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[[Image:Lolicon Sample.png|thumb|Lolicon art often blends childlike characteristics with erotic undertones.]] |
[[Image:Lolicon Sample.png|thumb|Lolicon art often blends childlike characteristics with erotic undertones.]] |
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{{Nihongo|'''Lolicon'''|ロリコン|}}, also [[romanisation|romanised]] as '''rorikon''',<ref>{{cite book|last=Connolly|first=Julian|title=A reader's guide to Nabokov's "Lolita"|edition=annotated|series=Studies in Russian and Slavic literatures, cultures and history|year=2009|publisher=Academic Studies Press|isbn=1934843652|page=169}}</ref> is a Japanese [[portmanteau]] of the phrase "Lolita [[complex (psychology)|complex]]".<ref name="Mead">{{cite news|last=Mead|first=Rebecca |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25145481_ITM|title=Shopping rebellion; what the kids want. (Letter from Tokyo)|work=[[The New Yorker]]|date=March 18, 2002|accessdate=January 13, 2008}}</ref><ref name="sanseido">{{cite web|url=http://www.sanseido.net/User/Dic/?TWords=%E3%83%AD%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3&st=0&DailyJJ=checkbox|title=ロリコン|language=Japanese|publisher=[[Sanseido]]|accessdate=January 7, 2008|quote={{Nihongo|''An abbreviation for "lolita complex".''|ロリータコンプレックスの略.|Rorīta Konpurekkusu no hobo.}}}}</ref> In [[Japan]], the term describes an attraction to underage girls,<ref name="Darling82">Darling, 82.</ref> or an individual with such an attraction.<ref name="WWD" /><ref name="alc">{{cite web|url=http://eow.alc.co.jp/%E3%83%AD%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3/UTF-8/?ref=sa|title=ロリコン|publisher=SPACE ALC|language=Japanese|accessdate=January 7, 2008}}</ref> It is also commonly used when referring to ''lolicon manga'' or ''lolicon anime'', a subset of [[manga]] and [[anime]] wherein childlike female characters are often depicted in an erotic manner. A number of anthology manga magazines have been published since the 1980s which focus exclusively on this subset. Outside Japan, the term is in less common usage and usually refers to the manga and anime. |
{{Nihongo|'''Lolicon'''|ロリコン|}}, also [[romanisation|romanised]] as '''rorikon''',<ref>{{cite book|last=Connolly|first=Julian|title=A reader's guide to Nabokov's "Lolita"|edition=annotated|series=Studies in Russian and Slavic literatures, cultures and history|year=2009|publisher=Academic Studies Press|isbn=1934843652|page=169}}</ref> is a Japanese [[portmanteau]] of the phrase "Lolita [[complex (psychology)|complex]]".<ref name="Mead">{{cite news|last=Mead|first=Rebecca |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25145481_ITM|title=Shopping rebellion; what the kids want. (Letter from Tokyo)|work=[[The New Yorker]]|date=March 18, 2002|accessdate=January 13, 2008}}</ref><ref name="sanseido">{{cite web|url=http://www.sanseido.net/User/Dic/?TWords=%E3%83%AD%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3&st=0&DailyJJ=checkbox|title=ロリコン|language=Japanese|publisher=[[Sanseido]]|accessdate=January 7, 2008|quote={{Nihongo|''An abbreviation for "lolita complex".''|ロリータコンプレックスの略.|Rorīta Konpurekkusu no hobo.}}}}</ref> In [[Japan]], the term describes an attraction to underage girls,<ref name="Darling82">Darling, 82.</ref> or an individual with such an attraction.<ref name="WWD" /><ref name="alc">{{cite web|url=http://eow.alc.co.jp/%E3%83%AD%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3/UTF-8/?ref=sa|title=ロリコン|publisher=SPACE ALC|language=Japanese|accessdate=January 7, 2008}}</ref> It is also commonly used when referring to ''lolicon manga'' or ''lolicon anime'', a subset of [[manga]] and [[anime]] wherein childlike female characters are often depicted in an erotic manner. A number of anthology manga magazines have been published since the 1980s which focus exclusively on this subset. Outside Japan, the term is in less common usage and usually refers to the manga and anime. |
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The phrase is a reference to [[Vladimir Nabokov]]'s book ''[[Lolita]]'', in which a middle-age man becomes sexually obsessed with a twelve-year-old girl,<ref name="Kinsella305">Kinsella, 305.</ref> and is an |
The phrase is a reference to [[Vladimir Nabokov]]'s book ''[[Lolita]]'', in which a middle-age man becomes sexually obsessed with a twelve-year-old girl,<ref name="Kinsella305">Kinsella, 305.</ref> and the art style is an appropriation of the [[shōjo manga]] style of artwork.<ref name="Shigematsu 129"/><ref name=Zank/> The equivalent term for attraction to (or art pertaining to erotic portrayal of) young boys is [[shotacon]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Pandey|first=Ashish|editor=Ashish Pandey|title=Dictionary of Fiction|year=2005|publisher=Gyan Books|location=Delhi, India|isbn=8182052629|page=234}}</ref> |
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Laws have been enacted in various countries, including in Japan, which regulate explicit content featuring children or child-like characters. Parent and citizens groups in Japan have organized to work toward stronger controls and stricter laws governing lolicon manga and other similar media. Critics say that the lolicon genre contributes to actual [[child sexual abuse|sexual abuse of children]],<ref name="comic relief" /> while others say that there is no evidence for this claim,<ref name="comic relief" /><ref name="Internet Association Japan" /> or that there is evidence to the contrary.<ref name="Diamond and Uchiyama" /> |
Laws have been enacted in various countries, including in Japan, which regulate explicit content featuring children or child-like characters. Parent and citizens groups in Japan have organized to work toward stronger controls and stricter laws governing lolicon manga and other similar media. Critics say that the lolicon genre contributes to actual [[child sexual abuse|sexual abuse of children]],<ref name="comic relief" /> while others say that there is no evidence for this claim,<ref name="comic relief" /><ref name="Internet Association Japan" /> or that there is evidence to the contrary.<ref name="Diamond and Uchiyama" /> |
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Generally, lolicon is a term used to describe a sexual attraction to younger girls or girls with [[neoteny|youthful characteristics]]. In other words, it can refer to actual or perceived [[pedophilia]] and [[ephebophilia]]. Strictly speaking, ''Lolita complex'' in [[Japanese language|Japanese]] refers only to the [[paraphilia]] itself, but the abbreviation ''lolicon'' can refer to an individual that has the paraphilia as well.<ref name="WWD">{{cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-31844488_ITM|title=On the drawing board. (Lehmann Maupin gallery)|author=Rosemary Feitelberg|work=[[Women's Wear Daily]]|date=June 22, 2007|accessdate=January 13, 2008}}</ref> Lolicon is a widespread phenomenon in Japan, where it is a frequent subject of scholarly articles and criticism.<ref name="adultmanga">{{cite book|last=Kinsella|first=Sharon|title=Adult Manga|publisher=University of Hawai'i Press|year=2000|isbn=0-8248-2318-4}}</ref> Many general bookstores and newsstands openly offer illustrated lolicon material, but there has also been police action against lolicon manga.<ref name="adultmanga"/> |
Generally, lolicon is a term used to describe a sexual attraction to younger girls or girls with [[neoteny|youthful characteristics]]. In other words, it can refer to actual or perceived [[pedophilia]] and [[ephebophilia]]. Strictly speaking, ''Lolita complex'' in [[Japanese language|Japanese]] refers only to the [[paraphilia]] itself, but the abbreviation ''lolicon'' can refer to an individual that has the paraphilia as well.<ref name="WWD">{{cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-31844488_ITM|title=On the drawing board. (Lehmann Maupin gallery)|author=Rosemary Feitelberg|work=[[Women's Wear Daily]]|date=June 22, 2007|accessdate=January 13, 2008}}</ref> Lolicon is a widespread phenomenon in Japan, where it is a frequent subject of scholarly articles and criticism.<ref name="adultmanga">{{cite book|last=Kinsella|first=Sharon|title=Adult Manga|publisher=University of Hawai'i Press|year=2000|isbn=0-8248-2318-4}}</ref> Many general bookstores and newsstands openly offer illustrated lolicon material, but there has also been police action against lolicon manga.<ref name="adultmanga"/> |
