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{{Short description|Genre of sexualized young girl characters}}
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{{Nihongo|'''''Lolicon'''''|ロリコン|rorikon}}, also ] as '''''lolikon''''' or '''''rorikon''''', is Japanese ] or media focusing on the attraction to young or prepubescent girls. The term ''lolicon'' is a ] of the phrase "] ]";<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/?|script-title=ja:ロリコン|publisher=SPACE ALC|language=Japanese|accessdate=January 7, 2008}}</ref> it describes an attraction to young or prepubescent girls, an individual with such an attraction, or ''lolicon'' ] or ''lolicon'' ], a genre of manga and anime wherein childlike female characters are often depicted in an "erotic-cute" manner (also known as ]), in an art style reminiscent of the ] (girls' comics) style.<ref name="Darling82"/><ref name="McCarthy">] and ] (1999). ''The Erotic Anime Movie Guide''. Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press. See pp. 43, on lolikon anime.</ref><ref name="WWD">{{cite news |url=http://www.wwd.com/media-news/on-the-drawing-board-492520 |title=On the drawing board. (Lehmann Maupin gallery)|first=Rosemary |last=Feitelberg |work=] |date=June 22, 2007|page=13 |quote=His paintings include a garter-wearing prepubescent maid and a knock-kneed girl in a panty-exposing pose—apparent references to his Lolita complex, or what manga and anime followers refer to as being a 'lolicon.' |accessdate=July 30, 2012}}</ref><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=1-934843-65-2|page=169}}</ref>
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]. ''Lolicon'' artwork often blends childlike characteristics with erotic undertones.]]{{Anime and manga}}
In ], {{Nihongo|'''''lolicon'''''|ロリコン|rorikon|}} 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 ] of the English-language phrase "] ]", also refers to desire and affection for such characters ({{lang|ja|ロリ}}, "loli"), and their fans. Associated mainly with stylized imagery in ], ], and ], ''lolicon'' in '']'' culture is generally understood as distinct from desires for realistic depictions of young girls, or real young girls as such,{{sfn|Galbraith|2016|pp=113–114|ps=: "Given its importance, it is not surprising that ''lolicon'' has been well researched in Japan over the course of decades, which has led to numerous insights. Characters are not compensating for something more 'real,' but rather are in their fiction the object of affection. This has been described as 'finding sexual objects in fiction in itself', which in discussions of ''lolicon'' is made explicitly distinct from desire for and abuse of children."}}<ref>{{harvnb|McLelland|2011b|p=16|ps=: "Japanese scholarship has, on the whole, argued that, in the case of Japanese fans, neither the Loli nor the ] fandom represent the interests of paedophiles since moe characters are not objectified in the same manner that actual images of children can be, rather they express aspects of their creators' or consumers' own identities."}}</ref>{{sfn|Kittredge|2014|p=524|ps=: "The majority of the cultural critics responding to the Japanese ''otaku''{{'s}} erotic response to ''lolicon'' images emphasize, like Keller, that no children are harmed in the production of these images and that looking with desire at a stylized drawing of a young girl is not the same as lusting after an actual child."}} and is associated with '']'', or affection for fictional characters, often '']'' (cute girl) characters in manga or anime.


The phrase "Lolita complex", derived from the novel '']'', entered use in Japan in the 1970s. During the "''lolicon'' boom" in ] 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 ], marked a shift from realism, and the advent of "cute eroticism" (''] 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.
Outside Japan, ''lolicon'' is in less common usage and usually refers to the genre. The term is a reference to ]'s book '']'', in which a middle-aged man becomes sexually obsessed with a twelve-year-old girl. It was first used in Japan in the 1970s and quickly became used to describe erotic ] (amateur comics) portrayals of young girls.


Since the 1990s, ''lolicon'' has been a keyword in manga debates in Japan and globally. Child pornography laws in some countries ], while those in other countries, including Japan, do not.<ref name="McLelland 2016" /> Opponents and supporters have debated if the genre contributes to ]. Culture and media scholars generally identify ''lolicon'' with a broader separation between fiction and reality within ''otaku'' sexuality.
Laws have been enacted in various countries, including in Japan, which regulate explicit content featuring children or childlike characters. Some countries, such as the United Kingdom, have made it illegal to possess lolicon.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/anime-fan-convicted-over-illegal-7958896|title=Middlesbrough man creates legal history after being convicted of possessing illegal images of cartoon children|last=Lightfoot|first=Gareth|date=2014-10-19|work=gazettelive|access-date=2018-07-25}}</ref> Parent and citizens groups in Japan have organized to work toward stronger controls and stricter laws governing ''lolicon'' manga and other similar media. Studies of ''lolicon'' fans state that they are attracted to an aesthetic of cuteness rather than the age of the characters,<ref name=Akagi/> and that collecting ''lolicon'' represents a disconnect from society.<ref name=Ito/><ref name="Shigematsu 138"/><ref name=Goode/>


==Definition and scope== ==Definition==
''Lolicon'' is a ] of "] ]" ({{lang|ja|ロリータ・コンプレックス}}, ''rorīta konpurekkusu''),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nihon Kokugo Daijiten |title=ロリコンとは? 意味や使い方 |trans-title=What is "lolicon"? Meaning and usage |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E3%83%AD%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3-663979 |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=Kotobank |language=ja |quote=〘名〙 「ロリータコンプレックス」の略。( abbreviation of "Lolita complex")}}</ref> an English-language phrase derived from ]'s novel '']'' (1955) and introduced to Japan in Russell Trainer's ''The Lolita Complex'' (1966, translated 1969),{{sfn|Takatsuki|2010|p=6|ps= , cited in {{harvnb|Galbraith|2011|p=94}}.}} a work of ] in which it is used to denote attraction to pubescent and pre-pubescent girls.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stapleton |first=Adam |date=2016 |editor-last=McLelland |editor-first=Mark |title=The End of Cool Japan: Ethical, Legal, and Cultural Challenges to Japanese Popular Culture |chapter=All seizures great and small: Reading contentious images of minors in Japan and Australia |pages=134–162 |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-26937-3}}</ref> In Japanese, the phrase was adopted to describe feelings of love and lust for young girls over adult women,{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=117}} which remains the term's common meaning.{{sfn|Shigematsu|1999|p=129}} Due to its association with '']'' culture, the term is more often used to describe desires for young or young-looking girl characters ({{nihongo2|ロリ}}, "loli") in ] or ], which are generally understood to exist within fiction.{{sfn|Galbraith|2021|p=163}} However, the meaning of the term remains contested,{{sfn|Galbraith|2017|p=119}} and it carries a connotation of ] for much of the public.<ref>{{harvnb|Galbraith|2019|pp=65, 68–69}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Galbraith|2023|p=3|ps=: "Today, ''lolicon'' is understood in at least three ways: as a subgenre of or tag for pornographic comics and cartoons specifically interested in young characters; as more generalized interest in manga/anime-style cute girls; and as something synonymous with child abuse material. It is also used casually to refer to men interested in younger women and girls."}}</ref>{{efn|Translator Matt Alt states that the term is treated as "something of a four-letter word virtually synonymous with pedophilia",<ref name="Alt 2014" /> and Patrick W. Galbraith similarly writes that {{"'}}lolicon' is often almost synonymous with 'pedophilia' for critics today".{{sfn|Galbraith|2021|p=65}}}} ''Lolicon'' also refers to works, particularly sexually suggestive or erotic, which feature such characters, and their fans.{{sfn|Galbraith|2012|p=348}} ''Lolicon'' is distinct from words for pedophilia (''yōji-zuki'' and ''pedofiria''; clinically, ''shōniseiai'' and ''jidōseiai''){{efn|''yōji-zuki'' ({{lang|ja|幼児好き}}); ''pedofiria'' ({{lang|ja|ペドフィリア}}); ''shōniseiai'' ({{lang|ja|小児性愛}}); ''jidōseiai'' ({{lang|ja|児童性愛}})}} and for ] (''jidō poruno'').{{efn|{{lang|ja|児童ポルノ}}}}{{sfn|Galbraith|2017|p=119}}
Generally, manga and anime featuring ''lolicon'' include sexual attraction to younger girls or to girls with youthful characteristics. Individuals in each group respond sexually to visual images of children and young people in distinct and narrow age ranges.{{clarify|date=March 2017}}<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Blanchard | first1 = R. | last2 = Kuban | first2 = M. E. | last3 = Blak | first3 = T. | last4 = Klassen | first4 = P. E. | last5 = Dickey | first5 = R. | last6 = Cantor | first6 = J. M. | doi = 10.1007/s10508-010-9675-3 | title = Sexual Attraction to Others: A Comparison of Two Models of Alloerotic Responding in Men | journal = Archives of Sexual Behavior | volume = 41 | issue = 1 | pages = 13–29 | year = 2010 | pmid = 20848175 | pmc =3310141 }}</ref> Manga and anime featuring ''lolicon'' contain images and narratives involving romantic and erotic interactions between typically an adult man and a girl in the age range desired by such men.<ref name="McCarthy"/>


The meaning of ''lolicon'' within the ''otaku'' context developed in the early 1980s, during the "''lolicon'' boom"{{efn|{{lang|ja|ロリコンブーム}}, ''rorikon būmu''}} in erotic manga (see {{section link||History}}). 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.{{sfn|Akagi|1993|p=230|ps=, cited in {{harvnb|Galbraith|2011|p=102}}.}} Others defined ''lolicon'' as a desire for "cute things",{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|page=87}} "manga-like" or "anime-like" characters, "roundness", and the "two-dimensional" as opposed to the "real".{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|p=21}} At the time, all eroticism in the manga style featuring '']'' (cute girl) characters was associated with the term,{{sfn|Galbraith|2016|p=113}} and synonyms of "Lolita complex" included "]" (''nijigen konpurekkusu''), "two-dimensional fetishism" (''nijikon fechi''), "two-dimensional syndrome" (''nijikon shōkōgun''), "cute girl syndrome" (''bishōjo shōkōgun''), and simply "sickness" (''byōki'').{{efn|''nijigen konpurekkusu'' ({{lang|ja|二次元コンプレックス}}); ''nijikon fechi'' ({{lang|ja|二次元コンフェチ}}); ''nijikon shōkōgun'' ({{lang|ja|二次元コン症候群}}); ''bishōjo shōkōgun'' ({{lang|ja|美少女症候群}}); ''byōki'' ({{lang|ja|病気}})}}{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|p=54}} 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.{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=121}}{{sfn|Galbraith|2023|p=3}}
Strictly speaking, ''Lolita complex'' in ] refers to the ] itself, but the abbreviation ''lolicon'' can also refer to an individual who has the paraphilia.<ref name="WWD"/> ''Lolicon'' is widespread 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|pages=|isbn=0-8248-2318-4}}{{Page needed|date=March 2011}}</ref> ''Lolicon'' anime and manga are typically consumed by young men.<ref>Hinton, H. R., "" ''Intercultural Communication Studies'' 2014, vol. 23, no.2.</ref> Many general bookstores and newsstands openly offer illustrated ''lolicon'' material, but there has also been police action against ''lolicon'' manga.<ref name="adultmanga"/>


