Today is August 1st, which marks the beginning of Ramadan, a roughly 1-month period in which followers of the Islamic religion fast from dawn until dusk. Anpanman, the beloved Japanese animated cartoon series featuring a bun-shaped superhero who battles the scheming villain Bacteriaman, is apparently a popular export in the Middle East.
Why do I mention these seemingly unrelated topics? Because I was fascinated to learn1 that, during the period of time in which practitioners are abstaining from food, drink and other sensual pleasures, the faces of the animated characters who are inspired by popular snacks, namely Anpanman (sweet red-bean bun), Currypanman (curry-filled bread) and Shokupanman (sliced white bread), are censored out. I can attest that the show actually does make you hungry. Fascinating! Who knew?
1. Interview with Sahel Rosa on MXTV. May 30, 2011.
Source: fleur blog (Japanese)
August 3, 2011 at 3:25 pm
This was fascinating; I had to reblog it: http://www.jeremyriad.com/blog/beyond-toys/anpanman-censored-for-ramadan Thanks for keeping me informed!
August 3, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Thanks Jeremy! btw, you have a great blog!