[Kamen Rider Lucha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Which is what scares me. Didn't the term "filler" originate in the Anime community to refer very specifically to "stuff not in the manga only put in so it can catch up"? Because now it seems to mean "literally anything that doesn't advance the almighty Plot enough for my liking" a lot of the time.

Hm, I dunno. I've heard the term "filler" bandied about for decades and not just in relation to anime. Buffy and X-Files fans used it a lot back in the day, to mean exactly what Annuga said (i.e., "padding that serves no contribution to the end product").

Either way, I do share your concerns. A lot of fans are obsessed with overarching plots, and those people don't realize that a non-plot-centric episode can still contribute meaningfully to a series by developing characters and fleshing out details of the world. I find this variety of fan particularly frustrating -- they're so plot-oriented that a holistic appreciation of a series is virtually impossible for them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Annuga

I'm aware of Garo, but I meant that Japan tends to be strict on certain stuff. Like how Mara exists because you can't show a penis, but you CAN show something that looks like one

Right, they're definitely more strict about censoring explicit pornography (which would never be depicted in mainstream media in any culture). But they're far less strict when it comes to depictions of non-genital nudity, violence, and salty language in their mainstream media.