Kodomo no Jikan

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Kodomo no Jikan. Ask any well-versed anime/manga fan about this series and they're likely to respond in either amusement or disgust. I won't attempt to sugar-coat it, if you find even the slightest allude to children being the target of sexuality to be absolutely disgusting, then you should probably keep your distance from this anime. Of course, I'm sure that no one is particularly fond of the subject, however, this series doesn't merely exist as a shallow loli-con's dream world; beneath it's humorous, light-hearted (although often inappropriate) surface lies a compelling story that questions morality and today's society as a whole in ... a satirical fashion that is comparable to many classic novels of the past.

Story: 10
This, of course, brings us to the story of Kodomo no Jikan. The main drive and story-telling device used to develop characters and forward the story is the subject of sexuality. And while this topic is by no means new to the literary world, the fact that children become the main focus of this subject is the source of all the controversy surrounding this series. And while much of the humor results from the awkwardness surrounding the main characters' and their sexual encounters (as in related to the topic; there is no actual sex or anything of the sort involving these characters), it also serves another purpose of questioning society's standards and exactly where the line lies between what can be considered right or wrong.

Before delving into too much detail, I will state that, should one decide to read this manga, he or she should be prepared to view many sexual innuendos and panty shots (often grouped with Sensei's horrified reaction) along the way. And while these become a running gag of the series, author Kaworu Watashiya adds a fresh twist every time, which will likely leave you not only in stitches, but also probably with a slightly awkward feeling afterwards.

Returning to the actual story, the role of sexuality plays a major part in the developing of the series, as well as the driving force, ranging from the main topic of Rin trying to win her Sensei's love, to many of the younger characters' being unusually well versed in sexual knowledge for their age, to their developing bodies and the beginning of puberty. Many instances can be viewed merely as extreme fan service, however, others tie in directly to the deeper portion of the plot. Rin and her sensei's relationship brings up many important issues, such as the questionablility of standards of society and child psychology and development. In fact, the story itself is highly reflective of Rin's personality as a whole, on the surface cheery and situationally perverted in a cute way, while beneath lies another person, repressed out of fear and trauma, seeking security from the ones she loves. While the story may make excessive points at times, the actions of all the characters are always heavily influenced by their past and how it has led to the people they are present day, and possess a meaning. Kodomo no Jikan is comparable to Lolita, a 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov, from which the frequently used terms "lolita" and "lolicon" originated. Although the plot lines vary significantly, the overall question that the two bring forth are similar; the point of child protection laws are to protect innocent (sexually and emotionally ignorant) children from those who would do them harm, however, what happens when the child knows more than the adult?

Regarding the progression of the story, the series begins its first few volumes introducing the reader to what they can expect from the series, as well as developing many of the more important characters later on rather effectively. However, it is not until about the 5th volume that the real story kicks in, and this is where Kodomo no Jikan rescues itself from the potential danger of being written off as a poorly conceived lolicon piece, and earns a spot as a deep story with high potential (the series has only released up to vol. 5 thus far, so it is impossible to say where this will go at the moment).

Anyway, I feel that I have gone into too much detail regarding the story section. The main thing to note is that the reason that story was given a 10 was definitely not for it's ecchi/loli elements, but rather for the very compelling although scandalous story that accompanies them, and the humorous way in which it is delivered.

Art: 8
The panels of the manga for the most part held simple drawings which were clean and easy to follow, effectively putting focus on the significant parts of a scene as well as conveying emotions quite well. Regarding outfits, Rin and Kagami wear a new one everyday, and many of the other characters go through occasional costume changes, but what's really impressive is how every one of the more significant characters (as in all main and supporting cast) have reasons for wearing a different outfit, or the same one everyday. Whenever a few panels are colored in, the result is stunning. The shading gives an overall watercolor effect to the panels, creating a beautiful effect that is a treat to see (if only the entire manga could be in color!) While the art is nothing flashy, it is nevertheless nice to view and tells the story effectively.

Character: 10
Tying in directly with the story, the characters are represented and developed very well. While at first, there is little development, as the story continues to progress, most of the characters receive quite a bit of development and a backstory, the most interesting of which happening to be the story of Rin's mother, which plays an integral role in the later story. In a similar fashion, all of the other characters backstories add to the plot as well, creating an intricate web that could come unraveled with the slightest of ease. Psychological impacts of childhood also play an important role in the personalities of the characters and the ways in which they act. In addition, the main conflict surrounding Rin is masterfully done; it is hard to side with one person on the issues that surface later on in the story (avoiding spoilers). The past of each character directly affects the personality and actions each takes during the story. Overall, the characters are well developed and the chemistry is evident in the way they all interact with one another.


