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Japanese popular culture Japanese popular culture includes Cinema of Japan, Japanese cinema, Japanese cuisine, cuisine, Television in Japan, television programs, anime, manga, Video gaming in Japan, video games, Music of Japan, music, and doujinshi, all of which retain ol ...
, is a genre of fictional media which focuses on young or young-looking girl characters, particularly in a sexually suggestive or erotic manner. The term, a
portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
of the English-language phrase "
Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The protagonist and narrator is a French literature professor who moves to New England and writes under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert. He details his obsession ...
complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
", also refers to desire and affection for such characters (, "loli"), and their fans. Associated mainly with stylized imagery in
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
,
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
, and
video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
, ''lolicon'' in ''
otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, such as anime, manga, video games, computers or other highly enthusiastic hobbies. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. ...
'' culture is generally understood as distinct from desires for realistic depictions of young girls, or real young girls as such, and is associated with '' moe'', or affection for fictional characters, often ''
bishōjo In Japanese popular culture, a , also romanized as ''bishojo'' or ''bishoujo'', is a cute girl character. characters appear ubiquitously in media including manga, anime, and computerized games (especially in the ''bishojo'' game genre), and al ...
'' (cute girl) characters in manga or anime. The phrase "Lolita complex", derived from the novel ''
Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The protagonist and narrator is a French literature professor who moves to New England and writes under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert. He details his obsession ...
'', entered use in Japan in the 1970s. During the "''lolicon'' boom" in
erotic manga Hentai () is a style of Japanese pornographic anime and manga. In addition to anime and manga, hentai works exist in a variety of media, including artwork and video games (commonly known as ''eroge''). The development of hentai has been ...
of the early 1980s, the term was adopted in the nascent ''otaku'' culture to denote attraction to early ''bishōjo'' characters, and later only to younger-looking depictions as ''bishōjo'' designs became more varied. The artwork of the ''lolicon'' boom, which was strongly influenced by the styles of ''shōjo'' manga, marked a shift from realism, and the advent of "cute eroticism" (''
kawaii ''Kawaii'' is a Japanese cultural phenomenon which emphasizes cuteness, childlike innocence, charm, and simplicity. ''Kawaii'' culture began to flourish in the 1970s, driven by youth culture and the rise of cute characters in manga and anime ...
ero''), an aesthetic which is now common in manga and anime broadly. The ''lolicon'' boom faded by the mid-1980s, and the genre has since made up a minority of erotic manga. Since the 1990s, ''lolicon'' has been a keyword in manga debates in Japan and globally. Child pornography laws in some countries apply to depictions of fictional child characters, while those in other countries, including Japan, do not. Opponents and supporters have debated if the genre contributes to
child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...
. Culture and media scholars generally identify ''lolicon'' with a broader separation between fiction and reality within ''otaku'' sexuality.


Definition

''Lolicon'' is a
Japanese abbreviation Abbreviated and contracted words are a common feature of Japanese language, Japanese. Long words are often contracted into shorter forms, which then become the predominant forms. For example, the University of Tokyo, in Japanese becomes , and "re ...
of "
Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The protagonist and narrator is a French literature professor who moves to New England and writes under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert. He details his obsession ...
complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
" (, ''rorīta konpurekkusu''), an English-language phrase derived from
Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov ( ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian and American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born in Imperial Russia in 1899, Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Rus ...
's novel ''
Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The protagonist and narrator is a French literature professor who moves to New England and writes under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert. He details his obsession ...
'' (1955) and introduced to Japan in Russell Trainer's ''The Lolita Complex'' (1966, translated 1969), a work of
pop psychology Popular psychology (sometimes shortened as pop psychology or pop psych) refers to the concepts and theories about human mental life and behavior that are supposedly based on psychology and are considered credible and accepted by the wider populac ...
in which it is used to denote attraction to pubescent and pre-pubescent girls. In Japanese, the phrase was adopted to describe feelings of love and lust for young girls over adult women, which remains the term's common meaning. Due to its association with ''
otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, such as anime, manga, video games, computers or other highly enthusiastic hobbies. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. ...
'' culture, the term is more often used to describe desires for young or young-looking girl characters (, "loli") in
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
or
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
, which are generally understood to exist within fiction. However, the meaning of the term remains contested, and it carries a connotation of
pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pube ...
for much of the public. ''Lolicon'' also refers to works, particularly sexually suggestive or erotic, which feature such characters, and their fans. ''Lolicon'' is distinct from words for pedophilia (''yōji-zuki'' and ''pedofiria''; clinically, ''shōniseiai'' and ''jidōseiai'') and for
child pornography Child pornography (also abbreviated as CP, also called child porn or kiddie porn, and child sexual abuse material, known by the acronym CSAM (underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law)), is Eroticism, erotic ma ...
(''jidō poruno''). The meaning of ''lolicon'' within the ''otaku'' context developed in the early 1980s, during the "''lolicon'' boom" in erotic manga (see ). According to Akira Akagi, the meaning of ''lolicon'' moved away from the sexual pairing of an older man and a young girl, and instead came to describe desire for "cuteness" and "girl-ness" in manga and anime. Others defined ''lolicon'' as a desire for "cute things", "manga-like" or "anime-like" characters, "roundness", and the "two-dimensional" as opposed to the "real". At the time, all eroticism in the manga style featuring ''
bishōjo In Japanese popular culture, a , also romanized as ''bishojo'' or ''bishoujo'', is a cute girl character. characters appear ubiquitously in media including manga, anime, and computerized games (especially in the ''bishojo'' game genre), and al ...
'' (cute girl) characters was associated with the term, and synonyms of "Lolita complex" included " two-dimensional complex" (''nijigen konpurekkusu''), "two-dimensional fetishism" (''nijikon fechi''), "two-dimensional syndrome" (''nijikon shōkōgun''), "cute girl syndrome" (''bishōjo shōkōgun''), and simply "sickness" (''byōki''). As character body types within erotic manga became more varied by the end of the ''lolicon'' boom in 1984, the scope of the term narrowed to younger-looking depictions. ''Lolicon'' became a buzz word after the 1989 arrest of
Tsutomu Miyazaki was a Japanese serial killer who murdered four young girls in Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture between August 1988 and June 1989. He abducted and killed the girls, aged from 4 to 7, in his car before dismembering them and molesting their corpses. ...
, a serial killer of young girls who was portrayed by the Japanese media as an ''otaku'' (see ). As ''lolicon'' was conflated with pedophilia in the public debates on "harmful manga", its meaning was replaced among ''otaku'' by '' moe'', which refers to feelings of affection for characters more generally. Like ''moe'', ''lolicon'' is still used by many ''otaku'' to refer to attraction which is consciously distinct from reality; some ''otaku'' identify as "two-dimensional ''lolicon''" (''nijigen rorikon'') to specify their attraction to characters. The term has become a keyword in criticism of manga and sexuality within Japan, as well as globally with the spread of
Japanese popular culture Japanese popular culture includes Cinema of Japan, Japanese cinema, Japanese cuisine, cuisine, Television in Japan, television programs, anime, manga, Video gaming in Japan, video games, Music of Japan, music, and doujinshi, all of which retain ol ...
.


