Customs can't distinguish hentai from other things

[Nightbat®]

Originally Posted by Vexx

There's always some witches to persecute and burn somewhere....

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the idea that a *DRAWING* of anything can be illegal -- thoughtcrime at its most basic.

..on both counts

In a free country, everyone has the right to be a pervert (just remember voyeurism is an offence)

[Wervy]

I think that the person is full of shit. Have you looked at her other entries? Its all strongly worded sensational crap that screams no other purpose than to get her attention. I mean seriously, Canada Customs officers have a 20 year history of targeting and labeling “obscene” anything either with gay or lesbian content or simply owned by gays and lesbians." I would like to know what her issues are with being gay and in a wheelchair because she sounds like a wackjob.

I think its quite pathetic myself, much of her stuff appears to be using her disability as a crutch and an excuse for her problems. I would say her only serious disability she should be concered about is mental. People like her give the disabled a bad name, and frankly her extreme paranoia about people gay bashing isnt very nice either.

In short, she should grow the hell up.

[0utf0xZer0]

Originally Posted by Metropolisforever

Usually, but not always. Lolicon trash like Harumi's Bad Play and Moral Hazard HAS been released in the US uncut. Lolicon is legal in the US.

You can't be persecuted for it under child pornography laws in the US (as you can be in Canada). However, if the material is considered obscene and uses characters under 18, you can be arrested on obscenity grounds, which is what happened in Handley's case. And that law is still in effect so I have no clue what "old law" you're referring to.

Originally Posted by Wervy

I think that the person is full of shit. Have you looked at her other entries? Its all strongly worded sensational crap that screams no other purpose than to get her attention. I mean seriously, Canada Customs officers have a 20 year history of targeting and labeling “obscene” anything either with gay or lesbian content or simply owned by gays and lesbians." I would like to know what her issues are with being gay and in a wheelchair because she sounds like a wackjob.

I think its quite pathetic myself, much of her stuff appears to be using her disability as a crutch and an excuse for her problems. I would say her only serious disability she should be concered about is mental. People like her give the disabled a bad name, and frankly her extreme paranoia about people gay bashing isnt very nice either.

In short, she should grow the hell up.

I'm pretty sure I've heard complaints about Canada Customs targeting gay and lesbian materials elsewhere, actually. No idea how much is truth and how much is fiction though.

[Himeji]

Originally Posted by Irenicus

Either you're trolling, or I have to redefine my opinion of Canada as a freer, less fundamentalist version of the US and welcome it back to Jesusland.

Same here. I also had Canada in mind as a less morally fundamentalist version of the US, but it seems I've been wrong there
Up it goes on the list of countries to avoid, right up there with the US.

A while back I ordered some Hentai magazines from Japan. It made it to me without any problems. Gladly Europe doesn't make such a big fuss about it.

Originally Posted by Vexx

There's always some witches to persecute and burn somewhere....

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the idea that a *DRAWING* of anything can be illegal -- thoughtcrime at its most basic.

Yes, really disturbing indeed.

Originally Posted by Metropolisforever

Move to America.

Problem solved.

Jumping out of the frying pan and into the open fire. Yeah right

[Nightbat®]

Originally Posted by Himeji

A while back I ordered some Hentai magazines from Japan. It made it to me without any problems. Gladly Europe doesn't make such a big fuss about it.

Except if you're belgian

[Spectacular_Insanity]

No. This has never happened to me.

This story is fucking weird. I've gone to Canada several times in high school and college (trips to Stratford, Ontario for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival) WHILE READING MANGA and no one in Customs ever gave me a second glance, much less tried to confiscate my reading material.

Maybe that guy just had bad luck, maybe I've just never run into such "nosy" Customs people, but I have never been questioned for having manga or comics.

[Spectacular_Insanity]

Originally Posted by Vexx

There's always some witches to persecute and burn somewhere....

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the idea that a *DRAWING* of anything can be illegal -- thoughtcrime at its most basic.

This is disturbing to me as well. Talk about social suppression.

...I'm glad I live in America. It's better to get weird looks for being an otaku than to get freaking ARRESTED for having ecchi stuff.

[orion]

Obscenity definition in Canada. Their "Miller test" is a bit more rigid.

If a manga made it into a store in Canada then it's safe to buy.

I wouldn't import manga into Canada, especially from Japan. It's too risky if you read the above links.

Originally Posted by Spectacular_Insanity

...I'm glad I live in America. It's better to get weird looks for being an otaku than to get freaking ARRESTED for having ecchi stuff.

You can get arrested here. A resourceful DA will get you for transporting material across state lines. That's how Handley got into trouble.

[0utf0xZer0]

Originally Posted by orion

Obscenity definition in Canada. Their "Miller test" is a bit more rigid.

If a manga made it into a store in Canada then it's safe to buy.

I wouldn't import manga into Canada, especially from Japan. It's too risky if you read the above links.

Not to mention the restrictions on explicit depictions of underage sex, which are an entirely separate law.

I generally haven't had issues since my Rightstuf orders only tend to include stuff that I could buy retail anyway (I just don't like to pay local prices), but yeah, being the cautious type I wouldn't try and import anything without a really clear idea what sort of content was in it.