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The "[[kawaii]]" style (which translates to "cute") is extremely popular in Japan, where it is present in many of the manga/anime styles.<ref name="darker side">"The Darker Side of Cuteness," ''The Economist'', May 8, 1999.</ref> The school-age girl in a school uniform is also an erotic symbol in Japan, comparable to the image of a [[cheerleader]] in the United States. [[Burusera]] shops cater to men with lolicon complexes by selling unwashed panties, men can make dates with teenagers through [[terekura]] ("telephone clubs"),<ref>{{cite news |title=Breaking the mould |first=Ben |last=Hills |author2=Kanamori, Mayu |url=http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=nstore&kw=%22Breaking+The+Mould%22&pb=smh&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=news951006_0036_7782 |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=6 October, 1995 |page=Spectrum, p.9 |accessdate=13 February, 2011 }}</ref> and some schoolgirls moonlight as prostitutes.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-56844390.html|title=Teen prostitutes sell favors after school in Tokyo|author=Willis Witter|work=[[The Washington Times]]|date=April 6, 1997|accessdate=January 13, 2008|format=fee required}}</ref> Together, these create the "strange [[collusion]] which exists in Japanese culture between the hentai (pervert) and the kawaii (cute)."<ref>"TURNING JAPANESE? TURNING JAPANESE? I REALLY THINK SO," by Nick Currie. The Herald (Glasgow), September 26, 1998.</ref> |
The "[[kawaii]]" style (which translates to "cute") is extremely popular in Japan, where it is present in many of the manga/anime styles.<ref name="darker side">"The Darker Side of Cuteness," ''The Economist'', May 8, 1999.</ref> The school-age girl in a school uniform is also an erotic symbol in Japan,<ref name="dreamland japan"/> comparable to the image of a [[cheerleader]] in the United States. [[Burusera]] shops cater to men with lolicon complexes by selling unwashed panties, men can make dates with teenagers through [[terekura]] ("telephone clubs"),<ref>{{cite news |title=Breaking the mould |first=Ben |last=Hills |author2=Kanamori, Mayu |url=http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=nstore&kw=%22Breaking+The+Mould%22&pb=smh&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=news951006_0036_7782 |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=6 October, 1995 |page=Spectrum, p.9 |accessdate=13 February, 2011 }}</ref> and some schoolgirls moonlight as prostitutes.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-56844390.html|title=Teen prostitutes sell favors after school in Tokyo|author=Willis Witter|work=[[The Washington Times]]|date=April 6, 1997|accessdate=January 13, 2008|format=fee required}}</ref> Together, these create the "strange [[collusion]] which exists in Japanese culture between the hentai (pervert) and the kawaii (cute)."<ref>"TURNING JAPANESE? TURNING JAPANESE? I REALLY THINK SO," by Nick Currie. The Herald (Glasgow), September 26, 1998.</ref> |
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Conversely, the [[Etiquette in Asia#Elders|great cultural respect]] associated with old age would make it incompatible with portraying [[ecchi]] behavior in manga, except in a greatly exaggerated farce context (typical examples being "Dirty Old Men", ''[[Dragon Ball (franchise)|Dragon Ball]]'''s [[Muten-Rôshi]], Master [[Happosai]] in ''[[Ranma ½]]''). |
Conversely, the [[Etiquette in Asia#Elders|great cultural respect]] associated with old age would make it incompatible with portraying [[ecchi]] behavior in manga, except in a greatly exaggerated farce context (typical examples being "Dirty Old Men", ''[[Dragon Ball (franchise)|Dragon Ball]]'''s [[Muten-Rôshi]], Master [[Happosai]] in ''[[Ranma ½]]''). |
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====Origin==== |
====Origin==== |
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The use of the term "Lolita complex" in Japan began in the early 1970s with the translation of [[Russell Trainer]]'s ''The Lolita Complex''. Shinji Wada used the word in his {{Nihongo|''Stumbling upon a Cabbage Field''|キャベツ畑でつまずいて|Kyabetsu-batake de Tsumazuite|}}, an ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'' manga parody in 1974.<ref name="KyabetsuBatake">[[Shinji Wada]], "Kyabetsu-batake de Tsumazuite" in ''[[Bessatsu Margaret]]'', June, 1974, p.121</ref> Early lolicon idols were Clarisse from [[Castle of Cagliostro]] and the shoujo heroine [[Minky Momo]], as female characters in shonen series at that point were largely mothers or older-sister characters.<ref>Lam, Fan-Yi. 2010. Comic market: How the world's biggest amateur comic fair shaped Japanese dōjinshi culture. |
The use of the term "Lolita complex" in Japan began in the early 1970s with the translation of [[Russell Trainer]]'s ''The Lolita Complex''.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} Shinji Wada used the word in his {{Nihongo|''Stumbling upon a Cabbage Field''|キャベツ畑でつまずいて|Kyabetsu-batake de Tsumazuite|}}, an ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'' manga parody in 1974.<ref name="KyabetsuBatake">[[Shinji Wada]], "Kyabetsu-batake de Tsumazuite" in ''[[Bessatsu Margaret]]'', June, 1974, p.121</ref> Early lolicon idols were Clarisse from [[Castle of Cagliostro]] and the shoujo heroine [[Minky Momo]], as female characters in shonen series at that point were largely mothers or older-sister characters.<ref>Lam, Fan-Yi. 2010. Comic market: How the world's biggest amateur comic fair shaped Japanese dōjinshi culture. [[Mechademia: An Annual Forum for Anime, Manga, and the Fan Arts]], Volume 5, pp. 236, 247.</ref> |
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[[Mechademia: An Annual Forum for Anime, Manga, and the Fan Arts]], Volume 5, pp. 232-248.</ref>{{rp|236, 247.}} |
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The "lolicon manga" genre began in the 1980s with [[Hideo Azuma]]'s works, such as {{Nihongo|''The Machine Which Came from the Sea''|海から来た機械|Umi kara Kita Kikai|}}. Azuma had previously published some sexual manga featuring young girls in his own self-published magazine ''Cybele'' before that time.<ref name="ReviewOfLoliconDojinshi">{{ja icon}} Maruta Hara and Kazuo Shimizu, {{Nihongo|"The Lolicon Dōjinshi Reviews"|ロリコン同人誌レビュー|Rorikon Dōjinshi Rebyū}}[http://web.archive.org/web/20061109193822/http://azicon1.at.infoseek.co.jp/1980S.htm] in ''Apple Pie'', March, 1982, p.116</ref> Azuma's works became popular among schoolboy readers because most of the pornographic manga up until then had featured mature women influenced by [[gekiga]]. Following Azuma's success, some pornographic manga magazines, such as ''[[Manga Burikko]]'' and ''[[Lemon People]]'', began featuring apparently prepubescent or underage girls,<ref name="sixty years">{{Cite book|last=Gravett|first=Paul|authorlink=Paul Gravett|title=[[Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics]]|year=2004|publisher=Laurence King Publishing|isbn=1-85669-391-0|page=136|location=[[London]], [[England]]|chapter=Personal Agendas}}</ref> partly to get around laws which forbade the depiction of pubic hair.<ref name="dreamland japan">{{Cite book|last=Schodt|first=Frederik L.|authorlink=Frederik L. Schodt|title=[[Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga]]|year=1996|publisher=[[Stone Bridge Press]]|isbn=1-880656-23-X|pages=54-55|location=[[Berkeley, California]]|chapter=Modern Manga at the End of the Millennium}}</ref> Throughout the 1980s, notable lolicon mangaka who published in these magazines include [[Miki Hayasaka]], [[Kamui Fujiwara]], [[Kyoko Okazaki]], [[Narumi Kakinouchi]], and [[Yoshiki Takaya]].<ref name="burikko">{{ja icon}} {{cite web|url=http://www.burikko.net/|title=伝説の美少女コミック雑誌|publisher=漫画ブリッコの世界|accessdate=2007-07-10}}</ref> The lolicon style borrows from [[shoujo manga]] designs and has also been influenced by women creating pornographic materials for men.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Shigematsu|first=Setsu|title=Themes and Issues in Asian Cartooning: Cute, Cheap, Mad and Sexy|year=1999|publisher=Bowling Green State University Popular Press|isbn=9780879727796| |
