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Trends in hyperviolence in anime.


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Tris8



Joined: 30 Oct 2009
Posts: 2114
Location: Where the rain is.
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:33 pm Reply with quote
This is an interesting topic. I did an ANN search for series and movies with the objectionable content rating of 'intense', and it turned up:
2012 titles- 23
2011 titles- 16
2010 titles- 21
2009 titles- 12
2008 titles- 10
2007 titles- 19
2006 titles- 17
2005 titles- 11
2004 titles- 29
2003 titles- 28
2002 titles- 16
2001 titles- 17
2000 titles- 8
1999 titles- 15
1998 titles- 10
1997 titles- 13
1996 titles- 10
1995 titles- 10
1994 titles- 11
1993 titles- 7
1992 titles- 8
1991 titles- 9
1990 titles- 10
1989 titles- 10
1988 titles- 5
1987 titles- 9
1986 titles- 9
1985 titles- 3
1984 titles- 0
1983 titles- 1
1982 titles- 2
1981 titles- 0
1980 titles- 0
1979 titles- 0
1978 titles- 1
1977 titles- 1
1976 titles- 0
1975 titles- 0
1974 titles- 1
1973 titles- 2
1972 titles- 2
1971 titles- 0
1970 titles- 0

Of course, not all shows with an 'intense' objectionable rating have extreme violence. So going through the titles and judging by ANN reviews and google here's a list of titles with hyperviolence per year (list includes series, movies and OVAs):
2012 titles- 13
2011 titles- 7
2010 titles- 11
2009 titles- 7
2008 titles- 6
2007 titles- 13
2006 titles- 15
2005 titles- 7
2004 titles- 17
2003 titles- 15
2002 titles- 10
2001 titles- 10
2000 titles- 5
1999 titles- 7
1998 titles- 7
1997 titles- 8
1996 titles- 7
1995 titles- 6
1994 titles- 4
1993 titles- 6
1992 titles- 5
1991 titles- 7
1990 titles- 8
1989 titles- 8
1988 titles- 4
1987 titles- 6
1986 titles- 7
1985 titles- 3
1984 titles- 0
1983 titles- 1
1982 titles- 2
1981 titles- 0
1980 titles- 0
1979 titles- 0
1978 titles- 0
1977 titles- 0
1978 titles- 0
1977 titles- 0
1976 titles- 0
1975 titles- 0
1974 titles- 0
1973 titles- 0
1972 titles- 0
1971 titles- 0

Unexpectedly, the general trend seems to be that the amount of hyperviolent shows per year is slowly but steadily increasing. This, at least in part, can be attributed to the fact that the amount of anime being produced has been increasing over the years. So the amount of splatter-shows are increasing, but as a percentage of anime made in a year, it may be about the same amount. The numbers for the past 5 years spike and fall, but because they don't seem to be trending upward it may indicate a plateau phase. Too early to tell I guess.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:44 pm Reply with quote
Interesting that 2004 was so violent. Of course Elfen Lied aired that summer, but that's only one title.
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Aylinn



Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:47 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
There's a certain movie that's been released multiple times before in the U.S. market but will finally be making its way to Blu-Ray next month. And the last time we reviewed it, the reviewer commented extensively about how the title didn't really fit the time in which it was being released. I was planning to angle my upcoming review of it based on how this discussion plays out.

So that's the reason. Maybe it would be a good idea to look for differences in hyper-violent anime from 80s and recent years. The first thing that comes to my mind is that the recent hyper-violent anime are more often emotionally manipulative and make viewers feel sorry for characters being subject to such a treatment rather than make the whole situation appear cool. So while a new hyper-violent show in which cute girls kill and/or are killed may sell extremely well, it does not indicate that old hyper-violent shows will be warmly received by the contemporary fans.
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One-Eye



Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Posts: 2262
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:16 pm Reply with quote
Tris8 wrote:
Of course, not all shows with an 'intense' objectionable rating have extreme violence. So going through the titles and judging by ANN reviews and google here's a list of titles with hyperviolence per year (list includes series, movies and OVAs):

