FirstLoveMovies

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1125577

One thing that never fails to amaze me is how much controversy one little bit of media can garner. Be it a film showing off glorified brutality and violence for shock value or even a simple book too radical for its time, it's always astonishing to me to see something face such outright hatred for being anything less than politically correct. So is the case with the 2007 anime series Kodomo no Jikan. While a relatively unknown title, it has sparked a fair bit of controversy and not without good reason.

Based on the, manga of the same name, Kodomo no Jikan centres on Aoki Daisuke, a 23 year old starting his first year of teaching at an elementary school. All seems mostly normal save a small group of students, Mimi Usa, Kuro Kagami and the star of the show, Rin Kokonoe, a nine year old girl who introduces herself by declaring she is now Aoki's girlfriend in the middle of class. As the day continues, she only becomes more and more aggressive with explicit and perverted comments towards Aoki, from writing disturbing sexualised messages to him to performing what is referred to as "finger fellatio" on him all within the first day. And so begins Kodomo no Jikan. Yes everyone, this is a lolicon anime and the reason for its aforementioned controversy should be apparent now. But, like with most controversial titles, this subject matter is not exploited simply for the hell of it.

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The spoiler continues the topic with great insight and pictures:

Two scenes in pics and eng sub: (Read the SUBS below in pics in order for understanding)