The "lolicon manga" genre began in the 1980s with [[Hideo Azuma]]'s works, such as {{Nihongo|''The Machine Which Came from the Sea''|海から来た機械|Umi kara Kita Kikai|}}. Azuma had previously published some sexual manga featuring young girls in his own self-published magazine ''Cybele'' before that time.<ref name="ReviewOfLoliconDojinshi">{{ja icon}} Maruta Hara and Kazuo Shimizu, {{Nihongo|"The Lolicon Dōjinshi Reviews"|ロリコン同人誌レビュー|Rorikon Dōjinshi Rebyū}}[http://web.archive.org/web/20061109193822/http://azicon1.at.infoseek.co.jp/1980S.htm] in ''Apple Pie'', March, 1982, p.116</ref> Azuma's works became popular among schoolboy readers because most of the pornographic manga up until then had featured mature women influenced by [[gekiga]]. Following Azuma's success, some pornographic manga magazines, such as ''[[Manga Burikko]]'' and ''[[Lemon People]]'', began featuring apparently prepubescent or underage girls,<ref name="sixty years">{{Cite book|last=Gravett|first=Paul|authorlink=Paul Gravett|title=[[Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics]]|year=2004|publisher=Laurence King Publishing|isbn=1-85669-391-0|page=136|location=[[London]], [[England]]|chapter=Personal Agendas}}</ref> partly to get around laws which forbade the depiction of pubic hair.<ref name=Zank/><ref name="dreamland japan">{{Cite book|last=Schodt|first=Frederik L.|authorlink=Frederik L. Schodt|title=[[Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga]]|year=1996|publisher=[[Stone Bridge Press]]|isbn=1-880656-23-X|pages=54-55|location=[[Berkeley, California]]|chapter=Modern Manga at the End of the Millennium}}</ref> Throughout the 1980s, notable lolicon mangaka who published in these magazines include [[Miki Hayasaka]], [[Kamui Fujiwara]], [[Kyoko Okazaki]], [[Narumi Kakinouchi]], and [[Yoshiki Takaya]].<ref name="burikko">{{ja icon}} {{cite web|url=http://www.burikko.net/|title=伝説の美少女コミック雑誌|publisher=漫画ブリッコの世界|accessdate=2007-07-10}}</ref> According to Dinah Zank, lolicon is "rooted in the glorification of girls culture in Japan", and therefore uses shoujo manga "vocabulary".<ref name=Zank>Zank, Dinah (2010). Kawaii vs. rorikon: The reinvention of the term Lolita in modern Japanese manga. In Comics as a Nexus of Cultures (Jefferson, NC: McFarland). pp.215-216</ref> The lolicon style borrows from [[shoujo manga]] designs and has also been influenced by women creating pornographic materials for men.<ref name="Shigematsu 129">{{Cite book|last=Shigematsu|first=Setsu|title=Themes and Issues in Asian Cartooning: Cute, Cheap, Mad and Sexy|year=1999|publisher=Bowling Green State University Popular Press|isbn=9780879727796|page=129|editor=Lent, J.A.|location=Bowling Green, OH|chapter=Dimensions of Desire: Sex, Fantasy and Fetish in Japanese Comics}}</ref> |
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====Gender roles==== |
====Gender roles==== |
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===Outside Japan=== |
===Outside Japan=== |
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The meaning of ''lolicon'' has evolved much in the [[Western world#Modern definitions|Western world]], as have the meanings of other words such as ''[[anime]]'', ''[[otaku]]'' and ''[[hentai]]''. In the West, ''lolicon'' refers to anime or manga that contains sexual or erotic portrayals of [[Child|prepubescent]] or childlike characters, and is thus close cognate to the Japanese term ''lolicon manga''. The use of the word ''lolicon'' in the West is an indication that the material is overtly, even if not explicitly, erotic.<ref name=amrgloss>{{cite web|url=http://amr.nextstudio.net/html/gloss_lolicon.html|title=Glossary Entry: Lolicon|publisher=''Anime Meta-Review''|accessdate=January 6, 2008 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071011082129/http://amr.nextstudio.net/html/gloss_lolicon.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = October 11, 2007}}</ref><ref name="comic relief" /> |
The meaning of ''lolicon'' has evolved much in the [[Western world#Modern definitions|Western world]], as have the meanings of other words such as ''[[anime]]'', ''[[otaku]]'' and ''[[hentai]]''. In the West, ''lolicon'' refers to anime or manga that contains sexual or erotic portrayals of [[Child|prepubescent]] or childlike characters, and is thus close cognate to the Japanese term ''lolicon manga''. The use of the word ''lolicon'' in the West is an indication that the material is overtly, even if not explicitly, erotic.<ref name=amrgloss>{{cite web|url=http://amr.nextstudio.net/html/gloss_lolicon.html|title=Glossary Entry: Lolicon|publisher=''Anime Meta-Review''|accessdate=January 6, 2008 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071011082129/http://amr.nextstudio.net/html/gloss_lolicon.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = October 11, 2007}}</ref><ref name="comic relief" /> |
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[[Frederik L. Schodt]], a manga critic and historian, noted that one reason lolicon manga is popular with some fans is because the female characters portrayed are "younger, slightly softer, [and] rarely possessing an in-your-face aggressive feminism" which is often found in female characters in American comics.<ref name="dreamland japan2">{{Cite book|last=Schodt|first=Frederik L.|authorlink=Frederik L. Schodt|title=Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga|year=1996|publisher=[[Stone Bridge Press]]|isbn=1-880656-23-X|page=336|location=[[Berkeley, California]]|chapter=Modern Manga at the End of the Millennium}}</ref> |
[[Frederik L. Schodt]], a manga critic and historian, noted that one reason lolicon manga is popular with some fans is because the female characters portrayed are "younger, slightly softer, [and] rarely possessing an in-your-face aggressive feminism" which is often found in female characters in American comics.<ref name="dreamland japan2">{{Cite book|last=Schodt|first=Frederik L.|authorlink=Frederik L. Schodt|title=Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga|year=1996|publisher=[[Stone Bridge Press]]|isbn=1-880656-23-X|page=336|location=[[Berkeley, California]]|chapter=Modern Manga at the End of the Millennium}}</ref> |
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[[Milton Diamond]] and Ayako Uchiyama observe a strong correlation between the dramatic rise of pornographic material in Japan from the 1970s onwards and a dramatic decrease in reported sexual violence, including crimes by juveniles and assaults on children under 13. They cite similar findings in [[Denmark]] and [[Germany]]. In their summary, they state that the concern that countries with widespread availability of sexually explicit material would suffer increased rates of sexual crimes was not validated and that the reduction of sexual crimes in Japan during that period may have been influenced by a variety of factors they had described in their study.<ref name="Diamond and Uchiyama">{{cite journal|url=http://www.hawaii.edu/PCSS/online_artcls/pornography/prngrphy_rape_jp.html|title=Pornography, Rape and Sex Crimes in Japan|author=[[Milton Diamond]] and Ayako Uchiyama|journal=International Journal of Law and Psychiatry|volume=22|issue=1|pages=1–22|year=1999|accessdate=January 6, 2008|doi=10.1016/S0160-2527(98)00035-1|pmid=10086287}}</ref> |