Enjoyment: 9
Despite feeling that many of the more...controversial elements were kind of unnecessary, I nevertheless found myself laughing at many of the jokes, amused by the awkward situations, and drawn in by the unique, catching (and entirely possible in real life) story. I read from the beginning to the latest volume within the course of a few days.

Overall: 9
There's no disputing the fact that Kodomo no Jikan definitely pushes boundaries and tests the limits of what can be considered acceptable. While many may find themselves offended by the material of the series, for those who stick with the series until the real development starts to begin, they are in for a rewarding, if somewhat disturbing, story. The main thing to remember while reading this series is to keep an open mind, and not to take everything at surface value.

Score: 37/40; A (92.5%)



*Reviewer's Note:
Since the series is still ongoing, I will update this review as I deem necessary. However, don't expect any major changes in what I've already said above unless Kojika does a complete 180 and changes for the worse.

One more thing: it's important to note that Japanese culture is different from Western cultures (assuming you are from one) in what is considered acceptable and what is pushing limits (not saying that they condone using children or anything, don't get me wrong). Also, for those who didn't already know, it's entirely normal to like, or even marry, your cousin in Japanese culture.

Imagine you had a friend named Bob. Bob is a great guy, nice, interesting, and you like having conversations with him. He's also a non-active pedophile. What do you think of Bob? Do you disregard all his good points because of this TERRIBLE thing? Or do you continue associating with Bob because those good points outweigh his disgusting side?
This is what I struggle with when thinking about Kodomo no Jinkan, there is a reason why this manga is controversial (And the controversy is what made me want to read it). However, at the same time, it's actually quite well written, well thought out, and brings ... up some interesting questions. So join me as I walk you through this... thing. Let's break it down:

~Story~
Okay, before I get into story content, I'll give credit where credit is due: KnJ is pretty decently written. The majority of the time the pacing is very balanced, and the progression of the story makes sense. However, there was one major section that was very emotionally heavy and seemed like it was going to lead into some interesting story developments... until it is just glossed over, as if the mangaka thought to herself "Oh hey, this kinda makes the story hit a wall, let's just pretend it never happened". So it was disappointing to see that story thread kinda just fizzle out. Also the final major 'thing' that happens lacks any sort of foreshadowing, so its insertion felt a bit rushed and awkward. Other than that, yeah, for a manga that is quite sexual towards young girls, good job.
BUT SPEAKING OF SEXUALISING YOUNG GIRLS (And this is a big but) - I am conflicted.
So here's some trivia - The Mangaka Kaworu Watashiya is a woman. The sex of the author never matters to me, but for a series that is quite sexual, I have to make an exception. Was this manga intended to be highly sexualised, or was it its subject matter that made it so? Perhaps it was the choice of the editor to make the manga more sexual? These questions (of which I can't find a clear answer) would give much better context to better judge this manga with. Here is why: First, let me make it clear that I love it when manga and anime address controversial topics - however, how they handle these topics is key. For a manga to criticize the sexual assault of children (And it certainly does), and also have a theme of 'if you love the person, have self control' - but then show overtly sexual images of young girls masturbating, chest fondling and a girl who literally says (though this may be a translation thing) "As long as it had been with you I would have been fine with you raping me" (She's 11 or 12); IT COMES OFF AS INSINCERE.
And this is what I have as an issue with the manga in general - it comes off as hypocritical, at least in this regard.
But enough of that, instead I'll briefly mention the OTHER things it tackles; and for that I give it praise. There are a lot of heavy topics covered in KnJ, sexual assault, child abuse, the confusion around sexuality and growing up, as well as many more. For the most part, it tackles these well - bringing a view that it seems can only be accessed when taken from the experiences of children.

~Art~
It's a pleasant looking 'round and smooth' style of art. Y'know, apart from all that sexualisation of children thing.

