The internet community has been very optimistic lately about the future of Dragon Ball and Anime entirely. Within the last couple of years animation, in general, has been popping all over the Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. Television, and FOX Kids. Its everlasting popularity makes some these programs #1 on the whole network. But, have these networks been a little too harsh on what parts of animation we see on TV?

Animation in Japan is intended to target 13+ year olds (you know teenagers); the very same animation (but cut) that were targeted for those ages, are targeted for 5, 7, and 10 year olds in the United States. Even before animation has been widely broadcasted on television, it's had many fans that were accustomed to the uncut Japanimation. Why has the United States been so harsh on the programming kids see on TV? Why exactly have they targeted TV programs intended for teenagers to kids that are still in elementary? The answer, is because TV content is free for the viewer. The very same television broadcasting networks that show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Baywatch, and Beverly Hills 90210 edit animation so drastically that it totally changes the meaning and original intention. Why? Because of legal risks. Why would these huge TV networks risk their egos, their reputation, over silly cartoons? What they see as cartoon is what we see as drama, action, and passion. These very same TV networks show sexually oriented programming all the time; so why did they decide to cut Gohan pissing naked in The World's Strongest, yet show a damn child molester bang Jennifer Lopez in U-Turn. The whole idea really irritates me, so much that I don't watch Americanized animation anymore. The original Pokemon in Japan has been targeted to older children, and is in fact heavily edited in the US just as much as our beloved Dragon Ball Z. Every time I see new American animation broadcast like Card Captors, Cowboy Bebop, and Gundam Wing, I feel so frustrated because it's killing the original otaku's, the ones you see at the Animecon and Comicfest every year. Televised animation is killing the original that everyone once loved people. I hate going to school every weekday and hear my peers talk about the new "Dragon Ball Z" episode on TV, when they haven't even seen the original. I hate hearing Americanized animation being talked about all the time, or people bragging over how cool they are because they've seen an episode of Japanese Outlaw Star.

This new era of televised animation sickens me to death. It has killed shows such as Gundam Wing, one of my prized favorites, just because most of America have never laid eyes on it. I'm pretty sure many would love to see original Gundam Wing if the television networks would give us the chance; and even prefer it over the edited crap we're been spoon-fed today.

The only solution to this epidemic is to broadcast uncut animation on its own television channel ... but we all know that'll never happen anytime soon. As long as America watches cut-animation on television, why would the TV networks take the time to make a whole channel dedicated to it uncut? Why would they risk their own network superstructure over something that's already raking in the money? Everyone, just as I, obviously have their own answers.