History


Background

In the 1970s, ''shōjo'' manga (marketed to girls and young adult women) underwent a renaissance in which artists, such as those of the
Year 24 Group The is a grouping of female manga artists who heavily influenced ''shōjo'' manga (Japanese girls' comics) beginning in the 1970s. While ''shōjo'' manga of the 1950s and 1960s largely consisted of simple stories marketed towards elementary ...
, experimented with new narratives and styles, and introduced themes such as psychology, gender, and sexuality. These developments attracted adult male fans of ''shōjo'' manga, who crossed gendered boundaries to produce and consume it. The first appearance of the term "Lolita complex" in manga was in ''Stumbling Upon a Cabbage Patch'', an ''
Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...
''–inspired work by
Shinji Wada was a Japanese manga artist in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, and best known for the creation of the ''Sukeban Deka'' franchise in 1979. History When Hakusensha published ''Sukeban Deka'' in 1979, Wada's work became very popular. He was com ...
published in a 1974 issue of the ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''
Bessatsu Margaret , or for short, is a shōjo manga magazine published monthly in Japan by Shueisha since 1964. The stories featured in it are noted to have an emphasis on character growth, focusing on themes of interpersonal relationships and settings of ever ...
'', where a male character calls
Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...
a man with a "strange character of liking only small children" in an inside joke to adult readers. Early ''lolicon'' artwork was influenced by male artists mimicking ''shōjo'' manga, as well as erotic manga created by female artists for male readers. The image of the ''shōjo'' (young girl) rose to prominence in Japanese mass media in the 1970s as a symbol of cuteness, innocence, and an "idealized
Eros Eros (, ; ) is the Greek god of love and sex. The Romans referred to him as Cupid or Amor. In the earliest account, he is a primordial god, while in later accounts he is the child of Aphrodite. He is usually presented as a handsome young ma ...
", attributes which became attached to imagery of younger girls over time. Nude photographs of ''shōjo'', conceived as
fine art In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...
, gained popularity: a photo collection titled ''Nymphet: The Myth of the 12-Year-Old'' was published in 1969, and in 1972 and 1973 there was an "Alice boom" in nude photos themed around ''Alice in Wonderland''. Specialty adult magazines carrying nude photos, fiction, and essays on the appeal of young girls emerged in the 1980s; this trend faded in the late 1980s, due to backlash and because many men preferred images of ''shōjo'' in manga and anime. The spread of such imagery, both in photographs and in manga, may have been helped by prohibitions on displaying
pubic hair Pubic hair (or pubes , ) is terminal hair, terminal body hair that is found in the sex organ, genital area and pubic region of adolescent and adult humans. The hair is located on and around the sex organs, and sometimes at the top of the inside ...
under Japan's obscenity laws.