I was thinking of doing something similar to the list you made, but instead ask people to submit shows that they felt fit the category of ultra, hyper, or extreme violence. Then we could discuss them, because like you pointed out not everything that is listed as "intense" is consistently hyperviolent throughout a show. Birdy the Mighty: Decode 2 is listed as "intense" but I don't see it in the same category as Elfen Lied. A more detailed list might also reveal some other elements. Using what some people have posted it might look something like:

2000- Blood: The Last Vampire,

2001- Hellsing TV, Kai Doh Maru,

2002- Ichi The Killer: Episode 0,

2003- Kill Bill Chapter 3: The Origin of O-Ren,

2004- Elfen Lied, Gantz, Le Portrait de Petite Cossette, Samurai Gun

2005- Basilisk, Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan,

2006- Black Lagoon, Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage, Hellsing Ultimate vol 1, Hellsing Ultimate vol 2, When They Cry: Higurashi

2007- Afro-Samurai, Ayakashi, Baccano!, Claymore, Hellsing Ultimate vol 3, Murder Princess*, Shigurui: Death Frenzy, Sword of the Stranger, The Garden of Sinners-part 1, The Garden of Sinners-part 2,

2008- Blade of the Immortal, Corpse Princess, Ga-Rei: Zero, Hellsing Ultimate vol 4, Hellsing Ultimate vol 5, Kurozuka, RIN - Daughters of Mnemosyne, The Garden of Sinners-part 3, The Garden of Sinners-part 4, The Garden of Sinners-part 5, The Garden of Sinners-part 6,

2009- Hellsing Ultimate vol 6, Hellsing Ultimate vol 7, The Garden of Sinners-part 7, Umineko: When They Cry

2010- Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail, Mardock Scramble: The First Compression, Shiki,

2011- Blood-C, Deadman Wonderland, Hellsing Ultimate vol 8, Mirai Nikki,

2012- Another*, Berserk: The Egg of the King, Berserk: The Battle of Doldrey, Blood-C: The Last Dark, Btooom!*, Hellsing Ultimate vol 9,

Anime considered but not deemed extreme enough at this time:
The Animatrix* (2003),


We might want to provide a more detailed description of hyperviolent too and some parameters. It seems that what we are looking for anime that is not limited to just one particular scene of extreme violence, but is consistently violent throughout the show/movie/OVA. Also violence that may depict one or more of the following in detail: carnage (high body count), injury, maiming, decapitation, murder, bloodshed, torture, death. For example, a show like Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple may have martial arts mayhem but there is no gore or death. On the other hand, maiming (including decapitation) is a regular occurrence in Elfen Lied and Claymore while Hellsing Ultimate has rivers of blood flowing.

Anybody interested in doing this or any changes or additions?
[EDIT]---------->
All you need to do is post what you think belongs on the list and I will update it. Also post and point out any that you want to challenge. Oh, and be prepared to support your nominations and challenges. Also please provide dates with your nominations it will help me update the list faster.

Anything marked with an * has been challenged and is at this time up for debate.

Any suggestions are welcome.


Last edited by One-Eye on Sun Nov 25, 2012 7:00 pm; edited 11 times in total
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4107
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:25 pm Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
So stuff like Shiki wouldn't be considered hyper-violent then, because barring spoiler[the dissection scene] all the violence is in the final quarter? I'm not arguing here, just want to know what you think.


And stuff like Elfen Lied where the violence is focused on the beginning and the ending, keeping the middle a harem comedy. Wait, what?

Maybe it's more a matter of perception? When Shiki went, it went all the way. It's wrong to mention Legend of the Legendary Heroes {Corpse Princess, really? Desperate...} over Shiki when discussing the idea of hyperviolence in anime, especially when it's the plot of the show. When it's the point of the show.

