I've mentioned before how the televised version of Strike Witches was changed to take out material that was too much for Japanese TV, but now word comes out that not all televised versions of the series are created equal. First you must understand that Japanese TV is different from American TV in that more then one channel usually airs the same series. In America if you want to watch new episodes of CSI, then you can only watch it on CBS. In Japan, if you want to watch Strike Witches then you have a choice of like 5 different channels to watch it on. Well it turns out that some channels are showing an even more edited version of the series Steam is added to cover cleavage (not fully exposed breasts like the DVDs will have mind you, but cleavage), & either shadows or an insane amount of extra lighting is added to cover close-up panty shots (not bare-ass shots, but panty shots).

Now this kind of differing editing between different channels is nothing new, at least it hasn't been for the past couple years in Japan. I've previously reported how both Code Geass R2 & Kamen no Maid Guy are airing 2 different versions in Japan right now, with some stations showing nudity & others covering the nakedness up. Moetan also had 2 different versions airing, one that had completely unedited nude transformation scenes. Similarly, the first season of Girls Bravo had tons of edits, but when the second season moved to a different channel it aired completely uncensored. So like I said, nothing new. However, the difference here is that all those other examples I gave were edits to cover up NUDITY. But here with Strike Witches were getting censorship to cover up what's already been covered up! I mean seriously, what a trivial thing to get edited.

Oh, & guess which version Gonzo is offering us on YouTube & Crunchyroll? That's right, the super edited one. Now I'm totally convinced I don't want to pay for this series. $3 an episode for an edited version of a show that's already been edited? Yeah right. Thanks but no thanks, Gonzo. I'll take the free version that's available for a measly 10 hours every Thursday instead.

Source: http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2008/07/22/japanese-regional-physics