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bizarre tadpoles ✿ sasha@BizarreTadpoles · Sep 28, 2026

I don't like how the Steel Ball Run anime tries to be "for adults" by keeping all the gore scenes from the manga while…

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Summary

The Steel Ball Run anime adaptation removes important political, social, and psychological themes from the manga including Native American genocide, slavery commentary, capitalism critique, and character backstories for Pocoloco and Sandman, while also censoring Lucy's age and trauma, Johnny's suicidal ideation, and other dark elements that are crucial to understanding the story's meaning.

Summarized by ThreadOut AI from the full thread. May miss nuance — read the thread below.

  1. #1

    I don't like how the Steel Ball Run anime tries to be "for adults" by keeping all the gore scenes from the manga while cutting out the serious political, social and psychological themes. so here is a thread sharing my opinion on the current censorship in the show

  2. #2

    1. the scenes showing native American genocide and slavery of black people were removed from the anime, although in the manga this was specifically highlighted at the beginning to make it immediately clear just how important these problems are for the story

  3. #3

    DP erased the words of Pocoloco’s father stating that formal freedom from slavery did not improve opportunities and living conditions for black people, as well as Sandman’s reflections on native Americans’ history

  4. #4

    2. it also feels like the problematic nature of the race itself and the critique of the capitalism has been significantly downplayed. zero mentions of the conflict between the concepts of “ancestors’ land” among native Americans and money as an unlimited force among white people

  5. #5

    these frames featuring Steven Steel’s words — about how he couldn't care less about the participants' conditions, religion or culture — were also removed, even though they highlight the race's fake internationalism and its capitalist essence

  6. #6

    3. I don't like that specifically Pocoloco and Sandman's backstories and screen time were cut down. DP might expand on them later, but there's very little content for these characters even in the manga, and some of their standout moments have already been missed

  7. #7

    it felt like, yeah, we have black and native American characters but we’re cutting their motivations a lot, thereby simplifying their introduction, and piling on a bunch of facts about Johnny’s past instead

  8. #8

    4. there’s zero mention of Lucy being 14. guys, you really should have made that clear from the start, considering that her story is largely built around the sexual assault she experiences. and they're removing ALL the "pedo" scenes/lines, sweeping the issue under the rug

  9. #9

    5. the specific nature of the relationship between Lucy and Steven is crucial, as is the way it’s initially presented. he needs to “be a creep” at the start so that later we realise how inescapable Lucy’s situation was and what a serious reputational and social sacrifice she made

  10. #10

    6. DP also cut Mountain Tim’s flirt with Lucy. tbh he can’t be saved, since the entire resolution of his arc hinges on his romantic feelings for her. if they cut that out, what’s left of Tim’s character? a sanitised gentleman cowboy?

  11. #11

    7. I hate how Johnny’s suicidal intent and his utter despair at the beginning of the story are censored. it erases a significant part of his motivation for entering the race and obtaining the Holy Corpse

  12. #12

    8. in my opinion, by this point in the manga, the political nature of the race and the rivalry between nations are explored more deeply. DP downplayed the significance of Gyro being a royal immigrant and the importance of which countries' representatives hold the lead

  13. #13

    that’s all. thank you so much to everyone who read this thread to the end 💚