But this is keeping in line with horror films, too. Critical darlings get passes while other titles get dismissed out of hand since it doesn't past whatever base standard they have. That one "Oh, it's not this or that. Typical." while this one is "A fine example of its limited genre." Usually, it comes down to a scene or an approach.
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Tris8



Joined: 30 Oct 2009
Posts: 2114
Location: Where the rain is.
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:29 pm Reply with quote
One-Eye wrote:
I was thinking of doing something similar to the list you made, but instead ask people to submit shows that they felt fit the category of ultra, hyper, or extreme violence. Then we could discuss them, because like you pointed out not everything that is listed as "intense" is consistently hyperviolent throughout a show. Birdy the Mighty: Decode 2 is listed as "intense" but I don't see it in the same category as Elfen Lied. A more detailed list might also reveal some other elements..... Anybody interested in doing this or any changes or additions?
I think that's a great idea. The list I came out with provides a good idea of the trend, but it's definitely not completely accurate as there were a lot of shows I hadn't seen and was dependent on findings from google.

We might find it difficult to differentiate from hyperviolent shows and shows that have a couple hyperviolent scenes but otherwise are tame though.

Adding to the list: Shigurui: Death Frenzy (2007), Umineko: When They Cry (2009), The Animatrix (2003), Ayakashi (2007), Afro Samurai (2007), When They Cry: Higurashi (2006), and RIN - Daughters of Mnemosyne (2006).

It's been awhile since I've seen Murder Princess and can't remember if it's bloody enough to qualify here. I remember there's a lot of blood and killing, but can't remember if it reaches hyperviolent levels.


Last edited by Tris8 on Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
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One-Eye



Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Posts: 2262
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:40 pm Reply with quote
Tris8 wrote:
We might find it difficult to differentiate from hyperviolent shows and shows that have a couple hyperviolent scenes but otherwise are tame though.
True, but I think that's where the experience of ANN members comes in to help us get a clearer picture. Also as Key stated we are looking at a range here with something like Claymore being representative of the low end and maybe Elfen Lied leaning towards the high end. I think one scene of extreme violence doesn't fit the criteria of consistent violence, but maybe 3 or 4 do. Every episode doesn't have to be chock full of violence for it to be consistent or purposeful. What do you think?
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Tris8



Joined: 30 Oct 2009
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Location: Where the rain is.
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:53 pm Reply with quote
One-Eye wrote:
True, but I think that's where the experience of ANN members comes in to help us get a clearer picture. Also as Key stated we are looking at a range here with something like Claymore being representative of the low end and maybe Elfen Lied leaning towards the high end. I think one scene of extreme violence doesn't fit the criteria of consistent violence, but maybe 3 or 4 do. Every episode doesn't have to be chock full of violence for it to be consistent or purposeful. What do you think?
That sounds good like a good rule of thumb. We should look for some measure of consistent hyperviolence. Also, why do you have the Hellsing volumes listed individually?
dtm42 wrote:
So stuff like Shiki wouldn't be considered hyper-violent then, because barring spoiler[the dissection scene] all the violence is in the final quarter? I'm not arguing here, just want to know what you think.
I was just contemplating this. I lean towards yes, it is hyperviolent, but as soon as you compare to Deadman Wonderland or many of these others, it looks positively mild.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:03 pm Reply with quote
Samurai Gun was also in 2004, I just remembered. That definitely deserves the hyperviolent label.

Tris8 wrote:
I was just contemplating this. I lean towards yes, it is hyperviolent, but as soon as you compare to Deadman Wonderland or many of these others, it looks positively mild.


And Deadman Wonderland looks like a picnic compared to BLOOD-C. Everything's relative.

