(Original publish date: 01/07/2019. Last updated & edited: 15/02/2021)
It has been a while since I stopped writing, and today's writing is my first for this month.
Anyway, it's official. As an Anime Otaku, I have to say this: I now no longer enjoy watching Animax on Astro. Since 31st August 2006 when it was launched in Malaysia, I have been watching some Anime shows on Animax channel 715 (now 719) on Astro; But today, it annoys me more than entertain me. And so, here are my reasons why I no longer watch Animax on Astro:
1. REPETITIVE
Astro, as all Malaysians know it, is notorious for repeating the same programs over and over again, and Anime shows on Animax are no exception. Although it may be a good thing for them to repeat some shows I like to watch (Young Black Jack has been repeated twice, if I remember correctly), there are some repeated shows that are just plain boring, and I don't enjoy watching it at all.
2. AGGRESSIVE CENSORSHIP (UPDATED: 14/02/2021)
(DISCLAIMER: I DON'T SUPPORT ANY FORM OF HIGHLY OBJECTIONABLE SCENES TO BE FREELY BROADCASTED ON MALAYSIAN TV. WHAT I AM WRITING HERE IS MERELY TO SHOW THE DIFFERENCES AND DOUBLE STANDARDS OF CENSORSHIP)
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| This 24th January 2011 issue of Utusan Zaman, a Malay newspaper written in Jawi script, is the very reason why aggressive censorship towards Anime shows became prevalent today. Original source photo from here: https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1729927/all |
As Anime shows are known to contain some content unsuitable for children (violence, nudity, revealing clothing), it's obvious that some Anime shows are censored. However, what annoys me most is AGGRESSIVE CENSORSHIP. Ever since an article in Utusan Zaman says 'Beware The Dangers Of Japanese Animation' came out, any Anime shows in Malaysia are now aggressively censored. Take Detective Conan on Astro Ceria, for example. When Season 2 was aired, I noticed some episodes were aggressively censored (the worst censorship of all was in episodes 68 and 69) to the point that the show itself became unwatchable. Reason? Women in swimsuits or revealing clothing.
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| Although not shown on Animax, these eight scenes, from Detective Conan episodes 68 and 69, were missing from Astro Ceria due to censorship. Before Astro Ceria picked up these episodes, TV3 aired these scenes with no censorship. Images copyright Gosho Aoyama/Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS 1996. |
The 2010s can be best described as the 'Aggressive Censorship Decade' on Animax, as it was during this period that aggressive censorship started to became more common. I noticed that more and more Anime shows are being censored by Astro, mostly in the form of censorship cuts. They also used censorship blur, but from the way I see it, it was not as widely used like its 'aggressive' counterpart. Not only that, Astro often skipped Animax's Rating and Viewer Discretion messages that always appear before the beginning of every Anime show on Animax. The most obvious targets of these 'censorship Talibans' are mostly female nudity, or women in revealing clothing, including female underwear.
(By the way; While I often criticise censorship, I don't mind if it doesn't affect the storyline or leaving plot holes, unless if censorship was applied for ridiculous reasons!)
Moving on; Some of the best examples of these are 'Magical Girl' transformation sequences; take the closing credits of Blend-S, for example. On Astro, Maika Sakuranomiya's 'Magical Girl' transformation sequence was cut due to female nudity (despite NOT showing any nipples or vagina at all!). Back then, censorship of this kind was non-existent: I still remember watching Sailor Moon once on MetroVision in 1996 (before it became defunct), the transformation sequence was not censored; And, allow me to be honest:
I NEVER turn into a sexual pervert after watching that!
Speaking of nudity, I noticed any Anime showing a character's bare buttocks will always get a censorship cut. Although I don't mind about censoring the closing credits of Lupin the 3rd Part 5 (yes, I'm talking about Fujiko Mine!), I think it's ridiculous when they also heavily censor Anime shows that are not rated as unsuitable for viewers under 18.
Still, wouldn't it be more proper if Animax Asia (based in Singapore) rate Lupin the 3rd Part 5 an 18 rating instead of 13?
