If you're an anime nerd like I am, and also happen to be an adult, you're probably familiar with some of the stigma and stereotypes surrounding any admission that you enjoy anime (or "Japanimation" as some poor souls still call it).

Some folks might take the same stance most grownups take, accusing you of being a child-at-heart (as if that were a bad thing). Others slightly more knowledgable about anime might actually recoil in horror, "knowing" that all that sick, filthy Japana-toons are for pedophiles and Nazis and rapists-in-training.

Don't worry though: the Canadian government has your back. A posting by the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association noted the Canadian Border Services' guidelines for restricting what sorts of potentially illegal content can cross into that great nation. Among the guidelines was a slideshow presentation about "Classification of Child Pornography". In that slideshow, a brief bullet point saying that "Japanese Anime - most not porn". Yes! It's a victory for freedom of speech! 

Or is it? The same document also cautioned that anime could be classified as child pornography if characters within were explicitly depicted as "children" (i.e. a lack of secondary sexual characteristics, breast development, pubic hair et al) engaged in sex acts. Not quite a victory for those damned lolicon.

All the same, I would think this a net positive. That they went through the trouble to assert that most anime was not in fact sick filth, and that they provided a set of guidelines to help border officials in their judgments means that they've put some thought into the matter, rather than reacting all knee-jerky-like. Thus anyone caught wrongfully could potentially make a case for themselves.

If you're feeling particularly bold, I would suggest trying to cross the border with some Vampire Bund and see what happens. Just don't try it with Kodomo no Jikan, though.

[Thanks to tehRyu for the image!]