''Lolicon'' became a keyword after the 1989 arrest of ], a serial killer of young girls who was portrayed by the Japanese media as an ''otaku'' (see {{section link||History}}).{{sfn|Galbraith|2016|p=114}} As ''lolicon'' was conflated with pedophilia in the public debates on "harmful manga",{{efn|''yūgai komikku'' ({{lang|ja|]}}) or ''yūgai manga'' ({{lang|ja|有害漫画}})}} its meaning was replaced among ''otaku'' by '']'', which refers to feelings of affection for characters more generally.{{sfn|Galbraith|2016|p=114}} Like ''moe'', ''lolicon'' is still used by many ''otaku'' to refer to attraction which is consciously distinct from reality;{{sfn|Galbraith|2016|p=114}} some ''otaku'' identify as "two-dimensional ''lolicon''" (''nijigen rorikon''){{Efn|{{lang|ja|二次元ロリコン}}}} to specify their attraction to characters.{{sfn|Galbraith|2017|p=119}} The term has become a keyword in criticism of manga and sexuality within Japan,{{sfn|Galbraith|2021|p=47}} as well as globally with the spread of ].{{sfn|Galbraith|2016|p=110}}
The '']'' (cute) and '']'' (erotic-cute) style 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"/> ] shops cater to men with ''lolicon'' complexes by selling unwashed panties, men can make dates with teenagers through '']'' (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=] |date=6 October 1995 |page=Spectrum, p.9 |accessdate=13 February 2011 }}</ref> and some schoolgirls moonlight as prostitutes.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-56844390|title=Teen prostitutes sell favors after school in Tokyo|author=Willis Witter|work=]|date=April 6, 1997|accessdate=January 13, 2008|format=fee required}}</ref> Sharon Kinsella observed an increase in unsubstantiated accounts of ] in the media in the late 1990s, and speculated that these unproven reports developed in counterpoint to the increased reporting on ]. She speculated that, "It may be that the image of happy girls selling themselves voluntarily cancels out the other guilty image".<ref name="comic relief" />


==History==
==Genre characteristics and meaning outside Japan==
===Background===
''Lolicon'' manga are usually short stories, published as '']'' (fan works) or in magazines specializing in the genre such as '']'',<ref name="Galbraith 2011" /> '']''<ref name="kieta">{{cite book |editor1-last=Shinpo |editor1-first=Nobunaga |editor1-link=:ja:新保信長 |script-title=ja:消えたマンガ雑誌 |trans-title=Vanished Manga Magazines |date=February 14, 2000 |publisher=] |location=], Japan |language=Japanese |isbn=4-8401-0006-3 |pages=30–37 |trans-chapter=It all started with erotica |chapter=すべてはエロから始まった}}</ref><ref name="Bouissou">Bouissou, Jean-Marie. (2010). ''Manga: Historire et Univers de la Bande Dessinée Japonaise.'' Arles, France: Editions Philippe Picquier. p. 289. The term "burikko" derives from ''buri'' = "style, manner" and ''ko,'' from ''kodomo'' = "child;" Bouissou, p. 289.</ref> and '']'' (where "LO" is an abbreviation for "Lolita Only").<ref name="lo">{{cite web|url=http://www.akaneshinsha.co.jp/akane/lo/index.html|title=COMIC LO エルオー最新刊|publisher=Akane Shinsha|accessdate=March 12, 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080718195334/http://www.akaneshinsha.co.jp/akane/lo/|archivedate=July 18, 2008 }}</ref> 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 erotic genres, such as ] and '']''.<ref name="adultmanga" /> Plot devices are often used to explain the young appearance for many of the characters.<ref name="Otaku">{{cite book|title=]|author=Galbraith, Patrick W.|others=Foreword by Schodt, Frederik L. and Photography by Katsuhide, Asuki|edition=First|year=2009|publisher=]|location=Tokyo, Japan|isbn=978-4-7700-3101-3|pages=128–129}}</ref> Schoolgirls ] are common characters in the ''lolicon'' genre.<ref name="Darling82">Darling, p.82</ref>
In the 1970s, ] (marketed to girls) underwent a renaissance in which artists, such as those of the ], experimented with new narratives and styles, and introduced themes such as psychology, gender, and sexuality.{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|p=20}} These developments attracted adult male fans of ''shōjo'' manga, who crossed gendered boundaries to produce and consume it.{{sfn|Galbraith|2016|pp=111–112}} The first appearance of the term "Lolita complex" in manga was in ''Stumbling Upon a Cabbage Patch'',{{Efn|{{lang|ja-Latn|Kyabetsu-batake de Tsumazuite}} ({{lang|ja|キャベツ畑でつまずいて}})}} an '']''–inspired work by ] published in a 1974 issue of the ''shōjo'' manga magazine '']'', where a male character calls ] a man with a "strange character of liking only small children" in an inside joke to adult readers.{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|p=28}}{{Efn|See {{format linkr|Lewis_Carroll#Speculation of sexual conduct by scholars (1940s onwards)}}.}} Early ''lolicon'' artwork was influenced by male artists mimicking ''shōjo'' manga,{{sfn|Schodt|1996|p=55}}{{sfn|Kinsella|1998|pp=304–306}} as well as erotic manga created by female artists for male readers.{{sfn|Shigematsu|1999|p=129}}


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 ]", attributes which became attached to imagery of younger girls over time.{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|pp=86–87}} Nude photographs of ''shōjo'', conceived 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''.{{sfn|Takatsuki|2010|pp=50, 55|ps=, cited in {{harvnb|Galbraith|2011|pp=94}}.}} Specialty adult magazines carrying nude photos, fiction, and essays on the appeal of young girls emerged in the 1980s;{{sfn|Takatsuki|2010|pp=47|ps=, cited in {{harvnb|Galbraith|2011|pp=94–95}}.}} this trend faded in the late 1980s, due to backlash and because many men preferred images of ''shōjo'' in manga and anime.{{sfn|Takatsuki|2010|pp=64–65|ps=, cited in {{harvnb|Galbraith|2011|p=95}}.}} The spread of such imagery, both in photographs{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=94}} and in manga,{{sfn|Schodt|1996|pp=54–55}} may have been helped by prohibitions on displaying ] under Japan's obscenity laws.{{efn|When obscenity enforcement against depictions of pubic hair was partially eased in 1991, facilitating a trend of "{{ill|hair nude|ja|ヘアヌード}}" photo books, depictions in manga and anime continued to be regulated.{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=118}}}}
Akira Akagi believes that during the 1980s, the ''lolicon'' genre changed from being tales of a young girl having sex with an older man to being about "girl-ness" and "cuteness".<ref name="Galbraith 2011"/> Akagi identifies subgenres within ''lolicon'' of ], "groping objects" (] and robots in the role of the ]), "] fetishes" (a combination of a machine, usually a weapon, and a girl), parodies of mainstream anime and manga, and "simply indecent or perverted stuff". Additionally, ''lolicon'' can include themes of ] and ].<ref name=Akagi>{{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=978-0-87972-779-6|pages=129–130|editor=Lent, J.A.|location=Bowling Green, OH|chapter=Dimensions of Desire: Sex, Fantasy and Fetish in Japanese Comics}}</ref>


===1970s–1980s===
Men began reading shōjo manga in the 1970s, including the works of the ] and the "girly" works of ].<ref name="Galbraith 2011"/> According to Dinah Zank, ''lolicon'' is "rooted in the glorification of girls culture in Japan", and therefore uses shōjo 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 shōjo 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=978-0-87972-779-6|page=129|editor=Lent, J.A.|location=Bowling Green, OH|chapter=Dimensions of Desire: Sex, Fantasy and Fetish in Japanese Comics}}</ref>
]'s first contribution to ''{{ill|Cybele (dōjinshi)|lt=Cybele|ja|シベール (同人誌)}}'', an erotic parody of "]". Critic Gō Itō identifies the work as a comment on a "certain eroticism" in the roundness of ]'s characters.{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=95}}]]


The rise of ''lolicon'' as a genre began at ] (Comic Market), a convention for the sale of '']'' (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 ] ''{{ill|Cybele (dōjinshi)|lt=Cybele|ja|シベール (同人誌)}}'';{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|pp=26–28}} its standout creator was ], who is known as the "Father of ''Lolicon''".{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=95}} Prior to ''Cybele'', the dominant style in ] (marketed to men) and ] (''hentai'') was '']'', characterized by realism, sharp angles, dark ], and gritty linework.{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|pp=28–30}} 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".{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|pp=28–30}} Azuma's combination of the stout bodies of ]'s works and the emotive faces of ''shōjo'' manga marked the advent of the ''bishōjo'' and the aesthetic of "cute eroticism" (''] ero'').{{efn|{{lang|ja|かわいいエロ}}}}{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|p=31}} 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.{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=95}}{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|p=32}} Erotic manga began to move away from combining realistic bodies and cartoony faces towards a wholly-unrealistic style.{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=95}} ''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.<ref name="Lam 2010">{{cite journal |last1=Lam |first1=Fan-Yi |title=Comic Market: How the World's Biggest Amateur Comic Fair Shaped Japanese ''Dōjinshi'' Culture |journal=] |date=2010 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=232–248 }}</ref> ''Lolicon'' manga, mostly created by and for men, served as a response to '']'' manga (featuring male ]), mostly created by and for women.{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|p=33}}
According to Michael Darling, female ] who draw ''lolicon'' material include ] (''The red-eyed tribe'' billboard),<ref>Darling, 85–6.</ref> ] (''Universe Dream'' wall painting).,<ref>Darling, 86.</ref> and ] (who created '']''; was interpreted as a ''lolicon'' work by Jason DeAngelis.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/industry-comments/2007-05-29/jason-deangelis-nymphet|title=Seven Seas Entertainment Talks about ''Nymphet''|author=Jason DeAngelis|work=]|date=May 29, 2007|accessdate=January 18, 2008|quote="...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."}}</ref>) According to Darling, male artists include ] (untitled, aka ''Green Caterpillar's Girl''), ] ('']'', ''Milk Closet''), and ] (sculptures).<ref name="Darling82" /> '']'' is a manga and figurine series which, according to Takashi Murakami, women find cute and "an innocent fantasy", but which arouses "pedophiliac desires" among men.<ref>Murakami, Takashi (editor). ''].'' New York: Japan Society, 2005. pp.54-55 {{ISBN|0-300-10285-2}}</ref>


