What's Japanese in Japanese animation?

What's Japanese in Japanese animation? Series targeted at children usually receive the most censorship, but U.S. sensibilities also effect the censorship of anime. The Japanese view sex and violence differently than most Americans. This does not mean that the Japanese are perverted serial killers. They just think differently. And this difference is seen nowhere better than in anime.
Even with censorship and other changes, anime remains uniquely Japanese. Not all of the Japanese cultural references were edited out of Sailor Moon. Rei, a.k.a. Sailor Mars, still works and lives at the Shinto temple her grandfather owns, complete with tatami rooms and a torii out front. Rei even wears a pair of red hakama, loose pants that look almost like a skirt (Poitras 38), when seen working at the temple (Sailor Moon ep 12). Rei uses omamori to fend off monsters. Certain other Japanese customs remain as well. In both Pokémon and Sailor Moon, characters bow to one another. This is a well known Japanese custom, similar to the American custom of shaking hands. Serena’s younger brother Sam bows with his hands clasped in front of his face when practicing an apology for his girlfriend in Sailor Moon (ep 56). In Pokémon, Ash constantly bows to Misty whenever he makes her angry. Another uniquely Japanese custom seen in anime is the practice of taking off one’s shoes and leaving them in the genkan, or entryway, upon entering a house (Poitras 34). Many characters put on slippers before going into their friend’s houses in anime. Shinji even takes off his shoes before entering Rei’s small and messy apartment (Neon Genesis Evangelion ep 5). The Japanese words that litter the background of most city scenes are not cut out of anime, either. For example, in an episode of the series Ronin Warriors, the screen suddenly flips to a message written entirely in Japanese characters (ep 1). The symbols that appear on the Ronin Warrior’s foreheads are also kanji, characters the Japanese borrowed from China (Poitras 61), which represent each of their armor’s attributes.
Then, there are some things that can neither be cut out nor explained within the context of the anime. For instance, the sempai-kohai relationship, or upper classman-lower classman relationship (Levi 162) appears in some anime. This type of relationship vaguely resembles the stereotype that seniors rule the school and have a duty to beat up freshman. The sempai-kohai relationship is much more profound than this. The friendship between the sempai and kohai lasts a life time. Antonia Levi describes this relationship by saying "the sempai has considerable power over his/her kohai and is entitled to respect regardless of his/her personal merits." (4). Since Americans have no equivalent to this kinship, it never gets explained when seen in an anime. In the series Ranma ½, the friendship between Ranma and Kuno is based on the sempai-kohai idea, "...but that tends to get lost in Viz Video’s dubbing. Thus, when Kuno tells Ranma ‘You will address me as upper classman Kuno!’.... it simply sounds arrogant and unpleasant..." (Levi 5). Another idea in anime that has no real equivalent in American culture is the idea of ‘wetness.’ In The Anime Companion, the author explains that "the Japanese refer to themselves as ‘wet’ and Americans as ‘dry.’" (Poitras 101). Anime uses water to its advantage; rather than showing a scene that may seem inappropriate, it gets hinted at with water. When Shinji accidentally falls on top of Rei as she walks out of the shower, the screen suddenly flashes to a cup of water, as opposed to actually showing Rei’s naked body (Neon Genesis Evangelion ep 5). In Battle Angel, when Gally kicks off a cyborg’s head, the screen flashes to a picture of water running off the ceiling, and then flashes back to the cyborg’s head lying on the ground (ep 1). The gushing water represents the gushing of blood from the cyborg’s decapitated body.