1970s–1980s

The rise of ''lolicon'' as a genre began at
Comiket , more commonly known as or , is a semiannual Doujinshi convention, ''doujinshi'' convention in Tokyo, Japan. A grassroots market focused on the sale of ''doujin'' (self-published) works, Comiket is a not-for-profit fan convention administered ...
(Comic Market), a convention for the sale of ''
dōjinshi , also Romanization of Japanese, romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of ''doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of exi ...
'' (self-published works) founded in 1975 by adult male fans of ''shōjo'' manga. In 1979, a group of male artists published the first issue of the
fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...
'; its standout creator was
Hideo Azuma was a Japanese manga artist. Azuma made his professional debut in 1969 in the Akita Shoten manga magazine '' Manga Ō''. He was most well known for his science fiction ''lolicon''-themed works appearing in magazines such as ''Weekly Shōnen Ch ...
, who is known as the "Father of ''Lolicon''". Prior to ''Cybele'', the dominant style in ''seinen'' (marketed to men) and pornographic manga (''hentai'') was ''
gekiga is a style of Japanese comics aimed at adult audiences and marked by a more cinematic art style and more mature themes. ''Gekiga'' was the predominant style of adult comics in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s. It is aesthetically defined by sharp ...
'', characterized by realism, sharp angles, dark
hatching Hatching () is an artistic technique used to create tonal or shading effects by drawing (or painting or scribing) closely spaced parallel lines. When lines are placed at an angle to one another, it is called cross-hatching. Hatching is als ...
, and gritty linework. Azuma's manga, in contrast, displayed light shading and clean, circular lines, which he viewed as "thoroughly erotic" and sharing with ''shōjo'' manga a "lack of reality". Azuma's combination of the stout bodies of
Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu'', – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist and animator. Considered to be among the greatest and most influential cartoonists of all time, his prolific output, pioneering techniques an ...
's works and the emotive faces of ''shōjo'' manga marked the advent of the ''bishōjo'' and the aesthetic of "cute eroticism" (''
kawaii ''Kawaii'' is a Japanese cultural phenomenon which emphasizes cuteness, childlike innocence, charm, and simplicity. ''Kawaii'' culture began to flourish in the 1970s, driven by youth culture and the rise of cute characters in manga and anime ...
ero''). While erotic, ''lolicon'' manga was initially mainly viewed as humorous and parodic, but a large fan base soon grew in response to the alternative to pornographic ''gekiga'' that it represented. Erotic manga began to move away from combining realistic bodies and cartoony faces towards a wholly-unrealistic style. ''Lolicon'' manga played a role in attracting male fans to Comiket, whose participants were 90 percent female in 1975; by 1981, the proportion of male and female participants was equal. ''Lolicon'' manga, mostly created by and for men, served as a response to ''
yaoi , also known by its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that depicts homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created by women for a female audience, distinguishing it from the equivale ...
'' manga (featuring male
homoeroticism Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, including both male–male and female–female attraction. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be tempor ...
), mostly created by and for women. The early 1980s saw a "''lolicon'' boom" in professional and amateur art. The popularity of ''lolicon'' within the ''otaku'' community attracted the attention of publishers, who founded specialty publications dedicated to the genre such as ''
Lemon People was an adult ''lolicon'' and manga magazine published by Amatriasha from February 1982''Comic Box'', Fusion Product, April 1983, p.178 to November 1998 in Japan. The first issue had some gravure idol photographs, but the format of the magazine ...
'' and ''
Manga Burikko was a lolicon hentai manga magazine published by Byakuya Shobo in Tokyo from 1982 to 1985 in Japan. The magazine was launched as a competitor to '' Lemon People'', but it only lasted three years. The manga in the magazine were generally bishōjo ...
'', both in 1982. Other magazines of the boom included , ''Melon Comic'', and '. The genre's rise was closely linked to the concurrent development of ''otaku'' culture and growing fan consciousness; the word ''otaku'' itself was coined in ''Burikko'' in 1983. Originally founded as an unprofitable ''gekiga'' magazine, the publication was transformed into a ''lolicon'' magazine in 1983 by editor
Eiji Ōtsuka is a Japanese social critic, folklorist, media theorist, and novelist. He is currently a professor at International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto. He graduated from University of Tsukuba with a degree in anthropology, women's fol ...
, whose intention was to publish "''shōjo'' manga for boys". Reflecting the influence of ''shōjo'' manga, there was an increasingly small place in ''lolicon'' artwork for realistic characters and explicit depictions of sex; in 1983, ''Burikko'' editors yielded to reader demands by removing photographs of
gravure idol A model is a person with a Role (disambiguation), role either to display commercial product (business), products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as an Model (art), artist's model. Modelling ("modeling" in British and ...
models from its opening pages, publishing an issue with the subtitle "Totally ''Bishōjo'' Comic Magazine". ''Lolicon'' magazines regularly published female artists, such as
Kyoko Okazaki is a Japanese manga artist. During her career from the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s, she published her work in ''seinen'' manga magazines, ''josei'' manga magazines as well as fashion magazines. She produced around 20 volumes of manga, the mo ...
and
Erika Sakurazawa is a Japanese manga artist and essayist. Most of her works are published in josei magazines. Career Sakurazawa grew up in Tokyo. As a child, she read shōjo manga by Yukari Ichijo, Keiko Takemiya and Ryoko Yamagishi. During her second year of ...
, and male artists such as , dubbed the "King of ''Lolicon''", who produced 160 pages of manga per month to meet demand. Uchiyama's works were published both in niche magazines such as ''Lemon People'' and in the mainstream '' Shōnen Champion''. The first-ever pornographic anime series was ''
Lolita Anime is a collection of adult original video animations (OVA) produced by Wonder Kids. It contains many notable firsts, as the first erotic original video animation, depicting hentai scenes which include yuri, BDSM and lolicon characters. It ran ...
'', an
OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...
released episodically in 1984 and 1985. Iconic characters of the ''lolicon'' boom include Clarisse from the film '' Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro'' (1979) and Lana from the TV series ''
Future Boy Conan , also known as ''Conan, The Boy in Future'', is a Japanese post-apocalyptic science fiction anime series. It is an adaptation of American science-fiction writer Alexander Key's 1970 novel '' The Incredible Tide''. It was broadcast for twen ...
'' (1978), both directed by
Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli and serves as honorary chairman. Throughout his career, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Anime, Japanese ani ...
. Clarisse was especially popular, and inspired a series of articles discussing her appeal in the anime specialty magazines , , and ''
Animage is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine published by Tokuma Shoten since July 1978. Notable works serialized in the magazine include Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli a ...
'', as well as a trend of fan works dubbed "Clarisse magazines" which were not explicitly sexual, but instead "fairytale-esque" and "girly" in nature. Many early ''lolicon'' works combined
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...
and ''bishōjo'' elements; the premiere of the ''Daicon III Opening Animation'' at the 1981
Japan SF Convention Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in th ...
is one notable example of the prominence of science fiction and ''lolicon'' in the nascent ''otaku'' culture of the time. Anime shows targeted at young girls with young girl heroines, such as ''
Magical Princess Minky Momo is a Japanese magical girl anime franchise by Ashi Productions. The original series ran between 1982 and 1983 on TV Tokyo and inspired three OVAs between 1985 and 1987. A second television series, titled , ran on NTV between 1991 and ...
'' (1982–1983), gained new viewership from adult male fans, who started fan clubs and were courted by creators. The ''lolicon'' boom in commercial erotic manga only lasted until 1984. Near the end of the boom, because "readers had no attachment to ''lolicon'' per se" and "did not take oung girlsas objects of sexual desire", a majority of readers and creators of erotic manga moved towards the diversifying ''bishōjo'' works featuring "baby-faced and big-breasted" characters, which were no longer considered ''lolicon''. At Comiket, ''lolicon'' manga declined in popularity by 1989 following developments in erotic ''dōjinshi'', including new genres of fetishism and the growing popularity of softcore erotica popular with men and women, particularly in ''
yuri Yuri may refer to: People Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. *Yuri (Japanese name), feminine Japanese given names, including a list o ...
'' manga (featuring
lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...
themes).


