Shotacon
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Shotacon (ショタコン shotakon?) is a Japanese abbreviation for the Shōtarō Complex, a term describing affinity or sexual preference for underage boys.[1] Outside Japan, shotacon refers primarily to artwork that depicts Shōtarō-like characters (shotas) in cute or sexual ways. The term "Shōtarō" itself comes from the name of a main character in the 1956-1966 manga Tetsujin 28-go, an energetic, prepubescent boy detective.
Modernly, shotacon artwork appears in numerous pornographic doujinshi and in anime as fanservice. As with its female equivalent, lolicon, the most explicit forms of shotacon artwork depict child sexual abuse and have been the subject of legal controversy.
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[edit] Controversy
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Like lolicon, shotacon often depicts children in sexual situations with adults or other children. While the shotacon community argues that drawn art is protected under freedom of speech, critics claim shotacon is a direct offshoot of child pornography and may lead to child sexual abuse.[citation needed] Supporters argue shotacon is fictional drawings and therefore not child pornography (a view supported by Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition) because no child has been harmed in its creation, and that no study has ever linked shotacon to child sexual abuse.
Shotacon has dubious legality in many parts of the world. The sale, but not possession, of shotacon is outlawed and punishable by imprisonment in some regions of Japan, but is legal in others.[citation needed] The United States PROTECT Act of 2003 prohibited obscene or sexual drawings of children, while the Supreme Court in Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition ruled that such legislation is unconstitutional. Shotacon is illegal in Australia, Canada, Sweden, Norway, and South Africa, but prosecutors do not typically press charges unless other crimes are present. Since most shotacon is trafficked internationally (such as through the Internet), national legal prohibitions are difficult to enforce.
[edit] Origins
The term "shotacon" is a Japanese portmanteau of Shōtarō complex, a reference to the young male character Shōtarō (正太郎) from Tetsujin 28-go.
In the anime and manga series, Shōtarō is a bold, self-assertive young detective who frequently outwits adult adversaries and helps to solve cases. Throughout the series, Shōtarō develops close adult friends, and acts within the adult world despite being a young boy. His bishōnen cute embodied and formed the term "shotacon", putting a name to an old sexual subculture.
Where the shotacon concept developed is hard to pinpoint, but some of its earliest roots are in readers responses to detective series written by Edogawa Rampo. In his works, a character named Yoshio Kobayashi of "Shōnentanteidan" (Junior Detective Group, similar to the Baker Street Irregulars of Sherlock Holmes) forms a deep dependency with adult protagonist Kogoro Akechi. Kobayashi, a beautiful teenager, constantly concerns himself with Kogoro's cases and well-being, and for a time moves in with the unmarried man. The adult-boy relationship in part inspired the evolution of the shotacon community.
[edit] Audience
The shotacon community is predominately male, while females often enjoy softcore shota, heterosexual and homosexual males are more likely to enjoy hardcore works.[citation needed] Because of common themes, yaoi audiences sometimes "drift" into shotacon. For example, shipping pairs, while yaoi in nature, often involve pubescent or prepubescent characters. One of the most argued points of the 'Shota Culture' by women is that they are not attracted by the child-like qualities of the boys. Most in fact, do not think of the boys as being children, but just young looking males. Another term would be 'chibi-sex' ('chibi' deriving from the Japanese super-deformed cute characters). To some, shotacon is considered child-pornography, while to others it is considered 'chibi-sex'. (As stated, the 'chibi-sex' concept is usually used by women in the shotacon fandom)
[edit] Shotacon publications
Shotacon stories are commonly released in semi-monthly anthologies. Sometimes, however, mangakas will publish individual manga volumes.
[edit] Shota manga anthologies
[edit] Male oriented
- Koushoku Shōnen no Susume (好色少年のススメ)
- Love Shota (らぶショタ)
- Otoko Musume no ko HEAVEN (男娘の子HEAVEN)
- Shōnen Ai no Bigaku (少年愛の美学)
- Shōnen Iro Zukan (少年色図鑑)
- Shōnen Shikou (少年嗜好)
- Shōnen Yuugi (少年遊戯)
[edit] Female oriented
- Mousou Shōnen (妄想少年)
- Shota Comi (ショタコミ)
- Shota Mimi Love (ショタみみＬＯＶＥ)
- Shota Tama (ショタ魂)
- Shōnen Romance (少年浪漫)
[edit] Shotacon anime
- Boku no Pico (ぼくのぴこ)
- Enzai (冤罪)
- Papa to Kiss in the Dark
[edit] Video games with Shotacon content
- AM 2:00 ~Neko to Tsukiyo no Buranko~
- Enzai (冤罪)
- Teikoku Sensenki +18 Add-On Disc Sen Yoru no Yume
- Zettai Fukujuu Meirei
- Laughter Land
- Lasting Snow
- Dolly Night
- Kannagi no Tori
- Bokura wa Minna Koi wo Suru (Nous Tous Chute Dans L'amour)
- Miracle Hearts
[edit] Non-hentai series with shotacon themes
Many series make use of shotacon themes or evoke the fetish through stalker-like characters.
- In the series Seto no Hanayome, San-chans mom often flirts with the male lead.
- The shōnen series Negima stars a capable if beleaguered ten year old teacher in a situation somewhat similar to a harem series, and contains frequent playful asides regarding the shotacon fetish. The class representative, Ayaka, has been referred to as a shotacon (craddle robber in the Del Rey version) by fellow classmates.
- Haunted Junction is a fairly conventional high-school ghost-hunter series. One of the trio of main characters, though, is a teenage girl with a self-declared Shota complex; she takes it as a matter of pride that she only has crushes on boys 12 years or younger.
- The series Ouran High School Host Club features a shota character, Mitsukuni Haninozuka nicknamed "Honey."(or Hani, a shortened version of his name) He is one of the hosts who caters to the fetishes of young ladies at a high-class school. His childish habits (especially going around with a stuffed bunny doll) and short stature makes him appear to be around elementary school age. He is, however, the eldest of the hosts (the second-eldest being his cousin Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka), being a senior in high school.
- In the anime Vandread, Jura Basil Elden (30s), ever since the birth episode, continuously pesters Hibiki Tokai (in his teens) to have a baby, even though neither know how to.
- In the first series of Steel Angel Kurumi, Nakahito, a prepubescent boy, becomes the focus of affection of Kurumi, Karinka, and Kagonei, all full-grown young women.
- Mamoru-kun ni Megami no Shukufuku wo!'s title character is a very young-looking high school freshman who is endlessly pursued by an older female senior. With his baby face, innocence, and small height, Mamoru is thought to be a shota character, although he is 14 years old. The official Mamoru-kun website, www.megadere.com, lists Mamoru's height as 155 centimeters (5 feet 1 inch) and the series addresses Mamoru's unhappiness with his extremely short height for his age - he has the height of a 10 or 11-year old. Evidence in case for his shota status is that the official site calls him a "boy" (男の子) instead of "youth" or "teenager" (少年) used to describe his male classmates.
- The shōjo series MeruPuri features a girl named Airi who eventually falls in love with a very young prince known as Aram. Although Aram transforms into a seventeen year old everytime he is exposed to darkness, his true age makes him quite a bit younger than Airi.
- The main character from Kanokon also has a shota-like appearance, although he is only one year younger the girl who is in love with him, both being in high school.
[edit] Publications against shotacon
In Japan a few works critical of shotacon exist as well. Most of them are not very popular or are not translated for release outside of Japan. One of the few comics in the western world that deals critically with the subjects of shotacon and abuse is the German manga style comic Losing Neverland.
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] External links
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