[[Milton Diamond]] and Ayako Uchiyama observe a strong correlation between the dramatic rise of pornographic material in Japan from the 1970s onwards and a dramatic decrease in reported sexual violence, including crimes by juveniles and assaults on children under 13. They cite similar findings in [[Denmark]] and [[Germany]]. In their summary, they state that the concern that countries with widespread availability of sexually explicit material would suffer increased rates of sexual crimes was not validated and that the reduction of sexual crimes in Japan during that period may have been influenced by a variety of factors they had described in their study.<ref name="Diamond and Uchiyama">{{cite journal|url=http://www.hawaii.edu/PCSS/online_artcls/pornography/prngrphy_rape_jp.html|title=Pornography, Rape and Sex Crimes in Japan|author=[[Milton Diamond]] and Ayako Uchiyama|journal=International Journal of Law and Psychiatry|volume=22|issue=1|pages=1–22|year=1999|accessdate=January 6, 2008|doi=10.1016/S0160-2527(98)00035-1|pmid=10086287}}</ref> |
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A Japanese non-profit organization called CASPAR has claimed that lolicon and other anime magazines and games do encourage [[sex crime]]s. The group, founded in 1989, campaigns for regulation of depiction of minors in pornographic magazines and video games.<ref name=AnimeNewsNetwork>{{cite web | url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-01-13/lolicon-backlash-in-japan | title = Lolicon Backlash in Japan | publisher = Anime News Network | date = January 13, 2005 | accessdate = June 7, 2007}}</ref> Public attention was brought to bear on this issue when [[Tsutomu Miyazaki]] kidnapped and murdered four girls between the ages of 4 and 7 in 1988 and 1989, committing acts of [[necrophilia]] with their corpses.<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/nn20060118a2.html "Serial killer Miyazaki must hang: Supreme Court"], ''The Japan Times''. 01/18/2006. Retrieved July 7, 2007.</ref> The [[Tokyo High Court]] ruled |
A Japanese non-profit organization called CASPAR has claimed that lolicon and other anime magazines and games do encourage [[sex crime]]s. The group, founded in 1989, campaigns for regulation of depiction of minors in pornographic magazines and video games.<ref name=AnimeNewsNetwork>{{cite web | url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-01-13/lolicon-backlash-in-japan | title = Lolicon Backlash in Japan | publisher = Anime News Network | date = January 13, 2005 | accessdate = June 7, 2007}}</ref> Public attention was brought to bear on this issue when [[Tsutomu Miyazaki]] kidnapped and murdered four girls between the ages of 4 and 7 in 1988 and 1989, committing acts of [[necrophilia]] with their corpses.<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/nn20060118a2.html "Serial killer Miyazaki must hang: Supreme Court"], ''The Japan Times''. 01/18/2006. Retrieved July 7, 2007.</ref> He was found to be a "withdrawn and obsessive" [[otaku]] and in particular he enjoyed lolicon. This caused a [[moral panic]] about "harmful manga", and "sparked a crackdown by local authorities on retailers and publishers, including the larger companies, and the arrests of dojinshi creators".<ref name="sixty years"/> The [[Tokyo High Court]] ruled Miyazaki sane, stating that "the murders were premeditated and stemmed from Miyazaki's [[sexual fantasy|sexual fantasies]]"<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20010629a1.html "Court rules serial killer Miyazaki sane"], ''The Japan Times,'' 06/29/01. Retrieved June 7, 2007.</ref> and he was [[Capital punishment|executed]] by [[hanging]] for his crimes on June 17, 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/marketing/iht/search/?iht|title=Reports: Japan executes man convicted of killing and mutilating young girls in 1980s|publisher=International Herald Tribune|date=June 17, 2008|accessdate=June 17, 2008}}</ref> |
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Public sentiment against sexual cartoon depictions of minors was revived in 2005 when a convicted [[sex offender]], who was arrested for the murder of a seven-year-old girl in [[Nara, Nara|Nara]], was suspected as a lolicon.<ref name=AnimeNewsNetwork/> Despite media speculation, it was found that the murderer, [[Kaoru Kobayashi]], seldom had interest in manga, games or dolls.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20050206t3.html|title=Otaku harassed as sex-crime fears mount|accessdate=January 6, 2008|author=|date=February 6, 2005|work=|publisher=[[The Japan Times]]}}</ref> He claimed, however, that he had become interested in small girls after watching an animated pornographic video as a high school student.<ref name="Nakamura">[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/member.html?nn20050518f1.htm "Child porn, if animated, eludes regulators"], by Akemi Nakamura, ''The Japan Times''. 05/18/2005. Retrieved June 7, 2007.</ref> He was sentenced to death by hanging. |
Public sentiment against sexual cartoon depictions of minors was revived in 2005 when a convicted [[sex offender]], who was arrested for the murder of a seven-year-old girl in [[Nara, Nara|Nara]], was suspected as a lolicon.<ref name=AnimeNewsNetwork/> Despite media speculation, it was found that the murderer, [[Kaoru Kobayashi]], seldom had interest in manga, games or dolls.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20050206t3.html|title=Otaku harassed as sex-crime fears mount|accessdate=January 6, 2008|author=|date=February 6, 2005|work=|publisher=[[The Japan Times]]}}</ref> He claimed, however, that he had become interested in small girls after watching an animated pornographic video as a high school student.<ref name="Nakamura">[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/member.html?nn20050518f1.htm "Child porn, if animated, eludes regulators"], by Akemi Nakamura, ''The Japan Times''. 05/18/2005. Retrieved June 7, 2007.</ref> He was sentenced to death by hanging. |
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===Youth Bill=== |
===Youth Bill=== |
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{{main|Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance Regarding the Healthy Development of Youths}} |
{{main|Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance Regarding the Healthy Development of Youths}} |
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In February 2010, a proposal to amend the [[Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance Regarding the Healthy Development of Youths|Tokyo law]] on what material could be sold to minors included a ban on sexualised depictions of "nonexistent youths" under the age of 18.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-03-09/tokyo-bill-on-virtual-child-porn-set-for-march-vote |title=Tokyo Bill on 'Virtual' Child Porn Set for March Vote (Update 3) |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2010-11-24 |accessdate=2010-11-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-05-02/tokyo-reps/nonexistent-youth-bill-may-still-pass-in-june |title=Tokyo Reps: 'Nonexistent Youth' Bill May Still Pass in June |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2010-11-24 |accessdate=2010-11-28}}</ref> This proposal was criticised by many ''[[mangaka]]'',<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-03-15/creators-decry-tokyo-proposed-virtual-child-porn-ban |title=Creators Decry Tokyo's Proposed 'Virtual' Child Porn Ban (Update 7) |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2010-11-24 |accessdate=2010-11-28}}</ref> and opposed by the [[Democratic Party of Japan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-06-06/tokyo-nonexistent-youth-bill-faces-defeat-in-june|title=Tokyo's 'Nonexistent Youth' Bill Faces Defeat in June |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2010-11-24 |accessdate=2010-11-28}}</ref> The bill was put on hold until June of that year,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-03-16/asahi/tokyo-virtual-child-porn-bill-put-on-hold |title=Asahi: Tokyo's 'Virtual' Child Porn Bill Put on Hold |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2010-11-24 |accessdate=2010-11-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-03-19/tokyo-virtual-child-porn-bill-officially-dead-till-june |title=Tokyo's 'Nonexistent Youth' Bill Officially on Hold (Updated) |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2010-11-24 |accessdate=2010-11-28}}</ref> where after some amendments, including changing the text for "nonexistent youths" to "depicted youths".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-05-08/tokyo-governor/nonexistent-youth-bill-needs-changes |title=Tokyo Governor: 'Nonexistent Youth' Bill Needs Changes |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2010-11-24 |accessdate=2010-11-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-06-14/tokyo-nonexistent-youth-bill-voted-down-in-committee |title=Tokyo's Nonexistent Youth Bill Voted Down in Committee (Updated) |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2010-11-24 |accessdate=2010-11-28}}</ref> However, the in spite the changes, the bill was rejected by the [[Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly]] in June.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-06-16/tokyo-nonexistent-youth-bill-rejected-by-assembly |title=Tokyo's 'Nonexistent Youth' Bill Rejected by Assembly |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2010-11-24 |accessdate=2010-11-28}}</ref> |
