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On Crunchyroll, there is an anime called _TONIKAWA_. In the comment section of
episode 5, someone commented that there was too much handholding that was
uncensored, over 900 people have liked the comment, and there was a lot of
replies supporting the commenter.

> 10/30/20  
>  The 2 kisses are one thing, but there's so much uncensored handholding

Why should handholding be censored? Isn't it just two people holding hands?


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question
meme censorship
Why do some people think that handholding should be censored in anime?


They don't.

It's sort of a running joke in the anime community that holding hands is a
lewd and explicit act, and this in turn has spawned jokes about how hand-
holding should be censored. I'm unsure how and why this joke evolved, but
[this r/OutOfTheLoop thread from
2015](https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/3i33lv/why_is_holding_hands_lewd/)
indicates that it's been around for quite some time. Those liking and replying
to the original comment are presumably in on the joke and going along with it.

I'm unaware of anyone who actually, sincerely believes that hand-holding
should be censored.


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**Warning: Text under spoiler tab contains NSFW terms**

* * *

It's **satire** to the whole absurd censorship rules in the anime industry
(see [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5meKq6X2RgI) to know more on
these absurd rules). I did some digging and found exactly what I needed:

> Hand Holding is another act that is used in a similar manner to Consensual
> Sex in the Missionary Position. Threads with hand holding as the topic will
> often receive satirical replies usually criticizing how the original poster
> is sick or lewd. Related images of this at time feature anime characters
> with unnecessary censorship photoshopped over the hands to add further
> lewdness. ([source](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/consensual-sex-in-the-
> missionary-position))

There are many reddit post discussing this meme (see refs.) all agreeing on
the satirical take but sometimes there are some specific but very absurd
reasons:

  1. Many "child-friendly" books explained baby-making as "when your parents love each other very much by holding hands and/or hugging very tight, mommy gets pregnant". This, however was considered too lewd for children and hence had to censor them. (See [Naisho no Tsubomi](https://myanimelist.net/manga/1122))

  2. > It's a mix between a generalized joke about the Japanese censoring genitalia in doujins as well as the fact that Romance series often end on hand holding and often without even a kiss, people started joking that handholding was too lewd for network TV. This joke was taken so seriously that even handholding was censored in hentai and borderline hentai giving up a notion that if you want to censor anything, censor everything (e.g. Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai). Therefore, holding hands which is one of the purest acts of a romantic relationship is censored as if it's a filthy act just like censoring porn/guro making it somewhat hilarious.

**References** :

  1. [What is this censored hand holding thing in Anime? -reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/ism232/what_is_this_censored_hand_holding_thing_in_anime/)
  2. [Why would they pixel that? - reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/2cimva/why_would_they_pixel_that/)
  3. [What started the censored holding hands meme? -reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/manga/comments/4mo2i1/what_started_the_censored_holding_hands_meme/)

* * *

**Bonus** : Not only holding hands were censored as a joke, even the thoughts
of holding hands and cuddling were satirized to be impure. This is a scene
from _Oremonogatari_ :

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hiZ8y.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hiZ8y.png)

This image is actually a part of [Tumblr
post](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xI7Ig.jpg) where the poster made a cheeky
remark ( _Warning: Strong language_ ).


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answer


It's a meme that originated on /d/, 4chan's EXTREME hentai board. The people
on there really don't view any sex stuff as weird, because they have seen it
all so often, but do get all squeamish about normal non sexual romantic
actions because they rarely if ever see those kinda things.


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