The cultural context and the interpretation of Japanese ‘Lolita complex’ style anime

Abstract

Japanese animated films or anime have been popular in the West since the early 1990s. However, media interest in anime (particularly in Britain) has tended to focus on negative representations of anime concerning violence, sexuality and young girls. The current paper undertakes an examination of the genre of ‘Lolita complex’ or rorikon anime, the focus of these concerns. It is argued that the term ‘Lolita’ has a culturally specific meaning and that it has a different meaning in Western culture to that in Japan. This has led to a misperception of aspects of Japanese society and its cultural products such as anime. Furthermore it is argued that rorikon anime reflects teenage anxieties about the adult world, and changes in society and gender roles rather than perverse male sexual desire. An examination of the elements of rorikon anime shows that, rather than the product of a cultural ‘other’, it reflects features common across Japanese and Western cultures.

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