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According to Michiko Nagaoko, director of a non-profit organization in [[Kyoto]] called Juvenile Guide, founded in 2003, approximately half of the 2,000 pornographic animation titles distributed in Japan every year, including films and video games, feature [[schoolgirl]] characters.<ref name="Nakamura"/> On March 11, 2008, [[UNICEF]] Japan issued a statement calling for further tightening of [[child pornography laws in Japan]], including the ban of sexual depictions of minors in manga, anime and computer games.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKT20430220080311|title=UNICEF says Japan failing to control child porn|last=Reynolds|first=Isabel|work=[[Reuters]]|accessdate=March 11, 2008 | date=March 11, 2008}}</ref> Such a ban was not considered by Japan's officials at the time.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/10/japan|title=Japan to outlaw possession of child porn|last=McCurry|first=Justin|work=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=March 11, 2008 | location=London | date=March 10, 2008}}</ref> |
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A revised edition was presented in November that year to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-11-15/tokyo-to-resubmit-bill-on-sexual-depictions-of-youths|title=Tokyo to Resubmit Bill on Sexual Depictions of Youths |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2010-11-15 |accessdate=2010-12-16}}</ref> which would require self-regulation of "'manga, anime and other images'...that 'unjustifiably glorify or emphasize' certain sexual or pseudo sexual acts"...depictions of 'sexual or pseudo sexual acts that would be illegal in real life'". However, the bill no longer uses the term "nonexistent youth" and applies to all characters and to material that is not necessarily meant to be sexually stimulating.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-11-22/tokyo-revised-youth-ordinance-amendment-bill-posted|title=Tokyo's Revised Youth Ordinance Amendment Bill Posted |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2010-11-22 |accessdate=2010-12-16}}</ref> It was approved in December and will take full effect in July 2011,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-12-15/full-tokyo-assembly-passes-youth-ordinance-bill|title=Full Tokyo Assembly Passes Youth Ordinance Bill |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2010-12-15 |accessdate=2010-12-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11998385 |title=Tokyo introduces manga restrictions |publisher=BBC |date=2010-12-15|accessdate=2010-12-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/rss/nn20101216a4.html |title=Ordinance passed against manga 'extreme sex' |publisher=[[The Japan Times]] |date=2010-12-16|accessdate=2010-12-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-japan-sex-books-20101216,0,1679887.story|title=Tokyo bans sales of sexually explicit comics to minors |first=Kenji|last=Hall |publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=2010-12-16|accessdate=2010-12-16}}</ref> however, the bill does not regulate mobile sites or downloaded content and is only intended for publications such as books and DVDs.<ref name="AJA Response">{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-12-21/tokyo/mobile-sites-downloads-not-subject-to-youth-bill|title=News: Tokyo: Mobile Sites, Downloads Not Subject to Youth Bill|publisher=Anime News Network|date=2010-12-21|accessdate=2011-02-06}}</ref> |
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Industry response was swift and negative. [[The Association of Japanese Animations]] claimed the process that allowed the bill to pass violated [[due process]].<ref name="AJA Response">{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-12-21/tokyo/mobile-sites-downloads-not-subject-to-youth-bill|title=News: Tokyo: Mobile Sites, Downloads Not Subject to Youth Bill|publisher=Anime News Network|date=2010-12-21|accessdate=2011-02-06}}</ref> The bill is expected to have a [[chilling effect (law)|chilling effect]] and multiple anime and manga companies pulled out or back from the 2011 [[Tokyo International Anime Fair]] in response to the bill's passage.<ref name="AJA Response"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-01-26/20-percent-less-booths-at-tokyo-anime-fair-as-talks-continue|title=News: 20% Less Booths at Tokyo Anime Fair as Talks Continue|publisher=Anime News Network|date=2011-01-26|accessdate=2011-02-06}}</ref><ref name=Committee>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-12-13/tokyo-youth-ordinance-bill-approved-by-committee|title=News: Tokyo's Youth Ordinance Bill Approved by Committee (Updated)|publisher=Anime News Network |date=2010-12-13 |accessdate=2010-02-06}}</ref> In response, [[Japanese Prime Minister]] [[Naoto Kan]] made a post on his blog urging parties to work together to resolve the situation.<ref name=Committee/> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
||
* [[Enjo kōsai]] |
* [[Enjo kōsai]] - where older men give money and/or luxury gifts to attractive women for their companionship, and possibly sexual favors |
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⚫ | * [[Junior idol]]<ref name="JTthongs">{{cite web|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070503f1.html|title=Photos of preteen girls in thongs now big business|accessdate=March 26, 2008|last=Hongo|first=Jun|authorlink=|date=May 3, 2007|work=The Japan Times Online|publisher=The Japan Times}}</ref> - child or early teenager pursuing a career as a photographic model |
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* [[Shotacon]] (male equivalent of lolicon) |
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* [[Lolita fashion]] - thought to have begun as a protest against lolicon,<ref name=Zank/> where the term "Lolita" has been reclaimed as a positive and feministic image. |
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* [[Moe (slang)|Moe]] |
* [[Moe (slang)|Moe]] - a similar aesthetic but less sexual in nature |
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⚫ | * [[Junior idol]]<ref name="JTthongs">{{cite web|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070503f1.html|title=Photos of preteen girls in thongs now big business|accessdate=March 26, 2008|last=Hongo|first=Jun|authorlink=|date=May 3, 2007|work=The Japan Times Online|publisher=The Japan Times}}</ref> |
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* [[Pedophilia]] |
* [[Pedophilia]] |
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* [[Cartoon pornography]] |
* [[Cartoon pornography]] |
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* [[Legal status of Internet pornography]] |
* [[Legal status of Internet pornography]] |
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* [[Pornography in Japan]] |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{Wiktionary}} |
{{Wiktionary}} |
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{{Commons category}} |
{{Commons category}} |
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* Ito, K. (1992), Cultural Change and Gender Identity Trends in the 1970s and 1980s. ''International Journal of Japanese Sociology'', '''1''': 79–98. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6781.1992.tb00008.x |
