4/13/01 :: Unsuitable? Ha!

This is a combination of two posts that I made at the Anime Jump Crunch-tastic Forum, with some minor elaboration in a few places. The posts were written in response to a review of The Big O at the Orlando Sentinel.

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Kids aren't the only people watching TV at 5:30. I and my roommates usually come crashing through the door, post-work-and-class, at probaly 5:15ish, and you know what *we* do? We park our silly booties on the couch for some mindless entertainment and a bit of relaxation!

The Big O being on Toonami means that I get to watch an intruiging program, rather than subjecting myself to random gender bender folks on Maury Povich. (Which, incidentally, is broadcast in the same time slot as Big O, on a BROADCAST NETWORK, which makes it even *more* accessible to children!)

I also think her reading of Roger is *way* off-base. He's determined, honourable, and "values women and the elderly". Now, what exactly is the harm in having a child learn values like those? I think we could all stand to run into *more* kids who carry those traits, thank you.

As a generality, the Toonami lineup isn't something meant to pander to small children. Let's look at the other programs in the Toonami block, shall we?

Sailor Moon: Okay, the kids get this one. It's fluffy and nice, and preaches the power of love. But it's also pretty dumbed down compared to the original.

Gundam Wing: A series that centers around insane political intricacies that most kids, and even some adults would have trouble figuring out... which just happens to be interspered with some giant robots.

Dragonball Z: "My power level is bigger than yours, so I'm going to beat the tar out of you! Muahaha!" It's like, the ultimate pissing contest. Oh yes, Big O is *so* much more violent than DRAGONBALL, my *stars*. ::snerk::

Tenchi: A bunch of girls who are lusting after the same guy, to such a high degree that they would kill each other over it. And that doesn't even account for the implications of naughty naughty sex things like orgies! (Come on, you know *some* freaky conservative out there is thinking it. ;p)

Batman/Superman: The only American cartoon in the lineup, and it's just as "dark" as Big O, if not even moreso. Is it somehow *more* okay for this show to be "dark" because it's AMERICAN? I think the double-standard fairy is paying us a visit.

People who consider themselves to be competent reviewers, for TV programming of *any* kind, need to know who the target audience is. The target audience of Big O does *not* include your 6-year-old, Pokemon-obsessed little brother. This reviewer is trying to compare Big O with standard Saturday-morning crap like Digimon or Recess, and it just doesn't work.
In other words, to echo a previously made point: Just because it's animated doesn't mean it's for toddlers.

I was exposed to some pretty dark stuff at an early age, too. My dad was a big movie fan when I was a kid, but my mom was in poor health at the time, so I was always the one that went to the movies with my dad. As a result, I've been seeing rated R movies since I was probably 8 years old, and I had no real restrictions placed on what I could and couldn't see. And yet, here I am, nearing age 21, a perfectly moral and upstanding citizen of this country.
All my parents really did was say some words about the difference between the real world and that of the media, and I came out of it with a perfectly good grasp on reality.

TV can expose kids to things that they might not otherwise see, and it *can* be something that kids learn from, but what they learn doesn't always have to be something negative. When tempered with the advice and insight of an adult with good judgement, there's no real harm in any television program. End of story.