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Shotacon (ショタコン,shotakon), abbreviated fromShōtarō complex (正太郎コンプレックス,shōtarō konpurekkusu), is, in Japanese contexts, the attraction to young (or young-looking) boy characters, or media centered around this attraction. The term refers to a genre ofmanga andanime whereinprepubescent orpubescent male characters are depicted in a suggestive or erotic manner, whether in the obvious role of object of attraction, or the less apparent role of "subject" (the character the reader is designed to associate with).
In some stories, the boy character is paired with an older boy or man, usually in a homoerotic manner, which is most common inyaoi works meant for female readers, but some of these works are male-oriented, such asBoku no Pico. In others, he is paired with a female, which the general community would call "straight shota." In some works, theshota character is paired with an older girl or woman, which is known asoneshota (おねショタ), a blend ofonē-san (お姉さん, older sister) andshota.[1] It can also apply to post-pubescent (adolescent or adult) characters withneotenic features that would make them appear to be younger than they are.[2] The phrase is a reference to the young male character Shōtarō (正太郎) fromTetsujin 28-go[3] (reworked in English asGigantor). The equivalent term for attraction to (or art pertaining to erotic portrayal of) young girls islolicon.
The usage of the term in both Western and Japanese fan cultures includes works ranging fromexplicitly pornographic to mildly suggestive, romantic, or in rare cases, entirely nonsexual, in which case it is not usually classified as "true" shotacon. As with lolicon, shotacon is related to the concepts ofkawaii (cuteness) andmoe (in which characters are presented as young, cute or helpless in order to increase reader identification and inspire protective feelings). As such, shotacon themes and characters are used in a variety of children's media. Elements of shotacon, likeyaoi, are comparatively common inshōjo manga, such as the popular translated mangaLoveless, which features an eroticized but unconsummated relationship between the 12-year-old male protagonist and a twenty-year-old male, or the young-appearing characterHoney inOuran High School Host Club.Seinen manga, primarily aimed atotaku, also occasionally presents eroticized adolescent males in a non-pornographic context, such asYoshinori "Yuki" Ikeda, the cross-dressing 14-year-old boy inYubisaki Milk Tea.
Some critics claim that the shotacon genre contributes to actualsexual abuse of children,[4] while others claim that there is no evidence for this,[4] or that there is evidence to the contrary.[5]
The term "shotacon" is aJapanese contraction ofShōtarō complex (正太郎コンプレックス,Shōtarō konpurekkusu), a reference to the young male character Shōtarō (正太郎) fromTetsujin 28-go.[3] In theanime andmanga series, Shōtarō is a bold, self-assertive detective who frequently outwits his adversaries and helps to solve cases. Throughout the series, Shōtarō develops close friends within the world. Hisbishōnen cuteness embodied and formed the term "shotacon", putting a name to an old sexual subculture. The wordshotacon itself was coined in the magazineFan Road in 1981.[6]
Where the shotacon concept developed is hard to pinpoint, but some of its earliest roots are in reader responses to detective series written byEdogawa Rampo. In his works, a character named Yoshio Kobayashi of "Shōnentanteidan" (Junior Detective Group, similar to the Baker Street Irregulars ofSherlock Holmes) forms a deep dependency with adult protagonistKogoro Akechi. Kobayashi, a beautiful teenager, constantly concerns himself with Kogoro's cases and well-being, and for a timemoves in with the unmarried man. This nonsexual but intimate adult-boy relationship in part inspired the evolution of the shotacon community.
Tamaki Saitō writes that although the modern shotacon audience has a roughly even split between males and females, the genre is rumored to have roots in early 1980s dōjinshi as an offshoot ofyaoi.[3] Saitō suggests that shotacon was adopted by male readers who were influenced bylolicon; thus, he claims "shota texts by femaleyaoi authors are structurally identical toyaoi texts, whileshota by maleotaku clearly position these little boys as young girls with penises".[7] Kaoru Nagayama writes that the 1995 manga anthologyU.C. BOYS: Under Cover Boys started a boom in commercial shotacon in the second half of the 1990s.[8] During this time, male-oriented shotacon emerged and mixed with female-oriented shotacon: "the situation was such that shota works targeting women, men and a combination of both were all in close proximity."[8] The boom collapsed at the end of the 1990s, but male-targeted shotacon saw a small resurgence starting in 2002.[8]
Shotacon stories are commonly released in semi-monthly anthologies. Sometimes, however, manga artist will publish individual manga volumes. Many shotacon stories are published asdōjinshi;Shotaket (ショタケット),[nb 1] an annual convention to sell shotacon doujin material, was founded in 1995,[10] by a group of male creators.[3] The 2008 Shotaket had over 1000 attendees and offered work from nearly 200 circles.[10]
Shotacon for women is almost exclusivelyyaoi, and may be published in general yaoi anthology magazines or in one of the few exclusively shotacon yaoi anthologies, such asShōnen Romance. Because of the possiblelegal issues, US publishers of yaoi have avoided material depicting notably underage characters.[11] In 2006,Juné released an English translation of Mako Takahashi'sNaichaisouyo (泣いちゃいそうよ) under the title "Almost Crying",[12] a non-erotic shotacon manga; the book contains several stories featuring pubescent male characters, but their relationships are nonsexual.
Shotacon for male readers may feature either homosexual or heterosexual relationships.[nb 2] Both gay and straight shotacon typically involve escapades between smaller, often pubescent males and young adults (older brother/sister figures), sexually frustrated authority figures (teacher/boss), significantly older "uncle/aunt" figures (neighborhood acquaintances, actual family members), or outright father or mother figures (adopted, step, or full blood relation). Outside of these tropes, stories that involve only young boys (with no older characters) are not rare, with the most common recurring theme being a classmate relation.
Shota stories may be published in (a subset of) generalseijin (men's pornographic) manga anthologies or in the few seijin shota manga anthologies, such asShōnen Ai no Bigaku, which specializes in male-male stories. Some gay men's magazines which offer a particularly broad mix of pornographic material occasionally run stories or manga featuring peri-pubescent characters.[13]
In 2006, the seijin shotaconOVA animeBoku no Pico (ぼくのぴこ,lit. 'My Pico'), which the producer has described as the first shotacon anime,[14] was released. It was later followed by two sequels and an edited version of the first OVA, with content more suitable for viewers under 18, as well as a video game starring Pico and Chico, the main characters of the anime. However, an OVA based on theerogeEnzai was created in 2004, featuring explicit sexual acts involving young boys, and the OVA for Akira Gotō'sA Forbidden Time dates back to 2000.
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