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* {{Cite book|first=Jason|last=Thompson|authorlink=Jason Thompson (writer) |title=[[Manga: The Complete Guide]]|publisher=[[Ballantine Books]] & [[Del Rey Books]]|location=New York|year=2007|page=450 |isbn=978-0-345-48490-8}} |
* {{Cite book|first=Jason|last=Thompson|authorlink=Jason Thompson (writer) |title=[[Manga: The Complete Guide]]|publisher=[[Ballantine Books]] & [[Del Rey Books]]|location=New York|year=2007|page=450 |isbn=978-0-345-48490-8}} |
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* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080702044426/http://comipress.com/article/2006/11/17/1027 "New Law Banning Lolicon?"] ''ComiPress'' (November 17, 2006) |
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080702044426/http://comipress.com/article/2006/11/17/1027 "New Law Banning Lolicon?"] ''ComiPress'' (November 17, 2006) |
Revision as of 22:09, 25 February 2011
Lolicon (ロリコン), also romanised as rorikon,[1] is a Japanese portmanteau of the phrase "Lolita complex".[2][3] In Japan, the term describes an attraction to underage girls,[4] or an individual with such an attraction.[5][6] It is also commonly used when referring to lolicon manga or lolicon anime, a subset of manga and anime wherein childlike female characters are often depicted in an erotic manner. A number of anthology manga magazines have been published since the 1980s which focus exclusively on this subset. Outside Japan, the term is in less common usage and usually refers to the manga and anime.
The phrase is a reference to Vladimir Nabokov's book Lolita, in which a middle-age man becomes sexually obsessed with a twelve-year-old girl,[7] and the art style is an appropriation of the shōjo manga style of artwork.[8][9] The equivalent term for attraction to (or art pertaining to erotic portrayal of) young boys is shotacon.[10]
Laws have been enacted in various countries, including in Japan, which regulate explicit content featuring children or child-like characters. Parent and citizens groups in Japan have organized to work toward stronger controls and stricter laws governing lolicon manga and other similar media. Critics say that the lolicon genre contributes to actual sexual abuse of children,[11] while others say that there is no evidence for this claim,[11][12] or that there is evidence to the contrary.[13]
A recent law passed in Tokyo on what material could be sold to minors takes effect in July 2011, and has directly affected the long-running Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF) as multiple large and small publishers of manga and producers of anime have backed out of showing or sponsoring the fair.
Description
In Japan
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Generally, lolicon is a term used to describe a sexual attraction to younger girls or girls with youthful characteristics. In other words, it can refer to actual or perceived pedophilia and ephebophilia. Strictly speaking, Lolita complex in Japanese refers only to the paraphilia itself, but the abbreviation lolicon can refer to an individual that has the paraphilia as well.[5] Lolicon is a widespread phenomenon in Japan, where it is a frequent subject of scholarly articles and criticism.[14] Many general bookstores and newsstands openly offer illustrated lolicon material, but there has also been police action against lolicon manga.[14]
The "kawaii" style (which translates to "cute") is extremely popular in Japan, where it is present in many of the manga/anime styles.[15] The school-age girl in a school uniform is also an erotic symbol in Japan,[16] comparable to the image of a cheerleader in the United States. Burusera shops cater to men with lolicon complexes by selling unwashed panties, men can make dates with teenagers through terekura ("telephone clubs"),[17] and some schoolgirls moonlight as prostitutes.[18] Together, these create the "strange collusion which exists in Japanese culture between the hentai (pervert) and the kawaii (cute)."[19] Conversely, the great cultural respect associated with old age would make it incompatible with portraying ecchi behavior in manga, except in a greatly exaggerated farce context (typical examples being "Dirty Old Men", Dragon Ball's Muten-Rôshi, Master Happosai in Ranma ½).
Sexual manga featuring children or childlike characters are called lolicon manga and are legal in Japan.[14][20] Lolicon manga are usually short stories, published as dōjinshi or in magazines specializing in the genre such as Lemon People, Manga Burikko, and Comic LO. Common focuses of these stories include taboo relationships, such as between a teacher and student or brother and sister, while others feature sexual experimentation between children. Some lolicon manga cross over with other hentai genres, such as crossdressing and futanari.[14] Kodomo no Jikan is an example of a series that, while not pornographic, draws on lolicon themes for its plot. Lolicon is also a subject of criticism in the Superflat exhibition.[4][21]
Origin
The use of the term "Lolita complex" in Japan began in the early 1970s with the translation of Russell Trainer's The Lolita Complex.[citation needed] Shinji Wada used the word in his Stumbling upon a Cabbage Field (キャベツ畑でつまずいて, Kyabetsu-batake de Tsumazuite), an Alice in Wonderland manga parody in 1974.[22] Early lolicon idols were Clarisse from Castle of Cagliostro and the shoujo heroine Minky Momo, as female characters in shonen series at that point were largely mothers or older-sister characters.[23]
The "lolicon manga" genre began in the 1980s with Hideo Azuma's works, such as The Machine Which Came from the Sea (海から来た機械, Umi kara Kita Kikai). Azuma had previously published some sexual manga featuring young girls in his own self-published magazine Cybele before that time.[24] Azuma's works became popular among schoolboy readers because most of the pornographic manga up until then had featured mature women influenced by gekiga. Following Azuma's success, some pornographic manga magazines, such as Manga Burikko and Lemon People, began featuring apparently prepubescent or underage girls,[25] partly to get around laws which forbade the depiction of pubic hair.[9][16] Throughout the 1980s, notable lolicon mangaka who published in these magazines include Miki Hayasaka, Kamui Fujiwara, Kyoko Okazaki, Narumi Kakinouchi, and Yoshiki Takaya.[26] According to Dinah Zank, lolicon is "rooted in the glorification of girls culture in Japan", and therefore uses shoujo manga "vocabulary".[9] The lolicon style borrows from shoujo manga designs and has also been influenced by women creating pornographic materials for men.[8]
Gender roles
Sharon Kinsella wrote that lolicon manga was a late-1980s outgrowth of girls' manga,[7] which included male homosexual love stories and parodies of boys' and adult manga.[27] This occurred as more men attended amateur manga conventions and as new boys' amateur manga genres appeared at Comiket. Kinsella distinguished between the attitudes toward gender of amateur lolicon manga and that of male fans of girls' manga.[7] While parody manga created by women ridicule male stereotypes and appeal to both male and female fans, lolicon manga "usually features a girl heroine with large eyes and a body that is both voluptuous and child-like, scantily clad in an outfit that approximates a cross between a 1970s bikini and a space-age suit of armor".[7] This latter feature expresses both fear of and desire for young women, who have become increasingly powerful in Japanese society.[28] Kinsella noted dominant British and American genres and imports of animation video in the 1990s derived from lolicon manga, suggesting women in all of these countries have gone through similar social and cultural experiences.[29]
Female mangaka who draw what has been interpreted as lolicon include Chiho Aoshima (The red-eyed tribe billboard),[30] Aya Takano (Universe Dream wall painting),[31] Kaworu Watashiya (Kodomo no Jikan),[32] and Yukiru Sugisaki (Rizelmine).[33] Male artists include Henmaru Machino (untitled, aka Green Caterpillar's Girl), Hitoshi Tomizawa (Alien 9, Milk Closet), and Bome (sculptures).[4]
Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki said in a 1988 interview with Animage that while he prefers to have female protagonists, "It's difficult. They immediately become the subjects of rorikon gokko (play toy for Lolita Complex males). In a sense, if we want to depict someone who is affirmative to us, we have no choice but to make them as lovely as possible. But now, there are too many people who shamelessly depict [such protagonists] as if they just want [such girls] as pets, and things are escalating more and more". He expressed concern as to what this might mean for "human rights for women."[34] In shojo manga, characters of stories may enter into relationships with others due to circumstance or mutual attraction. The relationship may even blossom into romance. In 2006, an editor-in-chief of a major shōjo magazine said "Love affair is a big theme in today's shojo manga. It's impossible to completely take out descriptions of sexual activity—that's just the result of love and affection".[35]
Outside Japan
The meaning of lolicon has evolved much in the Western world, as have the meanings of other words such as anime, otaku and hentai. In the West, lolicon refers to anime or manga that contains sexual or erotic portrayals of prepubescent or childlike characters, and is thus close cognate to the Japanese term lolicon manga. The use of the word lolicon in the West is an indication that the material is overtly, even if not explicitly, erotic.[36][11]
Frederik L. Schodt, a manga critic and historian, noted that one reason lolicon manga is popular with some fans is because the female characters portrayed are "younger, slightly softer, [and] rarely possessing an in-your-face aggressive feminism" which is often found in female characters in American comics.[37]
Controversy
Laws have been enacted to criminalize "obscene images of children, no matter how they are made," for preventing abuse.[38] An argument is that obscene fictional images portray children as sex objects, thereby contributing to child sexual abuse. This argument has been disputed by the claim that there is no scientific basis for that connection,[39] and that restricting sexual expression in drawings or animated games and videos might actually increase the rate of sexual crime by eliminating a harmless outlet for desires that could motivate crime.[12] This is exemplified in a case involving a man from Virginia who asserted at his arrest that after viewing lolicon at a public library, he had quit collecting real child pornography and switched to lolicon.[40]
Cultural critic Hiroki Azuma said that very few readers of lolicon manga commit crimes. In the otaku culture, lolicon is the "most convenient [form of rebellion]" against society.[11] Sharon Kinsella observed an increase in unsubstantiated accounts of schoolgirl prostitution in the media in the late 1990s, and speculated that these unproven reports developed in counterpoint to the increased reporting on comfort women. She speculated that, "It may be that the image of happy girls selling themselves voluntarily cancels out the other guilty image".[11] Setsu Shigematsu believes that lolicon manga "should not be equated" with photographic or adult video lolicon materials which involve real children, instead arguing that lolicon represents an artificial sexuality, turning away from "three dimensional reality" and redirecting sexual energies towards "two dimensional figures of desire".[41]: 138
Milton Diamond and Ayako Uchiyama observe a strong correlation between the dramatic rise of pornographic material in Japan from the 1970s onwards and a dramatic decrease in reported sexual violence, including crimes by juveniles and assaults on children under 13. They cite similar findings in Denmark and Germany. In their summary, they state that the concern that countries with widespread availability of sexually explicit material would suffer increased rates of sexual crimes was not validated and that the reduction of sexual crimes in Japan during that period may have been influenced by a variety of factors they had described in their study.[13]
A Japanese non-profit organization called CASPAR has claimed that lolicon and other anime magazines and games do encourage sex crimes. The group, founded in 1989, campaigns for regulation of depiction of minors in pornographic magazines and video games.[42] Public attention was brought to bear on this issue when Tsutomu Miyazaki kidnapped and murdered four girls between the ages of 4 and 7 in 1988 and 1989, committing acts of necrophilia with their corpses.[43] He was found to be a "withdrawn and obsessive" otaku and in particular he enjoyed lolicon. This caused a moral panic about "harmful manga", and "sparked a crackdown by local authorities on retailers and publishers, including the larger companies, and the arrests of dojinshi creators".[25] The Tokyo High Court ruled Miyazaki sane, stating that "the murders were premeditated and stemmed from Miyazaki's sexual fantasies"[44] and he was executed by hanging for his crimes on June 17, 2008.[45]
Public sentiment against sexual cartoon depictions of minors was revived in 2005 when a convicted sex offender, who was arrested for the murder of a seven-year-old girl in Nara, was suspected as a lolicon.[42] Despite media speculation, it was found that the murderer, Kaoru Kobayashi, seldom had interest in manga, games or dolls.[46] He claimed, however, that he had become interested in small girls after watching an animated pornographic video as a high school student.[47] He was sentenced to death by hanging.
Youth Bill
In February 2010, a proposal to amend the Tokyo law on what material could be sold to minors included a ban on sexualised depictions of "nonexistent youths" under the age of 18.[48][49] This proposal was criticised by many mangaka,[50] and opposed by the Democratic Party of Japan.[51] The bill was put on hold until June of that year,[52][53] where after some amendments, including changing the text for "nonexistent youths" to "depicted youths".[54][55] However, the in spite the changes, the bill was rejected by the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly in June.[56]
A revised edition was presented in November that year to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly,[57] which would require self-regulation of "'manga, anime and other images'...that 'unjustifiably glorify or emphasize' certain sexual or pseudo sexual acts"...depictions of 'sexual or pseudo sexual acts that would be illegal in real life'". However, the bill no longer uses the term "nonexistent youth" and applies to all characters and to material that is not necessarily meant to be sexually stimulating.[58] It was approved in December and will take full effect in July 2011,[59][60][61][62] however, the bill does not regulate mobile sites or downloaded content and is only intended for publications such as books and DVDs.[63]
Industry response was swift and negative. The Association of Japanese Animations claimed the process that allowed the bill to pass violated due process.[63] The bill is expected to have a chilling effect and multiple anime and manga companies pulled out or back from the 2011 Tokyo International Anime Fair in response to the bill's passage.[63][64][65] In response, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan made a post on his blog urging parties to work together to resolve the situation.[65]
See also
- Enjo kōsai - where older men give money and/or luxury gifts to attractive women for their companionship, and possibly sexual favors
- Junior idol[66] - child or early teenager pursuing a career as a photographic model
- Lolita fashion - thought to have begun as a protest against lolicon,[9] where the term "Lolita" has been reclaimed as a positive and feministic image.
- Moe - a similar aesthetic but less sexual in nature
- Pedophilia
Legal aspects
Notes
- ^ Connolly, Julian (2009). A reader's guide to Nabokov's "Lolita". Studies in Russian and Slavic literatures, cultures and history (annotated ed.). Academic Studies Press. p. 169. ISBN 1934843652.