~Characters~
It's a mixed bag, being completely honest.Some characters are quite well developed and sympathetic like Kokonoe and her brother. Other characters seem to make it halfway like Mimi and Shirai, but just don't get enough exploration to fully flesh out their characters. The others are like Oyajima, sincere and good for a laugh - but not really explored too deeply.
THEN THERE IS OUR PROTAGONIST. Geez, why does the protagonist have to be the weakest character. He's just a standard sincere, nice, innocent, virgin dude; finding himself pulled by his emotions and his situation. Honestly, by the end of the manga, apart from his sexual preferences I don't know anything about him other than that he has a sister. No idea what drives him, any sort of hint why he'd be attracted to grade schoolers, no deep exploration into his history or what makes him 'him'. He's defined by what happens TO him, not what causes him to react the way he does in these situations. That is not character.

~Enjoyment~
I guess I enjoyed it. I mean, all the sexualisation of young girls (Still can't stress that enough) made me feel a bit uncomfortable - and I can't help that they could've done the same manga with less overt sexual imagery. But I guess they wanted it to sell, and the only way was to... sexualize little girls... *sigh*
But still, yeah, I guess I enjoyed it.

~Overall~
Depending on your answer to the opening question about Bob will pretty much answer how you approach this anime. There is some good stuff here, I won't lie about that, but if you can't shake the slight feeling of distaste due to the subject matter I won't blame you. I will, however, read Watashiya's other works; hopefully they cover just as many controversial and taboo topics - with less preteen chest-baring.

Toodles~

Kodomo no Jikan (A Child’s Time) is a Slice of Life, Romance, Comedy, Drama notorious for its controversial take on the relations of underage children in our society. There’s plenty of comedy to enjoy but it does get very serious at times.

The story is about an inexperienced, elementary schoolteacher (Daisuke Aoki) who’s having trouble with the class he teaches but there's one girl in particular he's finding hard to control (Rin Kokonoe) But what’s more is said girl has got a huge crush on him. That’s basically how this manga is laid out and for most of the beginning chapters it is littered with a ... superb amount of comedy, with Aoki-sensei being the punch-line to the jokes. But once Aoki-sensei’s struggle to be a teacher respected by his students ends, the real story kicks in. As the story begins to develop, it does show a far more serious side to it as it involves Rin Kokonoe. However this manga isn't marked "highly controversial" for no reason as there is a lot of questionable content that you may not feel comfortable with.

The characters are very interesting in this manga; with Rin & her 2 friends Kuro & Mimi being portrayed as very adult elementary kids, which can incredibly shocking at times but really hilarious at other times. What’s more is that they each have a great deal of depth to their persona, especially Rin. The actual adults, for the most part are portrayed fairly well, with each having their own personality and purpose in the story but a few can just feel irrelevant (Hoin-sensei).

The artwork of this manga is fairly simple, which works well with this manga. Very simple panel arrangements, which make it easy to read and follow and very cute and round characters design. Although it does seem as though this mangaka has some kind of Lolita complex, which you’ll understand after reading a chapter. Also the lack of detail does stifle the artwork from reaching its full potential.

Overall Kodomo no Jikan is a surprisingly hilarious and well-written comedy that in the beginning reminded me of the GTO (without the under-aged girls). What makes it so great as a comedy, is that it’s full of sexual innuendos that will leave anyone in laughing fits. Though the perverted jokes are completely original, you may be left with an awkward feeling after every joke. Something is just not right when you have 3rd Grade girls talking about sex. But things only get worse as you go on and the awkward feeling may turn to sheer disgust, with all the borderline paedophilia. The great story helps make up for that but remember… I did warn you.

^_^

A new teacher in elementary school is afflicted by an adorable little girl in his class who believes she's in love with him. And at first it really is an affliction. He has no interest in little girls as romance or sex objects, AND since he is the girl's teacher, any relationship with her at all, if misconstrued, could ruin his life.

So far, so good, and very promising. For those of you who don't know yet, manga writers delight in creating "unworkable" couples. There are so many opportunities for humor in them! And this female mangaka clearly started out to produce such a funny story, ... and succeeded completely. The first few volumes of the manga are hilarious.

But there is another reason that manga delights in incongruous couples, and that is the great value that approaching and retreating from the breaking of moral boundaries has as a holder of attention for the reader. The creator of this story uses this advantage to the fullest as well.

But something fascinating happens as time goes on. The writer of the story rises to the occasion of having a successful manga running to explore multiple issues of relationships among all the characters, and likewise many issues of child treatment in Japan. Meanwhile, as time passes the teacher is depicted as increasingly torn by an inner conflict: He begins to love the little girl, but he is, like all young men, much in need of a sexual partner. He is thus presented with a very serious moral dilemma: his need for sex versus his increasing love for the girl--which of course calls upon him, a decent man, NOT to have sex with her.