Oddly enough, if a Western cartoon shows a character's bare buttocks or even containing dialogues or anything that refers to buttocks, there is minimal censorship. Take Adventure Time, on Cartoon Network, for example; There are lots of dialogues and scenes about buttocks and farts, but they seem to get away with no censorship.
I NEVER turn into a sexual pervert after watching that!
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| This is the scene that I wrote about: the closing credits of Blend-S. The last time Animax aired this episode, this scene was censored in all episodes, except episode 5. Image copyright Miyuki Nakayama, Houbunsha/BLEND-S Committee. |
Speaking of nudity, I noticed any Anime showing a character's bare buttocks will always get a censorship cut. Although I don't mind about censoring the closing credits of Lupin the 3rd Part 5 (yes, I'm talking about Fujiko Mine!), I think it's ridiculous when they also heavily censor Anime shows that are not rated as unsuitable for viewers under 18.
Still, wouldn't it be more proper if Animax Asia (based in Singapore) rate Lupin the 3rd Part 5 an 18 rating instead of 13?
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| This scene, from Blend-S episode 8, is one of the example scenes that was cut from Animax on Astro; Hideri Kanzaki in virgin killer sweater, which also exposed his buttocks. Image copyright Miyuki Nakayama, Houbunsha/BLEND-S Committee. |
Oddly enough, if a Western cartoon shows a character's bare buttocks or even containing dialogues or anything that refers to buttocks, there is minimal censorship. Take Adventure Time, on Cartoon Network, for example; There are lots of dialogues and scenes about buttocks and farts, but they seem to get away with no censorship.
Below are the examples of the said scenes from Western animated shows:
On Disney Channel and Disney XD (before its broadcast was terminated), they have Kick Buttowski. Even the title and the main character's surname gives it away. So far, I noticed only one Kick Buttowski episodes that was censored by Astro: 'Love Stinks!'. The episode 'Jock Wilder's Nature Camp' has been censored early on by Disney, so this doesn't count as censored by Astro. Interestingly enough, the episode 'Clean... To The Extreme' shows the main character's bare buttocks, and both Disney and Astro did not censor it.
By the way, did you know that the Mr. Bean Animated Series' episode 'Art Thief' got away with zero censorship on Disney XD on Astro once? There is a scene involving Birth of Venus artwork, showing Venus's NIPPLES!
Moving on, some violent scenes in Anime shows are also censored this way, too. Hataraku Saibou (Cells At Work!) is one of the shows that got aggressively censored for it, especially the scene where White Blood Cell destroys bacteria or virus with his combat knife.
Not only that, as Malaysian law strongly forbids LGBT, some scenes containing homosexuality are obviously censored. In Shinryaku! Ika Musume episode 9-2, there is one scene involving Sanae Nagatsuki's imagine spot involving her kissing Ika, was missing due to censorship. Oddly enough, I don't mind that they removed it, as I found the censorship made the show funnier to watch. In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, the scene involving Avdol and Joseph was cleverly edited to remove any of the said 'homosexual' scenes. And speaking of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, as I have written before here, Noriaki Kakyoin's 'Rero Rero' scene was censored here in Malaysia. Reason? 'Sexual innuendo'.
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| This screenshot, taken on 14th January 2021 on Astro GO, showed a flashback of an infant Finn, naked. From the episode 'Memories Of Boom Boom Mountain'. This scene was also shown on Cartoon Network channel 615. |
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| This screenshot, taken on 14th January 2021 on Astro GO, showed Farm's bare buttocks. From the episode 'Who Would Win'. This scene was also shown on Cartoon Network channel 615. |
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| This photo, taken on 25th August 2016, shows Mr. Bean's bare buttocks, from the episode 'Road Works', on Disney XD (before its broadcast terminated). This episode is also available on Astro GO, with this scene uncensored. |
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| This photo, taken on 30th December 2015, shows a painting of a naked woman's buttocks, from the episode 'Artful Bean', on Disney XD (before its broadcast terminated). This episode is also available on Astro GO, with this scene uncensored. |
On Disney Channel and Disney XD (before its broadcast was terminated), they have Kick Buttowski. Even the title and the main character's surname gives it away. So far, I noticed only one Kick Buttowski episodes that was censored by Astro: 'Love Stinks!'. The episode 'Jock Wilder's Nature Camp' has been censored early on by Disney, so this doesn't count as censored by Astro. Interestingly enough, the episode 'Clean... To The Extreme' shows the main character's bare buttocks, and both Disney and Astro did not censor it.