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Spoiler: If you first heard of this or saw any image of it that screamed "ridiculous fanservice" to you, you'd only be half right. The series, while at first glance does em to purely base its entire being around glorified sexuality, actually has a deep and emotional story here to tell and that is of Rin, her three friends and just why they act the way they do. What sets this anime apart form others, aside from the obvious, is how it presents itself and tells its story. The subject matter isn't something normally seen in conventional anime before as it explores the characters within it passed the sexual aspects. As the series progresses and Aoki learns more about the issues surrounding these three misfit girls, a certain charm is gained that wasn't apparent from the beginning. The supporting stories like Mimi dealing with crippling self esteem issues stemming from her abnormal appearance for a nine year old and Kuro's hateful attitude towards Aoki brought on by jealousy that she shows both verbally and physically, the show is able to draw out just the right amount of emotion from the viewer. The characters don't just feel like "characters." They feel relatable and real, from the naive Aoki's moments of intense frustration and anger to Rin's overly sexual demeanor which she uses to hide a deeper pain all come together nicely making this more than just a simple "fanservice" type series. Now, of course this isn't an overly philosophical or deep series by any means. While subtle messages and meanings are present, most of the series takes a rather simplistic route by simply being just as it appears, a romantic comedy anime featuring copious amounts of overly sexual characters and situations that rely on shock value or a "cute" factor to get laughs. Aoki spends the majority of the anime dodging the highly sultry advances of an infatuated Rin and dealing with typical issues commonly seen in an anime of this nature. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Something this series is able to do is make the cliche work while avoiding the norm where it needs to. No other show or really any other form fo media I've seen before depicts characters quite like this before and even when the episodes featuring heavy drama, it manages to avoid being predictable with the characters past tragedies. The anime itself though should be commended for portraying the cast in the way they do. Showing small children depicted as having relatively high intelligence isn't uncommon for typical Japanese cartoons, but Jikan doesn't let its characters, or its audience for that matter, forget they are both physically and mentally children. It takes a bit of realism and like with a lot of anime before it, exaggerates the hell out of it. It takes a young child's innocent crush and takes it to an extreme that makes most people uncomfortable thinking about. Even taking that same exaggeration with adults as well, as seen with Rin's guardian and cousin, Reiji who's true feelings and reason for being with Rin are questionable at best. An aspect that I particularly enjoy is the amount of satire I noticed during the series as well as the balance between drama and comedy. While the almost constant use of gratuitous ecchi style comedy is present, there's a deeper element as well. Now, I very well could be the only one who felt this way while watching the episodes but the continuous service cut humour felt more as if it was presenting a satirical view at other series that base themselves around that same form of comedy. This isn't something that seems to be inherently obvious, but it was something I greatly appreciated and felt made the anime stand out even more with an additional level to its comedic affect. This, coupled with the occasional, albeit abrupt, sway between both nicely done humour and well executed drama both end up adding more to the title as it isn't something frequently seen in anime. Another rather simple and subtle element I enjoyed here was the animation style. Even though it maintains the traditional Japanese anime look and feel with vibrant colours, cutesy character animations and ridiculous proportions to hair size and height, almost all of the primary cast have more rounded features as apposed to the typical sharp faces in regular anime. This gives off a mousy look that fits with the character's nature, while those of a more stern background have more jagged and hard structures, making the appearance fit the character very well. However, there are a few things throughout that the show seemed to lack. The one thing Kodomo no Jikan suffers from in its story telling is that it never develops any characters other than Rin, Aoki and Reiji. Rin's two best friends and their backstories that would explain their behaviour a bit more in depth are almost completely ignored. A fault that brings down a great aspect of the show is that it presents interesting and enjoyable characters but never bothers to develop them much in regards to their past. You know Mimi is constantly self conscious almost to the point of hating herself but it's only briefly mentioned as to why. Even Kuro, who is presented as having a little more than a bi-curious relationship with Rin is never really fully explored or answered to an extent I would have liked to see. Of course, the series had to be considerably watered down and edited from the original manga source material, but it would have been nice to see a bit more character development for the supporting cast rather than simply focusing on the two leads. Did I mention this has a lesbian loli in it? Because it liek totally does. Speaking of which, another point I would like to raise is that one of the biggest things the anime lacks is a decent conclusion. Now, only having seen the first season and a few of the OVAs, I can't say for sure that the ending was as bad as I initially felt, but it still was a let down to see a rather lackluster and contrived ending to a series I enjoyed so much. Partly due to the original manga being canceled near its finale, but that doesn't really excuse the anime itself leaving its first, and possibly only, full season on such a dull and rather bland note. That said, having six total OVAs and four episodes in the second season dubbed "Second Term" gives hope that the series can possibly end on a note worthy to conclude it. One word of warning, however. If you do end up watching the series, stay away from the original television broadcast. Everything from the dialogue and images on screen have been either beeped out or outright censored with a crudely placed image over anything slightly hinting at sexuality. This not only adds in a ridiculous element, but pretty much is the biggest middle finger to everyone watching the show. Why they decided to even air it with so much heavy censoring is beyond me. Despite its flaw in execution, the heart of Kodomo no Jikan is in the right place. The change in tone and mood of the characters may be abrupt, but that doesn't take away from the simple fact that it is indeed done well. Looking passed the obvious makes this anime worth while and the deeper emotional studies of the characters turns this from a simple exploitative anime into something with true heart and emotion that managed to bring me to the point of tears a few times. My thoughts exactly! Though, overall, while Kodomo no Jikan certainly isn't an anime that everyone will enjoy or even approve of for that matter, it is a very well done series that shouldn't be overlooked simply due to its subject matter. It deserves praise for, not only the well written story and characters but also for what most people will hate it for. From a technical standpoint, however, the series can be considered a mixed bag of sorts. It suffers from some poor character development and constant mood swings between ecchi comedy and heartbreaking drama. It isn't something I would recommend to everyone and not even a show I'd say every anime fan needs to watch as the majority of people who have seen it seem to outright despise it. However, if you can look passed the disturbing comedy and get over those uncomfortable feelings during the first episode or two, it is commendable in many respects. If ecchi comedy isn't something that irks you and assuming one can watch this without trying to condemn it to the pits of hell every chance they get, it really does become a very enjoyable anime that doesn't come near the level of horror that was constantly advertised. The deeper plot is what caught me by surprise and what kept me with the series until the end.

Naheal
2 POSTED: 13 May 2011 9:13 pm
Wordsmith Extraordinaire


Posts: 10513
Joined: 6 Sep 2009
This is a major difference between eastern and western cultures: in western culture, this anime had no footing. In eastern, it explores an idea that people don't seem to quite get, yet many a gamer on this site can at least relate to: growing up as an intelligent individual in a society that doesn't quite know how to handle you. Psychologically and emotionally, the main characters, outside from the teachers themselves, are still children and, while taken to an extreme, they're dealing with feelings that we've all had.

Ever had a crush on a teacher while growing up? This show takes it to an extreme and plays with that a little bit. They even show the point where the children themselves are showing high degrees of intelligence and manipulative ability, but also display a curiosity that's typical of their age... again, taken to an extreme.

