Kodomo no džikan

It is very difficult to review this anime series when there are so many people commenting about how it is only for pedophiles. Anyway, chances are those who made such comments have not even made it to the sixth episode, let alone finished this anime series. Plus, from a certain point of view, you could easily say that, for example, the previously mentioned movie Lolita is also for pedophiles... So which is it then? The truth is that both sides have a point because this anime series has some scenes where the relationship between the really very young girl and the teacher is overly sexualized, the setting is often intended by the mangaka/anime’s creators to be an erotic scene, or a scene with strong sexual overtones, which, in conjunction with children this young, is simply unacceptable for ethical and moral reasons in our culture. Some of the scenes are meant to be amusing, and the truth is that if I leave out (stop addressing) the morality of this show, sometimes they really are funny. So in the end it is up to each individual person regarding how much they are bothered by the ethical and moral dilemmas while watching this show. In addition, it is a drama as well as being a comedy. The anime’s creators were fully aware of the subject matter and did not want it (unlike Eromanga Sensei for example) to come across as pure Loli (or kodomo) fan service. Therefore the characters are not black and white, but rather quite complex, plus it has situations that are thought-provoking and suspenseful. Once again, it really depends on how much you want to go along with these melodramas, how much you find the narrative believable, and how much those things excuse just about everything else (the context) - which for some is inexcusable... In other words, because this show has a much more complicated narrative, there are no cookie-cutter formulaic characters and in fact, are quite relatable (Reiji, for example, is a very interestingly written character). You can look at this anime series as a narrative regarding a girl with a complicated backstory, and that backstory explains why she is too grown-up mentally and quite precocious. It also goes some way to explain this young girl's first crush, and why she develops that crush on her teacher (which happens in real life a lot, it is quite common, because I also had a crush on one of my teachers when I was much younger...). Plus, he is a character who is practically an easy target, because of his ineptitude, and he is a victim due to the sometimes unbelievable manipulation of the girl. Still, I just cannot escape the feeling that it is all the teacher’s fault really, and the reason why the situations keep escalating over and over again is that he constantly fails to set healthy boundaries, and also because of his approach to the children, as he tries to get as close to them as possible, so actually he has brought all this on himself... There are many ways to consider your attitude towards this anime series, and I do not think any of the views I have presented are completely wrong or right, so I encourage everyone to take a look for themselves, and so you can then see for yourselves if it makes you feel uncomfortable, and by how much. At the very least, you may discover where your own moral and ethical boundaries lay in this regard. In conclusion, this is not simply an anime series aimed at pedophiles, it is aimed at the wider public as well, as long as they can accept its premise and find the characters and their motives believable. I think you could learn a lot and have a good laugh at times, which simply depends on how seriously and gravely you take it. However, if you happen to find this anime series sexually arousing, then you quite possibly might really have some serious issues... 6/10. (2018.07.20) (kevesebbet) (több)