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Kodomo no Jikan
Kodomo no Jikan manga volume 1 cover.
こどものじかん
GenreRomantic comedy, Lolicon
Manga
Written byKaworu Watashiya
Published byFutabasha
English publisher
MagazineComic High!
DemographicSeinen
Original runMay 22, 2005 – April 22, 2013
Volumes13 (List of volumes)
Original video animation
Directed byEiji Suganuma
StudioStudio Barcelona
ReleasedSeptember 12, 2007
Runtime30 minutes
Anime television series
Directed byEiji Suganuma
StudioStudio Barcelona
Original network
Original run October 12, 2007 – December 28, 2007
Episodes12 (List of episodes)
Original video animation
Kodomo no Jikan 2 Gakki
StudioStudio Barcelona
Released January 21, 2009 – July 24, 2009
Episodes4 (List of episodes)
Original video animation
Kodomo no Jikan: A Child's Summer Time
StudioStudio Barcelona
ReleasedJanuary 21, 2011
Runtime25 minutes
Light novel
Written byKaworu Watashiya
Published byFutabasha
DemographicMale
PublishedJanuary 12, 2012

Kodomo no Jikan (こどものじかん, lit. A Child's Time) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kaworu Watashiya. The story revolves around a grade school teacher named Daisuke Aoki, whose main problem is that one of his students, Rin Kokonoe, has a crush on him. It was serialized between May 2005 and April 2013 in Futabasha's Comic High! magazine and is compiled in 13 volumes. At one time, an English-language version of the manga was licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment for distribution in North America under the title Nymphet, but the Los Angeles–based company ultimately decided not to publish it due to controversies over its content.[1]

A 12-episode anime adaptation of the series aired in Japan between October and December 2007. While content of the broadcast version was sometimes heavily censored, the DVD releases of the individual episodes remain unedited. A second anime season was released as four original video animation episodes between January and July 2009. A third original anime DVD was released in January 2011.

Plot

Kodomo no Jikan is centered around 23-year-old Daisuke Aoki, who has just landed his first teaching job as a grade school instructor at Futatsubashi Elementary School (双ツ橋 小学校, Futatsubashi Shōgakkō). He is placed in charge of Class 3-1, where one of his students, a mischievously precocious nine-year-old girl by the name of Rin Kokonoe, develops a crush on him and goes so far as to proclaim herself Aoki's girlfriend. At first he dismisses it as harmless, but she aggressively pursues her efforts to be with him. Aoki is in shock when she makes sexual advances towards him leading him to believe that Rin comes from a troubled family. Aoki finds out that Rin's mother had died and she is living with an uncle whose flashbacks lead to violent outbursts.