Shiki has people spoiler[(well, monsters in the forms of people) being clubbed to death, having wooden stakes as thick as a man's thigh being driven through their hearts in graphic scenes, and one nasty brat was attacked and then had her head run over by a vehicle. There were also scenes of innocent children attacked and killed] Mild compared to the really hyperviolent titles, true, but if Claymore is the base then I would put Shiki about the same. The only difference is that Claymore spread its violence out whereas Shiki saved most of its violence for a select few episodes.
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One-Eye



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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:06 pm Reply with quote
Tris8 wrote:
Adding to the list: Shigurui: Death Frenzy (2007), Umineko: When They Cry (2009), The Animatrix (2003), Ayakashi (2007), Afro Samurai (2007), When They Cry: Higurashi (2006), and RIN - Daughters of Mnemosyne (2006).

It's been awhile since I've seen Murder Princess and can't remember if it's bloody enough to qualify here. I remember there's a lot of blood and killing, but can't remember if it reaches hyperviolent levels.
I've got RIN as being 2008 here on ANN and Wikipedia Link. As far as Corpse Princess I will add an * to denote that it is up for debate or discussion. I can't remember myself, but someone else posted it.

Quote:
Also, why do you have the Hellsing volumes listed individually?
Because those were the years that the volumes were released in Japan. They are basically individual movies roughly about 50 minutes in length each. The last Hellsing vol 10 will be released in Japan this December.
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Tris8



Joined: 30 Oct 2009
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:14 pm Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
many violent things about Shiki... Mild compared to the really hyperviolent titles, true, but if Claymore is the base then I would put Shiki about the same. The only difference is that Claymore spread its violence out whereas Shiki saved most of its violence for a select few episodes.
Ah, good point. Yes, I agree, Shiki should be on the list.

One-Eye wrote:
I've got RIN as being 2008 here
oops, yeah that's correct.
One-Eye wrote:
As far as Corpse Princess I will add an * to denote that it is up for debate or discussion. I can't remember myself, but someone else posted it.
Do you mean Murder Princess, the title I was referring to, or Corpse Princess?

Quote:
Because those were the years that the volumes were released in Japan. They are basically individual movies roughly about 50 minutes in length each. The last Hellsing vol 10 will be released in Japan this December.
Ok, cool.
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Errinundra
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:20 pm Reply with quote
I wouldn't describe The Animatrix as hyperviolent. Only Second Renaissance Part 2 would have moments that warrant that but, even then, it's not gross or disturbing .
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One-Eye



Joined: 08 Mar 2011
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:24 pm Reply with quote
Tris8 wrote:
One-Eye wrote:
As far as Corpse Princess I will add an * to denote that it is up for debate or discussion. I can't remember myself, but someone else posted it.
Do you mean Murder Princess, the title I was referring to, or Corpse Princess?
Oops, my bad. I had a brain fart there only saw the Princess part. Since you are not sure about Murder Princess I will an * to that one.

Did you mean Ayakashi 2007 or Ayakashi: Samurai Horror tales which I think was 2006. I've seen parts of both but can't remember about the violence content.
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Tris8



Joined: 30 Oct 2009
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:30 pm Reply with quote
errinundra wrote:
I wouldn't describe The Animatrix as hyperviolent. Only Second Renaissance Part 2 would have moments that warrant that but, even then, it's not gross or disturbing.
Program and Matriculated also had hyperviolent parts, but I guess that's only 3 out of the 8 stories so as a whole Animatrix isn't really hyperviolent.

One-Eye wrote:
Did you mean Ayakashi 2007 or Ayakashi: Samurai Horror tales which I think was 2006. I've seen parts of both but can't remember about the violence content.
Lol, so many titles with similar names... But yes, I meant Ayakashi (2007). That was definitely hyperviolent.

Adding to the list: Le Portrait de Petite Cossette (2004), Ga-Rei: Zero (2008), Kill Bill Chapter 3: The Origin of O-Ren (2003), and Blade of the Immortal (2008).

Basilisk has a lot of death and violence, but is another 'can't remember if it's violent enough to qualify' series.


Last edited by Tris8 on Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:47 pm; edited 1 time in total
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dragon695



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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:47 pm Reply with quote
Why are the Berserk movies not listed? They are more hyperviolent than Claymore. Ditto for Mirai Nikki? Sword of the Stranger?
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