This Anime Is Almost Impossible To Watch Today (Because It's Banned Everywhere)

It takes a lot of truly gnarly grit to land yourself a worldwide ban, but "Shoujo Tsubaki," otherwise known as "Midori," has achieved that stunning feat. The anime has become so notorious it's been banned in multiple countries, including Japan. Since it involves the sexual and physical abuse of a 12-year-old girl, which is portrayed in a realistic and nauseatingly horrifying manner, it's no wonder that it's been banned nearly unilaterally across the world.

The events of the film — which was translated from the manga "Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show" and is itself a variation on the  "Shoujo Tsubaki" folktale — concern the innocent Hanamura Midori the Camellia Girl, who sells flowers to keep herself alive after the horrific death of her mother and the abandonment of her father. Midori's luck seems to change when she's approached by Mr. Arashi, who asks her to join his traveling freak show. But her life only worsens. Midori not only must endure sexual assault and emotional abuse from all of her colleagues at the circus, but she also witnesses multiple instances of animal abuse, torture, and death. The anime and manga both end with the girl — driven mad by all that's happened to her  — dying by suicide.

That's heavy stuff for any audience to endure, and even in Japan, it has been banned. The anime version of the manga rarely plays in theaters and has been made available via only one release.