Characters

See also: List of Kodomo no Jikan characters
Daisuke Aoki (青木 大介, Aoki Daisuke)
Voiced by: Junji Majima
The protagonist of the story, Daisuke Aoki, is a freshly graduated 23-year-old elementary school instructor who has been placed in charge of the third grade class 3-1. Many of the idealistic notions he holds about his job, however, are quickly put to the test as he finds himself dealing with unexpected, complex situations, not the least of which is having a shamelessly flirtatious nine-year-old doing everything in her power to win his affections. Aoki's complete lack of previous teaching experience sometimes makes it hard for him to control his class or maintain their interest, a situation further complicated by the ease with which he is flustered by Rin's sexual innuendo and Kuro's barbed remarks about his status as a virgin. His relatively normal, uneventful childhood also complicates his efforts to quickly and easily grasp the hardships faced by some of his students, though this has in no way discouraged him from trying or diminished his desire to help them. In fact, his seemingly unshakable enthusiasm, hands-on attitude, and emotional attachment to his students has often caused him to butt heads with the more traditional Sae Shirai. Almost from the beginning, Aoki has shared a special bond with Rin, one which has deepened and become so complex over time that even he, at one point, was terrified of Rin and began to fear her, and at another point, he began to ponder his feelings toward Rin, mainly to see her as only a "child".[2] Regardless of the nature of his love for Rin, his protectiveness of her has led him to become increasingly suspicious and mistrustful of the motives of her guardian and cousin, Reiji Kokonoe.
Kodomo no Jikan main characters: Mimi (left), Rin (center), and Kuro (right).
Rin Kokonoe (九重 りん, Kokonoe Rin)
Voiced by: Eri Kitamura
Rin is a young girl in third grade who has an intense crush on her teacher Daisuke. She has a mischievous nature and has proclaimed herself to be Daisuke's girlfriend; she will go to great lengths to make him fall in love with her. This has resulted in her crossing moral and legal boundaries many times, including blackmail and taking advantage of Daisuke's inability to respond to her forcible advances by threatening to scream that he is trying to molest her, when in fact it is her that is making those advances. Despite Rin's mischievous nature she has shown herself to care deeply for her friends and family, going to any length to defend them. Also much of her bad behavior is a result of trying to hide the traces of the vulnerable little girl she used to be as a result of a tragedy in her past.
Kuro Kagami (鏡 黒, Kagami Kuro)
Voiced by: Kei Shindō
A close friend of Rin's, the diminutive Kuro Kagami is also Rin's frequent "partner in crime" due to their comparable levels of sexual knowledge. She is openly contemptuous of Aoki due to his lack of sexual experience, naïveté, inability to consistently enforce discipline in the classroom, and her belief that he is a pervert, lolicon, and rival for Rin's affection, and often verbally—and sometimes even physically—abuses him. The apparent wealth of the Kagami family allows Kuro to indulge her obsession with following the latest, expensive fashion trends, and she often wears clothing in the Gothic Lolita style, sometimes combined with nekomimi ears and tail. Though others may have the impression that she is a show off, bad apple, or spoiled brat, she has managed to befriend both Rin and Mimi and is very dedicated to and protective of them both. Much to the surprise and confusion of just about everyone, Kuro eventually comes to idolize and develop something of a crush on Sae Shirai, possibly due to their similar personalities and temperaments.
Mimi Usa (宇佐 美々, Usa Mimi)
Voiced by: Mai Kadowaki
A quiet, bespectacled young girl whose knowledge of adult and sexual matters is inversely proportional to her level of physical development and an astonishing degree of whose wide-eyed childhood innocence has managed to survive having Rin and Kuro as best friends. Surprisingly, Mimi Usa's biggest problem is her struggle to establish a sense of self-identity: since most of her defining characteristics emphasize qualities about herself with which she is either uncomfortable or that make her stand out—such as her intelligence, height, lack of aptitude when it comes to sports and related activities, and unusually generous physical endowment for a third grader—she has become incredibly self-conscious, emotionally fragile, and increasingly depressed. This problem is merely compounded by her shyness, lack of assertiveness, and reluctance to stand up for herself, which have made her a popular target for teasing and bullying—most notably by class 3-1's original homeroom teacher, Nakamura—and made it difficult for many adults, including her parents, to take her concerns seriously sometimes, though Rin and Kuro's loyalty and protectiveness and Aoki's continuing emotional support have benefited her greatly. Her greatest source of inspiration thus far, however, has come from her secret crush, Rin's cousin Reiji: recognizing much of who he once was in her, he told her to never lose hope that she would one day find someone who would understand and love her and also encouraged her to not succumb to anger and hatred at the world like he did.
Kyōko Hōin (宝院 京子, Hōin Kyōko)
Voiced by: Ryōko Tanaka
A young, well-endowed teacher who is Aoki's colleague and friend at work. She tries to care for Aoki as he is still new to the job, and seems to have a crush on him. She has asked him out on several occasions, only to be interrupted every time by some incident, usually involving Rin. Due to her busty physique, she is nicknamed "Boin" (a pun on her name "Hoin").
Reiji Kokonoe (九重 レイジ, Kokonoe Reiji)
Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita
Rin's first cousin once removed, and guardian. He and Rin share a very close relationship, almost like a father and daughter or a brother and sister. For a short period of time, he was in love with Rin's mother, his own cousin Aki, before she died. After her death he became Rin's official guardian. He is very protective of Rin and does not seem to like Aoki at all because of Rin's affection towards him, which makes Reiji very jealous.
Aki Kokonoe (九重 秋, Kokonoe Aki)
Voiced by: Yuri Amano
Rin's mother, who died of lung cancer when Rin was very young. She revealed to Reiji that the father of Rin wanted Aki to have an abortion, but she refused to do it. She soon falls in love with Reiji and develops a relationship with him, seeing as Rin became very fond of him. She soon developed a cough to then being diagnosed with the cancer which threatened her life, and for the sake of Rin and Reiji, she kept her disease hidden until it was too late to cure it. She entrusted him with the care of Rin after she died.