[Spectacular_Insanity]

Originally Posted by orion

You can get arrested here. A resourceful DA will get you for transporting material across state lines. That's how Handley got into trouble.

We are clearly talking about two different things here.

[airstorm]

This is the trouble with obscenity laws. Everyone has a different opinion of what it obscene and unacceptable. Any law based 100% around opinion is bound to be enforced in an entirely inconsistent manner.

[Kamui4356]

Originally Posted by orion

You can get arrested here. A resourceful DA will get you for transporting material across state lines. That's how Handley got into trouble.

An overzealous and corrupt DA looking more to score some cheap political points with the "think of the children crowd" than do his job will get you for transporting material across state lines.

Fixed. You really have to manipulate the laws to make something like that hold up. Also I should point out that Handley was never convicted of anything. He took a plea bargain to avoid any chance of jail time. There was no jury decision and no precedent set. I can't blame the guy for taking a plea like that, even though no precedent means some DA somewhere is going to try something like that again eventually.

[psycho_luny]

well all i can say is that customs should stop being so f'ing annoying....and learn the differance between the words MANGA and HENTAI....that way they won't bother people for no good reason.

[MitsubishiZero]

So if i am going to buy some manga from my future visits to Japan I can't really take them back to Canada even if the mangas I am going to buy are not going to be 18X at all?

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by MitsubishiZero

So if i am going to buy some manga from my future visits to Japan I can't really take them back to Canada even if the mangas I am going to buy are not going to be 18X at all?

I'd really suggest shipping them home via SAL just to minimize any possible spotlight from any over-zealous inquisitor. Its not whether anything is *actually* illegal -- its the probability that the customs officer you encounter is completely unfamiliar with the art styles of japanese comics. I mean, we've got people who are unfamiliar with gauging Asian women and consistently assume they're under-age when they're 30 or 40 -- so these idiots are totally out of their league with drawn comics.

[Cosmic Eagle]

I have had my manga and light novels damaged by customs before. It's really annoying. These days I just bury them in my luggage rather than hand-carry

[Chrisjon]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

I have had my manga and light novels damaged by customs before. It's really annoying. These days I just bury them in my luggage rather than hand-carry

Same with me. About three years ago I had pages ripped in half from when I was flying back into America from France. I a 14 year old boy went up to the custom officer and complained cause my Father said he was not going to do it for me and I really can't blame him for that cause it was a long trip. The custom officer showed little interest and said "they are pushed on time when looking through people's stuff and sometimes it can't help but be damaged"... I was not a happy camper.

[orion]

Originally Posted by Vexx

I'd really suggest shipping them home via SAL just to minimize any possible spotlight from any over-zealous inquisitor. Its not whether anything is *actually* illegal -- its the probability that the customs officer you encounter is completely unfamiliar with the art styles of japanese comics. I mean, we've got people who are unfamiliar with gauging Asian women and consistently assume they're under-age when they're 30 or 40 -- so these idiots are totally out of their league with drawn comics.

I wouldn't exactly call them idiots. They're inspecting material and have to make a spot judgement. You can't expect them to know all languages. If it looks suspicious, it's going to be detained and investigated further. And if it's dodgy on translation, then tough luck for the person who brought it into that country.

It's the person who is transporting the items in that has to be more responsible and know his/her local laws to avoid a bad outcome.

Originally Posted by Kamui4356

You really have to manipulate the laws to make something like that hold up. Also I should point out that Handley was never convicted of anything. He took a plea bargain to avoid any chance of jail time. There was no jury decision and no precedent set. I can't blame the guy for taking a plea like that, even though no precedent means some DA somewhere is going to try something like that again eventually.

That's because if it had gone to court, he would have lost and be in jail for 5 years. The DA would have said "Make my year.". The court would have laughed and said "You're an idiot for not settling and you're guilty." If a DA takes someone to court, then they have a likelihood of winning.

[Kamui4356]

Originally Posted by orion

That's because if it had gone to court, he would have lost and be in jail for 5 years. The DA would have said "Make my year.". The court would have laughed and said "You're an idiot for not settling and you're guilty." If a DA takes someone to court, then they have a likelihood of winning.

Then it would have been appealed, and eventually overturned if the supreme court stays consistent with the previous ruling mentioned there. It might not, as it isn't the same supreme court but probably would. Still, it'd suck for him, since he would get jail time, which is why I said I can't blame the guy.

[airstorm]

Originally Posted by Chrisjon

Same with me. About three years ago I had pages ripped in half from when I was flying back into America from France. I a 14 year old boy went up to the custom officer and complained cause my Father said he was not going to do it for me and I really can't blame him for that cause it was a long trip. The custom officer showed little interest and said "they are pushed on time when looking through people's stuff and sometimes it can't help but be damaged"... I was not a happy camper.

Its this exact attitude of 'we can do whatever the hell we like to you and you just have to deal with it' that I hate most about customs agents. There is pretty much no other parallel in modern civilised society where people just accept this treatment. It is pure theft and criminal damage yet because its to 'stop the terrorists' the overseeing government bodies dismiss it.

Why is it OK for them to do this when a private company inspecting you on entering their premises would be liable and sued for similar action?