Time passes, many events occur, and our hero suffers. We all wait to see how it all will come out. A great romance of a unique kind unfolds. It is truly a memorable story.


PS: No sex between an adult and a minor occurs in this manga. It is a series that flirts with the idea of lolicon attachment, but never reaches it in actuality. This is a common trope in Japanese manga. It seemed to me as I was reading the manga that if a person loves the art and storytelling of another culture, then he ought to abandon the Puritanism of his own while reading the works of that culture.

You might think it's a stupid manga, with nothing more than those "she seduces him-he falls for it" scene... But actually, this manga shows the story of not only Rin and Aoki, but also the other characters including their past, their way of thinking and reacting to things in a more detailed way. Also, what's interesting is there you don't see only one kind of love and the characters aren't all "normal"! You get to see different kinds of love including those who are legal and those who aren't, and you get to see different kind of personalities. Some characters even have personality dissorders which ... makes it kinda like a psychological manga. And lastly, the messages it gives are extremely interesting and mature. Ah...and since it has to do with school, you'll see Aoki caught up in some of students problems, which he solves surprisingly well.

In this anime you'll find, like, the dark and bright sides and the characters that almost 50% or maybe more of population has it. But isn't it alright? You'll experience different personalities that are weird but make sense in a way. Instead of reading those usual love stories, I think Kodomo No Jikan is much worth it.

Also there aren't any hard H scenes. I think it says Ecchi because there are some bathtub scenes with two or more women and there their chests are visible. The other ecchi scenes are, like, "level 1" and are rare.

I highly enjoyed this anime/manga picking it up due to the controversy around. Despite the content I did find the censors highly annoying in the anime. At first it seems like a lolicon's dream fest, but the story is much deeper then that; it touches on child abuse among other things. Despite what many think, this isn't just some 'Pedophile' Series.

It's very well done, despite the behaviour of kokonoe rin, whom many found uncomfortable to watch; due to her precocious behavior. But if you can look past that, you can enjoy this anime/manga.

Lets start with the ARTWORK: Fair. Quite decent. A fair number of fan service drawings that are... well, not exactly to my taste. I try to be open minded about it, for example, if it was a story of love between two men, then it wouldn't either be my cup of tea, but the story is what is important, and how it is conveyed. The artwork is decent to carry the story.

The CHARACTERS are very good. I suppose there is a balance between characters being plausible and being interesting, and they attain both. They have their own flaws and issues, quite a few severe ... issues, but they keep trying. You might say some of the characters cross the moral event horizon by some of their actions, but overall they are sympathetic.

Finally, the STORY, okay, well, first, a major theme in the story is that children should be allowed to be children. That taking advantage of children is monstrous. Sure, the artwork is a bit explicit at times, many times, but this point of the story should not go unmentioned. I won't spoil by divulging how or when this point comes across, but it should be obvious for anyone who has read the entire manga. So, let me reiterate that: children should be allowed to be children, and not taken advantage of, regardless of your own feelings or even if the child express affection.

I do find this point rather ironic, considering the explicit artwork.

The story, overall, has several heartwarming themes to them. The story, at times, divulge into rather dark territory, but the lessons and morals it aims to purvey are worthwhile. What it means to be a parent, what it means to be a teacher, and how those... jobs can _feel_ if you are emotionally invested. Granted, you may feel that some parts are inappropriate.

What an interesting manga. It's hard to give this one a review, simply because by its nature it's incredibly controversial; the foundation it's built upon is incredibly controversial. But behind all the panty shots and loli-paradise scenes, there's actually a real story, deep characters, and a fascinating assessment of children's' place in society.

Rin Kokonoe and her friends know far more about sex than would seem normal - but in these days of internet and easy access to information, is it really that strange? Their boldness and cheek is both jaw-dropping and intriguing. Plus hilarious when coupled with inexperienced Aoki-sensei's reactions. xD

There's a very interesting ... take on the strength or value of different types of love - parental love, romantic love, obsessive love... I can't say much more without spoilers, but the constrasts are very well done and interesting.

As for the other characters, all of them managed to capture my interest! Usually I get bored with some characters' plotlines, but in this manga, every one is well throughout and expressed and very interesting to follow, so I never got bored.