Media

Manga

See also: List of Kodomo no Jikan chapters

The first chapter of a two-part "pilot" for Kodomo no Jikan appeared in the premiere issue of Futabasha's seinen manga magazine Comic High! on March 2, 2004.[3] The successful reception of the pilot prompted the creator, Kaworu Watashiya, to rework the title into a full-fledged manga. Serialization began a little over a year later in Comic High! on May 22, 2005 and ran until April 22, 2013.[4] Futabasha published 13 tankōbon volumes between December 12, 2005 and June 12, 2013. While the aforementioned pilot is not considered part of the ongoing series' canon in spite of the shared name, largely identical main cast, and common central theme, many situations and ideas initially introduced there were revisited in the eventual manga series—and thus incorporated into official continuity—albeit in (slightly) altered or expanded form.

Audio dramas

An Internet radio show called Kojika Radio (こじからじお), hosted by Lantis Web Radio, Beat Net Radio!, and Kodomo no Jikan's official website, originally had a pre-broadcast on August 31, 2007, but began regular weekly broadcasts every Friday starting on September 7, 2007. It has three hosts—Eri Kitamura, Kei Shindō, and Mai Kadowaki, who played Rin Kokonoe, Kuro Kagami, and Mimi Usa in the anime, respectively—and was produced by Bandai Visual and Lantis. There are three corners on the show, which is used mainly to promote the anime version.[5][6][7] A CD entitled Kojika Radio on CD: Aki Ensoku Hen (こじからじお on CD ～秋の遠足編～) was released by Lantis on November 21, 2007. It contained an opening and ending talk as well as seven more tracks from the Internet radio show.[8] A drama CD was released on January 9, 2008 by Lantis.[9]

Anime

Comparison between the TV broadcast (top) and DVD (bottom) versions of episode one.
See also: List of Kodomo no Jikan episodes

A thirty-minute, uncensored, single-episode original video animation (OVA) was released on September 12, 2007, available both on the anime's official website and in a limited edition version bundled with the fourth volume of the manga. The anime series, directed by Eiji Suganuma and produced by the animation studio Studio Barcelona, was originally scheduled to premiere in Japan on October 11, 2007, but two television stations—TV Saitama and Mie TV—removed it from their broadcast schedules.[10][11] In an official press release, TV Saitama stated that their decision was heavily influenced by the then-recent capture of Takayuki Hosoda, a notorious Japanese child pornographer who was revealed to be an elementary school vice principal.[12][13][14] Plans for Chiba TV and KBS Kyoto to air the series remained unchanged, and the anime premiered on Japanese television on October 12, 2007, running for twelve episodes until December 28, 2007. However, some of its content suffered censorship to varying degrees, from animated panels obscuring parts of the screen and sound effects being used to "bleep" out dialogue in some instances to full suppression of both audio and video in others. The uncensored version of the anime series is available on DVD in six volumes containing two episodes each. The DVD volumes were released between December 21, 2007[15] and May 23, 2008.