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| This photo, taken on 18th February 2014, is the said scene from the Kick Buttowski episode 'Clean... To The Extreme', on Disney XD (before its broadcast terminated). |
By the way, did you know that the Mr. Bean Animated Series' episode 'Art Thief' got away with zero censorship on Disney XD on Astro once? There is a scene involving Birth of Venus artwork, showing Venus's NIPPLES!
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| This photo, taken on 27th June 2016, shows the Birth Of Venus painting's nipples from the Mr. Bean: The Animated Series episode 'Art Thief', on Disney XD (before its broadcast terminated). Most of the time, this episode was censored, except on the day I took this photo. This episode is also available on Astro GO, this scene was also uncensored, but was rated 18. |
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Moving on, some violent scenes in Anime shows are also censored this way, too. Hataraku Saibou (Cells At Work!) is one of the shows that got aggressively censored for it, especially the scene where White Blood Cell destroys bacteria or virus with his combat knife.
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| This is one of the removed scenes from Hataraku Saibou (this one is from episode 1), which showed White Blood Cell destroying Pneumococcus with his combat knife. By comparison, from what I see on Astro, Hollywood films do show violent scenes almost similar to this, but tend to pass with no censorship or mild censorship. I've also seen a local 4-panel comic depicting something like this, too. Image copyright Akane Shimizu / KODANSHA, Aniplex, davidproduction. |
Not only that, as Malaysian law strongly forbids LGBT, some scenes containing homosexuality are obviously censored. In Shinryaku! Ika Musume episode 9-2, there is one scene involving Sanae Nagatsuki's imagine spot involving her kissing Ika, was missing due to censorship. Oddly enough, I don't mind that they removed it, as I found the censorship made the show funnier to watch. In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, the scene involving Avdol and Joseph was cleverly edited to remove any of the said 'homosexual' scenes. And speaking of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, as I have written before here, Noriaki Kakyoin's 'Rero Rero' scene was censored here in Malaysia. Reason? 'Sexual innuendo'.
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| This is the scene that was cut from Animax's broadcast on Astro from episode 9-2 'Won't You Try On Makeup?'. Honestly, I don't mind at all when this scene was missing! Image copyright Masahiro Anbe (Akitashoten) / Shinryaku! Ika Musume Partners. |
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| This scene, for example, from episode 31 of Stardust Crusaders, was cleverly edited on Animax's broadcast, removing some of the homosexual innuendos. Honestly, I don't mind at all, since it doesn't affect the hilarity of it! Image copyright Hirohiko Araki & LUCKY LAND COMMUNICATIONS / SHUEISHA · JOJO's Animation SC Project. |
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| These two 'Rero Rero' scenes were removed from Animax's broadcast on Astro. Image copyright Hirohiko Araki & LUCKY LAND COMMUNICATIONS / SHUEISHA · JOJO's Animation SC Project. |
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| Meanwhile, this 'Rero Rero' scene lasted for one second before it was cut short. Image copyright Hirohiko Araki & LUCKY LAND COMMUNICATIONS / SHUEISHA · JOJO's Animation SC Project. |
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| Oddly enough, this creepier-looking 'Rero Rero' scene was left untouched. Image copyright Hirohiko Araki & LUCKY LAND COMMUNICATIONS / SHUEISHA · JOJO's Animation SC Project. |
Wow! I never knew that Kakyoin's seemingly funny cherry licking scene is highly offensive and sexually explicit here in Malaysia!
The most ridiculous scenes ever censored? Kissing scenes. In 2013, I found out Astro have censored kissing scenes in the Anime show 'Kamisama Kiss'. In fact, Animax's advertisements showing kissing scenes (click here for example, external link) from that said Anime was removed outright. As if kissing scenes in Anime shows are highly offensive, but kissing scenes in Western animated shows (example: Phineas and Ferb) are okay!
(UPDATE: So far, only one kissing scene from a Western animated show was censored: Adventure Time, the final episode, titled 'Come Along With Me'.)