1990s–present

In 1989, ''lolicon'' and ''otaku'' became the subject of a
media frenzy Media circus is a colloquial metaphor or idiom describing a news event for which the level of media coverage—measured by such factors as the number of reporters at the scene and the amount of material broadcast or published—is perceived to b ...
and
moral panic A moral panic is a widespread feeling of fear that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society. It is "the process of arousing social concern over an issue", usually perpetuated by moral e ...
after the arrest of
Tsutomu Miyazaki was a Japanese serial killer who murdered four young girls in Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture between August 1988 and June 1989. He abducted and killed the girls, aged from 4 to 7, in his car before dismembering them and molesting their corpses. ...
, a young man who had kidnapped and murdered four girls between the ages of four and seven and committed sexual acts with their corpses. Widely disseminated photos of Miyazaki's room revealed an extensive collection of video tapes, which included horror/slasher films on which he had modelled some of his crimes, and manga, including ''shōjo'' and ''lolicon'' works. In the extended public debates that followed, Miyazaki's crimes were blamed on supposed
media effects In media studies, mass communication, media psychology, communication theory, and sociology, media influence and the media effect are topics relating to mass media and media culture's effects on individuals' or audiences' thoughts, attitudes, and ...
: namely, a reduction in his inhibitions to crime, and a blurring of the lines between fiction and reality. Miyazaki was labelled as an ''otaku'', and an image of ''otaku'' as "socially and sexually immature" men, and for some as "pedophiles and potential predators", was established for much of the public. In February 1991, there were ''doujinshi'' creators who sold their work through supportive comic book stores. This practice came to light when three managers of such shops were arrested for having a ''lolicon'' ''doujinshi'' for sale. The decade saw local crackdowns on retailers and publishers of "harmful manga", and the arrests of some manga artists. Despite this, ''lolicon'' imagery expanded and became more acceptable within manga in the 1990s, and the early 2000s saw a small boom in the genre sparked by the magazine ''
Comic LO , abbreviated as LO, is a Japanese ''lolicon''-focused erotic manga magazine. The magazine has been published by Akane Shinsha since the October 2002 issue released on September 20, 2002, and was published irregularly until May 2004, when it becam ...
''.