A second anime season was announced, and a promotional video of this season was included with a special edition of the fifth manga volume released on July 11, 2008.[16] This season was released in original video animation format over four episodes between January 21 and July 24, 2009. A third anime adaptation was announced on the cover of the manga's eighth volume in May 2010, and was released on January 21, 2011.[17]

Music

Four pieces of theme music are used for the anime television series: one opening theme and three ending ones. The opening theme, used in all episodes except the twelfth, which did not have an opening theme, is "Rettsu! Ohime-sama Dakko" (れっつ!おひめさまだっこ) by Eri Kitamura, Kei Shindō, and Mai Kadowaki, the voice actresses for Rin Kokonoe, Kuro Kagami, and Mimi Usa, respectively. The first ending theme, used for all but two episodes, is "Hanamaru Sensation" (ハナマル☆センセイション, Hanamaru☆Senseishon) by Little Non; the second ending theme, used only for episode six, is "Yasashii" (やさしい) by Chata; the third and final ending theme, used only in episode twelve and which was also the opening theme for the OVA, is "Otome Chikku Shoshinsha desu" (オトメチック初心者でーす), once again sung by the trio of Kitamura, Shindō, and Kadowaki. The maxi single for the opening theme was released on October 24, 2007 by Lantis, and the one for the first ending theme was released on October 12, 2007, also by Lantis.[18][19] The anime's original soundtrack was released on January 23, 2008.[20]

The OVA's opening theme, the previously mentioned "Otome Chikku Shoshinsha desu" (オトメチック初心者でーす) and was included on the same maxi single as "Rettsu! Ohime-sama Dakko" as a B-side track.[18] The ending theme, "Aijō◎Education" (愛情◎エデュケイション) by Little Non, appeared on the same maxi single as "Hanamaru Sensation" as a B-side track.[19] Three character song albums were released by Lantis on December 26, 2007 for the characters Rin Kokonoe, Kuro Kagami, and Mimi Usa, featuring singing and voicework by their respective voice actresses.[21][22][23]

The second season's opening theme is "Guilty Future" by Kitamura.[24] The ending theme for all but episode three is "1,2,3 Day" by Little Non.[25] The ending theme for episode three is "Yoridori Princess" (よりどりプリンセス) by Kitamura, Shindō, and Kadowaki. An album was released by Lantis on January 27, 2010 containing all the music used in the anime.[26]

Criticism and controversy

Kodomo no Jikan was originally licensed for distribution in North America in 2006 by the Los Angeles–based company Seven Seas Entertainment, the first volume of the manga having been slated for an early 2007 release. According to Futabasha, the title of Nymphet was selected for the English language version at the suggestion—and later insistence—of the original creator, Kaworu Watashiya.[27] The manga, however, soon became the target of controversy after questions were raised about its appropriateness for North American audiences. In a written statement, the president of Seven Seas Entertainment, Jason DeAngelis, observed that "those who are speaking out against Nymphet seem to be disturbed by the relationship between two characters in the story, namely an elementary school student and her adult teacher" and decided to delay the release of the manga so that he could "have an open dialogue with the large book chains and other vendors."[28] The title was subsequently dropped as a result of these concerns, with DeAngelis saying that it was "not appropriate for Seven Seas to publish Nymphet," and that it would cancel its release of the manga.[1]

In a second statement regarding Nymphet, DeAngelis explained some of the reasoning behind the decision to cancel the series. He stated that, "my primary reason for canceling Nymphet is due to my recent realization that later volumes in the series can not be considered appropriate for the US market by any reasonable standard." He also cited the fact that, "[the vendors] began dropping their orders left and right, so their opinion on this matter became pretty clear cut."[29] Specifically, DeAngelis stated that, during his re-review of later Kodomo no Jikan anthologies, he discovered content that he regarded as highly unsuitable for publication.[27] The pages cited were of a scene of the main characters, Rin Kokonoe and Daisuke Aoki, stuck in a room with freezing temperatures. The two embrace in an effort to stay warm by sharing body heat, and Rin takes the opportunity to rub her crotch against Aoki's, almost causing him to get an erection.[27]