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 '']'' and '']'', both in 1982.{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=97}} Other magazines of the boom included {{Ill|Manga Hot Milk|lt=''Manga Hot Milk''|ja|漫画ホットミルク}}, ''Melon Comic'',{{Efn|{{lang|ja|メロンCOMIC}}}} and ''{{Ill|Halfliter|lt=''Halfliter''|ja|ハーフリータ}}''.{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=117}} The genre's rise was closely linked to the concurrent development of ''otaku'' culture and growing fan consciousness;{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|pp=96–99}} the word ''otaku'' itself was coined in ''Burikko'' in 1983.{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|p=55}} Originally founded as an unprofitable ''gekiga'' magazine, the publication was transformed into a ''lolicon'' magazine in 1983 by editor ],{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=92}} whose intention was to publish "''shōjo'' manga for boys".{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=190}}{{efn|Ōtsuka also edited '']'', an anthology series featuring works from the artists of ''Manga Burikko'' without eroticism; it is also remembered as a ''lolicon'' publication.{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=92}}{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|p=271}}}} Reflecting the influence of ''shōjo'' manga, there was an increasingly small place in ''lolicon'' artwork for realistic characters and explicit depictions of sex;{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=102}} in 1983, ''Burikko''{{'s}} editors yielded to reader demands by removing photographs of ] models from its opening pages, publishing an issue with the subtitle "Totally ''Bishōjo'' Comic Magazine".{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=101}} ''Lolicon'' magazines regularly published female artists, such as ] and ],{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=102}} and male artists such as {{ill|Aki Uchiyama|ja|内山亜紀}}, dubbed the "King of ''Lolicon''", who produced 160 pages of manga per month to meet demand.{{sfn|Galbraith|2016|pp=113, 115}} Uchiyama's works were published both in niche magazines such as ''Lemon People'' and in the mainstream '']''.{{sfn|Galbraith|2016|p=115}} The first-ever pornographic anime series was '']'', an ] released episodically in 1984 and 1985.{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|p=40}}
The meaning of ''lolicon'' has evolved much in the ], as have words like anime, ] and hentai.<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 =https://web.archive.org/web/20071011082129/http://amr.nextstudio.net/html/gloss_lolicon.html<!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = October 11, 2007}}</ref> "Lolicon" is also used to refer directly to the products, anime or manga that contains explicitly sexual or erotic portrayals of prepubescent girls. However, there is disagreement if this definition also applies to childlike characters who are not clearly prepubescent and if it applies to material lacking explicit ].<ref name="comic relief" /><ref name=amrgloss/><ref name=Teatrino>{{cite web | url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/shelf-life/2010-06-14 | title=Shelf Life: Teatrino for Two | accessdate=March 14, 2011 | author=Finnegan, Eric | date=June 14, 2010 | publisher=]}}</ref>


], editor of the ''lolicon'' magazine '']'', played a key role in the ''lolicon'' boom.]]
==History==


Iconic characters of the ''lolicon'' boom include Clarisse from the film '']'' (1979) and Lana from the TV series '']'' (1978), both directed by ].{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|pp=98–99}} Clarisse was especially popular, and inspired a series of articles discussing her appeal in the anime specialty magazines {{Ill|Gekkan Out|lt=''Gekkan Out''|ja|月刊OUT}}, {{Ill|Animec|lt=''Animec''|ja|アニメック}}, and '']'',{{sfn|Takatsuki|2010|pp=97–98|ps= , cited in {{harvnb|Galbraith|2011|p=96}}.}} as well as a trend of fan works dubbed "Clarisse magazines"{{sfn|Galbraith|2016|p=113}} which were not explicitly sexual, but instead "fairytale-esque" and "girly" in nature.{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=97}} Many early ''lolicon'' works combined ] and ''bishōjo'' elements;{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=90}} the premiere of the ] at the 1981 ] is one notable example of the prominence of science fiction and ''lolicon'' in the nascent ''otaku'' culture of the time.{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=89}} Anime shows targeted at young girls with young girl heroines, such as '']'' (1982–1983), gained new viewership from adult male fans, who started fan clubs{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|pp=37–38}} and were courted by creators.{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=98}}
===Origin===
The phrase is a reference to ]'s book '']'', in which a middle-age man becomes sexually obsessed with a twelve-year-old girl.<ref name="Kinsella305">Kinsella, 305.</ref> The term "Lolita complex" was first used in the early 1970s with the translation of ]'s ''The Lolita Complex'' and may have entered Japanese ] at that time.<ref name="Otaku"/> ] 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 '']'' manga parody in 1974.<ref name="KyabetsuBatake">], "Kyabetsu-batake de Tsumazuite" in '']'', June, 1974, p.121</ref> The shortening of the term to "lolicon" came later.<ref name="Otaku"/> Early ''lolicon'' idols were Clarisse from '']'' (1979) and the ] heroine ] (1982) as female characters in '']'' series at that point were largely mothers or older-sister characters.<ref name="Otaku"/><ref>Lam, Fan-Yi. 2010. Comic market: How the world's biggest amateur comic fair shaped Japanese dōjinshi culture. ], Volume 5, pp. 236, 247.</ref> Although Clarisse was depicted as 16, older than most "lolicon" images today, she inspired "fairytale-esque" or "girly" fanworks. ] asserts that Minky Momo was an attempt to court ''lolicon'' fans. This is denied by ], who planned the original Minky Momo.<ref name="Galbraith 2011">Galbraith, Patrick W. (2011) Image & Narrative '''12''' 1 83-119.</ref> ] suggests that the roots of 'lolikon' anime lie in the ] genre, where the lines between young girls and adult women become blurred.<ref name="McCarthy"/>


The ''lolicon'' boom in commercial erotic manga only lasted until 1984.{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|pp=91–92}} Near the end of the boom, because "readers had no attachment to ''lolicon'' per se" and "did not take as objects of sexual desire",{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=92}} 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''.{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|pp=121, 138}} 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 '']'' manga (featuring ] themes).<ref name="Lam 2010" />
===1980s–2000s===
The ''lolicon'' manga genre began in the 1980s with ]'s works, such as {{Nihongo|''The Machine Which Came from the Sea''|海から来た機械|Umi kara Kita Kikai|}}.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} In 1979, Azuma had previously published the first "blatantly lolicon" manga in his own self-published ''Dōjinishi'' magazine ''Cybele''.<ref name="Otaku"/><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}} 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 '']''.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} Other ''dōjinshi'' magazines began featuring "underage or barely pubescent virgins" in erotic contexts and by the late 1980s this "fantasy genre" had spread to some mass market magazines.<ref name="sixty years">{{Cite book|last=Gravett|first=Paul|authorlink=Paul Gravett|title=]|year=2004|publisher=Laurence King Publishing|isbn=1-85669-391-0|page=136|location=], ]|chapter=Personal Agendas}}</ref> ] and Dinah Zank both suggest that Japanese laws prohibiting the depiction of pubic hair may have encouraged the spread of "erotic manga with a rorikon flavor".<ref name="dreamland japan">{{Cite book|last=Schodt|first=Frederik L.|authorlink=Frederik L. Schodt|title=]|year=1996|publisher=]|isbn=1-880656-23-X|pages=54–55|location=]|chapter=Modern Manga at the End of the Millennium}}</ref><ref name=Zank/> Throughout the 1980s, notable ''lolicon'' manga artists who published in these magazines include ], ], ], ], and ] peaking in the mid-1980s.<ref name="Otaku"/><ref name="burikko">{{cite web|url=http://www.burikko.net/|script-title=ja: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|language=ja}}</ref>


===1990s–present===
Frederik L. Schodt has suggested that one reason ''lolicon'' manga is popular with some fans is because the female characters portrayed are "younger, slightly softer, 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=]|isbn=1-880656-23-X|page=336|location=]|chapter=Modern Manga at the End of the Millennium}}</ref>


In 1989, ''lolicon'' and ''otaku'' became the subject of a ] and ] after the arrest of ], a young man who had kidnapped and murdered four girls between the ages of four and seven and committed sexual acts with their corpses.{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|pp=66–69}} 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,{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|pp=67–68}} and manga, including ''shōjo'' and ''lolicon'' works.{{sfn|Kinsella|1998|pp=308–309}}{{efn|Some journalists in the room later stated that Miyazaki had owned only a few adult manga, which were moved to the foreground of photographs and created a false impression.{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|p=68}}}} In the extended public debates that followed, Miyazaki's crimes were blamed on supposed ]: namely, a reduction in his inhibitions to crime, and a blurring of the lines between fiction and reality.{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|p=67}} 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.{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|pp=68–69}} The decade saw local crackdowns on retailers and publishers of "harmful manga", and the arrests of some manga artists.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gravett |first=Paul |title=Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics |title-link=Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics |publisher=Laurence King Publishing |year=2004 |isbn=1-85669-391-0 |location=London |page=136 |author-link=Paul Gravett}}</ref>{{sfn|Schodt|1996|pp=55–59}} Despite this, ''lolicon'' imagery expanded and became more acceptable within manga in the 1990s,{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=105}} and the early 2000s saw a small boom in the genre sparked by the magazine '']''.{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|pp=134–135}}
Public attention was brought to bear on ''lolicon'' when ] kidnapped and murdered four girls between the ages of 4 and 7 in 1988 and 1989, committing acts of ] with their corpses.<ref>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018205908/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20060118a2.html|archivedate=October 18, 2012|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20060118a2.html|title=Serial killer Miyazaki must hang: Supreme Court|publisher=]|date=January 18, 2006|accessdate=November 10, 2015}}</ref> He was found to be a "withdrawn and obsessive" ] and in particular he enjoyed ''lolicon''. The ] ruled Miyazaki sane, stating that "the murders were premeditated and stemmed from Miyazaki's ]"<ref>, ''The Japan Times,'' 06/29/01. Retrieved June 7, 2007.</ref> and he was ] by hanging for his crimes on June 17, 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://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>


==Media==
The case caused a ] 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"/> In the aftermath, the Japanese non-profit organization CASPAR was founded with the goal of campaigning for regulation of ''lolicon''.<ref name="Otaku"/><ref name=AnimeNewsNetwork>{{cite web | url =http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-01-13/lolicon-backlash-in-japan | title = Lolicon Backlash in Japan | work = Anime News Network | date = January 13, 2005 | accessdate = June 7, 2007}}</ref>
] being sold at the ] 3, themed after popular characters from ] and ], among others.]]
''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).{{sfn|Galbraith|2021|p=163}} ''Lolicon'' works often depict girl characters as innocent, precocious, and sometimes flirtatious;<ref name="Aoki 2019">{{Cite web |last1=Aoki |first1=Deb |title=Manga Answerman - Is Translating 'Lolicon' as 'Pedophile' Accurate? |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2019-08-09/.149914 |website=Anime News Network |access-date=16 June 2021 |date=9 August 2019 |archive-date=7 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607164618/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2019-08-09/.149914 |url-status=live}}</ref> characters may appear in borderline or outright sexual situations, though the term can be applied to works with neither.<ref name="Aoki 2019" /> 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".{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|pp=118–119}} Girl characters in ''lolicon'' can display a contradictory performance of age in which their body, behavior, and role in a story conflict;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Klar |first=Elisabeth |url= |title=Manga's Cultural Crossroads |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-50450-8 |editor-last=Berndt |editor-first=Jaqueline |location=New York |pages=132 |chapter=Tentacles, Lolitas, and Pencil Strokes: The Parodist Body in European and Japanese Erotic Comics |editor-last2=Kümmerling-Meibauer |editor-first2=Bettina}}</ref> for example, ''lolibaba''{{efn|{{lang|ja|ロリババア}}, ''roribabā''}} ("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.{{sfn|Galbraith|2021|p=129}} Curvy hips and other ]s similarly appear as features in many of the genre's characters.{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|pp=109, 115}} Plot devices often explain the young appearance of characters who are non-human or actually much older, although this is not always the case.<ref name="Galbraith 2009">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Lolicon |encyclopedia=The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick W. |year=2009 |url=https://archive.org/details/otakuencyclopedi0000galb/page/128/ |publisher=Kodansha International |location=Tokyo |isbn=978-4-7700-3101-3 |pages=128–129}}</ref>