Art is nothing extraordinary but still very cute and fun. Gorgeous color panel scenes every now and then.

Bottom line, there IS a lot of children as the targets of sexuality, so if that bothers you, don't read this. But that's not the bottom line of this manga - it really goes into way more than that, and throughout it all there's still comic moments and that "will-they-won't-they" sense that shoujo fans love.

I love this manga so tremendously much!

This was more than just Loli fanservice.
It was about love, life, growing up, and how to cherish yourself.
Every character is immensely likable, the teachers and the students. I had a fun time getting to know them.
The story of a young preschooler girl Rin Kokonoe falling in love with her teacher Daisuke Aoki was so wholesome seeing them interact.
The comedy was well done. I genuinely had a smile on my face and laughed a few times.
There were also multiple emotional scenes that made me tear up quite a lot.
It also undoubtedly has some steamy fanservice here and there, ... but I loved it!
I had an awesome time reading this, there were no parts that bored me.

Also, I have to say this is assuredly better than the anime.

I'm happy with the ending.
I'm going to miss you Rin Kokonoe, Kuro Kagami, & Mimi Usa. You three have grown well! May all their futures be happy!! (Tears of joy)

Kodomo no Jikan, otherwise translated as "A Child's Time" is a story basing itself around exactly that (a child's time). More over, it gets involved in the psychology of children, and more prominently, lolita-complex.

The story focus is based mainly around a newly appointed 3rd grade teacher, Aoki Daisuke, and a female trio of students, Kokonoe Rin, Kagami Kuro, and Usa Mimi and how their school and personal lives start to become further engrossed as Aoki tries to keep his class manageable.

As the story progresses it seems to cover multiple angles of child psychology/interaction, from the aspect of a Teacher/Parent trying to learn how to deal ... with children, to an Adult with a troubled childhood who you could say never got the chance to really grow up in his rationality of love due to those circumstances, and a child who is troubled and dead-set on becoming her teacher's future bride, to name just a few of the angles the manga plays on.

There are other angles not related to the lolita-complex elements that are also played out, follow more along the topics of parental separation, parental loss, parental neglect, parental abuse, and the effects they have on a child, though they are not as prominent aspects, yet all slowly tying into the story and relating to matters at hand. Thus the childhood experiences of the older characters get brought up as the story progresses, which is where things become more about those childhood experiences effecting the current character actions of the older characters. The experiences of the main trio of girls which the story focuses around are also similarly brought up to add more background understanding as to why they act as they do as well.

The story uses a balance of humorous and serious moments to balance out the overall atmosphere of the story. In fact, the story is usually carrying a very light hearted air and when the story starts to hit at dark or gloomy information on certain characters it then rebounds a little to bring the balance back. This is what makes the story so far great, as there are times to laugh, times to be concerned, and also times to feel bad for what is going on or what happened in the past of a character.

**A specific thing to note is that it is usually Rin's advances on Aoki that are usually light and humorous, and the only problem character in the story thus far is Rin's uncle and only person she has consideration for as family, Reiji. Thus, while there is the portrayal of circumstantial child nudity in different parts of the story, it is usually in a light manner and are mostly Rin's often humorous sexual advances on Aoki, which he gets embarrassed, confused, and worried about when they happened because she's often toying with him, though not always. Anything in the story as far as nudity in general is appropriately handled so the story and character portrayals are not lost to senseless use of the element.

Personal opinion...

Story: 8
Art: 8
Character: 8
Enjoyment: 8
Overall: 8

It's been a while that I've seen a story at this level, or one willing to go to the extremes that this this one does. The way characters are handled and how the story comes together leads me to believe that as it continues to progress things will be guaranteed to get interesting. The portrayal of characters seems reasonable enough, with of course understanding to proper character exaggerations where needed, yet not stretching the bounds too much that the story would be so implausible that it would lead me to fail to see the reality and humanity being presented. I'd rate this higher, but I'd feel it unfit to do so to as so far the story continues. The art isn't amazing, but I don't expect it to be, and while I enjoy it, I can't be sure it will continue to please me, so the rating and this review will change as the story progresses should I see need for revision or update.

[Edited: Nov 27th, 2009. I think it is a better review now.]

