What is anime's obsession with minors?

[☆reshiya☆]

Dude this ♥♥♥♥ is weird af

[Jremiahh]

characters are in highschool because thats what the target audience is bro

[LieBerry]

In japan life ends after High School.

[Vowiquis]

Basically in Japan high school is the last time you can have fun before you're thrown into the depressing corporate world for the rest of your life, so that's why there is so much high school themed anime.

[Aerugo]

Originally posted by Jawkess:

Basically in Japan high school is the last time you can have fun before you're thrown into the depressing corporate world for the rest of your life, so that's why there is so much high school themed anime.

I think that applies to everyone in the world. I get that in high school everything looked like an adventure, but it's only later in life where we actually get to be independant. Personally, I wish there were a persona game centered more in the adult life, though the whole fool arcana and it's meaning would be lost.

[rennanr_]

what is YOUR obsession with minors?

[Vowiquis]

Originally posted by Aerugo:

Originally posted by Jawkess:

Basically in Japan high school is the last time you can have fun before you're thrown into the depressing corporate world for the rest of your life, so that's why there is so much high school themed anime.

I think that applies to everyone in the world. I get that in high school everything looked like an adventure, but it's only later in life where we actually get to be independant. Personally, I wish there were a persona game centered more in the adult life, though the whole fool arcana and it's meaning would be lost.

Wym? Play Eternal Punishment (after Innocent Sin of course)

[Stoibs]

Originally posted by Aerugo:

I think that applies to everyone in the world. I get that in high school everything looked like an adventure, but it's only later in life where we actually get to be independant. Personally, I wish there were a persona game centered more in the adult life, though the whole fool arcana and it's meaning would be lost.

The more adult oriented character arcs/humour was the big draw of Yakuza Like a Dragon (And to a lesser extend, Soul Hackers 2) for me. I too hope we move away from the pre pubescent Persona games with it's awkward underage romances and cringey 'bathhouse' scenes that Japan seems to have a weird child fetish for :/

Even Uni would be an interesting fresh take.

[Seagal]

Originally posted by Stoibs:

The more adult oriented character arcs/humour was the big draw of Yakuza Like a Dragon (And to a lesser extend, Soul Hackers 2) for me. I too hope we move away from the pre pubescent Persona games with it's awkward underage romances and cringey 'bathhouse' scenes that Japan seems to have a weird child fetish for :/

Even Uni would be an interesting fresh take.

You could just not play the games if it's a problem for you now, right? It seems that there's plenty of games that are more suited to your "mature" tastes, and you even named a couple.

Perhaps you've just "outgrown" the series or the games just aren't for you anymore. Totally fine if it is, but why push for change on something that has seemingly been a staple theme of the Persona series just because you don't like it? You know what kind of person that sounds like, right? Just move on to something else instead. Plenty of games out there that are suited to your taste.

[Stoibs]

Originally posted by Seagal:

You could just not play the games if it's a problem for you now, right? It seems that there's plenty of games that are more suited to your "mature" tastes, and you even named a couple.

Perhaps you've just "outgrown" the series or the games just aren't for you anymore. Totally fine if it is, but why push for change on something that has seemingly been a staple theme of the Persona series just because you don't like it? You know what kind of person that sounds like, right? Just move on to something else instead. Plenty of games out there that are suited to your taste.

I like the other 98% of the games though, the actual well written character arcs, the combat and general gameplay etc.
It just sort of comes out of left field every now and then when they do another 'teehee the boys are spying on the naked girls in the bath' sequence again for the Umpteempth time in the series for no reason.

Like, who does this serve or what's it for? Why are the adult confidants dating my clearly underage Protag? (Or reverse with the whole FemC thing in P3P... ) It's just little things like this that could have easily been omitted by the devs, but they decide to put in anyway just to be.. edgy or to push problematic underage undertones I guess?
It's weird, and seems to be a common Japanese Anime/Jrpg trope for some reason that I don't quite get.

[Vlakri]

Well from Europe when i first had sip of anime japanese production or RPG game, it was so refreshing so different from western production. After time I have realized that it has own canons and clichés. Than i accepted it as a fact. But it doesnt mean i would like to see some changes.

Pls don´t take it personally japanese steam users, it shall not shame your culture or yourself. I like RPGs and also anime, and i am already in middle age.

1) Protagonist 16 years old super inteligent super capable. Whole society have to rely on them becouse anyone over 20 or over 30 their contribution is zero, except some crazy scientist, who makes support for hero or heroine.
2) Hero makes tons of activities that takes his whole time and still is able to go through the studies and often be still on the top or evaluation charts.