Even more ridiculous and also enough for me to do a facepalm is what I discovered just recently: a scene in the first episode of My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! (HameFura) has Catarina Claes's forehead injury being given a censorship blur and a frame zoom.
Since the censorship department's aggressive and double standard censorship rules enforced towards Anime shows (LPF's rules, to be exact) include 'violent' or 'gruesome' scenes, I am baffled by the fact that Catarina Claes's forehead injury was deemed 'too gruesome' by the people working at the censorship department. In fact, from what I see, it's just a forehead injury she got from a fall, not a GUNSHOT WOUND!
Oddly enough, a scene showing a gunshot wound to the forehead from Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens episode 3, also on Animax, was passed without censorship. Maybe it's because of difference in ratings perhaps? I'm not sure. (Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens was rated 16 for 'Graphic Violence'; scenes that were censored on Astro were mostly violent scenes, nudity and 'sexually explicit' scenes)
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| This scene was cut from Animax's broadcast on Astro in 2013, both in live broadcast and advertisements. Image copyright Julietta Suzuki/Hakusensha/Kamisama Kiss Production Committee. |
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| This scene, from Mickey Mouse Shorts episode 'Yodelberg', shows Mickey and Minnie Mouse kissing. This scene was never censored at all when Astro broadcasted this episode on Disney Channel (before its broadcast terminated). |
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| This screenshot, taken on 14th January 2021 on Astro GO, shows Finn and Flame Princess kissing. Taken from the episode 'Burning Low'. This scene was also shown on Cartoon Network channel 615, with no censorship cuts. |
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| This is the scene: screenshot taken from watching HameFura episode 1 on Astro GO, 4th September 2020, which also showed up on Animax channel 719. Image copyright Sataru Yamaguchi/Ichijinsha/Hamefura Production Committee. |
Since the censorship department's aggressive and double standard censorship rules enforced towards Anime shows (LPF's rules, to be exact) include 'violent' or 'gruesome' scenes, I am baffled by the fact that Catarina Claes's forehead injury was deemed 'too gruesome' by the people working at the censorship department. In fact, from what I see, it's just a forehead injury she got from a fall, not a GUNSHOT WOUND!
Oddly enough, a scene showing a gunshot wound to the forehead from Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens episode 3, also on Animax, was passed without censorship. Maybe it's because of difference in ratings perhaps? I'm not sure. (Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens was rated 16 for 'Graphic Violence'; scenes that were censored on Astro were mostly violent scenes, nudity and 'sexually explicit' scenes)
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| This is the scene: screenshot taken from watching Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens episode 3 on Astro GO, 14th February 2021, which also showed up on Animax channel 719. Image copyright Chiaki Kisaki/KADOKAWA ASCII MEDIAWORKS/Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens. |
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What annoys me about Anime censorship is how it was applied; While some scenes are cleverly censored that it didn't affect the show's enjoyability (mostly during opening or closing credits), some of these censorship cuts are aggressively applied that it made the show unenjoyable, all in the name of, 'protecting children from the dangers of Anime'.
It's obvious that the censorship department, some 'helicopter parents', and the 'Moral Police Malays' only see that anything animated is for children only!
Why am I criticising this? Because of the obvious and blatant double standards by the censorship department. As written earlier, our censors are blatantly aggressive towards Anime shows, but somewhat lenient towards Western animated shows, at least that's what I think. Sure, I did notice censorship in Western animated shows such as Adventure Time, but it was not as aggressive as I often see on Anime shows! (Scenes involving buttocks in Adventure Time tend to pass without censorship.)
Don't they know that there are Western animated shows unsuitable for children? Examples? South Park, Family Guy, Archer, and American Dad!
Oh, did I forgot to mention that Ejen Ali, a local animated series, contains violent scenes? (Check the 'What Do You Mean, It's For Kids?' entry)
So much for saying 'Japanese Anime is dangerous for children'!
Am I suggesting Astro to air 'Hentai' Anime shows? NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!
What I am merely trying to say is: if it's not for children, stop skipping the rating sign and a 'Viewer Discretion Is Advised' message, and stop agressively censoring it! Even if they want to censor it, just give the mildest censorship possible instead of 'Talibanising' it!
