mitsuki lover wrote:Was Witch Hunter Robin also Tv-MA?I ask because of Robin's noiminal Catholicism.
GrubbTheFragger is correct]Actually, do individual episodes receive different ratings? I had always assumed that one series received an overall rating and that applied to all episodes, even if some of them were tamer than that. [/QUOTE]
Different episodes can receive different ratings, generally depending on how intense the content or themes of a particular episode are. Bleach, Eureka 7, FMA and a few others have had some episodes rated TV-PG and others rated TV-14. GitS (counting both seasons as one show) and Eva were quite varied with some eps getting a TV-PG, some TV-14, and some TV-MA.
Typically, though, there won't be that much disparity in the ratings from episode to episode, because a series as a whole is trying to attract a certain audience. And usually the strictist rating a show typically gets is what is shown in promos.
uc pseudonym wrote:Would showing a lesser rating for some episodes have any sort of advantage?
From Adult Swim's perspective, probably not, because they're probably trying to make their programming seem as "edgy" as possible without driving away advertisers.
But I know a few posters here have mentioned they kind of shied away from Trinity Blood because of its TV-MA rating. Personally I don't think recent episodes really warranted the TV-MA, and giving those episodes a lesser rating might help those viewers feel they have a better chance to check out the show. (Though that's probably not enough of a reason in Swim's book unless those viewers would make a significant impact on ratings.)
The other thing is, I get concerned about Adult Swim's overabundance of TV-MA programming, from a moral and quality standpoint (moreso on the comedy side of things than the anime side). Pushing the envelope doesn't always result in quality programming. More often than not, it results in crap.