@GoAnderson:
Loss of gore, sex, cursing, etc. is minor. That isn't important at all. But, regardless, they've disembowled the series with their reaping of key plot points and all emotion, sense, and fluidity.
That's entirely your opinion. In the opinion of 4Kids, showing anything objectionable is a major blow against their target audience, who usually have regulated, over protective mothers monitoring what they watch.
"Oh, my god! That girl is flashing those boys, but my child is too young to see such things! He won't be raping girls until he's at least sixteen! I'm going to complain and whine on my blog and write some letters".
4Kids is a company. Correction. 4Kids is an American company. It wasn't contracted by the author of a manga to visually recreate a masterpiece. They purchased the rights of a show that they hope will earn them a profit, and if they believe the profit lies in a 5-12 target age of elementary school children, they have the right. They also have the right to deem what is important, and as long as they leave the core of the story, whatever edits they make will be excused.
@GoAnderson:
As to your second point… If a kid sees their mother shot in the head, I would imagine they'd be fucked up no matter what, everything else be damned. If they turn to the original OP, see the Bellemere episode out of the blue, and it traumatizes them... Well. I can't say I wouldn't sympathize, but...
American companies want huge benefits and fear lawsuits or complaints. 4Kids is no different; if they fear that something objectionable could harm their target audience, they would rather take the safe route than a risk.
What annoys me is the rating system, in particular, the Y7 rating. That rating puts One Piece in the same category as Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragonball, and Gundam. Worse, Looney Toons are rated "G," the equivalent of "Y," when the exhibit more violence than the average episode of One Piece. What the fudge? HYPOCRACY!
@GoAnderson:
IT'S A CARTOON. IT ISN'T REAL. Some people need to accept that, and move on. I might apply the same arguement to the whole "Grand Theft Auto" deal, as it's just meant for enjoyment (even if I loathe the game and its themes).
My second major in college will be Political Science, and as such, I have gained a background in Psychology and Philosophy. To explain this phenomenon of people, they are, quite frankly, hypocrites. My teacher put it fairly well; materialistic individualism.
-=Warning, Objectionable, Highlight to Read=-
Today's average American mother (30-50 years) whored herself in college, did some drugs at one point, then got married to a "solid man". They don't want their kids to go through what they went through (IE, a pleasureable time), and want them to be quite the reverse…god fearing, respectful, and sheltered. Hypocracy, it is. They refuse to acknowledge that their kids are growing up, and consider them perpetual babies, IE, unable to distinguish between a fantasy world and real world.
Because of this, NO influence, either real or fantastic, should enlighten their children to the controversial.
This goes back to the funny debate; it is inappropriate for an elementary school male to see a female breast, even their mothers, but society says a baby or a junior high school male can. What? Shouldn't people get used to nudity so they don't become sexually crazed later in life, like how a large number of Americans today are?
@GoAnderson:
Note "enjoyment." Is the 4Kids version of OP enjoyable? Maybe, to some, but to a good portion of OP fans, it's worthless shit. That isn't going to change, just like 4Kids isn't going to change their ways of bullshitting us.
Observe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, possibly the only good show on 4Kids. There's a decade difference between fans of the original and fans of this new show; the fanbase had to start out at virtually zero. The same goes for One Piece; fans of the show online liking the dub are simply a bonus, because the majority of fans know no different. If given the comparison, they would pick the online, unedited One Piece…but they are not considered capable of seeking such material.
Hence, OP and TMNT are comparable in ratings. We, the older audience, would rate TMNT much more highly because we know what happened to OP, but to the target audience, there is no original OP to compare the dub to.
@GoAnderson:
What is "objectionable" and what is "reprehensible" differs from person to person. One person might find the original "objectionable"; I find the dub "reprehensible." It's a travesty. Hammer guns, finger-pointing dungeon transports, skipping of entire arcs – where does it end? Where do people draw the line and say "That's enough," and when do they stand up for their beliefs?
... IN THE ORIGINAL ONE PIECE.
Too tired…wait, I agree wholeheartedly. =D