So now my question is: What's the point placing Animax on Variety Pack when the majority of the shows get aggressively censored just to make it 'kid friendly'; while at the same time, ignoring a useful but ignored feature called 'PARENTAL CONTROL'?
IT'S NOT LIKE BEING AN ANIME OTAKU WILL MAKE YOU TURN INTO ANOTHER TSUTOMU MIYAZAKI!
3. KOREAN WAVE (HALLYU) THREAT (EDITED: 15/02/2021)
Thanks to Korean Wave a.k.a. Hallyu's huge popularity (and threat) in the form of K-Pop and K-Dramas, Astro now openly and blatantly cater Hallyu 'worshippers' and also forcing customers who dislike K-Pop and K-Dramas to enjoy it with its 'awesome' Korea Pack. Just watch any of these Korea Pack channels; most, if not, all of the channels, are in 'glorious' HD quality. Even all the Korean TV shows on Astro On Demand are in HD quality.
The worst part of Astro's Korea Pack? YOU CANNOT UNSUBSCRIBE IT!
(UPDATE: The information written below is no longer valid, as Astro FINALLY upgraded Animax to HD on 27th August 2020. However, 'Dub vs. Sub', 'Korea Pack Advertisement Interruption', and the 'Toxic Mentality of K-Pop fans' points are still valid at the time of this update.)
Now look at Animax. Still stuck in SD quality, even though the channel is now displayed in 16:9 format. The only HD option available is on Astro On Demand, which requires an internet connection; And yet, all the shows are still censored aggressively.
Honestly, do they really think that all Anime Otakus have unlimited quota broadband service at their homes?
Even now, Astro still (likely deliberately) refuse to introduce Animax HD, but have no problems introducing other channels in HD, such as Cinemax HD and Asian Food Channel HD (now known as Asian Food Network); and just recently, adding HD versions of their Kids Pack channels, such as Astro Ceria HD, Nickelodeon HD, Disney HD (terminated broadcast on 31st December 2020 at 11:59 p.m.) and Cartoon Network HD. Not only that, before Astro terminated its broadcast, Lifetime channel 709 have its quality UPGRADED from SD to HD.
What is Astro's stupid and lame excuse for refusing to introduce Animax HD? Budget constraints? They make millions, if not, billions of Ringgit every year, but being a CHOOSY ASSHOLE when introducing new channels!
What makes me truly disgusted with Astro? Simple. Their tendency to frequently advertise and promote Korea Pack channels, day and night, and even interrupting commercial breaks on other channels (example: Cartoon Network) just to advertise their Korea Pack channels, to the point that watching those advertisements makes me want to throw up!
Alright, enough of Astro's favouritism. Honestly, I strongly loathe the Malaysian media's (including, and particularly, Astro) blatant favouritsm and strong support for Hallyu, mostly because of its 'Sacred Cow' status. Why?
It's because you are FORBIDDEN to criticise Hallyu, as doing it would lead to a 'total war' against anyone criticising Hallyu! (YES, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE TOXIC MENTALITY OF K-POP FANS!)
...or maybe there is another reason for Astro's strong support for Hallyu (and also the possible motive behind the blatant double standard censorship towards Anime by our 'Talibanised' censorship department): Japanese occupation of Malaya during World War II?
(Finally, allow me to be honest; Firstly, the only Korean TV shows I'd rather watch are cartoons like Larva and Pucca, for example. Secondly, just because I loathe K-Pop and K-Dramas, it doesn't mean that I loathe everything Korean! And thirdly, just because I love Anime and Japanese culture, it doesn't mean that I support the atrocities Japanese troops did during World War II!)
4. 'DUB VS. SUB' (EDITED: 02/04/2020)
Ah, the neverending debate on two things: dub vs sub. In case anyone who don't know what that means, it's called dubbing and subtitling. Here in Malaysia, most Anime shows aired on local TV stations are dubbed in Malay language, and there are some Anime shows that, from my perspective, sounded better when dubbed in Malay language.