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. 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. 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.

01 "A Friendly Step"
"Nakayoshi no Ippo" (なかよしのいっぽ) October 12, 2007
It is the first day of teaching for Daisuke Aoki and his third grade class. During the course of the day, he learns about the reasons behind Mimi Usa's extended absence from school. Her absence is due to a long-term harassment by the previous teacher. Neither the other teachers nor her parents believed her, so Mimi's only choice was to quit school. This enraged Rin and Kuro, so they harassed that teacher to the point of causing the teacher to have a nervous breakdown during class and quit. Later, Rin tells Aoki that she hates adults because of that incident.

02 "A Smiling Reward"
"Nikoniko no Gohōbi" (にこにこのごほうび) October 18, 2007
Aoki starts off by assigning an essay about dreams, but the class responds with pessimistic views towards today's issues. At night, Aoki goes to a bar and rambles to his colleagues about how hard it is being a teacher. When they ask if there are any sexy teachers, Aoki accidentally mentions Rin. His colleagues tell him to move on to her, unaware of who Rin really is. The next day, it becomes apparent that Aoki's students' scores have begun to drop. Since Rin scored low on her test, Aoki asks her to come to a private lesson.

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03 "Rapid Upbringing"
"Sukusuku Sodate" (すくすくそだて) October 26, 2007
During PE class, Aoki notices Mimi's large chest. He starts thinking of a way to deal with it, and in the process, makes Hoin think that he's a lolicon. Later, Mimi goes shopping for a bra, but does not know anything about them, and ends up buying a bra that didn't fit her. Two boys at school make fun of her, so Rin and Kuro help Mimi purchase a bra by taking her measurements at Kuro's private clothing department.

04 "My Mother"
"Watashi no O-kaa-san" (わたしのおかあさん) November 2, 2007
Aoki gives all of his students a home visit notification. After talking with Shirai, Aoki's curiosity about his students leads him to the archives where he learns about Rin's mother. Aoki begins to treat Rin with a lot of care, however when he hands out the home visit cancellations, he slips up about Rin's mother, which causes Rin to become depressed for being treated like a fool. After Aoki visits Rin's house and talks with Reiji, he mends his relationship with Rin by telling her that she is important to him.

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05 "A Summer Vacation Friend"
"Natsuyasumi no Tomo" (なつやすみのとも) November 9, 2007
Summer break is quickly approaching, and Rin becomes saddened by the fact that she won't be able to see Aoki. Aoki tells her that he will still be at school to monitor the pool. Rin spends her summer with Kuro and Mimi, but at one point she is alone due to Kuro and Mimi's family-related absences. Rin remembers what Aoki says and goes to the school where she finds Aoki talking with Hoin. Aoki spots Rin and chases her to the pool where Rin pushes him in. She hugs him and they watch the fireworks.

06 "Memories"
"Omoide" (おもいで) November 16, 2007
A flash back is told of Reiji's parents and Rin's mother. Reiji's father was an alcoholic and got angry over minor things; one night his parents got in a car crash and died. Afterwards, Reiji moved in with his cousin Aki, Rin's mother, who had lung cancer, but did not tell anyone until it was too late.

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07 "Outdoor School"
"Rinkan Gakkō" (りんかんがっこう) November 23, 2007
Rin and her classmates all went on a class outing to the mountains. While staying there, they play mischievous pranks on Aoki. The episode ends off when as the class were about to leave, Kyoko went to wake them up, finding the three of them, Rin, Kuro and Mimi, fell asleep with Aoki under a tree. Apparently. Aoki's pants were soiled, actually due to Rin's saliva, but the three of them made it look as though he ejaculated on his pants.

08 "Hold Me Tight"
"Dakkoshite Gyu" (だっこしてぎゅっ) November 30, 2007
Aoki tries to ignore Rin when she harasses him for attention. This was because "males and females should avoid skin contact", as emphasized by a fellow teaching staff. On the same day, a former teacher who taught at the school is coming back for a visit. She was the teacher that taught Rin when she was in Grade 1. She mentions Rin and tells Aoki that 'some children will feel lonely'. Later on Rin tries to crossdress as a boy to try to get skin contact with Aoki. The episode ends when Aoki discovers that Rin was cross-dressing as a male in order to try to get close to him. As such, Aoki apologizes to Rin and tells Rin to punish him whatever she desires. Rin in turn slaps him but later on hugs him, crying and tells him that she does not want him to ignore her.