Akira Akagi identifies themes in ''lolicon'' manga including ], "groping objects" (alien ] 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.{{sfn|Akagi|1993|pp=230–231|ps=, cited in {{harvnb|Shigematsu|1999|pp=129–130}}.}} Media scholar Setsu Shigematsu argues that forms of substitution and mimicry enable ''lolicon'' to "transform straight sex into a parodic form".{{sfn|Shigematsu|1999|pp=129–130}} More extreme works depict themes including coercion, rape, incest, ], and ].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Matthews |first1=Chris |title=Applied Ethics: Old Wine in New Bottles? |date=2011 |publisher=Hokkaido University |editor1-last=Center for Applied Ethics and Philosophy |location=Sapporo |pages=165–174 |chapter=Manga, Virtual Child Pornography, and Censorship in Japan |access-date=12 July 2021 |chapter-url=http://caep-hu.sakura.ne.jp/files/appliedethics_2011.pdf#page=174 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712040126/http://caep-hu.sakura.ne.jp/files/appliedethics_2011.pdf#page=174 |archive-date=12 July 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Nagayama argues that most pornographic ''lolicon'' manga deal with a "consciousness of sin", or a sense of taboo and guilt in its consumption.{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=122}} 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.{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|pp=123–125}} Other ''lolicon'' manga, where "men are absolute evil and girls are pitiable victims", indulge in the "pleasure of sin" through the breaking of taboos,{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=127}} which he argues affirms the fragility of the characters.{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|pp=127–128}} He posits that manga depicting sex between children avoid the "consciousness of sin" via mutual innocence, while also thematizing nostalgia and an idealized past,{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|pp=132–134}} 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''".{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=136}}
Public sentiment against sexual cartoon depictions of minors was revived in 2005 when a convicted ], who was arrested for the murder of a seven-year-old girl in ], was suspected as a ''lolicon''.<ref name=AnimeNewsNetwork/> Despite media speculation, it was found that the murderer, ], seldom had interest in manga, games, or dolls.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20050206t3.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216162834/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20050206t3.html |dead-url=yes |archive-date=December 16, 2007 |title=Otaku harassed as sex-crime fears mount |accessdate=January 6, 2008 |author= |date=February 6, 2005 |work= |publisher=] }}</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">, by Akemi Nakamura, ''The Japan Times''. 05/18/2005. Retrieved June 7, 2007. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009062921/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/member.html?nn20050518f1.htm |date=October 9, 2006 }}</ref> He was sentenced to death by hanging.


''Lolicon'' manga, often published as ''dōjinshi'' or compiled in anthology magazines,{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=90}} is mostly consumed by male audiences,{{sfn|Shigematsu|1999|p=129}} though Nagayama notes that the works of {{ill|Hiraku Machida|ja|町田ひらく}} have "resonated with female readers" and "earned the support of women".{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|pages=47, 131}} Other notable artists include ], {{ill|Takarada Gorgeous|ja|ゴージャス宝田}},{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|pp=125–129}} and female creators Erika Wada{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=123}} and {{ill|Fumio Kagami|ja|かがみふみを}}.{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=192}} ''Lolicon'' imagery is a prominent theme in ], a manga-influenced art movement founded by ]. Superflat artists whose works incorporate ''lolicon'' include ] and ].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Darling |first=Michael |date=2001 |title=Plumbing the Depths of Superflatness |journal=] |volume=60 |issue=3 |pages=76–89 |doi=10.2307/778139 |jstor=778139}}</ref>
===2010s–present===
In February 2010, a proposal to amend the ] 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 manga artists,<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 ].<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, in spite of the changes, the bill was rejected by the ] 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>


=== Relation to ''moe'' ===
A revised edition was presented in November that year to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, 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{{'"}}.<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> 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 took 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=https://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|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011123240/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20101216a4.html|archivedate=October 11, 2012|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/rss/nn20101216a4.html |title=Ordinance passed against manga 'extreme sex' |publisher=] |date=2010-12-16|accessdate=2015-11-10}}</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=] |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> On April 14, 2011, the title '']'' ("My Wife Is an Elementary Student") was listed as a title to be considered for restriction due to "child rape".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-05-16/1st-manga-to-be-restricted-by-revised-tokyo-law-listed |title=1st Manga to Be Restricted by Revised Tokyo Law Listed (Updated) - News |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2013-05-10 |accessdate=2013-05-14}}</ref> It was later published online by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-03/akamatsu-j-comi-site-posts-adult-manga-restricted-by-tokyo-law |title=Akamatsu's J-Comi Site Posts Adult Manga Restricted by Tokyo Law - News |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2013-05-10 |accessdate=2013-05-14}}</ref> On August 25, 2011, Japan's ] submitted a petition requesting stricter ], which included animated child pornography; however, no action took place as a result of the petition.<ref>{{cite web|author=Artefact |url=http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2011/09/29/ldp-seeks-new-ban-manga-anime-virtual-child-abuse/ |title=LDP Seeks New Ban: "Manga & Anime = Virtual Child Abuse" |publisher=Sankaku Complex |date=2011-09-29 |accessdate=2013-05-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sangiin.go.jp/japanese/joho1/kousei/seigan/177/yousi/yo1771775.htm |title=請願:参議院ホームページ |publisher=Sangiin.go.jp |accessdate=2013-05-14}}</ref> On May 27, 2013, a revised child pornography law was introduced by the Liberal Democratic Party, the ] and the ] that would make possession of sexual images of individuals under 18 illegal with a fine of 1 million yen (about US$10,437) and less than a year in jail.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-05-27/japan-ruling-party-to-reintroduce-child-pornography-law-revision|title=Japan's Ruling Party to Reintroduce Child Pornography Law Revision|work=www.animenewsnetwork.com|accessdate=2013-06-17}}</ref> The Japanese Democratic Party,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://taruiyoshikazu.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/MX-2600FN_20130613_194327.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703181021/http://taruiyoshikazu.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/MX-2600FN_20130613_194327.pdf |dead-url=yes |archive-date=2013-07-03 |title=JDP formally opposes the 2013 child pornography law |work=taruiyoshikazu.com |language=Japanese |accessdate=2013-06-17 }}</ref> along with several industry associations involved in anime and manga, had protested against the bill saying "while they appreciate that the bill protects children, it will also restrict freedom of expression".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://japandailypress.com/anime-and-manga-associations-protest-proposed-revision-to-child-pornography-bill-3029742|title=Anime and manga associations protest proposed revision to child pornography bill|work=japandailypress.com|accessdate=2013-06-17|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322043416/http://japandailypress.com/anime-and-manga-associations-protest-proposed-revision-to-child-pornography-bill-3029742/|archivedate=2017-03-22|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/29/national/opposition-hits-ruling-blocs-employment-deregulation-plan-in-online-debate/|title=Opposition slams ruling bloc on jobs deregulation|work=www.japantimes.co.jp|accessdate=2013-07-04}}</ref> Manga creator and artist ] has gone on to say that "There is also no scientific evidence to prove that so-called 'harmful media' increases crime".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/AJ201307270063 |title=Controversy raging over revisions to child pornography law |date=2013-07-27 |accessdate=2013-07-28 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902071144/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/AJ201307270063 |archivedate=2013-09-02 |df= }}</ref> The bill was not rejected and remained in a stalemate situation until June 2014, when it went forward with the removal of ''lolicon'' anime/manga from the bill.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2013/06/27/loli-ban-not-rejected/|title=Loli Ban Not Rejected|work=www.sankakucomplex.com|date=2013-06-27|accessdate=2014-01-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/japan-ban-child-pornograpy-1451724|title=Japan to Ban Child Pornography|work=www.ibtimes.co.uk|author=Tom Porter|date=2014-06-07|accessdate=2014-06-09}}</ref> The law was put into full effect the following year banning ] child pornography.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/11743004/Japan-finally-bans-possession-of-child-porn.html|title=Japan finally bans possession of child porn|work=www.telegraph.co.uk|date=2015-07-16|accessdate=2015-08-12}}</ref>
In the 1990s, ''lolicon'' imagery evolved and contributed to the mainstream development of '']'', the generalized affective response to fictional characters (typically ''bishōjo'' characters in manga, anime, and computer games) and its associated design elements.<ref name="Alt 2014">{{cite magazine |last1=Alt |first1=Matt |date=15 October 2014 |title=Pharrell Williams's Lolicon Video |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/pharrell-williamss-lolicon-girl |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813191257/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/pharrell-williamss-lolicon-girl |archive-date=13 August 2021 |access-date=7 August 2021 |magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref>{{sfn|Galbraith|2012|pp=348–351}} The ''bishōjo'' character form moved from niche, ''otaku'' publications to mainstream manga magazines, and saw explosive popularity in the decade with the rise of ]s and anime series such as '']'' and '']'', which pioneered media and merchandising based on fan affection for their female protagonists.{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|pp=113–115}} ''Moe'' characters, which tend to be physically immature girl characters exemplified by cuteness,{{sfn|Galbraith|2012|pp=351, 354}} are ubiquitous in contemporary manga and anime.{{sfn|Galbraith|2012|p=344}} In contrast to ''lolicon'', sexuality in ''moe'' is treated indirectly<ref name="Alt 2014" /> or not at all;<ref name="Oppliger 2013">{{cite web |last1=Oppliger |first1=John |date=1 November 2013 |title=Ask John: Are Moé and Lolicon the Same Thing? |url=https://www.animenation.net/blog/ask-john-are-mo-and-lolicon-the-same-thing/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713200720/https://www.animenation.net/blog/ask-john-are-mo-and-lolicon-the-same-thing/ |archive-date=13 July 2019 |access-date=29 September 2021 |website=AnimeNation}}</ref> the ''moe'' response is often defined with emphasis on ].{{sfn|Galbraith|2012|p=356}} John Oppliger of '']'' identifies '']'', '']'', and '']'' as examples of series which challenge the distinction between ''moe'' and ''lolicon'' through use of ], commenting that they "satire the chaste sanctity of the ''moé'' phenomenon" and "poke fun at viewers and the arbitrary delineations that viewers assert".<ref name="Oppliger 2013" /> "''Moe''-style" ''lolicon'' works depict mild eroticism, such as ], and forgo explicit sex.{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=119}}


==Controversy== == Legality ==
{{See also|Legal status of drawn pornography depicting minors}} {{See also|Legal status of fictional pornography depicting minors}}
The legal status of ''lolicon'' manga and anime that portray children involved erotically with adults has changed with time and is currently under intensive debate in Japan.<ref name="adultmanga"/><ref>Gelder, Ken. ''The Subcultures Reader'', 2nd ed. Oxon: Routledge, 2005. p. 547. {{ISBN|0-415-34415-8}}</ref> A Japanese non-profit organization called CASPAR has claimed that ''lolicon'' and other anime magazines and games encourage ]s.<ref name=AnimeNewsNetwork/> According to Galbraith, Yasushi Takatsuki has noted that sexual abuse of minors in Japan has declined since the 1960s and 1970s, which "roughly coincides with the increasing presence of fictional lolicon". Galbraith feels that this is not an argument that ''lolicon'' "compensates for or relieves real desires", but instead that ''lolicon'' imagery does not "reflect the desires" of readers, or inspire them to commit crimes.<ref name="Galbraith 2011"/> It has been suggested 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.<ref name="Internet Association Japan">{{cite web|url=http://www.iajapan.org/hotline/center/20060531public.html|script-title=ja:「ホットライン運用ガイドライン案」等に対する意見の募集結果について|publisher=Internet Association Japan|date=May 31, 2006|language=Japanese|accessdate=January 10, 2008}}</ref>{{Request quotation|date=March 2011}}