Media

''Lolicon'' media is loosely defined. Some define its characters by age, while others define its characters by appearance (those which are small and flat-chested, independent of age). ''Lolicon'' works often depict girl characters as innocent, precocious, and sometimes flirtatious; characters may appear in borderline or outright sexual situations, though the term can be applied to works with neither. According to Kaoru Nagayama, manga readers define ''lolicon'' works as those "with a heroine younger than a middle school student", a definition which can vary from characters under age 18 for "society at large", to characters "younger than gradeschool-aged" for "fanatics", and to "kindergarteners" for "more pedophiliac readers". Girl characters in ''lolicon'' can display a contradictory performance of age in which their body, behavior, and role in a story conflict; for example, ''lolibaba'' ("Lolita granny") characters speak and behave with the mannerisms of older women, which runs in contrast with their appearance or other aspects of their behaviors that may be seen as youthful. Curvy hips and other
secondary sex characteristic A secondary sex characteristic is a physical characteristic of an organism that is related to or derived from its sex, but not directly part of its reproductive system. In humans, these characteristics typically start to appear during pubert ...
s similarly appear as features in many of the genre's characters. Plot devices often explain the young appearance of characters who are non-human or actually much older, although this is not always the case. Akira Akagi identifies themes in ''lolicon'' manga including
sadomasochism Sadism () and masochism (), known collectively as sadomasochism ( ) or S&M, is the derivation of pleasure from acts of respectively inflicting or receiving pain or humiliation. The term is named after the Marquis de Sade, a French author known ...
, "groping objects" (alien
tentacles In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...
or robots in the role of the penis), "mecha fetishes" (combinations of a machine and a girl), erotic parodies of mainstream manga and anime, and "simply indecent or perverted stuff", also noting common themes of lesbianism and masturbation. Media scholar Setsu Shigematsu argues that forms of substitution and mimicry enable ''lolicon'' to "transform straight sex into a parodic form". More extreme works depict themes including coercion, rape, incest, bondage, and
hermaphroditism A hermaphrodite () is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic. The individuals of many ...
. Nagayama argues that most pornographic ''lolicon'' manga deal with a "consciousness of sin", or a sense of taboo and guilt in its consumption. Some manga manage this by portraying the girl as enjoying the experience in the end, while others represent the girl as the active partner in sex who seduces men to her. Other ''lolicon'' manga, where "men are absolute evil and girls are pitiable victims", indulge in the "pleasure of sin" through the breaking of taboos, which he argues affirms the fragility of the characters. He posits that manga depicting sex between children avoid the "consciousness of sin" via mutual innocence, while also thematizing nostalgia and an idealized past, while other ''lolicon'' manga accomplish this through characters with especially unrealistic and ''moe'' designs, where "it is precisely because fiction is distinguished from reality as fiction that one can experience ''moe''". ''Lolicon'' manga, often published as ''dōjinshi'' or compiled in anthology magazines, is mostly consumed by male audiences, though Nagayama notes that the works of have "resonated with female readers" and "earned the support of women". Other notable artists include Aguda Wanyan, , and female creators Erika Wada and . ''Lolicon'' imagery is a prominent theme in
Superflat Superflat is a postmodern art movement, founded by Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami, which is influenced by manga and anime. However, superflat does not have an explicit definition because Takashi Murakami does not want to limit ...
, a manga-influenced art movement founded by
Takashi Murakami is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial media (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between High art, high and low arts. His wo ...
. Superflat artists whose works incorporate ''lolicon'' include
Mr. ''Mister'', usually written in its contracted form ''Mr.'' (American English) or ''Mr'' (British English), is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. ...
and
Henmaru Machino Henmaru Machino (町野 変丸 ''Machino Henmaru'', sometimes given as 'Hanmaru', born 1969, Aomori Prefecture) is a Japanese artist, described as the Magritte of the eromanga world, whose works prominently feature themes of bestiality, dysmorp ...
.


Relation to ''moe''

