Kodomo no Jikan – Loli gone too far?
Loli has never been as blatant as Kodomo no Jikan. Seriously. Take a look at this if you’re unconvinced.
WTF!?
I count myself as a fairly open-minded person.
Hentai is fine, yuri is alrite, yaoi doesn’t bother me, and loli (or rori in Japanese) is awfully innocent, sweet and cute when done correctly.
Think Ichigo Mashimaro.
But Kodomo no Jikan is in a league of its own. There isn’t any reason to animate it, they could have left the manga (it was based on the original manga) as it is – a fun, though subversive piece of work. Manga-wise, Kodomo no Jikan is just a tiny insignificant drop in the sea of eroge out there.
But with it being animated, as with most shows, it has shot into the limelight (as anime adaptations of obscure usually does).
However, in this instance, it seems like Kodomo no Jikan is not the underground, subversive manga that it was, and has now become a full-fledged loli symbol. When you think of loli, it pops to mind. and eeky loli at that.
And with the range of merchandise surrounding it, some as distasteful (in my personal opinion) as the mousepad above (which cost a whopping SGD78 too), it seems to suggest that there is a market for such items. Frankly, it’s disturbing to me.
I’m not the paragon of virtue advocating clean, sanitized anime (I do enjoy Ikkitousen), but Kodomo no Jikan is pure exploitation.
It’s animes like this that give anime an absolutely bad name, further propagating the stereotype of otakus being weirdos.
I seriously wish they will can it. It’s not entertainment anymore.
But as with such things, the opposite could happen and there’ll be a season 2.
I can’t imagine the merchandise.
Tags: Kodomo no Jikan, Loli, merchandise, Rori
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March 18, 2008 at 1:37 am
if you actually read all the chapters in the manga, then you would know that kodomo reels you in w/ the loliz, but keeps you for the story. theres sum pretty good story as the story goes on. it’s my favorite series (manga wise) but the fansubbs for the uncensored anime take 4ever! the censoring is hella strict on kodomo the anime so alot of the humor among other things get lost. i say stick with it if your as open minded as you say you are.
March 20, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I did read all the manga… way back when it first started as an obscure manga that no one took notice of, way before it shot into the limelight now. In fact, I actually like the manga. It’s a funny, guilty pleasure kind of manga (and harmless too).
The one thing that seriously bothers me is the merchandise surrounding it, a good example being the mousepad above. If a non-anime fan sees that, I would think they would assume it’s pedophilia…and as a result, anime is seen in a negative light again..which really sucks.
August 26, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Chill. ^^
There are much worse things out there. And why worry about what other people think? There are too many people in the world, some are always going to think you’re weird for one thing or another. I could understand if it was real, but it’s animated. Lines and color. If someone wants an ecchi Rin mousepad, wall scroll or pillowcase, that’s their business.
You shouldn’t judge someone because they like something you don’t. That is one of the uglier traits of society. I mean think about it… You are worried about people judging you for liking anime, while judging someone who likes lolicon, lol.
I really am sorry that these things bother you, all I can say is don’t look at it.
>.<
January 17, 2009 at 7:56 am
Well, I’ve got some bad news for you but…they are making a second season.
I’ve never seen it and really, I have no interest to. I’m not really into lolicon.
February 27, 2009 at 10:43 am
You suck.
This anime is great.
March 21, 2009 at 3:30 pm
kari: show respect for other people’s opinions.
I never read the manga, but had to watch the full first season on youtube just to see what all the commotion was about. I say it is still pretty innocent as an anime adaption and doesnt suggest much of anything in the ways a lot of critics have yelled about, but, like you, i feel the merchandise is getting very risky. ive seen a pretty interesting calender that would definitely scare some normal people….
I hope the second season of the anime doesn’t start adding more fanservice to the people who bought into the series just for the lolicon part of it. The story too good for it to just become fapping material…
March 25, 2009 at 2:36 am
i think that a show shouldnt be shunned because if its meaning or content but should be embraced as a piece of art. i am not a loli fan or a hentai fanatic but i enjoyed this show by looking at it as something that someone came up with, with material that they feel proud of. lets say you write a book about gay penguins that you feel it is art and your proud of it, you wouldnt want people not to read it because of the idea behind it, now would you.
May 9, 2009 at 4:26 am
all right… first of all I loved the manga and like the anime, the story is really good and every episode is better then the last. as for the metchandice, i don’t see the big deal with it, i am a fan of lolicon and i, like most lolicon fans i know, am against pedophilia so yea. I myself have no intentions of buying tht mousepad but i’m sure alot of people in the usdl have it and they shouldn’t be judged by somebody like you who is embarassed to admit they like anime because it is related to things like that. i mean if i say that i am a fan of the muslim religion does it instantly mean that i want to be a terrorist? you either like something or you dont, if people wanna talk sh** because they dont like something that you do they can go fu** themselves
July 9, 2009 at 3:32 pm
It might be a little bad. I understand wear your coming from.Though if you have read the manga (even though you said you have i highly doubt that) you would know that the girls age to i think 13.They have a yoko mousepad just like that when she’s 14. So what are you making a fuss about? If you don’t like it than simply say i don’t like not want to make people start a war with you.She has aa crush on her teacher that pretty normal for a young girl.Though what she does is pretty okay VERY WRONG. Though she young she dosent know right from wrong yet.Your common sense dosent grow in your brain until your 25.
July 19, 2009 at 8:05 pm
“Pure exploitation”, lol. You sound like those feminist and right-wing dumbasses. It’s a fuckin’ cartoon, for crying out loud. Fanservice and erotic merchandise, that’s “exploitation”, yeah right. The only reason it exists is because there is high demand for it. There is no more “exploitation” going on there than anywhere else, like the comedy genre. Are people “exploited” by seeking out things they want? So what if you don’t like it? So what if no one liked it? If most people liked it, would that make you feel “comfortable” watching it? Sorry if I doubt your claim of being open-minded. You say “WTF” to that old mousepad? You find mildly erotic merchandise disturbing? To summarize, loosen up, man. ^_^
July 22, 2009 at 10:14 pm
I haven’t actually seen the anime. Should I watch it ? Since you dismiss it, I don’t know. The manga’s pretty good. It’s hilarious and pretty dramatic too. That Nymphet caused enough controversy to get canceled boggles my mind. I honestly don’t think Kodomo no Jikan is much racier than say KissXSis (which is awesome) and I don’t really find that racy at all. To me, fiction is fiction, and should never taken seriously, no matter how racy. What I like, I like, and I happen to like ecchi a lot. I’m also a loli fan. I like Golden Darkness ^_^. And plenty of other characters. So moe! The cuteness is best. Well, I wish I could change your mind about the show. It may not be that good, but I hope all shows live long. Extremely ecchi? Great! Very violent and disturbing (think Higurashi no Naku Koro ni)? Awesome! Kudos to those pushing the line. I salute you. While we certainly don’t live in the Victorian era, I feel there is far too much concern about what people are watching.
August 25, 2009 at 5:51 pm
hehe season 2 is out, I lol’d at the end to your post when i read it
August 31, 2009 at 2:50 am
One word: Choisuji.
October 21, 2009 at 6:01 am
I look at it like this… the anime is innocent to a fault… the merchandise is a bit risky but there are whole boss and videos dedicated to four, five, six, etc… year old children doing all of god know what for the entire lolicon fanbase in Japan. So, IMO, Kojikan is nowhere near the comparison of that.