Having dominated the box office to become Japan’s highest-grossing film ever, a movie adaptation of the smash-hit anime series "Demon Slayer" is finally heading to theaters in the U.S. later this month. There is a catch, however: The movie has been rated R (Restricted) by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), meaning that anyone under age 17 must be accompanied by an adult guardian to be able to watch it in American theaters.
The news of the R rating in the U.S., due to its “violence and bloody images,” as the MPA put it, has been met with surprise in Japan, where the blockbuster has received a much milder rating and carved out a massive fan base among children of all ages.
The difference in attitudes toward the "Demon Slayer" movie is the latest reminder of how anime content that's made fairly accessible to children in Japan may contain sensitivities such as violence, nudity and crime that could easily upset parents overseas.
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