In the 1990s, ''lolicon'' imagery evolved and contributed to the mainstream development of '' moe'', the generalized affective response to fictional characters (typically ''bishōjo'' characters in manga, anime, and computer games) and its associated design elements. The ''bishōjo'' character form moved from niche, ''otaku'' publications to mainstream manga magazines, and saw explosive popularity in the decade with the rise of ''bishōjo'' games and anime series such as ''
Neon Genesis Evangelion , also known as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and Tatsunoko Production, and directed by Hideaki Anno. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo and its affiliates from October 1995 to March 1 ...
'', which pioneered media and merchandising based on fan affection for their female protagonists. ''Moe'' characters, which tend to be physically immature girl characters exemplified by cuteness, are ubiquitous in contemporary manga and anime. In contrast to ''lolicon'', sexuality in ''moe'' is treated indirectly or not at all; the ''moe'' response is often defined with emphasis on
platonic love Platonic love is a type of love in which sexual desire or romantic features are nonexistent or have been suppressed or sublimated, but it means more than simple friendship. The term is derived from the name of Greek philosopher Plato, tho ...
. John Oppliger of ''
AnimeNation AnimeNation was an American business that included RentAnime.com, a discussion forum, anime industry news, and a column called "Ask John". It was previously a retailer of anime and manga products until 2014 and an anime licensing and distribu ...
'' identifies ''
Ro-Kyu-Bu! is a Japanese light novel series written by Sagu Aoyama and illustrated by Tinkle. ASCII Media Works published 15 novels between February 2009 to July 2015. The series follows a high school freshman Subaru Hasegawa who becomes the coa ...
'', ''
Kodomo no Jikan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kaworu Watashiya. The story revolves around a grade school teacher named Daisuke Aoki, whose main problem is that one of his students, Rin Kokonoe, has a crush on him. It was serializ ...
'', and ''
Moetan is a series of English language study aids published by SansaiBooks in Japan. Targeted at otaku, it attempted to teach English words using examples drawn from computer games and anime. In the reprint of the first ''Moetan'' book and the bath ...
'' as examples of series which challenge the distinction between ''moe'' and ''lolicon'' through use of
sexual innuendo An innuendo is a hint, insinuation or intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called insinuation), that works obliquely by allusion ...
, commenting that they "satire the chaste sanctity of the ''moé'' phenomenon" and "poke fun at viewers and the arbitrary delineations that viewers assert". "''Moe''-style" ''lolicon'' works depict mild eroticism, such as glimpses of underwear, and forgo explicit sex.


Legality

Child pornography laws in some countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, have expanded since the 1990s to include sexually explicit depictions of fictional child characters, while those in other countries, including Japan, exclude fiction from relevant definitions. In 1999, Japan passed a national law criminalizing the production and distribution of child pornography. The law's original draft included depictions of fictional children in its definition of child pornography; after "criticism from many in Japan", this text was removed in the final version. In 2014, Japan's parliament amended the 1999 law to criminalize possession of child pornography; the 2013 draft introduced by the
Liberal Democratic Party Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...
(LDP), which maintained the existing legal definition, included a provision for a government investigation on whether manga, anime, and computer-generated images "similar to child pornography" were connected to child sexual abuse, which would be followed by a later decision on regulation. This provision was opposed by manga-related organizations, including the
Japan Cartoonists Association The , established April 1, 2014, is a Japanese public interest incorporated association and professional association of manga artist A manga artist, also known as a mangaka (), is a Cartoonist, comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. ...
, which argued that regulation would infringe upon
freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
and negatively impact the industry. The provision was removed from the final version of the law, which took effect in 2015. ''Lolicon'' media is a common target of local ordinances in Japan which restrict distribution of materials designated "harmful to the healthy development of youth", which were strengthened throughout the 1990s and 2000s. An amendment proposed in 2010 to the Tokyo law on material banned from sale to minors (described by Vice Governor
Naoki Inose is a Japanese politician, journalist, historian, social critic and biographer of literary figures such as Yukio Mishima and Osamu Dazai. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Tokyo from June 2007Jun Hongo"Ishihara's new right-hand man settles in." ...
as targeting non-pornographic ''lolicon'' manga, writing that "We had regulation for ''eromanga'', but not for ''lolicon''") restricted depictions of "non-existent youths" who appeared under age 18 and were portrayed in "anti-social sexual situations". After heavy opposition from manga creators, academics, and fans, the bill was rejected in June 2010 by the
Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly The is the Prefectures of Japan, prefectural parliament of Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis. Its 127 members are elected every four years in 42 districts by single non-transferable vote. 23 electoral districts equal the Special wards of Tokyo, special wa ...
; however, a new revision passed in December 2010 which restricts "manga, anime, and computer games" where any characters engage in "sexual or pseudo sexual acts that would be illegal in real life" depicted in a way that "glorifies or exaggerates" such acts. In 2011, several manga were listed for restriction, including ' ("My Wife Is an Elementary Student"); it was published online by J-Comi, avoiding restriction. Sexualized depictions of young girl characters have also been subject to censorship and restriction outside of Japan. In 2006, North American publisher
Seven Seas Entertainment Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as w ...
licensed the manga series ''
Kodomo no Jikan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kaworu Watashiya. The story revolves around a grade school teacher named Daisuke Aoki, whose main problem is that one of his students, Rin Kokonoe, has a crush on him. It was serializ ...
'' for release under the title ''Nymphet'', but cancelled its plans in 2007 after vendor cancellations. In a statement, the company stated that the manga "cannot be considered appropriate for the US market by any reasonable standard". In 2020, Australian senator
Stirling Griff Stirling Griff (born 2 December 1957) is an Australian former politician who was a Senator for South Australia from 2016 to 2022, representing Centre Alliance. His party changed its name from Nick Xenophon Team (NXT), led by Senator Nick Xenopho ...
criticized the
Australian Classification Board The Australian Classification Board (ACB or CB) is an Australian Government of Australia, government Statute, statutory body responsible for the classification and censorship of films, television programmes, video games and publications for ex ...
for giving ratings to manga and anime depicting "child exploitation", and called for a review of classification regulations; later that year, the board banned the import and sale of three volumes of the
light novel A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging. The abbr ...
series ''
No Game No Life is a Japanese light novel series by Yuu Kamiya. It is published under the MF Bunko J imprint with twelve novels released between April 25, 2012, and February 25, 2023. The author and his wife, Mashiro Hiiragi, adapted the novels into ...
'' for sexual depiction of young characters. Some online platforms, including
Discord Discord is an instant messaging and Voice over IP, VoIP social platform which allows communication through Voice over IP, voice calls, Videotelephony, video calls, text messaging, and digital media, media. Communication can be private or take ...
,
Reddit Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...
, and
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, actively ban ''lolicon'' content.


