The "fiction doesn't affect reality" "debate" has been so poisoned by jack thompson satanic panic crap from the 80's and 90's. we know quite obviously fiction doesn't make you literally recreate whatever happens therein, but that doesn't mean there's 0 impact. If there was why the heck would anyone do literary analysis on anything (or for that matter write/make anything)?
The fiction people make is informed by their real experiences, biases, tastes, beliefs, etc. in which they present in some form, and the reader attempts to matches their own, to relate. Whether that's merely finding a subject entertaining, which is informed by those kinds of things, or aligning with those biases, tastes, beliefs etc. explicitly, it's still reflective of what is acceptable/agreeable etc., particularly if its meant to titillate or agitate (such as propaganda). When you sexualize minors in fiction (which hasn't happened in this manga, yet), or romanticize relationships between minors and adults, it is imparting a judgement, it is indulging if such judgement is "it's taboo". Just start asking why. Why does the author make it? (real world consequences?) Why do people read it? Why does it entertain? Why would someone want to read a chapter titled, "enjoying the scent of high school girls", a sentence that if said in public might have police sent your way by most people? Indulging in a "taboo" is disagreeing with how that thing is perceived by people and that can be as much as "just portraying it". I get it, high school is nostalgic for memories and first romances, immaturity can be funny, fucked up shit happens to kids, there's plenty of reasons to write about those kinds of things in regards to kids. They appeal to frustrated/sad/busy adults, and maybe can make things better for future kids, show how bad things are, or whatever purpose you ascribe. As soon as that delves into sexual stuff, those aims or designs are betrayed. An autobiography doesn't need to go into explicit narrative detail about teen sex, you'd be concerned for that person's health / be grossed out.
This story is pretty clearly dealing with late bloom sexual awakening of its protag via explicit sexual cues and how that affects your potential first relationships. For a minor to be introduced as a parallel, does not bode well. However, it seems she is more ingratiated because of Nakano's charm and the flirty atmosphere, which is a much safer route (i forget if she ever heard any of the main people or if she just had the complaint brought). It could be a "look what nakano missed out on coming to terms with her sexuality by not ever being around gay people at that age, how would she have been emotionally/personality wise?" deal. That tract can reasonably be entertained with no need to be sexual, depending on the person that can play such a small role in the way their attraction works, so why not play safe? why go there and invade, encroach on indulgence? If it's really such a hard idea to get, ask yourself if you'd want your own sexual awakening portrayed in a fictionalized film in explicit detail, done so by pure coincidence. It'd be embarrassing, disturbing, and extremely uncomfortable, even though it's a fictional character, to you and the audience. It's a topic better suited for subtlety. When this stuff happens in western media, like Big Mouth or Sex Education, it definitely gets more obvious when the actors, whose job it is to convince you they are a teenager or are actually teenagers down to every detail, play these things out. What is getting encouraged, what is being particularly enjoyed? Who is making it, who is it for?
Every little bit contributes to the very real and prevalent problem of pedophilia, and a lot of manga plays a role in enabling it.
I'll defer to this response if ever the issue comes up elsewhere. I'm tired of responding to the same bad faith, ignorant arguments.
last edited at Mar 5, 2021 9:34PM
