Age ratings in magazines.

Nonstarter Noodle

Brigade Leader
I'm actually going to ask a serious question so get ready.
How do they work out the age ratings for magazines that have certain Manga in them?.
Now I know that might seem to be an odd question so I shall explain.
I was reading a Manga online and it turned out to be one of those Mangas, it was only 9 chapters long and not really that interesting but it got me thinking as to what type of magazine it would actually be in and what type of age classification would it have.
I took a look at my legit Manga and found that as they were printed in America they used their system, MA, 16+.
I searched the internet and couldn't really find anything other then the BBFC website (not much use but worth a read) and the Madman site which is about the ratings in Australia.
Sometimes I like to check out scans to see the original artwork but those pages aren't often translated and if they do have a specific symbol then I don't recognise it.
If anyone has any info that might be helpful, thanks in advance.
I'm sure it wasn't a dojinshi as it was censored, unless the cleaner did it. And no I'm not telling you what it was either, I'll corrupt my mind so yours can stay pure.
Noodle
 
Doujinshi can be censored, and they frequently are.

If it was an adult manga it would be marked as 18+ in Japan if that's what you mean. Shops have gradually got a lot tougher at checking for ages when people buy such things (even doujinshi can be blocked from sale at some events if they're not marked with an R-18 label clearly or are still too explicit in ways which are legally dubious over there).

Scans often tear information out or add things, though.

R
 
ilmaestro said:
Like, about fishing and such?

I feel that if I were to comment any further on the subject I would be banned straight away.

I was only asking because in Anime and Manga they normally seem so relaxed about the issue and casually stand around in public reading the stuff. I know that Manga and Anime in no way really represents life in Japan but I had to ask as I remember 2 scenes in particular,
Chobits, where Chi is in the bookstore listing all the magazines that Hideki doesn't have while guys are standing there reading the books.
Big Brother I don't like you very much, they leave a huge bundle outside the house for rubbish collection then go off in search of some more.
As I feel my question has been answered though I will leave this subject but if you want to add to it then feel free.
I'm sure that a better understanding of Japanese culture will allow me to enjoy Manga and Anime more.
Noodle.
 
Nonstarter Noodle said:
ilmaestro said:
Like, about fishing and such?

I feel that if I were to comment any further on the subject I would be banned straight away.
Hehe.

When you say "I was reading a Manga online and it turned out to be one of those Mangas, it was only 9 chapters long and not really that interesting but it got me thinking as to what type of magazine it would actually be in and what type of age classification would it have.", do you mean which periodical would it have run in in Japan? There are several monthly titles that exclusively run ero-manga, as Rui said they are age-marked now (although I would say some people would still be worried by how easy it is for someone to pick up a copy of, say, [title deleted], even if they were going to be refused at POS).
 
Nonstarter Noodle said:
I'm sure it wasn't a dojinshi as it was censored, unless the cleaner did it. And no I'm not telling you what it was either, I'll corrupt my mind so yours can stay pure.
Noodle
Dojinshi must be censored just like any other manga under japanese law. (the censoring doesn't have to be that much)

Comiket has submission deadlines well ahead of the event entirely to give time for everything to be checked by censor. (they've had problems in the past)

R18 manga must clearly be marked as such. Prefectures also produce lists of non-R18 manga that can't be sold to kids. These are effectively banned for that prefecture as they can't be sold to minors but can't be classed as adults only either (due to not being explicit enough).


To cover the topic somewhat:
The magazines themselves have an effective (advisory) rating, through being aimed at a very narrow audience demographic and through editorial decisions.

So it's the entire magazine that's rated. So all the big three weeklies (Jump, Sunday, Magazine) would be PG or 12. There won't be variation within a magazine.
There will, however, be variation in what age we'd classify works within a single magazine, due to cultural differences.
 
A somewhat cryptic thread

It is always odd how in any given Manga or Anime male characters will have a ton of porn/dirty mags stashed away. It's hard to tell if that's an actual case in Japan or just done for effect.

As I recall in Big Brother I don't like you very much he leaves them out for recycling and then they get refused at the till when trying to buy more. It does seem like they are more relax in Japan about where they display the adult material in shops, but even if someone underage is refused at the till it does seem odd it's not better controlled.
 
Yes, sorry Rosencrantz I was being a bit cryptic with the subject matter as I didn't want to be too explicit (no pun intended) about it. I think that ilmaestro has answered my question in that it most likely came from one of the ero-mangas they mentioned.
Thanks for all your replies.
Noodle.
 
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