Child pornography laws in some countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, 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.<ref name="McLelland 2016">{{cite book |last=McLelland |first=Mark |date=2016 |editor-last=McLelland |editor-first=Mark |title=The End of Cool Japan: Ethical, Legal, and Cultural Challenges to Japanese Popular Culture |chapter=Introduction: Negotiating 'cool Japan' in research and teaching |pages=1–30 |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-26937-3}}</ref> In 1999, Japan passed ] criminalizing the production and distribution of child pornography.<ref name="BBC 2015">{{cite news |last1=Fletcher |first1=James |date=7 January 2015 |title=Why hasn't Japan banned child-porn comics? |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30698640 |access-date=5 March 2021 |archive-date=13 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313094611/https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30698640 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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.{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=109}} In 2014, Japan's parliament amended the 1999 law to criminalize possession of child pornography;<ref name="BBC 2015" /> the 2013 draft introduced by the ] (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.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hodgkins |first1=Crystalyn |title=Japan Animation Creators Assoc. Adds Opposition to New Child Porn Revision Bill |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-05-30/japan-animation-creators-assoc-adds-opposition-to-new-child-porn-revision-bill |website=Anime News Network |access-date=20 September 2021 |date=30 May 2013 |archive-date=21 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921040559/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-05-30/japan-animation-creators-assoc-adds-opposition-to-new-child-porn-revision-bill |url-status=live}}</ref> This provision was opposed by manga-related organizations, including the ], which argued that regulation would infringe upon ] and negatively impact the industry.<ref name="Rocha Ferraz Ribeiro">{{Cite journal |last=Rocha Ferraz Ribeiro |first=Dilton |date=2021 |title=An advocacy coalition analysis of the game RapeLay: the regulation of sexual violence and virtual pornography in Japan |journal=Civitas - Revista de Ciências Sociais |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=454–463 |doi=10.15448/1984-7289.2020.2.30279 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The provision was removed from the final version of the law, which took effect in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hiroshi |first=Kawamoto |date=5 June 2014 |title=Japan nears outlawing possession of child pornography |url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201406050010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120174421/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201406050010 |archive-date=20 November 2015 |access-date=28 June 2021 |website=The Asahi Shimbun}}</ref>
Cultural critic ] said that very few readers of ''lolicon'' manga commit crimes. He states that in the otaku culture, ''lolicon'' is the "most convenient " against society. Azuma says that some otaku feel so "excluded from society" that they "feel as if they are the sort of 'no good' person who should be attracted to little girls".<ref name="comic relief">{{cite news|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/60qlHP59o?url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20040427zg.html |archivedate=August 11, 2011 |url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20040427zg.html |title=Does comic relief hurt kids? |author=Tony McNicol |work=] |date=April 27, 2004 |accessdate=November 10, 2015 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> Sarah Goode describes the accumulation of ''lolicon'' materials as being "a medium through which disaffected men may choose to express their sense of ] and disconnection with society". When questioning the relationship of ''lolicon'' to "finding children in real life sexually attractive", Goode presents the argument of a ''lolicon'' fan "that even if I could be classified as a kind of anime ''lolicon'', it'd NEVER translate into ] pedophilia. This is predicated on the belief that the anime lolis I like DO NOT EXIST in RL".<ref name=Goode>{{cite book|last=Goode|first=Sarah D.|title=Understanding and addressing adult sexual attraction to children: a study of paedophiles in contemporary society|year=2009|publisher=]|isbn=978-0-415-44625-9|page=29|url=https://books.google.com/?id=pKcQY5fUfFAC&pg=PA29&dq=lolicon#v=onepage&q=lolicon|accessdate=8 March 2011|chapter=Paedophiles online}}</ref>


''Lolicon'' media is a common target of local ordinances in Japan which restrict distribution of materials designated "harmful to the healthy development of youth",{{sfn|McLelland|2011a|p=5}} which were strengthened throughout the 1990s and 2000s.{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|pp=238, 242–243}} An amendment proposed in 2010 to ] (described by Vice Governor ] as targeting non-pornographic ''lolicon'' manga, writing that "We had regulation for ''eromanga'', but not for ''lolicon''"){{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=244}} restricted depictions of "non-existent youths" who appeared under age 18 and were portrayed in "anti-social sexual situations".{{sfn|McLelland|2011a|pp=3–4}} After heavy opposition from manga creators, academics, and fans,{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=115}}{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=246}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=15 March 2010 |title=Creators Decry Tokyo's Proposed 'Virtual' Child Porn Ban (Update 7) |work=Anime News Network |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-03-15/creators-decry-tokyo-proposed-virtual-child-porn-ban |url-status=live |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-date=25 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925133942/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-03-15/creators-decry-tokyo-proposed-virtual-child-porn-ban}}</ref> the bill was rejected in June 2010 by the ];<ref>{{cite news |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=16 June 2010 |title=Tokyo's 'Nonexistent Youth' Bill Rejected by Assembly |work=Anime News Network |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-06-16/tokyo-nonexistent-youth-bill-rejected-by-assembly |url-status=live |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-date=23 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170723181522/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-06-16/tokyo-nonexistent-youth-bill-rejected-by-assembly}}</ref> 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.{{sfn|McLelland|2011a|pp=11–12}} In 2011, several manga were listed for restriction, including ''{{ill|Oku-sama wa Shōgakusei|ja|奥サマは小学生}}'' ("My Wife Is an Elementary Student");<ref>{{cite news |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=16 May 2011 |title=1st Manga to Be Restricted by Revised Tokyo Law Listed (Updated) |work=Anime News Network |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-05-16/1st-manga-to-be-restricted-by-revised-tokyo-law-listed |url-status=live |access-date=5 October 2021 |archive-date=21 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921134146/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-05-16/1st-manga-to-be-restricted-by-revised-tokyo-law-listed}}</ref> it was published online by ], avoiding restriction.<ref>{{cite news |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=3 October 2011 |title=Akamatsu's J-Comi Site Posts Adult Manga Restricted by Tokyo Law |work=Anime News Network |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-03/akamatsu-j-comi-site-posts-adult-manga-restricted-by-tokyo-law |url-status=live |access-date=14 May 2013 |archive-date=23 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023230505/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-03/akamatsu-j-comi-site-posts-adult-manga-restricted-by-tokyo-law}}</ref>{{efn|The first work to be formally restricted as "harmful" under the expanded law was the manga '']'' in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelkin |first=Sarah |date=12 May 2014 |title=Imōto Paradise! 2 Manga to Be Restricted as 'Unhealthy' in Tokyo |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-05-12/imoto-paradise-2-manga-to-be-restricted-as-unhealthy-in-tokyo |url-status=live |access-date=28 June 2021 |website=Anime News Network |archive-date=18 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140618034001/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-05-12/imoto-paradise-2-manga-to-be-restricted-as-unhealthy-in-tokyo}}</ref>}}
Setsu Shigematsu believes that ''lolicon'' manga should not be equated to photographic or ] ''lolicon'' materials which involve real children; instead she argues that ''lolicon'' represents an artificial sexuality, turning away from "three dimensional reality" and redirecting sexual energies towards "two dimensional figures of desire".<ref name="Shigematsu 138">{{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=978-0-87972-779-6|page=138|editor=Lent, J.A.|location=Bowling Green, OH|chapter=Dimensions of Desire: Sex, Fantasy and Fetish in Japanese Comics}}</ref> Akira Akagi writes that in ''lolicon'' manga, the girl represents cuteness, and that it is not her age which makes her attractive,<ref name=Akagi/> and furthermore, that ''lolicon'' fans project themselves onto ''lolicon'' characters, identifying themselves with the girl.<ref name="Galbraith 2011" />


Sexualized depictions of young girl characters have also been subject to censorship and restriction outside of Japan. In 2006, North American publisher ] licensed the manga series '']'' 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".{{sfn|Galbraith|2016|p=117}} In 2020, Australian senator ] criticized the ] for giving ratings to manga and anime depicting "child exploitation", and called for a review of classification regulations;<ref>{{cite web |last1=MacLennan |first1=Leah |title=Anime and manga depicting sexual images of children spark calls for review of classification laws |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-29/mps-wants-review-of-classification-laws-for-manga-and-anime/12012522 |website=ABC News |access-date=6 October 2021 |language=en-AU |date=28 February 2020}}</ref> later that year, the board banned the import and sale of three volumes of the ] series '']'' for sexual depiction of young characters.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mateo |first=Alex |date=11 August 2020 |title=Australia Bans Import, Sales of 3 'No Game, No Life' Novels (Updated) |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-08-11/australia-bans-import-sales-of-3-no-game-no-life-novels/.162790 |url-status=live |access-date=19 September 2021 |website=Anime News Network |archive-date=20 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212134/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-08-11/australia-bans-import-sales-of-3-no-game-no-life-novels/.162790}}</ref>{{efn|Light novels, including ''No Game No Life'', typically include manga-style illustrations.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Morrissy |first1=Kim |title=What's A Light Novel? |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2016-10-19/what-a-light-novel/.107843 |website=Anime News Network |access-date=7 October 2021 |date=19 October 2016}}</ref>}} Some online platforms, including ],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Alexander |first1=Julia |date=26 July 2018 |title=Discord strikes popular server over NSFW room reportedly sharing offensive images |url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/26/17614508/discord-nsfw-final-fantasy-xiv-partner-porn-reddit |access-date=6 October 2021 |website=]}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web |title=Do Not Post Sexual or Suggestive Content Involving Minors |url=https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043075352 |website=Reddit Help |access-date=6 October 2021}}</ref> and ],<ref>{{cite web |date= |title=Child sexual exploitation policy |url=https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/sexual-exploitation-policy |access-date=29 April 2024 |website=Twitter Help Center}}</ref> ban ''lolicon'' content.
''Lolicon'' manga has been and is marketed to both boys and men.<ref name="Shigematsu 129"/> Sharon Kinsella wrote that ''lolicon'' manga was a late 1980s outgrowth of girls' manga,<ref name="Kinsella305" /> which included '']'' and parodies of boys' and adult manga.<ref>Kinsella, 304.</ref> This occurred as more men attended amateur manga conventions and as new boys' amateur manga genres appeared at ]. Kinsella distinguished between the attitudes toward gender of amateur ''lolicon'' manga and that of male fans of girls' manga.<ref name="Kinsella305" /> 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 armour".<ref name="Kinsella305" /> Kinsella noted dominant British and American genres and imports of animation video in the 1990s derived from ''lolicon'' manga, suggesting women, and therefore also men, in all of these countries have gone through similar social and cultural experiences.<ref>Kinsella, 307.</ref>


