There’s a reason why retro anime from the ‘80s and ‘90s are still so popular today. The stories are timeless, thanks to their focus on character development and complex storylines.
But do you know when I realized the actual value of these masterpieces? Growing up, I learned that basically every anime broadcasted on TV during my childhood was censored.
Some censorship came from the animation studios themselves, but this decision was often left up to the network owners, who have their own standards for what is appropriate and what is not.
When it comes to blood, sexual content, and excessive violence, I understand why they would want to hide the dirt under the carpet. After all, we’re talking about networks that target their content to kids. Sometimes though, this is not the case at all.
References to Japanese culture and customs, characters’ names, and whole scenes or even episodes were cut out for the most ridiculous reasons. All this resulted in massive plot holes that nobody cared about because kids were deemed too young to realize their favorite anime made absolutely no sense anymore.
Do you remember when Sanji from One Piece was turned into a lollipop addict to justify why he always had a white stick in his mouth? Or when the executives in charge of Cardcaptor Sakura didn’t think anyone would want to watch a show centered on a female main character, changing it so that the protagonist of Cardcaptor Sakura wasn’t Sakura, but rather Syaoran?
We were forbidden from watching the real deal, which is a good enough reason to travel back in time and rewatch the top anime shows of our childhood - the complete version, this time!
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#21 Outlaw Star
1998 | 26 episodes
Gene Starwind and James Hawking run a small handyman agency and are hired to protect Captain Hilda, who drives a spaceship, the XGP-15A II, also nicknamed Outlaw Star, in search of a legendary place that enshrines an incredible treasure. This anime will impress you with its animation style and balance of dramatic and comedic elements!
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#22 Yu-Gi-Oh!
1998 | 27 episodes
The very first series from the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. Yugi Mutou is a shy boy who has finally completed his grandfather’s ancient Millennium Puzzle. Little does he realize that the puzzle unleashes an alter ego who challenges anyone who hurts Yugi to dangerous games. The Shadow Games reveal the true nature of someone’s heart, and the losers are often subjected to dark punishments. The author initially wanted to make Yu-Gi-Oh a horror work and, despite the change of plan, some horror elements still influenced the story as we know it.
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