Unfortunately, dubbed Anime shows are somewhat disliked in Malaysia; The only exceptions are Doraemon and Crayon Shin-chan. Apparently, there are some people (probably one person masquerading as a group!) who prefer subtitles than having the shows dubbed, as they believe that dubbed Anime shows are inferior in quality. The said 'people' could have pressured Astro into terminating Malay audio for Animax; And, as of 2nd April 2020, they have succeeded!
Typical 'elitist' assholes!
Honestly, however, I think there is nothing wrong with Malay dubbing, and I find Anime shows sound somewhat better when dubbed, compared to other foreign TV shows. Although Western cartoons (example: Phineas and Ferb) sounded OK when dubbed in Malay language, some shows sounded odd when dubbed.
Anyway, on Animax, before Astro was pressured into terminating Malay audio permanently, there are some shows that have Malay dubbing, and I loved how the people who did their best, dubbing any of the Anime shows I watched. To this day, I kept and never delete any of the recorded Anime shows on my Astro PVR, as I loved and appreciated the Malay dubbing of the shows.
One of the shows I loved for its Malay dubbing is Ika Musume series. Not only I love watching the show, I also loved the correct choice for Ika's Malay voice actress, where I find her voice acting suits the character perfectly. And, yes, Ika's Malay voice is adorable!
My complaints about Malay dubbing? One, errors. While there are some pronounciation errors in dubbing, one of the most obvious errors I noticed is the use of the word 'syiling' (Malay word for coins) when referring to a ceiling (in Malay spelling, 'siling'). Two, unsuitable voice for characters. There are some Malay language dubbers' voice which I find unsuitable with the characters they voiced, and in some cases, most of these dubbers are actually replacements for the original dubber assigned. And three, direct translation of scripts. I noticed some Anime shows have its scripts direct translated. For example, Cardfight!! Vanguard's Malay dub scripts are actually translated from English instead of the original Japanese ones, so there are some phrases sounded as if it was directly translated.
Does these mean Malay dubbing is 100% bad? No. Not at all. In fact, I find Animax's Malay-dubbed Anime shows are quite good, actually.
Unfortunately, thanks to the so-called 'belief' that all Malay dubbing is inferior, those assholes who hated Malay dub have succeeded in pressuring Astro into terminating Malay dub from Animax. That, combined with Astro's strong support for Hallyu and the hypocritical hate towards Japanese Anime by our Talibanised censorship department, helicopter parents, and moral police, I am not surprised at all when Astro decided to terminate Malay audio for Animax!
Their stupid excuse for doing that? 'Lack Of Support From Viewers'!
Now (according to this Facebook post, as of 2nd April 2020), there is no more Animax Malay dub on Astro; Re-runs of Anime shows such as Rage Of Bahamut: Genesis and D.Gray-man, which originally have Malay dub, now only have Japanese or Mandarin audio. The last known Anime show to have Malay audio option on Animax is The World God Only Knows series, which I managed to record some episodes of it.
And that concludes my rant. Good job Astro!
RemainUnknown522 Out.
Honestly, do they really think that all Anime Otakus have unlimited quota broadband service at their homes?
Even now, Astro still (likely deliberately) refuse to introduce Animax HD, but have no problems introducing other channels in HD, such as Cinemax HD and Asian Food Channel HD (now known as Asian Food Network); and just recently, adding HD versions of their Kids Pack channels, such as Astro Ceria HD, Nickelodeon HD, Disney HD (terminated broadcast on 31st December 2020 at 11:59 p.m.) and Cartoon Network HD. Not only that, before Astro terminated its broadcast, Lifetime channel 709 have its quality UPGRADED from SD to HD.
What is Astro's stupid and lame excuse for refusing to introduce Animax HD? Budget constraints? They make millions, if not, billions of Ringgit every year, but being a CHOOSY ASSHOLE when introducing new channels!
What makes me truly disgusted with Astro? Simple. Their tendency to frequently advertise and promote Korea Pack channels, day and night, and even interrupting commercial breaks on other channels (example: Cartoon Network) just to advertise their Korea Pack channels, to the point that watching those advertisements makes me want to throw up!
Alright, enough of Astro's favouritism. Honestly, I strongly loathe the Malaysian media's (including, and particularly, Astro) blatant favouritsm and strong support for Hallyu, mostly because of its 'Sacred Cow' status. Why?