=== Debate ===
Ito characterises otaku as having more affection towards the anime and manga world than for a realistic world, saying that to the otaku, the two-dimensional world portrayed becomes "more real". Ito views the preference for young girls as sex objects in manga and anime to be due to a change in Japanese society in the 1970s and 1980s. Ito says that at that time, boys felt that girls were "surpassing them in terms of willpower and action". However, as the boys believed girls to be the weaker sex, the boys began focusing on young girls "who were 'easy to control{{'"}}. Additionally, the young girls of ''lolicon'' exist in the media, which Ito points out is a place where one can control things however they want.<ref name=Ito>{{cite journal | last1 = Ito | first1 = K. | year = 1992 | title = Cultural Change and Gender Identity Trends in the 1970s and 1980s | journal = ] | volume = 1 | issue = | pages = 79–98 | doi = 10.1111/j.1475-6781.1992.tb00008.x }}</ref>
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".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adelstein |first1=Jake |last2=Kubo |first2=Angela Erika |title=Japan's Kiddie Porn Empire: Bye-Bye? |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/japans-kiddie-porn-empire-bye-bye |access-date=25 July 2021 |work=The Daily Beast |date=3 June 2014 |archive-date=2 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502044746/https://www.thedailybeast.com/japans-kiddie-porn-empire-bye-bye |url-status=live}}</ref> Manga creators and activists argue that the ] guarantees artistic freedom of expression, and that laws restricting ''lolicon'' material would be unconstitutional.<ref name=":0" /> Statistically, sexual abuse of minors in Japan has declined since the 1960s and 1970s as the prevalence of ''lolicon'' media has increased;{{sfn|Takatsuki|2010|pp=258–262|ps=, cited in {{harvnb|Galbraith|2011|p=107}}.}} cultural anthropologist Patrick W. Galbraith interprets this as evidence that ''lolicon'' imagery does not necessarily influence crimes,{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|p=105}} while Steven Smet suggests that ''lolicon'' is an "exorcism of fantasies" that contributes to Japan's low crime rates.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Smet |first=Steven |date=1995 |title=Cream Lemon: An Almost Complete Overview |url= |magazine=JAMM: the Japanese Animation and Manga Magazine |location= |publisher=Japan Communication |issue=4 |page=39 |access-date= |postscript=,}} cited in {{harvnb|McCarthy|Clements|1998 |p=43}}.</ref> 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.{{sfn|Galbraith|2021|p=312}} 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=23 July 2012 |title=Report: cartoon paedophilia harmless |url=https://cphpost.dk/?p=11232 |url-status=live |access-date=8 January 2021 |website=The Copenhagen Post |archive-date=3 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210403025124/https://cphpost.dk/?p=11232}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Orbaugh |first=Sharalyn |date=2016 |editor-last=McLelland |editor-first=Mark |title=The End of Cool Japan: Ethical, Legal, and Cultural Challenges to Japanese Popular Culture |chapter=Manga, anime, and child pornography law in Canada |pages=94–108 |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-26937-3}}</ref>


Legal scholar Hiroshi Nakasatomi argues that ''lolicon'' material can distort consumers' sexual desires and induce crime,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nakasatomi |first=Hiroshi |translator-last=Norma |translator-first=Caroline |date=2013 |title='Rapelay' and the problem of legal reform in Japan: Government regulation of graphically animated pornography |url=https://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/ejcjs/vol12/iss3/nakasatomi.html |journal=Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies |volume=12 |issue=3 |access-date=30 June 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905024623/http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/ejcjs/vol12/iss3/nakasatomi.html |url-status=live}}</ref> 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".<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Macdonald |first=Christopher |date=13 January 2005 |title=Lolicon Backlash in Japan |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-01-13/lolicon-backlash-in-japan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120065626/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-01-13/lolicon-backlash-in-japan |archive-date=20 January 2018 |access-date=7 June 2007 |work=Anime News Network}}</ref> Some critics, such as the non-profit organization ], argue that ''lolicon'' works can be used for ], and that they encourage a culture which accepts sexual abuse of children.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ripley |first1=Will |last2=Whiteman |first2=Hillary |last3=Henry |first3=Edmund |title=Sexually explicit Japan manga evades new laws on child pornography |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/18/world/asia/japan-manga-anime-pornography/ |website=CNN |access-date=25 July 2021 |date=18 June 2014 |archive-date=20 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220063325/https://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/18/world/asia/japan-manga-anime-pornography |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, the ], ], 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 October 2015 |title=UN human rights expert urges Japan to step up efforts to combat child sexual exploitation |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2015/10/un-human-rights-expert-urges-japan-step-efforts-combat-child-sexual |access-date=29 April 2024 |publisher=Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights}}</ref> Guidelines released in 2019 by the ] 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".<ref>{{cite web |title=CRC/C/156: Guidelines regarding the implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/legal-standards-and-guidelines/crcc156-guidelines-regarding-implementation-optional |publisher=Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights |access-date=29 April 2024 |date=10 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sherman |first1=Jennifer |last2=Hodgkins |first2=Crystalyn |title=UN Human Rights Committee's New Guidelines for Child Pornography Express 'Deep Concerns' About Drawings |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-12-01/un-human-rights-committee-new-guidelines-for-child-pornography-express-deep-concerns-about-drawings/.152392 |website=Anime News Network |access-date=30 June 2021 |date=1 December 2019 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709181639/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-12-01/un-human-rights-committee-new-guidelines-for-child-pornography-express-deep-concerns-about-drawings/.152392 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Funabashi |first=Kuniko |url= |title=Japanese Women: New Feminist Perspectives on the Past, Present, and Future |date=1995 |publisher=Feminist Press at the City University of New York |isbn=1-55861-093-6 |editor-last=Fujimura-Fanselow |editor-first=Kumiko |location=New York |pages=255–263 |chapter=Pornographic Culture and Sexual Violence |editor-last2=Kameda |editor-first2=Atsuko}}</ref> 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''".{{sfn|Galbraith|2021|pp=188–189}}
Responding to the portrayal of Clarisse from ''Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro'', Hayao Miyazaki criticized the ''lolicon'' artists and fans who idolize her in what he considers a demeaning manner. He differentiates his female ]s, labeling those the aforementioned idolized, according to ''The Otaku Encyclopedia'', "as pets".<ref name=Otaku/>


==See also== == Analysis ==
Culture and media scholars responding to ''lolicon'' generally identify it as distinct from attraction to real young girls.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kittredge |first=Katharine |date=2014 |title=Lethal Girls Drawn for Boys: Girl Assassins in Manga/Anime and Comics/Film |journal=] |volume=39 |issue=4 |pages=506–532 |doi=10.1353/chq.2014.0059|s2cid=143630310 }}</ref> 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".{{sfn|Galbraith|2016|p=114}} Psychologist ], who has conducted clinical work with ''otaku'',{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|pp=105–106}} 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".{{sfn|Saitō|2007|pp=227–228}} Manga researcher ] argues that ''lolicon'' desire "is not for a child, but for the image itself", and that this is understood by those "brought up in culture of drawing and fantasy".{{sfn|Galbraith|2017|pp=114–115}} 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",{{sfn|McLelland|2011b|p=14}} and compares ''lolicon'' to the ], in which fans consume depictions of homosexuality which "lack any correspondent in the real world".{{sfn|McLelland|2011b|pp=14–15}} Setsu Shigematsu argues that ''lolicon'' reflects a shift in "erotic investment" from reality to "two-dimensional figures of desire".{{sfn|Shigematsu|1999|p=138}} Queer theorist Yuu Matsuura criticizes the classification of ''lolicon'' works as "child pornography" as an expression of "]" which marginalizes ], or '']''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Matsuura |first1=Yuu |title=Animēshion teki na gohai toshite no tajūkentōshiki: Hitaijinseiai teki na 'Nijigen' heno sekushuarite ni kansuru rironteki kousatsu |trans-title=Multiple Orientations as Animating Misdelivery: Theoretical Considerations on Sexuality Attracted to Nijigen (Two-Dimensional) Objects |language=ja |journal=Gender Studies |date=2022 |issue=25 |pages=150–153 |url=https://researchmap.jp/mtwrmtwr/published_papers/37150884?lang=en |doi=10.24567/0002000551}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Matsuura |first=Yuu |year=2023 |title= |script-title=ja:グローバルなリスク社会における倫理的普遍化による抹消 二次元の創作物を「児童ポルノ」とみなす非難における対人性愛中心主義を事例に |trans-title=Erasure by Ethical Universalization in Global Risk Society: Human Oriented Sexualism in Regulation of Fictional “Child Pornography” |url=https://researchmap.jp/mtwrmtwr/published_papers/41326940?lang=en |journal=Social Analysis |language=ja |issue=50}}</ref>
{{Portal|Anime and manga}}
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Many scholars also identify ''lolicon'' as a form of self-expression on the part of its male creators and consumers.{{sfn|McLelland|2011b|p=16}} 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".{{sfn|Kinsella|2000|p=122}} 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."{{sfn|Akagi|1993|p=232|ps= , cited in {{harvnb|Galbraith|2011|p=103}}.}} 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".{{sfn|Galbraith|2011|pp=102–103}} 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,{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=117}} reflecting an active reader role and a projection onto girl characters.{{sfn|Nagayama|2020|p=119|ps=: "At the same time that the icon of girl was a sexual object, it was also simultaneously a vessel of conscious and unconscious self-projection. If one side is the more readily graspable desire of objectification and possession – I want to love a cute girl character / to hold her / to violate her / to abuse her – then the other side is the hidden desire of identification – I want to become a cute girl / to be loved / to be held / to be violated / to be abused. he desire to assimilate with the girl character is an extension of the desire to possess her."}} Writing in ''The Book of Otaku'' (1989), feminist ] 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".<ref>{{cite book |last=Ueno |first=Chizuko |author-link=Chizuko Ueno |date=1989 |editor-last=Ishi'i |editor-first=Shinji |title=Otaku no hon |trans-title=The Book of Otaku |chapter=Rorikon to yaoi-zoku ni mirai wa aru ka!? 90-nendai no sekkusu reboryūshon |trans-chapter=Do Have Lolicon and Yaoi Fans a Future Still!? The Sex Revolution of the 90s |location=Tokyo |publisher=JICC Shuppankyoku |pages=131–136 |language=ja |isbn=978-4-796-69104-8 |postscript=,}} cited in {{harvnb|Galbraith|2019|p=65}}.</ref>
===Japanese culture===

* ] and ]<ref name="JTthongs">{{cite web|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070503f1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120151/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070503f1.html|dead-url=yes|archive-date=September 29, 2007|title=Photos of preteen girls in thongs now big business|accessdate=November 10, 2015|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
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".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Itō |first1=Kimio |year=1992 |title=Cultural Change and Gender Identity Trends in the 1970s and 1980s |journal=] |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=79–98 |doi=10.1111/j.1475-6781.1992.tb00008.x}}</ref> 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".{{sfn|Kinsella|2000|p=124}} 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").<ref name="Naitō 2010">{{cite journal |last=Naitō |first=Chizuko |translator-last=Shockey |translator-first=Nathan |title=Reorganizations of Gender and Nationalism: Gender Bashing and Loliconized Japanese Society |journal=] |date=2010 |volume=5 |pages=325–333 }}</ref> 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 becomes precious as a transitory figure threatened by impending adulthood".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yano |first=Christine Reiko |date=2013 |title=Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific |location=Durham, N.C. |publisher=Duke University Press |page=49 |oclc=813540813}}</ref>
* '']'' – a Japanese subculture that draws on Western notions of sexiness