Kodomo No Jikan, also known as A Child's Time, also known as Nymphet, has had an odd history of censorship and bias against it. Given that it both parallels and subverts Vladimir Nabakov's 1950s novel Lolita, it does rather need explaining; For one, the reason no company will touch it is the the fact the characters are underage. The actions of the young characters Rin Kokonoe, Kuro Kagami, and Usa Mimi (3 years younger than Japan's Age of Consent) are meant to make you feel off-balance. Considering that the first character introduced is what can be considered the Avatar character, Daisuke Aoki, and he finds ... their actions wrong, so are you supposed to; though this seems like it might appeal to the Lolicons out there, things develop in story that very much says otherwise. I cannot write what it is, but it is suffice to say that it completely refutes the accusations of certain Seven Seas Publishing employees who claim it is a "training manual for pedophiles".

Nothing but love and respect for this incredible manga and for the deep message behind it.

As much of an amazing read this was, while so was the ending but I really wished for the ending to be a bit more "sweeter" and emotional than how it was.

As someone mentioned, Chapter 93 should've been reserved for all the other characters and a very special Chapter 94 dedicated ONLY to Rin and Aoki.

Regardless, I still absolutely love the ending, but some added emotional elements to it, or some added surprise for Rin that Aoki finally confesses his love for her that she's been waiting for, for ... years would've been quite a cherry on top of the icing.

Can't lie though, it did make me shed a tear towards the end. It's the realization that hits ya when you know something as incredible as this that you love so much is ending, and there won't probably EVER be anything quite like Komodo no Jikan.

Well, I guess that's life. I'll forever be extremely glad that it existed. I truly respect and thank the author for her contribution of this precious manga. 40/40.

"Just like the passage of time, we continue to flow... Now and forever more..."

I first found Kodomo no Jikan a few years ago (the anime) and sort of enjoyed it but was put off by the Loli-echhi-ness of it after the first couple episodes. But something about it stuck with me. Perhaps that the characters didn't actually behave as typical Loli-Echhi characters (but were only drawn that way) peaked my curiosity as to what I may have been missing. So, against the brief but brutal recommendation of the "Otaku Guy" I obtained the complete series and this time binged the entire set in a week or so. And as is the typical assumption ... of adaptations wondered how much was missing from the original source material... which brings me here.

I worked through the 93 chapters in about 8 weeks... as fast as work and sleep requirements would allow, compounded by the emotional rest required to fully digest this amazing work of art. Let me put it this way, I found this work to be so deep, compelling, and engaging, that IMHO there must be a significant autobiographical element to this story; I can't think of any other way for a storyline so complex and unconventional to FEEL so true.

To sum up the central plot of the story, Kodomo no Jikan is a fairly deep psycological study of a young girl with a "Loilita complex" (not the hentai trope but rather the much older Nabcov version in which a much younger female develops romantic and erotic feelings for an older male, usually to his surprise and shame). In the larger story, its the study of how childhood emotional abuse/neglect can manifest itself in the behavior of it's victims in their younger years and into their adulthood. Zooming out still further it asks the questions of "What does being 'Normal' actually mean?" and "Is it possible for unconventional Love to be valid". It is the rare masterpiece of literature that can pose such important questions on so many different levels, and rarer still to provide a rich tapestry of laugh out loud humor, cry in your beer drama, heartstring plucking romance, and hot, panting eroticism in the same work.

Now I concede that watching an 11 year old girl learn to mastrubate is not everyones idea of hot, panting eroticism, but it is to her, and this work is presented honestly enough that by this time in the story (chapters 50 something...) you completely feel her budding passions along with her. And anyone who believes that a person like this can't possibly exist in the real world and is therefore a gross fantasy, hasn't happened to meet one or two... they are rare, but not nonexistent.

My only real disappointment was with the end. By the 80's chapters it's clear that the plot arcs are bending toward closure, and considering the depth of the characters and their arcs, the number of minor storylines still in play, and the overriding complexity of the theme all, from my point of view, needed until a chapter 100 to resolve with any satisfaction. That 93 was the actual last chapter and all the plots didn't twist so much as dangle limply left me feeling cheated. Some of the discussion of the final chapter supposes that there was an artificial deadline of some sort imposed on the author that forced the abrupt conclusion. This work up until the end felt so deep and true to me, it hurt that the same truth shown in the first 91 chapters just didn't happen in the last two.

Overall, I would say this is one of the most thought provoking and moving stories I have come across in many years; if only the ending were as rich as the rest.

