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troperville

Bowdlerization means altering existing programs, plays, etc. so they are less rude and/or offensive. Used in a very negative sense, by those who think the alterations are often done with a ridiculously high fear of lawsuits and/or need for political correctness.

North American releases of anime are frequently targeted with this accusation. Differing cultural norms create separate notions of what is okay to show on television, but some companies take extreme measures to stomp out any preliminary complaints from Media Watchdogs and Moral Guardians — so extreme, in fact, that they pick up a reputation for going undeniably overboard. This may be because of the American perception that cartoons are for kids, so that shows meant for slightly higher age groups that aren't specifically marketed to them are edited down. In fact, one of the most notable Bowdlerizers is actually named 4Kids Entertainment. (And you wouldn't believe how much hate they get for it.) One of the worst sins Bowdlerisers can do- at least to fans of anime and manga- is to de-evolve a seinen anime into a shonen for the sake of "the children." After all, it's a cartoon right? Should be for kids. That must mean all anime is for kids too!

The upset nature of those is often justified, as, while some changes may seem reasonable for broadcast (editing out blood splatter; a character being riddled by bullet holes; or a cluster F-bomb ), some are less forgivable (changing beer to water, editing out a cigarette even from a bad guy's hand, changing a six-round revolver to a water gun or slingshot, or whenever a situation presents itself where death should be a given, it's always avoided or explained away). Extreme cases involve editing out entire emotions like sadness (even when it makes perfect sense for emotions to be shown), completely changing entire paragraphs of dialogue despite having no objectionable content, removing entire episodes or seasons or changing character names (especially to names that might that don't sound too "weird" or foreign). In some cases, a new character might be added who points out the obvious, delivers 'educational moments,' and/or might even not be drawn the same style as the entire show. In many, many, many cases (add an extra 'many'), bowdlerization causes a plot hole to develop. In the most extreme cases, these plot holes aren't even noticeable at first, but after a period of time, or after the media ends, this leads to the plot becoming barely comprehensible.

The same happens to North American movies and series, both inside and outside the US. Since TV audiences also include kids and teenagers, movies tend to get edited to be watchable by that part of the audience as well (specially the swearing). This is even worse in other languages, since the movies get dubbed with that in mind, meaning that even the theater releases are cut. Also, bowdlerization can be done to movies that were originally made for television in an era where standards were looser. TV movies once lauded for their daring when first aired are now edited as much as any R-rated theatrical film when rebroadcast.

Named after Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825), who first did it on The Bible and William Shakespeare's plays; for instance, changing Ophelia's drowning from suicide to accident. It's worth noting that Bowdler himself created his "Family Shakespeare" versions as a way to introduce Shakespeare's plays to audiences who would otherwise be barred from experiencing them at all, and actively encouraged people to seek out the originals. Sadly, this cannot be said of most modern Bowdlerisers. Before him, the French Duke of Montausier published "ad usum Delphini" versions of works for the Dauphin (heir apparent) of France. "Ad usum Delphini" is now a synonym of this trope.

Cultural Translation can often contain elements of Bowdlerization. See T-Word Euphemism for a mild form of bowdlerization. See also Cut-and-Paste Translation (which specifically refers to Bowdlerization in translated works and refers more to the final product than the process) and Disneyfication (which generally goes further, in not only removing content, but adding new, "kid-friendly" content). See Bluenose Bowdlerizer for when it happens here on the wiki.

The inverse of this trope is American Kirby Is Hardcore.

Yet another related trope is Bleached Underpants, where a creator self-censors his work to appeal to a broader audience. There is also a Censored Title, for when a work seems to be Bowdlerized, but only the title is for marketing purposes.

Note: Do not pronounce as "boulderise." That would mean hurling boulders at someone. ^note