- ^ Mead, Rebecca (March 18, 2002). "Shopping rebellion; what the kids want. (Letter from Tokyo)". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
- ^ "ロリコン" (in Japanese). Sanseido. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
An abbreviation for "lolita complex". (ロリータコンプレックスの略., Rorīta Konpurekkusu no hobo.)
- ^ a b c Darling, 82.
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- ^ "ロリコン" (in Japanese). SPACE ALC. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Kinsella, 305.
- ^ a b Shigematsu, Setsu (1999). "Dimensions of Desire: Sex, Fantasy and Fetish in Japanese Comics". In Lent, J.A. (ed.). Themes and Issues in Asian Cartooning: Cute, Cheap, Mad and Sexy. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. p. 129. ISBN 9780879727796.
- ^ a b c d Zank, Dinah (2010). Kawaii vs. rorikon: The reinvention of the term Lolita in modern Japanese manga. In Comics as a Nexus of Cultures (Jefferson, NC: McFarland). pp.215-216
- ^ Pandey, Ashish (2005). Ashish Pandey (ed.). Dictionary of Fiction. Delhi, India: Gyan Books. p. 234. ISBN 8182052629.
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- ^ a b c d Kinsella, Sharon (2000). Adult Manga. University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 0-8248-2318-4.
- ^ "The Darker Side of Cuteness," The Economist, May 8, 1999.
- ^ a b Schodt, Frederik L. (1996). "Modern Manga at the End of the Millennium". Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga. Berkeley, California: Stone Bridge Press. pp. 54–55. ISBN 1-880656-23-X.
- ^ Hills, Ben; Kanamori, Mayu (6 October, 1995). "Breaking the mould". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. Spectrum, p.9. Retrieved 13 February, 2011.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ Willis Witter (April 6, 1997). "Teen prostitutes sell favors after school in Tokyo" (fee required). The Washington Times. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
- ^ "TURNING JAPANESE? TURNING JAPANESE? I REALLY THINK SO," by Nick Currie. The Herald (Glasgow), September 26, 1998.
- ^ Gelder, Ken. The Subcultures Reader, 2nd ed. Oxon: Routledge, 2005. p. 547. ISBN 0-415-34415-8
- ^ May Abbe (July 20, 2001). ""Superflat" art from Japan collapses hierarchies by merging "high" and "low" art, populist and elite genres, advertising and noncommercial media, even 2-D and 3-D concepts". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
- ^ Shinji Wada, "Kyabetsu-batake de Tsumazuite" in Bessatsu Margaret, June, 1974, p.121
- ^ Lam, Fan-Yi. 2010. Comic market: How the world's biggest amateur comic fair shaped Japanese dōjinshi culture. Mechademia: An Annual Forum for Anime, Manga, and the Fan Arts, Volume 5, pp. 236, 247.
- ^ Template:Ja icon Maruta Hara and Kazuo Shimizu, "The Lolicon Dōjinshi Reviews" (ロリコン同人誌レビュー, Rorikon Dōjinshi Rebyū)[1] in Apple Pie, March, 1982, p.116
- ^ a b Gravett, Paul (2004). "Personal Agendas". Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics. London, England: Laurence King Publishing. p. 136. ISBN 1-85669-391-0.
- ^ Template:Ja icon "伝説の美少女コミック雑誌". 漫画ブリッコの世界. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
- ^ Kinsella, 304.
- ^ Darling, 82. Kinsella, 306.
- ^ Kinsella, 307.
- ^ Darling, 85–6.
- ^ Darling, 86.
- ^ Jason DeAngelis (May 29, 2007). "Seven Seas Entertainment Talks about Nymphet". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
...those who are speaking out against Nymphet seem to be disturbed by the relationship between two characters in the story, namely an elementary school student and her adult teacher.
- ^ "Rizelmine (book review)". Publishers Weekly. September 19, 2005. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
...this irrational and unsettling love story will disturb all but the most dedicated shonen manga otaku.
- ^ original source: Animage, vol. 125, November 1988. Retrieved June 8, 2007.
- ^ "A History of Shojo, Loli, and Harmful Books". Comipress. July 17, 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-07-31.
- ^ "Glossary Entry: Lolicon". Anime Meta-Review. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2008.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Schodt, Frederik L. (1996). "Modern Manga at the End of the Millennium". Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga. Berkeley, California: Stone Bridge Press. p. 336. ISBN 1-880656-23-X.
- ^ "Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003". U.S. Government Printing Office. April 30, 2003. Archived from the original on February 6, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
- ^ In Free Speech Coalition v. Reno (later Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition), the court held that "[f]actual studies that establish the link between computer-generated child pornography and the subsequent sexual abuse of children apparently do not yet exist."
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- ^ Shigematsu, Setsu (1999). "Dimensions of Desire: Sex, Fantasy and Fetish in Japanese Comics". In Lent, J.A. (ed.). Themes and Issues in Asian Cartooning: Cute, Cheap, Mad and Sexy. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. pp. 127–163. ISBN 9780879727796.
- ^ a b "Lolicon Backlash in Japan". Anime News Network. January 13, 2005. Retrieved June 7, 2007.
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- ^ "Child porn, if animated, eludes regulators", by Akemi Nakamura, The Japan Times. 05/18/2005. Retrieved June 7, 2007.
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- ^ "Tokyo Reps: 'Nonexistent Youth' Bill May Still Pass in June". Anime News Network. 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
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- ^ "News: 20% Less Booths at Tokyo Anime Fair as Talks Continue". Anime News Network. 2011-01-26. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
- ^ a b "News: Tokyo's Youth Ordinance Bill Approved by Committee (Updated)". Anime News Network. 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
- ^ Hongo, Jun (May 3, 2007). "Photos of preteen girls in thongs now big business". The Japan Times Online. The Japan Times. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
References
- Michael Darling (Autumn 2001). "Plumbing the Depths of Superflatness". Art Journal. 60 (3). Art Journal, Vol. 60, No. 3: 76–89. doi:10.2307/778139. ISSN 0004-3249. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
Lolicon imagery is well-documented in Superflat, and relies on the angelic stare of the young girl for its erotic charge. [...] Kinsella writes, "The little girl heroines of Lolicon manga simultaneously reflect an awareness of the increasing power and centrality of young women...
{{cite journal}}
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specified (help) - Sharon Kinsella (Summer 1998). "Japanese Subculture in the 1990s: Otaku and the Amateur Manga Movement". Journal of Japanese Studies. 24 (2). Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol. 24, No. 2: 289–316. doi:10.2307/133236.
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ignored (help) Titled "Amateur Manga Subculture and the Otaku Panic" by Kinsella on her website. Retrieved on January 14, 2008. - Shigematsu, Setsu (1999). "Dimensions of Desire: Sex, Fantasy and Fetish in Japanese Comics". In Lent, J.A. (ed.). Themes and Issues in Asian Cartooning: Cute, Cheap, Mad and Sexy. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. pp. 127–163. ISBN 9780879727796.
Further reading
- Ito, K. (1992), Cultural Change and Gender Identity Trends in the 1970s and 1980s. International Journal of Japanese Sociology, 1: 79–98. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6781.1992.tb00008.x
- Thompson, Jason (2007). Manga: The Complete Guide. New York: Ballantine Books & Del Rey Books. p. 450. ISBN 978-0-345-48490-8.
{{cite book}}
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value: checksum (help) - "New Law Banning Lolicon?" ComiPress (November 17, 2006)
- American Guilty of Loli-Manga Possession Faces 15 Years" Sankaku Complex (May 26, 2009)