* '']''
==See also==
* ] – a style of clothing<ref name=Zank/>
* ] – child or teenage entertainer in Japanese pop culture
* '']'' – Male equivalent of ''lolicon'', focusing on young boys.<ref>{{cite book|last=Goode|first=Sarah D.|title=Understanding and addressing adult sexual attraction to children: a study of paedophiles in contemporary society|year=2009|publisher=]|isbn=978-0-415-44625-9|page=28|url=https://books.google.com/?id=pKcQY5fUfFAC&pg=PA28&dq=shota#v=onepage&q=shota|accessdate=14 December 2011|chapter=Paedophiles online}}</ref>
* ] – Japanese fashion style and subculture
* ]ism
* '']'' – male equivalent of ''lolicon'', focused on young boy characters
{{col-2}}
* ] – produced without direct involvement of children
* ] – illegal acts which don't directly involve others


===Legal aspects=== == Notes ==
{{notelist}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] – On April 7, 2010, ] sent a letter to the ], ]s, and ]s<ref name=Letter>{{cite web|url=http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=EDTECH&month=1004&week=a&msg=oh60TKAnthvEwBjcWNxxSg&user=&pw=|title=Re: Misplaced Pages (was Re: Let teachers override the filters) |accessdate=March 15, 2011|author=Sanger, Larry | date=April 7, 2010 |publisher=Humanities & Social Sciences Online}}</ref><ref name="Register-Sanger">{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/09/sanger_reports_wikimedia_to_the_fbi/|title=Wikifounder reports Wikiparent to FBI over 'child porn': No real people pictured |accessdate=March 15, 2011 | author=Metz, Cade | date=April 9, 2010|publisher=The Register | location=San Francisco}}</ref> saying that ] hosted child pornography in the ] and ] categories.<ref name=Letter/>
{{col-end}}


==References== ==References==
===Notes=== === Citations ===
{{Reflist|30em}} {{reflist}}


===Bibliography=== ===Works cited===
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* {{Cite journal|title=Plumbing the Depths of Superflatness|author=Darling, Michael|journal=Art Journal|volume=60|issue=3|pages=76–89|date=Autumn 2001|quote=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 ...'|issn=0004-3249|doi=10.2307/778139|publisher=Art Journal, Vol. 60, No. 3|jstor=778139}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Akagi |first1=Akira |title=Bishōjo shōkōgun: Rorikon to iu yokubō |trans-title=The Bishōjo Syndrome: The Desire Called Lolicon |language=ja |journal=New Feminism Review |date=1993 |volume=3 |pages=230–234}}
* {{Cite journal|title=Japanese Subculture in the 1990s: Otaku and the Amateur Manga Movement|author=Kinsella, Sharon|journal=Journal of Japanese Studies|volume=24|issue=2|pages=289–316|date=Summer 1998|doi=10.2307/133236|publisher=The Society for Japanese Studies |jstor=133236}} Titled "" by Kinsella on her website. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.
* {{cite journal |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick W. |date=2011 |title=''Lolicon'': The Reality of 'Virtual Child Pornography' in Japan |url=http://www.imageandnarrative.be/index.php/imagenarrative/article/view/127 |journal=Image & Narrative |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=83–119 |issn=1780-678X}}{{cbignore}}
*{{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=978-0-87972-779-6|pages=127–163|editor=Lent, J.A.|location=Bowling Green, OH|chapter=Dimensions of Desire: Sex, Fantasy and Fetish in Japanese Comics}}
* {{Cite book |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick W. |title=Researching Twenty-First Century Japan: New Directions and Approaches for the Electronic Age |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-7391-7014-4 |editor-last=Iles |editor-first=Timothy |location=Lanham |pages=343–365 |chapter=Moe: Exploring Virtual Potential in Post-Millennial Japan |editor-last2=Matanle |editor-first2=Peter C. D. |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/3665389}}{{cbignore}}
* {{cite book |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick W. |date=2016 |editor-last=McLelland |editor-first=Mark |title=The End of Cool Japan: Ethical, Legal, and Cultural Challenges to Japanese Popular Culture |chapter='The lolicon guy': Some observations on researching unpopular topics in Japan |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/28693090 |pages=109–133 |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-26937-3}}{{cbignore}}
* {{cite journal |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick W. |date=2017 |title=RapeLay and the return of the sex wars in Japan |url=https://www.academia.edu/31059829 |journal=] |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=105–126 |doi=10.1080/23268743.2016.1252159}}{{cbignore}}
* {{cite book |title=Otaku and the Struggle for Imagination in Japan |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick W. |location=Durham |publisher=Duke University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-4780-0509-4 |jstor=j.ctv1220mhm |doi=10.2307/j.ctv1220mhm |s2cid=240980856}}
* {{cite book |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick W. |date=2021 |title=The Ethics of Affect: Lines and Life in a Tokyo Neighborhood |location=Stockholm |publisher=Stockholm University Press |isbn=978-91-7635-159-8 |doi=10.16993/bbn |doi-access=free}}{{cbignore}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick W. |date=2023-03-06 |title=The ethics of imaginary violence, part 3: early animated pornography in Japan |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23268743.2023.2173280 |journal=Porn Studies |volume=10 |issue=3 |language=en |pages=268–282 |doi=10.1080/23268743.2023.2173280 |s2cid=257394192 |issn=2326-8743|url-access=subscription }}
* {{cite journal |last=Kinsella |first=Sharon |date=1998 |title=Japanese Subculture in the 1990s: Otaku and the Amateur Manga Movement |url=http://www.kinsellaresearch.com/new/Japanese%20Subculture.pdf |journal=] |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=289–316 |doi=10.2307/133236 |jstor=133236 |access-date=1 April 2021 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123000316/http://www.kinsellaresearch.com/new/Japanese%20Subculture.pdf |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last=Kinsella |first=Sharon |date=2000 |title=Adult Manga: Culture and Power in Contemporary Japanese Society |url=https://archive.org/details/adultmangacultur00kins |location=Honolulu |publisher=University of Hawai'i Press |isbn=978-0-7007-1004-1}}
* {{cite book|last1=McCarthy|first1=Helen|authorlink1=Helen McCarthy|last2=Clements|first2=Jonathan|authorlink2=Jonathan Clements|title=The Erotic Anime Movie Guide|year=1998|location=London|publisher=]|isbn=9781852869465|oclc=472970813}}
* {{cite journal |last1=McLelland |first1=Mark |title=Thought policing or the protection of youth? Debate in Japan over the 'Nonexistent youth bill' |journal=] |date=2011a |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=348–367 |url=https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1272&context=artspapers |access-date=2021-10-01 |archive-date=2021-05-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504012956/https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1272&context=artspapers |url-status=live}}
* {{cite journal |last1=McLelland |first1=Mark |title=Australia's 'child-abuse material' legislation, internet regulation and the juridification of the imagination |journal=] |date=2011b |volume=15 |issue=5 |pages=467–483 |doi=10.1177/1367877911421082 |s2cid=41788106 |url=https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2166&context=artspapers |access-date=2021-10-01 |archive-date=2021-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923070347/https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2166&context=artspapers |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last=Nagayama |first=Kaoru |date=2020 |title=Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga |publisher=Amsterdam University Press |isbn=978-94-6372-712-9 |location=Amsterdam |doi=10.2307/j.ctv1zqdqc3 |jstor=j.ctv1zqdqc3 |translator-last=Galbraith |translator-first=Patrick W. |translator-last2=Bauwens-Sugimoto |translator-first2=Jessica |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1zqdqc3}}
* {{cite book |last=Saitō |first=Tamaki |author-link=Tamaki Saitō |title=Robot Ghosts and Wired Dreams: Japanese Science Fiction from Origins to Anime |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8166-4974-7 |editor-last=Bolton |editor-first=Christopher |location=Minneapolis |pages=222–249 |translator-last=Bolton |translator-first=Christopher |chapter=Otaku Sexuality |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/RobotGhostsAndWiredDreamsJapaneseScienceFictionFromOriginsToAnime/page/n243/mode/2up |editor-last2=Csicsery-Ronay Jr. |editor-first2=Istvan |editor-last3=Tatsumi |editor-first3=Takayuki}}
* {{Cite book |last=Schodt |first=Frederik L. |author-link=Frederik L. Schodt |year=1996 |title=Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga |url=https://archive.org/details/dreamlandjapanwr00scho |publisher=Stone Bridge Press |isbn=978-1-880656-23-5 |location=Berkeley}}
* {{cite book |last=Shigematsu |first=Setsu |date=1999 |chapter=Dimensions of Desire: Sex, Fantasy and Fetish in Japanese Comics |editor-last=Lent |editor-first=John A. |title=Themes and Issues in Asian Cartooning: Cute, Cheap, Mad and Sexy |location=Bowling Green |publisher=Bowling Green State University Popular Press |pages=127–163 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b0EJmrszhyQC&pg=PA129 |isbn=978-0-87972-779-6}}{{cbignore}}
* {{cite book |last1=Takatsuki |first1=Yasushi |title=Rorikon: Nihon no shōjo shikōshatachi to sono sekai |trans-title=Lolicon: Japan's Shōjo Lovers and Their World |language=ja |date=2010 |publisher=Basilico |location=Tokyo |isbn=978-4-86238-151-4}}
{{refend}}