Debate

Explaining the exclusion of ''lolicon'' material from the 2014 child pornography law amendment, an LDP lawmaker stated that "manga, anime, and CG child pornography don't directly violate the rights of girls or boys" and that "it has not been scientifically validated that it even indirectly causes damage". Manga creators and activists argue that the
Japanese constitution The Constitution of Japan is the supreme law of Japan. Written primarily by American civilian officials during the occupation of Japan after World War II, it was adopted on 3 November 1946 and came into effect on 3 May 1947, succeeding the Mei ...
guarantees artistic freedom of expression, and that laws restricting ''lolicon'' material would be unconstitutional. Statistically, sexual abuse of minors in Japan has declined since the 1960s and 1970s as the prevalence of ''lolicon'' media has increased; cultural anthropologist Patrick W. Galbraith interprets this as evidence that ''lolicon'' imagery does not necessarily influence crimes, while Steven Smet suggests that ''lolicon'' is an "exorcism of fantasies" that contributes to Japan's low crime rates. Drawing on his fieldwork, Galbraith argues that ''otaku'' culture collectively promotes media literacy and an ethical position of separating fiction and reality, especially when the conflation of the two would be dangerous. A 2012 report by the Sexologisk Klinik for the Danish government found no evidence that individuals that view cartoons and drawings depicting fictitious child sexual abuse are more likely to engage in child sexual abuse in the real world. Sharalyn Orbaugh argues that manga depicting underage sexuality can help victims of child sexual abuse to work through their own trauma, and that there is greater harm in regulating sexual expression than potential harm caused by such manga. Legal scholar Hiroshi Nakasatomi opines that ''lolicon'' material can distort consumers' sexual desires and induce crime, a view shared by the non-profit organization CASPAR, whose founder Kondo Mitsue argues that "freedom of expression does not allow for the depiction of little girls being violently raped, depriving them of their basic human rights". Some critics, such as the non-profit organization
Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...
, argue that ''lolicon'' works can be used for
sexual grooming Sexual grooming is the action or behavior used to establish an emotional connection with a vulnerable person – generally a minor under the age of consent – and sometimes the victim's family, to lower their inhibitions with the objective of se ...
, and that they encourage a culture which accepts sexual abuse of children. In 2015, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children,
Maud de Boer-Buquicchio Maud de Boer-Buquicchio (born December 28, 1944) is a Dutch jurist and former UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. She served as Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe from 2002 and ...
, called for further discussion and research on "manga depicting extreme child pornography" and a resultant "banalization of child sexual abuse" in Japan, and called for a ban on such material. Guidelines released in 2019 by the
United Nations Human Rights Committee The United Nations Human Rights Committee is a treaty body composed of 18 experts, established by a 1966 human rights treaty, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The Committee meets for three four-week sessions per yea ...
encouraged state parties to include explicit drawings of fictional children in laws against child pornography, "in particular when such representations are used as part of a process to sexually exploit children". Feminist critic Kuniko Funabashi argues that the themes of ''lolicon'' material contribute to sexual violence by portraying girls passively and by "presenting the female body as the man's possession". Legal scholar Shin'ichirō Harata argues that child pornography laws should not collapse reality and fiction together, but also that fans should not dismiss an ambivalence represented by ''lolicon''. He describes the practice of keeping the two separated as the "ethics of ''moe''", or "responsibility of ''otaku''".


