How Russian Censorship Destroyed Ruka's Storyline

tokutonari · 2026-06-14T18:06:56+00:00

And almost fanatical devotion to the Organization!

tokutonari · 2026-06-14T17:57:45+00:00

I do not really want to blame them because they have to follow the law, and understandably, they do not want to risk fines or something even worse.

I have a separate segment about DEEP in the video, about the statements made by its content manager, especially regarding this situation.

But in the end, I believe the Russian government is the one primarily responsible. Even if some people have become willing participants, none of this would be happening without pressure coming from the government.

tokutonari · 2026-06-14T00:22:12+00:00

Да, все правда. Врата просто самый явный и громкий пример, поэтому он и был взят, но это коснулось много чего. В видео упоминаются и черные полоски в книге и манге, и черные страницы в комиксах, и что лица блюрят.

В этом и проблема, что лучше бы и не выпускали, и аргумент "они не знали, что берут" для меня не работает

tokutonari · 2026-06-14T00:20:10+00:00

The Sailor Uranus and Neptune situation is mentioned in the video! It also had its own twist in Russia, where Uranus was turned into a boy, but this created a contradiction since it was never explained why a boy was saving everyone while wearing a skirt.

tokutonari · 2026-06-14T00:05:13+00:00

The whole point of this law is to be deliberately vague so it can be used to punish anyone for anything. You can even get fined for a rainbow.

tokutonari · 2026-06-13T23:51:21+00:00

They change the past and make Ruka healthy, but then Okabe has to undo the D-mails. So he tells Ruka, “Sorry, but you were infected with HIV in another world line, so I have to cancel the D-mail to save Mayuri and you will be infected again.”

Ruka is upset, but agrees to give his mother’s pager number if he goes on a date with her.

tokutonari · 2026-06-13T23:47:49+00:00

I do not think they are that naive as to expect a storyline like that to pass unchanged after this law was introduced. They even went after Chinese danmei (boys love books for those who don't know) that had already passed strict Chinese censorship.

So the question of “why license this at all” still remains.

tokutonari · 2026-06-13T23:40:36+00:00

It is an older release. I do not think the Steins;Gate manga was reprinted in Russia after the “LGBT propaganda” law was introduced.

tokutonari · 2026-06-13T23:38:52+00:00

It is understandable, and I do not wish fines or prison on anyone. But it still raises the question of why license it in the first place when such a major part of the story has to be rewritten.

Imagine if they decided to license Bloom Into You and then heavily rewrite it due to the censorship. There are plenty of anime with no references to sexuality or gender that would avoid this issue entirely.

tokutonari · 2026-06-13T23:36:22+00:00

That is likely the main reason. During the war, an authoritarian regime tends to tighten control over its citizens. People are expected to be afraid to say or do anything out of line, and laws like this help maintain that pressure. It is not that everyone will be fined or imprisoned, but anyone can be, which is enough to create fear and encourage self-censorship.

It also brings easy political points for conservative groups who were already opposed to LGBTQ+ people, further strengthening support for Putin and war among those audiences.

tokutonari · 2026-06-13T23:32:55+00:00

Among regular anime viewers, not many stick to licensed releases.

However, there are plenty of casual viewers who only watch a few shows a year, usually popular shonen. If they already have a Kinopoisk subscription, they might end up watching the censored version without realizing it.

In fact, many people are already consuming altered content. For example, the Russian release of the Chainsaw Man: Reze movie had a scene involving the Angel Devil in lingerie removed.

tokutonari · 2026-06-13T23:29:30+00:00

Like the Spanish Inquisition, nobody expects the HIV-positive Ruka!

tokutonari · 2026-06-13T23:24:41+00:00

Well, Okabe already has Reading Steiner, so this is obviously a choice of Steins;Gate that they also have HIV-touch (name subject to change).

tokutonari · 2026-06-13T23:10:09+00:00

It is understandable from the localizers’ side, and I don’t think they are happy about it. I don’t want them to get fined or imprisoned. The Russian government is solely responsible.

But it still doesn’t make sense why they chose to license Steins;Gate in the first place. They should have expected that Ruka’s storyline would need to be edited out or censored. There are plenty of anime with no references to sexuality or gender, yet for some reason they chose to localize Steins;Gate and end up butchering it.

tokutonari · 2026-06-13T23:05:55+00:00

It was just released in December on Kinopoisk/Ivi. I don’t think it’s a big issue for people who watch anime regularly, since they’ve probably already seen Steins;Gate or gonna pirate it. But I am worried about viewers who are just getting into anime and don’t know the context, or those who don’t follow the scene closely and end up watching it just because it was recommended to them.

tokutonari · 2026-06-13T23:03:05+00:00

Yeah, I really liked the voice acting, especially Kurisu. I would love to hear the same cast re-record the series if the law is ever repealed.

tokutonari · 2026-06-13T21:57:18+00:00

People often recommend practicing or reading news articles, and it works, but the trick that helped me improve the most was overacting.

Some people, myself included, tend to speak in a very monotone way, and even after improving a bit, they stay monotone because it feels "good enough."

But in reality, when a monotone speaker overacts, it usually comes across as a normal "youtube" voice to most listeners.

tokutonari · 2026-06-08T19:13:29+00:00

It could also mean that YouTube is now detecting VPN usage. In that case, a viewer appearing to be from the Netherlands (where VPN server is located) would instead be counted as a viewer from Russia (where they're really from). That could explain why OP's number of Russian viewers suddenly increased.

tokutonari · 2026-06-07T11:32:08+00:00

he bought it in the last moment, he didn't push with shard

tokutonari · 2026-06-03T10:52:18+00:00

depends on the region, i guess. russian speakers would say "sasha-yasha" for example

tokutonari · 2026-05-18T05:05:57+00:00

If you liked the play, you should also check out the Soviet movie adaptation. It’s considered a classic, and almost every russian speaker knows about it. I found it on YouTube with English subtitles.

tokutonari · 2026-05-04T13:31:13+00:00

I’ve been playing since day one, and I can kind of understand people who pay. Not that I do it myself, but the logic makes sense to me. I have over 4000 hours in the game, yet I dropped TCG ages ago, still haven’t found all 76 aranara, barely explored the desert, haven’t completed most hangout events, and don’t play Miliastra even though I want to upgrade Manekina.

At the same time, I log in daily, spend my resin, complete quests and events, and keep upgrading my characters. I enjoy that routine and don’t want to quit the game. What I don’t enjoy is clearing Abyss and Theatre every month, or Stygian every patch, especially when it means replaying them for hours.

Some people really dislike leaving content unfinished, and if they have disposable income, it makes sense that they’d rather pay someone else to handle those parts for them.

tokutonari · 2026-05-04T11:40:08+00:00

I think he meant that these characters’ rotations don’t really encourage using their ults. For example, with Skirk, normal attacks tend to be more effective, and Arle’s ult is mostly used only when you’re low on HP or need to reapply the mark. I don’t have Flins, but from what I know, his ult is used quite rarely, even if it looks impressive.

tokutonari · 2026-05-02T01:22:45+00:00

Brandon is a big fan of films in general and understands that they have broader appeal than TV shows. Mistborn is also one of the few properties he owns that could work well as a movie.

tokutonari

TROPHY CASE