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09 "Jealousy Drill"
"Yakimochi Doriru" (やきもちドリル) December 6, 2007
Aoki decides to be more strict with the students after a fellow teacher commented on his relaxed manner of teaching on the students. Rin knew about it and was not happy about that. It is revealed that Rin was apparently jealous that Aoki went with Kyouko to a family restaurant. The following day, Aoki is absent due to a cold. Rin became worried and went with Kuro and Mimi to visit him.

10 "Kindly to People"
"Hito ni Yasashiku" (ひとにやさしく) December 13, 2007
After a serious, heartfelt attempt to confess her love for Aoki is completely misinterpreted by him, Rin's darker side manifests itself, and she resorts to blackmail and emotional manipulation to try to get him to either return her feelings or at least acknowledge his own for her. Her aggressive tactics backfire, however, and only succeed in causing emotional turmoil for Aoki and Mimi, disrupting his life (as well as an unofficial date with Kyoko), scaring him into keeping his distance. Unsure and confused about what she should do, a depressed Rin finds inspiration in the words of her "romantic rival", Kyoko, and she pursues a radical new strategy: treating the object of her affection with kindness.

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11 "Everyone Gets Along"
"Minna Nakayoku" (みんななかよく) December 20, 2007
As Kyoko channels her frustration about her failed date with Aoki into the dodgeball competition between their two classes, each of the girls attempt to mend their strained relationship with their Aoki in her own unique way. After being trapped together in the gymnasium's storage locker for hours, Rin and Aoki finally reconciled and he assures her that he'll always remain by her side. Upon being rescued, Reiji — hysterical beyond reason due to recurring nightmares about his traumatic childhood and his perceived failure to keep his promise to Aki to protect her daughter from harm — snaps and strikes Aoki in rage before dragging Rin back home. Shirai discourages Aoki from making a volatile situation even worse by reminding him of his responsibility as a teacher to take care of his students without demonstrating favoritism, while Rin is reluctantly cowed into abandoning her attempts to explain the situation to Reiji after perceiving the unmitigated anger belying his seemingly calm demeanor.

12 "A Child's Time"
"Kodomo no Jikan" (こどものじかん) December 27, 2007
The next day Rin doesn't come to school. Aoki notices this then he notices that Kuro and Mimi are getting texts from her. Reiji asks Rin what's wrong and she tells him she wants to go to school. He is still extremely angry at Aoki for "being alone with her". He also continues to have nightmares. Rin finds a letter in the mailbox from Aoki, and she later tells Reiji she is going outside for a while and he yells at her, thinking she is going to Aoki's house. He puts a padlock on the outside of her room to keep her from leaving. Reiji has some kind of breakdown when Rin threatens to stab him with scissors.

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Season 2 - Pre-Midquel

"Kuro-chan to Shiro-chan" (くろちゃんとしろちゃん) January 21, 2009
Kuro wants to become friends with Shirai, because she admires her and feels they have something in common (i.e. hating Aoki). As a sign of friendship Kuro gives a white hair pin to Shirai and wears a black version herself. One day, Shirai inadvertently hurts Kuro's feelings by dismissing her infatuation for Rin as abnormal. After realizing what she has done, Shirai eventually decides to wear the white hair pin in front of Kuro, making her very happy. Shirai ponders what her life would be like if she had a friend like Kuro in her youth.

Chronologically, this OVA takes place between the 1st and 2nd episodes of the second season.

