorship is.


For years now, anime viewers in Thailand have been dealing with ironclad regulations for broadcast dubs—something that fans outside the country have also noticed.


But it's not just anime. On Thai television broadcasts, stations censor alcohol consumption, weapons pointed at people, cigarettes, blood, and swimwear. You can read more in this Thai censorship wiki entry.

Recently, Japanese site Thailog posted a clip from a dubbed Sailor Moon episode that appeared on Thai TV. While the episode originally appeared on Japanese television in 1992, it was broadcasted in Thailand in early last year. Thailog introduced it again this past Friday.


So, for that Sailor Moon Thai broadcast, the above image...


...was censored into this.


Even the image of bathing suits from behind was censored—which, perhaps, makes one of the swimsuits look even worse.

Here are more examples of how Japanese anime is altered for broadcast in Thailand:



As with the Sailor Moon example above, here censorship makes things look worse.


And it's not just swimwear.


And it's not just female characters, either. Little kid underpants get blurred, too.


Tough shirtless guys, too.


Sometimes faces are censored. Here, as the One Piece Wiki points out, this image was edited because it apparently showed blood.


The bottom of shoes, it seems, are blurred as well. In Thailand, it is rude to show the soles of your feet to other people.


Characters drinking booze is a no-no.

This image might sum up how select anime fans in Thailand feel about some of this censorship:


As strict as Thailand is, other countries often censor Japanese anime for broadcast, the U.S. included.


All is not lost, though. Anime blog Cardcaptor's Blog has a good rundown for how those living in Thailand can enjoy manga and anime.

タイで放送される日本のアニメに過激すぎる規制【タイ人の反応】[Thailog]

Photos: Sailor Civilian , PostJung , Ohozaa , Dek-D , BKKWeb

To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft .

Advertisement