It's because you are FORBIDDEN to criticise Hallyu, as doing it would lead to a 'total war' against anyone criticising Hallyu! (YES, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE TOXIC MENTALITY OF K-POP FANS!)
...or maybe there is another reason for Astro's strong support for Hallyu (and also the possible motive behind the blatant double standard censorship towards Anime by our 'Talibanised' censorship department): Japanese occupation of Malaya during World War II?
(Finally, allow me to be honest; Firstly, the only Korean TV shows I'd rather watch are cartoons like Larva and Pucca, for example. Secondly, just because I loathe K-Pop and K-Dramas, it doesn't mean that I loathe everything Korean! And thirdly, just because I love Anime and Japanese culture, it doesn't mean that I support the atrocities Japanese troops did during World War II!)
4. 'DUB VS. SUB' (EDITED: 02/04/2020)
Ah, the neverending debate on two things: dub vs sub. In case anyone who don't know what that means, it's called dubbing and subtitling. Here in Malaysia, most Anime shows aired on local TV stations are dubbed in Malay language, and there are some Anime shows that, from my perspective, sounded better when dubbed in Malay language.
Unfortunately, dubbed Anime shows are somewhat disliked in Malaysia; The only exceptions are Doraemon and Crayon Shin-chan. Apparently, there are some people (probably one person masquerading as a group!) who prefer subtitles than having the shows dubbed, as they believe that dubbed Anime shows are inferior in quality. The said 'people' could have pressured Astro into terminating Malay audio for Animax; And, as of 2nd April 2020, they have succeeded!
Typical 'elitist' assholes!
Honestly, however, I think there is nothing wrong with Malay dubbing, and I find Anime shows sound somewhat better when dubbed, compared to other foreign TV shows. Although Western cartoons (example: Phineas and Ferb) sounded OK when dubbed in Malay language, some shows sounded odd when dubbed.
Anyway, on Animax, before Astro was pressured into terminating Malay audio permanently, there are some shows that have Malay dubbing, and I loved how the people who did their best, dubbing any of the Anime shows I watched. To this day, I kept and never delete any of the recorded Anime shows on my Astro PVR, as I loved and appreciated the Malay dubbing of the shows.
One of the shows I loved for its Malay dubbing is Ika Musume series. Not only I love watching the show, I also loved the correct choice for Ika's Malay voice actress, where I find her voice acting suits the character perfectly. And, yes, Ika's Malay voice is adorable!
My complaints about Malay dubbing? One, errors. While there are some pronounciation errors in dubbing, one of the most obvious errors I noticed is the use of the word 'syiling' (Malay word for coins) when referring to a ceiling (in Malay spelling, 'siling'). Two, unsuitable voice for characters. There are some Malay language dubbers' voice which I find unsuitable with the characters they voiced, and in some cases, most of these dubbers are actually replacements for the original dubber assigned. And three, direct translation of scripts. I noticed some Anime shows have its scripts direct translated. For example, Cardfight!! Vanguard's Malay dub scripts are actually translated from English instead of the original Japanese ones, so there are some phrases sounded as if it was directly translated.
Does these mean Malay dubbing is 100% bad? No. Not at all. In fact, I find Animax's Malay-dubbed Anime shows are quite good, actually.
Unfortunately, thanks to the so-called 'belief' that all Malay dubbing is inferior, those assholes who hated Malay dub have succeeded in pressuring Astro into terminating Malay dub from Animax. That, combined with Astro's strong support for Hallyu and the hypocritical hate towards Japanese Anime by our Talibanised censorship department, helicopter parents, and moral police, I am not surprised at all when Astro decided to terminate Malay audio for Animax!
Their stupid excuse for doing that? 'Lack Of Support From Viewers'!
Now (according to this Facebook post, as of 2nd April 2020), there is no more Animax Malay dub on Astro; Re-runs of Anime shows such as Rage Of Bahamut: Genesis and D.Gray-man, which originally have Malay dub, now only have Japanese or Mandarin audio. The last known Anime show to have Malay audio option on Animax is The World God Only Knows series, which I managed to record some episodes of it.
And that concludes my rant. Good job Astro!
RemainUnknown522 Out.
