I'm sure the subject has come up before, but I just thought I'd share a few points:

1.) The original censorship was part of how I learned about Japan's political perspective regarding sexuality.

Recently, there's been more conversation about fetishization of gay relationships in BL in general; and, the level of censorship between magazine, doujinshi, and hentai works says a lot about the culture and to what degree fetishization occurs. It's like, "It's ok for you to be in love and cuddle; but, heaven forbid you have real human bits that do things." 🤣Oh, but boobs are ok, especially boobs w/o nipples because those don't do things 🤣

In the end, I've started to think about Japan's approach to sexuality on a more realistic level--I was happy when certain districts began to at least certify gay marriage, and I absolutely think the popularity and visibility of BL has contributed to that. I've also been disheartened by other things, but I realize they reflect some of the social issues in my own culture. I LOATHE the excuse "Well, Japan does it" when it comes to certain sexual concepts now because I now have a better understanding of what Japan actually does, and that all started with being confused by censorship bubbles and bars.

2.) The authors still draw or allude to these bits despite knowing that they'll be censored or will have to censor them themselves. The authors are aware of the censorship from the outset.

More than once, when I've had conversations about "d*ck redrawing," I've been told that it's done because this is what the authors intended and the work has been censored against their will. When I see the more explicit doujinshi and hentai works that only have a slim censor bar over them, I get it; it's just filling in a few lines that my brain easily fills in anyway 😛. But, I recently realized that Natsumizu Ritsu of the K-Sensei series rarely has the infamous "light sabers" in her works. Through artistic composition, she manages to avoid the need for them. She's aware censorship is a thing in her industry, and she composes her panels to avoid it at its most excessive. So, the final product that we're looking at is EXACTLY what SHE wants us to see. And, she's not the only artist who does it—I'm sure people can name a few more.

[img]https://www.mangaupdates.com/image/i277389.jpg[/img] [img]https://www.mangaupdates.com/image/i285937.jpg[/img]

And, one really big (in more ways than one) example that potentially makes another interesting point is Omoimi's Hashi no XL-Saizu. The premise of the story is that there is a gentleman with a particularly large happy bit, so much so that it startles others. On the one hand, Omoimi could've conveyed this idea through a clearly excessive size... except there's a hentai niche for that and that's probably not what was intended 😁. On the other, what's big to one person is small to another, and size is pretty subjective. Sooo, what if you could leave it up to your readers' imaginations? What if there was an industry standard that let you just flop an ambiguous blob on it and let readers imagine to their horror or delight? 🤣

3.) Sometimes the "decensoring" is on the same level as the original censor.

I adore all the fans who work hard to create translations for those of us in markets where these works aren't available; I think they're truly superheroes <3 But, when it comes to decensoring... I've seen some good ones, ones that use interesting techniques that are actually pretty clever, and then there's... 😳 Because I'm friends with a lot of artists, the idea of drawing over someone's work always slightly bugs me--not just filling in lines, but actually inserting different art. It's kinda like drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa. But, just like drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa, when it's not bad, I at least get it; there's some fun and amusement in it 😛 However, when it is bad... it hurts 😢

If a drawing is inserted, regardless of quality, it suggests to both fans and the author that the work wasn't good enough without it, that the story just isn't as good without at least even a poorly rendered naughty bit. And, some people may genuinely feel this way. But, I think a LOT of us read BL for the stories and appreciate them and their authors even with the light sabers.

So, if and when you decensor, please do so responsibly. Run it by a test audience. If it doesn't fly, it's ok to take time to redraw or you can even release with the original censor. As a LONG-time reader of translated stories overall, the thing that makes me happiest, more than any non-glowing, explicit image, is just being able to read the next chapter. As long as you release, I promise someone will be happy 😛😃

With the increase in works due to current world circumstances, just gonna bump as a reminder.

Also, have definitely noticed more authors who cleverly censor their own works, avoiding the need to redraw altogether; so, if you're struggling to find a redrawer or with redrawing, keep an eye out!