On June 7, 2007, Kaworu Watashiya posted a blog entry on the Kodomo no Jikan controversy in the United States.[30] She commented that, "what I heard about 'issues in volume 2 and later' made me realize the differences in the cultures between the countries."[31] The author went on to cite instances in later volumes that showed intimate relationships between cousins and a bath scene with a child and adult, going on to say that, "my honest feeling is, 'It's unfortunate, but what can I do?'"[31]

Former manga editor Toren Smith commented on the issue in favor of its content, accusing people who support the reverse gender scenario in series such as Negima! Magister Negi Magi of being hypocritical.[32]

References

  1. ^ a b "Seven Seas kills Nymphet". Retrieved 2007-05-30.
  2. ^ Watashiya, Kaworu. "Period 30". Kodomo no Jikan volume 5. Futabasha.
  3. ^ "New Shōjo Manga Magazine for Boys". Anime News Network. 2004-02-27. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  4. ^ コミックハイ!　2013年5月号 (in Japanese). Tohan Corporation. Retrieved May 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Kojika Radio hosted by Lantis Web Radio" (in Japanese). Lantis. Archived from the original on 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  6. ^ "Kojika Radio hosted by Beat Net Radio!" (in Japanese). Bandai Visual. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  7. ^ "Kojika Radio at Kodomo no Jikan's official website" (in Japanese). Studio Barcelona. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  8. ^ "Kojika Radio on CD: Aki Ensoku Hen official listing" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  9. ^ "Kodomo no Jikan drama CD official listing" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  10. ^ "Japan's Teletama Takes Nymphet, Higurashi off Schedule". Anime News Network. 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  11. ^ "2nd Japanese TV Station Removes Nymphet from Schedule". Anime News Network. 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  12. ^ "TV Saitama, Kodomo no Jikan, and axe girl stuff". 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  13. ^ "Teletama Reply for Pulling Kodomo no Jikan". Alafista.com. 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  14. ^ "Arrested school vice principal says he is a 'superstar' among pedophiles". 2007-10-02. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  15. ^ "Official anime series DVD listing for Kodomo no Jikan" (in Japanese). Studio Barcelona. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  16. ^ "Kodomo no Jikan (Nymphet) Second Term Anime Announced". Anime News Network. March 29, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  17. ^ "Kodomo no Jikan Anime's Return Announced". Anime News Network. May 10, 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  18. ^ a b ""Rettsu! Ohime-sama Dakko" opening theme single official listing" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  19. ^ a b ""Hanamaru Sensation" ending theme single official listing" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  20. ^ "Kodomo no Jikan original soundtrack official listing" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  21. ^ "Character song CD 1 official listing" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  22. ^ "Character song CD 2 official listing" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  23. ^ "Character song CD 3 official listing" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  24. ^ ""Guilty Future" opening theme single official listing" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  25. ^ ""1,2,3 Day" ending theme single official listing" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  26. ^ ""Kodomo no Jikan" Best Album official listing" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved 2010-04-16.
  27. ^ a b c "Jason DeAngelis blog". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
  28. ^ "Seven Seas Entertainment Talks about Nymphet". Anime News Network. 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
  29. ^ "Seven Seas' Nymphet Letter 2". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  30. ^ "Kaworu Watashiya's blog entry on Kodomo no Jikan's cancellation" (in Japanese). June 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
  31. ^ a b "Nymphet Creator, U.S. Publisher Blog on Cancellation". Anime News Network. June 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
  32. ^ Smith, Toren (June 17, 2007). "Gendanken Experiment". The Dead Zone (blog). Retrieved April 15, 2012.
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