3) Drinking is prohibited, when someone offers hero drink he refuses, he is minor. But selling him weapons and equipment is ok. (Hello Persona 3 - invoking personas with shooting in your head....:o )

4) Same goes for Casinos. In lot of games are casinos, amuzement parks . FF series Dragon quest series etc. For me it seems strange. Gambling is ok but drinking or having real interest in opposing sex is real tabu? (Arent games companies sponzored by casinos or I dont understand it)

5) Opposing sex attraction is completely missing. or showed in bizarre ways. Characters are or too shy or too eccentric. Reactions from girls that someone is interrested : he is called perv. or they are just frozen with inner thoughts. I am not sexuologist or sociologist. but how can that be healthy? I am well aware that anime is not the only thing in Japan.

Now to Persona game. Has to be only about school campus? Having set time schedule and fractions activities can by applied also in adulthood, cannot be?
Now i am thinking it would be interesting having persona 5.5 with Joker and his crew after graduation .

In my opinion Persona games should not work but they do. and we like them.. :D(I played P1 - P4, P5 only first castle and at friends PS5) There are two big opposing parts dungeon crawling and boss fighting , and time managment. I love persona4 but it force you to rush through dungeon and save victim in one TV visit becouse it is most time efficient. Then you had 14-16 days of story and tehn another rush....

Any I am very glad to see Persona 5 and overall Atlus games on PC(Steam). I like them, but that doesn´t mean I would not point things that in my opinion dont work well. Actually i criticize becouse I care :D-

[SylveonLover]

In Japan youthness is seen as something beautifull, it has nothing to do with some pervert liking kids. the world is big, there are another cultures. There are different cultures and ways of thinking and that´s ok. You can´t expect every country having your moral values.

[Neoyoshi]

Originally posted by 16BitKnight:

Dude this ♥♥♥♥ is weird af

"Japan's" obsession. Japan is the country with the obsession with minors.

Go blame Japan, not an entertainment medium. D:<

[Hyo]

That really depends on which anime, not all of it features high schoolers, as for Persona's case, it's because every single game of the franchise is a coming-of-age story.

You can't really generalize an entire medium only because of your experiences or expectations,

Originally posted by Vlakri:

1) Protagonist 16 years old super inteligent super capable. Whole society have to rely on them becouse anyone over 20 or over 30 their contribution is zero, except some crazy scientist, who makes support for hero or heroine.

I suggest you read this[en.wikipedia.org] and then you'll know why they're always 16-17.

Originally posted by Vlakri:

2) Hero makes tons of activities that takes his whole time and still is able to go through the studies and often be still on the top or evaluation charts.

That depends on you, you can fail all your exams and do nothing but waste time on the entire day, you're given the freedom to chose what to do and you can't do it all, it's why you pick to spent time somewhere and lose the chance to experience something else. I don't really see why this is a problem, on P5s case you literally cannot be perfect on your first playthrough.

Originally posted by Vlakri:

3) Drinking is prohibited, when someone offers hero drink he refuses, he is minor. But selling him weapons and equipment is ok. (Hello Persona 3 - invoking personas with shooting in your head....:o )

On P5 you can purchase model guns and melee weapons, Morgana specifies this on the very first mission, they are toys. As for P3s case, I suggest you read this[megamitensei.fandom.com] and you'll understand why they look like guns and why they shoot themselves in the head while using them.

Originally posted by Vlakri:

4) Same goes for Casinos. In lot of games are casinos, amuzement parks . FF series Dragon quest series etc. For me it seems strange. Gambling is ok but drinking or having real interest in opposing sex is real tabu? (Arent games companies sponzored by casinos or I dont understand it)

Those are all old games, you are not a minor on most FF and Dragon Quest takes place on a fantasy setting, also, how is having interest in the opposing sex taboo in Japan?

Originally posted by Vlakri:

5) Opposing sex attraction is completely missing. or showed in bizarre ways. Characters are or too shy or too eccentric. Reactions from girls that someone is interrested : he is called perv. or they are just frozen with inner thoughts. I am not sexuologist or sociologist. but how can that be healthy? I am well aware that anime is not the only thing in Japan.

And not all cultures are Western, you imply your culture is doing it right and all others are doing it wrong, and you probably don't need me to tell you how arrogant that sounds. You're even condemning the people on your own culture that don't fill into your specific ideas, as all being unhealthy.

Originally posted by Vlakri:

Now to Persona game. Has to be only about school campus? Having set time schedule and fractions activities can by applied also in adulthood, cannot be?
Now i am thinking it would be interesting having persona 5.5 with Joker and his crew after graduation .

Yes, it has to be on a school campus, because otherwise it wouldn't be a coming of age story.

[The_hand_of_fate]

well coming from someone who's a fan of the more horror type anime, it's usually darker if a tragic event happens to a minor, and high school is the best time between "being seen as a child in the eyes of society" and "able to understand a bit of the world around you"

[Godammit Todd]

Originally posted by Neoyoshi:

Originally posted by 16BitKnight:

Dude this ♥♥♥♥ is weird af

"Japan's" obsession. Japan is the country with the obsession with minors.

Go blame Japan, not an entertainment medium. D:<

Dam, just because everyone in the west ages at the speed of white doesn't mean everyone that looks young is a minor.