Lolicon - Wiki

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Media
Lolicon media is loosely defined. Some define its characters by age, while others define its characters by appearance (those that are small and flat-chested, independent of age).[9] Lolicon works often depict girl characters as innocent, precocious, and sometimes flirtatious;[78] characters may appear in borderline or outright sexual situations, though the term can be applied to works with neither (see § Relation to moe).[78]

According to Kaoru Nagayama, manga readers define lolicon works as those "with a heroine younger than a middleschool 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".[79] Elisabeth Klar observes that girl characters in lolicon can show an "contradictory performance of age" in which their body, behavior, and role in a story conflict;[80] an example is the roribabā[s] ("Lolita granny") archetype, a girl character who speaks with the mannerisms of an old woman.[81] Curvy hips and other secondary sex characteristics similarly appear as features in some of the genre's characters.[82] Plot devices often explain the young appearance of characters who are non-human or actually much older.[83]

Lolicon manga, often published as dōjinshi or compiled in anthology magazines,[84] is mostly consumed by male audiences,[8][t] though Nagayama notes that the works of Hiraku Machida [ja] have "resonated with female readers" and "earned the support of women".[86] Other notable artists include Aguda Wanyan and Takarada Gorgeous.[87] Female creators of lolicon works include Erika Wada[88] and Fumio Kagami [ja].[89]

Lolicon imagery is a prominent theme in Superflat, a manga-influenced contemporary art movement founded by Takashi Murakami. Prominent Superflat artists whose works feature lolicon imagery include Mr. and Henmaru Machino.[90] Murakami himself did a lolicon-inspired photoshoot with Britney Spears for the cover of the magazine Pop.[91]

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.[13][92] 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.[93] Moe characters, which tend to be physically immature girl characters exemplified by cuteness,[94] are ubiquitous in contemporary manga and anime.[95] In contrast to lolicon works, sexuality in moe is treated indirectly[13] or not at all;[96] the moe response is often defined with emphasis on platonic love.[97]

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".[96] "Moe-style" lolicon works depict mild eroticism, such as glimpses of underwear, and forgo explicit sex.[98]

Genre features
Akira Akagi identified five themes in lolicon manga in 1993: 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 anime and manga, and "simply indecent or perverted stuff", also noting common themes of lesbianism and masturbation.[99] Media scholar Setsu Shigematsu argues that these forms of substitution and mimicry enable lolicon to "transform straight sex into a parodic form".[100] More extreme works depict themes including coercion, rape, incest, bondage, and hermaphroditism.[101]

Nagayama argues that most pornographic lolicon manga deal with a "consciousness of sin", or a sense of taboo and guilt in its consumption.[102] 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.[103] Other lolicon manga, where "men are absolute evil and girls are pitiable victims", indulge in the "pleasure of sin" through the breaking of taboos,[104] which he argues affirms the fragility of the characters.[105] He posits that manga depicting sex between children avoid the "consciousness of sin" via mutual innocence, while also thematizing nostalgia and an idealized past,[106] 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".[107]