I’ve never really thought about it in this particular context if I’m honest. For me, the sexy and provocative situations have always just been put down to fanservice, until they cross the line.

However, have manga and anime been quietly pushing that line further and further ahead, so what would have been obscene, say a year ago, is now just normal everyday fanservice.

What got me thinking on this was a comment over on Brigid’s review of Yen Plus made by Julia earlier this evening. I’m not going to say she’s right, or wrong, because the more I think about it the more confused I get over the subject hehe.

Any way, this is what she had to say on the Yen+ Anthology:

Julia Says:
July 31st, 2008 at 3:13 pm

I read the ‘Maximum Ride’ preview as part of Free Comic Book Day, and I was *really* uncomfortable with the way the characters were drawn. The artwork was technically competent, but the female characters were creepily over-sexualized, particularly in light of their ages: 14-year-old Max is introduced standing in a t-shirt and panties, there are several shots of 11-year-old Nudge’s cleavage, and the moe-esque first shot of 6-year-old Angel is straight-up gross.

I don’t know that any of this stuff was overt enough to bother longtime manga readers, but I don’t think I’d recommend this book to manga newbies–particularly not to manga newbies whose parents might see such images and pitch a (partially justifiable, at least in my eyes) fit.

If i’m honest, i’m immune to this these days. In my reply to her comment i pointed out that by most of todays manga Maximum Ride is actually quite tame. Though i have to admit i wasn’t aware that Max was 14, i thought she was 17/18 lol.

Sexual content in manga and anime has been around for years, but i think it started getting more common place with the two Kodomo no Jikan incidents. The first of course being Seven Seas wimping out over the publication of the manga, and the second being the anime version. Which had so much censoring that at times over 3/4 of the screen was censored, despite there being nothing to censor hehe

However in both anime and manga almost every shonen one is going to be over sexed.

Some examples would be Rosario + Vampire, where you have the token loli char trying to get the two leads into bed for a threesome, and she’s quite aggresive about it. Sky Girls, where we have pre-teens in skin tight outfits flying around fighting. Roket Girls, where we have pre-teens in skin tight space suits. And the current airing Strike Witches, where we have pre-teens again. this series is going to throw the christian groups into histerics when the DVD’s are released. Not only are the heroes all witches (thus pagans) they’re mostly pre-teens who go around in a shirt and some panties and pretty much nothing else, and they end up in so many provocative situations it’s a wonder there wasn’t a lot more censoring than there was.

If i’m honest i think Strike Witches is more provocative than KnJ ever could be >.<

There’s loads of other like it, just looking at my book shelves a few jump out. Monster Collection, Psychic Academy, AI Love You, Psychic Academy, Airgear, Yubisaki Milk Tea, Negima, D’eon, Battle Vixons (Ikkitousen), Battle Club, the list goes on and on, and of course the ever present Enchanter. Oh, and of course we have the two Yen release this month Suzunari and SS Astro.

Shonen manga in general is oversexed in a way to appeal to the guys. Despite Yen+ trying to appeal to all demographics, it is at it’s heart a guys mag. After one issue, it feels like out of all the manga in there, only two of them, Pig Bride and One Fine Day, are aimed at girls. The only other possibility was Sarasah, though i’m not so sure on that after the way the chapter ended. But even if it does turn shojoish, thats still only three out of ten, with the rest leaning towards a  more seinen style. (not that girls can’t and don’t enjoy shonen/seinen, i’m talking demographics, not fact :) )

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