Analysis

Culture and media scholars responding to ''lolicon'' generally identify it as distinct from attraction to real young girls. Cultural anthropologist Patrick W. Galbraith finds that "from early writings to the present, researchers suggest that ''lolicon'' artists are playing with symbols and working with tropes, which does not reflect or contribute to sexual pathology or crime". Psychologist
Tamaki Saitō is a Japanese psychologist and critic. He specializes in the psychiatry of puberty and adolescence. Saitō is Director of Medical Service at Sofukai Sasaki Hospital in Funabashi, Chiba. Saitō is notable for his study of '' hikikomori'', a ter ...
, who has conducted clinical work with ''otaku'', highlights an estrangement of ''lolicon'' desires from reality as part of a distinction for ''otaku'' between "textual and actual sexuality", and observes that "the vast majority of ''otaku'' are not pedophiles in actual life". Manga researcher Yukari Fujimoto argues that ''lolicon'' desire "is not for a child, but for the image itself", and that this is understood by those "brought up in apan'sculture of drawing and fantasy". Sociologist Mark McLelland identifies ''lolicon'' and ''yaoi'' as "self-consciously anti-realist" genres, given a rejection by fans and creators of "three-dimensionality" in favor of "two-dimensionality", and compares ''lolicon'' to the ''yaoi'' fandom, in which fans consume depictions of homosexuality which "lack any correspondent in the real world". Setsu Shigematsu argues that ''lolicon'' reflects a shift in "erotic investment" from reality to "two-dimensional figures of desire". Queer theorist Yuu Matsuura criticizes the classification of ''lolicon'' works as "child pornography" as an expression of "
human-oriented sexualism Fictosexuality is sexual attraction towards fictional characters. Romantic attraction towards fictional characters is called ''fictoromantic attraction''. The term ''fictosexuality'' describes the desire to engage in sexual relationships with f ...
" which marginalizes
fictosexuality Fictosexuality is sexual attraction towards fictional characters. Romantic attraction towards fictional characters is called ''fictoromantic attraction''. The term ''fictosexuality'' describes the desire to engage in sexual relationships with f ...
, or ''
nijikon or , from the English phrase "2D complex", is a sexual or affective attraction towards two-dimensional anime, manga, and light novel characters, as opposed to an attraction towards real human beings. It has been interpreted by some observers ...
'', describing sexual or affective attraction towards two-dimensional characters. Many scholars also identify ''lolicon'' as a form of self-expression on the part of its male creators and consumers. Sociologist Sharon Kinsella suggests that for ''lolicon'' fans, "the infantilized female object of desire ..has crossed over to become an aspect of their own self image and sexuality". Akira Akagi argues that ''lolicon'' manga represented a notable shift in reader identification from the "hero" penetrator common to pornographic ''gekiga'': "''Lolicon'' readers do not need a penis for pleasure, but rather they need the ecstasy of the girl. ..They identify with the girl, and get caught up in a masochistic pleasure." Manga critic Gō Itō views this as an "abstract desire", quoting a ''lolicon'' artist who told him that "he was the girl who is raped in his manga", reflecting a feeling of being "raped by society, or by the world". Kaoru Nagayama posits that ''lolicon'' readers adopt a fluid perspective that alternates between that of an omniscient voyeur and the multiple characters in a work, reflecting an active reader role and a projection onto girl characters. Writing in ''The Book of Otaku'' (1989), feminist
Chizuko Ueno is a Japanese sociologist and Japan's "best-known feminist". Her work covers sociological issues including semiotics, capitalism, and feminism in Japan. Ueno is known for the quality, polarizing nature, and accessibility of her work. She was ma ...
argued that ''lolicon'', as an orientation towards fictional ''bishōjo'', is "completely different from pedophilia", and characterized it as a desire to "be part of the 'cute' world of ''shōjo''" for male fans of ''shōjo'' manga who "find it too much to be a man". Several scholars identify the emergence of ''lolicon'' with changes in Japanese gender relations. Sociologist Kimio Itō attributes the rise of ''lolicon'' manga to a shift in the 1970s and 1980s, when boys, driven by a feeling that girls were "surpassing them in terms of willpower and action", turned to the "world of imagination", in which young girl characters are "easy to control". Kinsella interprets ''lolicon'' as part of a "gaze of both fear and desire" stimulated by the growing power of women in society, and as a reactive desire to see the ''shōjo'' "infantilized, undressed, and subordinate". Media scholar Chizuko Naitō views ''lolicon'' as reflecting a broader "societal desire" for young girls as sex symbols in Japan (which she calls a "loliconized society"). Cultural anthropologist Christine Yano argues that eroticized imagery of the ''shōjo'', "real or fictive", reflects "heteronormative pedophilia" in which emphasis is placed on the ephemerality of childhood: "it is ''as child'' that
he ''shōjo'' He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
becomes precious as a transitory figure threatened by impending adulthood".


See also

*
Junior idol A , also known as a or , is a type of entertainer under the age of 18 or 16, manufactured and marketed for their image, attractiveness and personality. It is a sub-category of the idol culture in Japanese pop entertainment. Junior idols are pri ...
– child or teenage entertainer in Japanese pop culture * Lolita fashion – Japanese fashion style and subculture * ''
Shotacon , abbreviated from , is, in Japanese contexts, the attraction to young (or young-looking) boy characters, or media centered around this attraction. The term refers to a genre of manga and anime wherein prepubescent or pubescent male character ...
'' – male equivalent of ''lolicon'', focused on young boy characters *
Simulated child pornography Simulated child pornography is child pornography depicting what appear to be minors but which is produced without their direct involvement. Types Types of this form of pornography include: *Modified photographs of real children *Fully computer ...
– produced without direct involvement of children *
Victimless crime A victimless crime is an illegal act that typically either directly involves only the perpetrator or occurs between consenting adults. Because it is consensual in nature, whether there involves a victim is a matter of debate. Definitions of vi ...
– illegal acts which do not directly involve others


Notes


References


Citations


Works cited

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * * * * * * * * *


External links

* {{Video game controversy 1970s neologisms Animation controversies Anime and manga controversies Anime and manga genres Anime and manga terminology Female stock characters in anime and manga Hentai Japanese sex terms Obscenity controversies in animation Obscenity controversies in comics Obscenity controversies in video games Girls