Animax Censors Anime in India; All You Need to Know

Animax returned to India in the form of a soft-launch in India on JioTV. Currently, you can view the channel on the streaming service. However, it is currently said to be in a test phase, as the shows are only available with Japanese audio and no English subtitles.

In addition to the test phase, it seems that at least in its current form, Animax is censoring some depictions of female characters. Anime has often been controversial in the way it depicts women, especially when it comes to their physical appearances. This typically includes exaggerated features such as large chests.

When anime is shown on TV, especially in countries like India with strict broadcasting regulations, channels may choose to censor certain content. This could include sexualised depictions of female characters, or just extreme cleavage. The censorship can be done via blurring the parts in question or removing parts of the show. Animax seems to be taking the first approach to censor.

IGN India noticed that during a broadcast of the anime Katsute Kami Datta Kemono-tachi e, or known in English as To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts, chests of some female characters were heavily blurred. The viewing experience can become less than ideal, especially when a permanent blurry spot appears on one of the supporting characters, Liza Runecastle, whenever she is on screen.

It’s understandable that channels must comply with broadcasting regulations, but it can be frustrating for anime fans who enjoy the unedited versions of their favourite series. The decision to censor is also likely an attempt to cater to a wider audience and maintain a more family-friendly image. However, censoring female characters’ cleavage by blurring it can be particularly annoying because it can disrupt the complete immersion of the viewers in the story. It can also draw unnecessary attention to the censorship itself.

Censorship around anime content not limited to TV

Censorship in anime content is not just limited to TV. When I attended a screening of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 at a local cinema, I found that the film had fallen victim to censorship as well. Despite the film’s mature themes and content being advertised, verbal sexual jokes were censored with muted audio and subtitles that had been altered to remove any hint of suggestive dialogue. It wasn’t just me who was taken aback by the censorship, though, the change audibly frustrated the entire audience.

In addition, some anime fans may feel that censoring female characters perpetuates a double standard. This is because male characters are often shown without any censorship, even if they are depicted in equally sexualised ways.

It is worth noting that no such censorship is visible in Animax Asia’s trailer for To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts. It is possible that the anime channel is opting to implement stricter censorship policies in India compared to other regions due to laws and regulations regarding content that is deemed inappropriate or offensive here.

Animax made its return to India via KC Global Media, who acquired the channel from Sony in 2020. The company has already announced that shows like Golden Kamuy, Naruto, Kuroko’s Basketball, and Gintama will be available to watch on Animax in India.

Both Naruto and Gintama contain fan service, and plenty of sexual innuendos and references. There is also a fair amount of nuanced humour that involves suggestive dialogue and double entendres. It remains to be seen whether the censorship applied on Animax will extend to verbal references as well as visual content.

If there is too much censorship on Animax, it could negatively impact the viewing experience, as the humour and content of the shows could be altered or lost entirely.

Scope of the censorship is not defined yet

Naruto and Gintama also have their fair share of violence and fighting scenes. Some of these scenes can be intense and gory. Will these be censored too? Once the channel is launched with English subtitles, it will become clear whether these changes are limited to the test phase or if they will continue to censor content in the future.

Censorship is not just limited to toning down explicit content, it also has a major impact on the availability of certain anime in India. For instance, Netflix never released Record of Ragnarok, an anime series featuring a character based on the Hindu god Lord Shiva, in India.

The culture of viewing anime through illegal sites is prevalent in India due to the lack of official availability of anime here. While legal options to watch anime in India are on the rise, it raises the question of why Indian anime fans would choose to pay for censored content when they have free access to uncensored, pirated anime on the internet.

Meanwhile, IGN India has reached out to KC Global Media, JioTV, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for statements around the censorship. We will update the article as and when we get any responses.