==Further reading== ==Further reading==
{{refbegin|30em}}
*{{cite journal|author=Davis, Jessie Christian|date=May 8, 2008|title=Japanese Animation in America and its Fans|url=http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/8736/thesis.pdf?sequence=1|publisher=Oregon State University|accessdate=March 8, 2011}}
* {{cite web |last=Alt |first=Matt |date=23 June 2011 |title=I Don't Wanna Grow Up, 'Cause Maybe if I Did... I'd Have to Date 3D Adults Instead of 2D Kids |url=http://neojaponisme.com/2011/06/23/i-dont-wanna-grow-up-cause-maybe-if-i-did-id-have-to-date-3d-adults-instead-of-2d-kids/ |website=Néojaponisme |access-date=14 January 2020 |archive-date=10 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110094811/http://neojaponisme.com/2011/06/23/i-dont-wanna-grow-up-cause-maybe-if-i-did-id-have-to-date-3d-adults-instead-of-2d-kids/ |url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|last=Mead|first=Rebecca|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011130957/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25145481_ITM|archivedate=October 11, 2008|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25145481_ITM|title=Shopping rebellion; what the kids want. (Letter from Tokyo)|work=]|date=March 18, 2002|accessdate=November 10, 2015}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Hinton |first1=Perry R. |date=2014 |title=The Cultural Context and the Interpretation of Japanese 'Lolita Complex' Style Anime |journal=Intercultural Communication Studies |volume=23 |issue=2 |url=https://web.uri.edu/iaics/files/Perry-R.-Hinton.pdf |pages=54–68 |access-date=10 June 2021 |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308141045/http://web.uri.edu/iaics/files/Perry-R.-Hinton.pdf |url-status=live}}
* {{Cite book|first=Jason|last=Thompson|authorlink=Jason Thompson (writer) |title=]|publisher=] & ]|location=New York|year=2007|page=450 |isbn=978-0-345-48590-8}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Kinsella |first1=Sharon |date=2006 |title=Minstrelized girls: male performers of Japan's Lolita complex |url=https://www.academia.edu/4993364 |journal=Japan Forum |volume=18 |issue=1 |doi=10.1080/09555800500498319 |pages=65–87 |s2cid=144822744}}{{cbignore}}
*{{cite web|url=http://comipress.com/article/2007/07/17/2307|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080731151255/http://comipress.com/article/2007/07/17/2307|archivedate=2008-07-31|title=A History of Shojo, Loli, and Harmful Books|publisher=Comipress|date=July 17, 2007}}
* {{cite news |last=McNicol |first=Tony |date=27 April 2004 |title=Does comic relief hurt kids? |work=] |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2004/04/27/issues/does-comic-relief-hurt-kids/ |access-date=16 June 2021 |archive-date=26 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426203451/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2004/04/27/issues/does-comic-relief-hurt-kids/ |url-status=live}}
* ''ComiPress'' (November 17, 2006)
* {{cite book |last1=Nobis |first1=James G. |date=2017 |chapter=Lolicon: Adolescent Fetishization in Osamu Tezuka's Ayako |editor1-last=Heimermann |editor1-first=Mark |editor2-last=Tullis |editor2-first=Brittany |title=Picturing Childhood: Youth in Transnational Comics |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin |isbn=978-1-4773-1162-2 |pages=148–162}}
* -(Stephen Sarrazin; ''Manga Impact'' 2010, {{ISBN|978-0714857411}})
* {{Cite news |last1=Otake |first1=Tomoko |title=Professor Examines Lolita Complex by First looking at His Own Experience |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/05/05/national/social-issues/professor-examines-lolita-complex-first-looking-experience/ |access-date=16 June 2021 |work=] |date=5 May 2017 |archive-date=26 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210326084443/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/05/05/national/social-issues/professor-examines-lolita-complex-first-looking-experience/ |url-status=live}}
<!-- Imageboards such as Renchan, not4chan, etc. are NOT permissible as outside links due to copyright violation concerns. DO NOT ADD THEM.-->
* {{cite book |last1=Sarrazin |first1=Stephen |date=2010 |chapter=Ero-Anime: Manga Comes Alive |chapter-url=https://www.gwern.net/docs/anime/2010-sarrazin |title=Manga Impact: The World of Japanese Animation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610125859/https://www.gwern.net/docs/anime/2010-sarrazin |url-status=live |location=London |publisher=Phaidon Press |isbn=978-0-714-85741-1 |page=262 |access-date=16 June 2021 |archive-date=10 June 2021}}
* ''Japan Times'', May 5, 2017.
* {{Cite journal |last=Sousa |first=Ana Matilde |date=2018 |title=Against Teleology: Nostalgia and the Vicissitudes of Connectedness in Pharrell Williams's Music Video ''It Girl'' |journal=] |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=147–165 |doi=10.5749/mech.11.1.0147 |jstor=10.5749/mech.11.1.0147 |s2cid=201736938}}
* {{Cite book |first=Jason |last=Thompson |author-link=Jason Thompson (writer) |year=2007 |title=Manga: The Complete Guide |title-link=Manga: The Complete Guide |location=New York |publisher=] & ] |page=450 |isbn=978-0-345-48590-8}}
* {{cite book |last1=Zank |first1=Dinah |date=2010 |chapter=Kawaii vs. rorikon: The Reinvention of the Term Lolita in Modern Japanese Manga |editor1-last=Berninger |editor1-first=Mark |editor2-last=Ecke |editor2-first=Jochen |editor3-last=Haberkorn |editor3-first=Gideon |title=Comics as a Nexus of Cultures: Essays on the Interplay of Media, Disciplines and International Perspectives |location=Jefferson, N.C. |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-0-7864-3987-4 |pages=211–222}}
{{refend}}


==External links== ==External links==
*{{Commonscat-inline}} * {{Commons category-inline}}


{{Japanese Erotic Cinema}}
{{Lolita}}
{{Animation industry in Japan}} {{Animation industry in Japan}}
{{Film genres}} {{Film genres}}
{{Japanese erotic cinema}}
{{Video game controversy}}


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Latest revision as of 09:20, 6 December 2024

Genre of sexualized young girl characters

A manga-style depiction of young girls wearing lingerie. Lolicon artwork often blends childlike characteristics with erotic undertones.
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In Japanese popular culture, lolicon (ロリコン, rorikon) 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 of the English-language phrase "Lolita complex", also refers to desire and affection for such characters (ロリ, "loli"), and their fans. Associated mainly with stylized imagery in manga, anime, and video games, lolicon in otaku 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 (cute girl) characters in manga or anime.

The phrase "Lolita complex", derived from the novel Lolita, entered use in Japan in the 1970s. During the "lolicon boom" in erotic manga 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 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. Culture and media scholars generally identify lolicon with a broader separation between fiction and reality within otaku sexuality.

Definition

Lolicon is a Japanese abbreviation of "Lolita complex" (ロリータ・コンプレックス, rorīta konpurekkusu), an English-language phrase derived from Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita (1955) and introduced to Japan in Russell Trainer's The Lolita Complex (1966, translated 1969), a work of pop psychology 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 culture, the term is more often used to describe desires for young or young-looking girl characters (ロリ, "loli") in manga or anime, which are generally understood to exist within fiction. However, the meaning of the term remains contested, and it carries a connotation of pedophilia 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 (jidō poruno).

The meaning of lolicon within the otaku context developed in the early 1980s, during the "lolicon boom" in erotic manga (see § History). 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 (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 keyword after the 1989 arrest of Tsutomu Miyazaki, a serial killer of young girls who was portrayed by the Japanese media as an otaku (see § History). 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.

History

Background

In the 1970s, shōjo manga (marketed to girls) underwent a renaissance in which artists, such as those of the Year 24 Group, 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–inspired work by Shinji Wada published in a 1974 issue of the shōjo manga magazine Bessatsu Margaret, where a male character calls Lewis Carroll 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", attributes which became attached to imagery of younger girls over time. Nude photographs of shōjo, conceived as fine art, 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 under Japan's obscenity laws.

1970s–1980s

Front page of Hideo Azuma's first contribution to Cybele [ja], an erotic parody of "Little Red Riding Hood". Critic Gō Itō identifies the work as a comment on a "certain eroticism" in the roundness of Osamu Tezuka's characters.

The rise of lolicon as a genre began at Comiket (Comic Market), a convention for the sale of dōjinshi (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 Cybele [ja]; its standout creator was Hideo Azuma, 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, characterized by realism, sharp angles, dark hatching, 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's works and the emotive faces of shōjo manga marked the advent of the bishōjo and the aesthetic of "cute eroticism" (kawaii 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 manga (featuring male homoeroticism), 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 and Manga Burikko, both in 1982. Other magazines of the boom included Manga Hot Milk [ja], Melon Comic, and Halfliter [ja]. 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, 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's editors yielded to reader demands by removing photographs of gravure idol 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 and Erika Sakurazawa, and male artists such as Aki Uchiyama [ja], 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, an OVA released episodically in 1984 and 1985.

Eiji Ōtsuka, editor of the lolicon magazine Manga Burikko, played a key role in the lolicon boom.

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 (1978), both directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Clarisse was especially popular, and inspired a series of articles discussing her appeal in the anime specialty magazines Gekkan Out [ja], Animec [ja], and Animage, 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 and bishōjo elements; the premiere of the Daicon III Opening Animation at the 1981 Japan SF Convention 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 (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 as 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 manga (featuring lesbian themes).

1990s–present

In 1989, lolicon and otaku became the subject of a media frenzy and moral panic after the arrest of Tsutomu Miyazaki, 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: 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. 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.

Media

Lolicon fan-doujinshi being sold at the Hakurei Shrine Reitaisai in Taiwan 3, themed after popular characters from Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya and Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, among others.

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 characteristics 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, "groping objects" (alien tentacles 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. 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 Hiraku Machida [ja] have "resonated with female readers" and "earned the support of women". Other notable artists include Aguda Wanyan, Takarada Gorgeous [ja], and female creators Erika Wada and Fumio Kagami [ja]. Lolicon imagery is a prominent theme in Superflat, a manga-influenced art movement founded by Takashi Murakami. Superflat artists whose works incorporate lolicon include Mr. and Henmaru Machino.

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 Sailor Moon and Neon Genesis Evangelion, 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. John Oppliger of AnimeNation identifies Ro-Kyu-Bu!, Kodomo no Jikan, and Moetan as examples of series which challenge the distinction between moe and lolicon through use of sexual innuendo, 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

See also: Legal status of fictional pornography depicting minors

Child pornography laws in some countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, 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 (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, which argued that regulation would infringe upon freedom of expression 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 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; 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 Oku-sama wa Shōgakusei [ja] ("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 licensed the manga series Kodomo no Jikan 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 criticized the Australian Classification Board 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 series No Game No Life for sexual depiction of young characters. Some online platforms, including Discord, Reddit, and Twitter, 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 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 argues 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, argue that lolicon works can be used for sexual grooming, 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, 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 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, 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 culture 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" which marginalizes fictosexuality, or nijikon.

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 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 becomes precious as a transitory figure threatened by impending adulthood".

See also

Notes

  1. Translator Matt Alt states that the term is treated as "something of a four-letter word virtually synonymous with pedophilia", and Patrick W. Galbraith similarly writes that "'lolicon' is often almost synonymous with 'pedophilia' for critics today".
  2. yōji-zuki (幼児好き); pedofiria (ペドフィリア); shōniseiai (小児性愛); jidōseiai (児童性愛)
  3. 児童ポルノ
  4. ロリコンブーム, rorikon būmu
  5. nijigen konpurekkusu (二次元コンプレックス); nijikon fechi (二次元コンフェチ); nijikon shōkōgun (二次元コン症候群); bishōjo shōkōgun (美少女症候群); byōki (病気)
  6. yūgai komikku (有害コミック) or yūgai manga (有害漫画)
  7. 二次元ロリコン
  8. Kyabetsu-batake de Tsumazuite (キャベツ畑でつまずいて)
  9. See Lewis Carroll § Speculation of sexual conduct by scholars (1940s onwards).
  10. When obscenity enforcement against depictions of pubic hair was partially eased in 1991, facilitating a trend of "hair nude [ja]" photo books, depictions in manga and anime continued to be regulated.
  11. かわいいエロ
  12. メロンCOMIC
  13. Ōtsuka also edited Petit Apple Pie, an anthology series featuring works from the artists of Manga Burikko without eroticism; it is also remembered as a lolicon publication.
  14. Some journalists in the room later stated that Miyazaki had owned only a few adult manga, which were moved to the foreground of photographs and created a false impression.
  15. ロリババア, roribabā
  16. The first work to be formally restricted as "harmful" under the expanded law was the manga Imōto Paradise! 2 in 2014.
  17. Light novels, including No Game No Life, typically include manga-style illustrations.

References

Citations

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  2. McLelland 2011b, p. 16: "Japanese scholarship has, on the whole, argued that, in the case of Japanese fans, neither the Loli nor the BL fandom represent the interests of paedophiles since moe characters are not objectified in the same manner that actual images of children can be, rather they express aspects of their creators' or consumers' own identities."
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Works cited

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