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OVA trilogy

01 "Fourth Grader"
"Yonensei" (よねんせい) February 20, 2009
Aoki finds Rin sitting up in a tree. He tries to apologize for his earlier behavior. Cut to earlier, Rin shows off her new look, "low-rise", which is extremely revealing. Reiji reluctantly allows her to wear it. He walks her to school, trying to block other parents' view of her. He is accused of being a molester because of his close proximity to Rin's backside. Aoki and Reiji then exchange judgemental thoughts about one another as a result of the way of Rin has dressed. Before leaving, Rin kisses Reiji good-bye, prompting a somewhat victorious glance from Reiji which befuddles Aoki. Rin becomes the Class Representative. The day passes and Rin appears to be making a sincere effort to be a good Class Rep. Aoki asks her to have the class clean the backyard after school. When he enters his classroom after it is over, he notices that all the students' backpacks are gone. He immediately misinterprets this as that they ditched the work. Aoki finally runs into Mimi and Kuro, who are cleaning the backyard. Rin had realized that he had no trust in her to complete the request he made and, sincerely hurt, she runs away. Aoki finds her up in the tree at the beginning of the episode. After accepting Aoki's apology, she goes to climb down, slips, and falls revealing her body. Aoki is slapped for this, but forgiven as usual.

02 "Fun Athletic Meet"
"Tanoshii Undōkai" (たのしいうんどうかい) April 24, 2009
The school is making preparations for the sports festival, and Rin is inspired to 'do her best' towards the day. Aoki and Hoin use faux intimidation to fire up the kids, although it doesn't go as planned on Aoki's part. Hoin comes up with the idea of a costume parade for the teachers, which Shirai is totally against until Kuro gets excited about her dressing up. On the day of the sports festival, Rin is suffering from a chest cough from working on a banner late into the night. She declines Kuro's offer of taking her to the nurses, stating that she wanted to work hard for Aoki as thanks for seeing through the mess that she is. Kuro is upset when Rin tells her that she will do what she can to win over Aoki and goes to find Shirai who had dressed up as a panda in the costume parade, but Shirai hugs her to calm her down, going against her beliefs of skinship. Mimi laments that she misses her father's comfort, and when her mother arrives to cheer on her brother instead, she breaks down and cries. Rin manages to win the relay race for her class, but later that night her cough is still bothering her.

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03 "Green Cherry Tree"
"Hazakura no Koro" (はざくらのころ) July 24, 2009
Rin catches a fever from being overworked and has to miss school. Mimi is still feeling lonely and Kuro scolds Aoki because Rin got sick for his sake. Mimi visits Rin's house in order to deliver a handout. Delirious from the fever, Rin asks to suck Mimi's breasts, which she allows in order to help her. Kuro gets Shirai to walk her home, who then apologizes for what she said before. When Reiji notices Mimi's loneliness is similar to how he used to be, he comforts her and assures her that happiness will find her someday. Rin comes back to school healthy and later catches up to Aoki and kisses him.

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Pilot OVA Pre-Midquel -
"Recess Time '~The Thing You Gave to Me~'"
"Yasumi Jikan '~Anata ga Watashi ni Kureta Mono~'" (やすみじかん「〜あなたがわたしにくれたもの〜」) September 12, 2007
Rin, Kuro, and Mimi spend the day at various shops searching for a birthday present for Aoki and even buy a book of charms. However, after Rin runs out of money, they decide to stay over at her house for the night to make presents for him instead. There Mimi meets Reiji for the first time and falls in love with him. Kuro makes a voodoo doll of Aoki and Rin makes herself as the present. The next day, they go to school to give Aoki his presents.

Chronologically, this OVA takes place between the 4th and 5th episodes of the first season.

Episode 02 (This is above as S2Ep1 - The pre-midquel): Kuro-chan, Shiro-chan (Kuro-chan to Shiro-chan)
Kuro-chan tries to become friends with Shirai-sensei.

"A Child's Summer Time"
"Kodomo no Natsu Jikan" (こどものなつじかん) January 21, 2011
Aoki, Kyoko, Rin, Kuro and Mimi travel to Aoki's hometown where they meet his family, including his younger sister, Chika. As the girls go to the beach, Rin recalls the times she went to the beach with Aki and Reiji. Later that night, Rin tries to make a move on Aoki as he sleeps, but backs off when she believes him to be 'a bit too big' for her. Meanwhile, Kyoko, who got very drunk, mistakes Chika for Aoki and kisses her, though forgets about it the next morning. The next day, the girls help with preparations for Obon, giving Rin fond memories of her mother, so Aoki lets her hug him during the night. They return home the next day, with Rin leaving behind a photo of them to sit next to a picture of Aoki when he was younger.