As I read "Kodomo no Jikan," I ended up remembering several moments from my high school days. You may think this story is just about a utopian romance between a teacher and a primary school student. But the story goes far beyond the love story itself, bringing stuff that happen in schools around the world.

About the art, it is indeed very breathtaking. Although the ecchi classification there are only a few scenes that are hot. Most of these moments are in the bathtub, some masturbation and "staging to sex", but nothing too hardcore.

The author has done a good job in putting together several controversial ... themes in this work. It's that kind of manga that makes you rethink how things are. After all, the philosophy behind the manga is magnificent. If you like manga with romance, ecchi and seinen themes, I highly recommend you read "Kodomo no Jikan".

I often read the same kind of reviews so I thought I should write what I'd like to find and it's ridiculously hard to come by, spoiler free answers to the questions:

Is the ending good? Does the main couple end up together? Is it worth my time?

I absolutely HATE SPOILERS with all my might! But I really don't see why I'd want to waste my time with a story that ends badly or one where, after all their trouble, the couple doesn't end up together. I also don't like to waste my time browsing through incredibly long opinionated reviews only to be more confused than ... I was before, not find the answers I was looking for and usually bumping into unwanted spoilers. Because of all this I intend to make my reviews brief, focusing on answering these three questions.

So with that being said, let's get to business. I'm answering in a completely spoiler free way, with a simple YES or NO, the questions:
Is the ending good? Does the main couple end up together? Is it worth my time?

If you don't want to know the answers to these questions you should stop reading right now.
If you're like me who just want to know if the story is worth your time, go ahead. So with no further ado:

Is the ending good? YES

Does the main couple end up together? YES

Is it worth my time? YES
This is one of those 'You either hate it or love it' kind of stories, since It's a very tricky and taboo theme. I would definetly define Kodomo no Jikan as an adult manga with loads of fanservice, more than simply ecchi, because the author actually sets a scenario where the characters would behave in such way, gradually you come to understand why they act the way they do. Regarding the couple in question, if you think about it the age gap isn't the biggest problem but the age itself, in which the female lead is around 10 years old while the male lead is around 23, whereas If she was 25 and he was 38 the age gap wouldn't be that relevant. I'm not saying it's not wrong, but what makes this story good is the background the author gives not only to both but also the whole manga's universe, actually giving a plausible explanation why would it be acceptable for them to be 'together'. The whole cast has an amazing character development, allowing them to grow but not changing the essence of who they are, which is already pretty difficult and rare when it happens with just the couple, but the author goes beyond, amazingly managing to spread that to every single character. The relationship, to me, doesn't feel disgusting because of the opposite nature of the characters, being the eldest the naive one and the youngest taking the initiative, also mainly due to the way the story it is presented to the reader, being such a taboo and complicated theme I find it incredibly talented of the author to accomplish this feat with such a fine line at stake.

*MINOR SPOILER* For those of you apprehensive regarding this, but I think I should say, they don't get to actually be 'together' or do anything high level until she's of age. *MINOR SPOILER*

Of course this is all my opinion, but I'd say I'm a pretty ordinary, sane and a romantic person, just so you can have an idea of who wrote this.


If you like this kind of review I try my best to write in all animes and mangas I've experienced, so you can see a complete list of reviews next to my name just above.

Thank you, you're welcome and peace out.

Me entenderán los que hablen español, lastimosamente no soy especialmente bueno en inglés, por lo que no podré ir mas allá de mi idioma natal en esta review.

*LOW SPOILERS*

Empecemos contando un poco acerca de la historia con más detalle: Aoki Daisuke, es un apenas egresado estudiante universitario, el cual dedica su tiempo a ser maestro de primaria. Él es contratado en una escuela ... primaria llamada Futatsubashi en la cual le toca dar clases a los de 3er año, en ese momento su predestinado encuentro con una niña y estudiante conocida como Kokonoe Rin ha iniciado. Ella se enamora de su profesor y le juega bromas de índole sexual un poco fuera de tono, así mismo, Daisuke va tomando interés por los misterios que esconde esta alocada niña de 8 años.
El argumento de la historia es original y se desarrolla de manera, en mi opinión, increíble. Con forme fui leyendo les desventuras de Aoki Daisuke, me fui enamorando cada vez más de este manga.
El sentimiento que va creciendo en uno al ir leyendo, es inigualable y a lo largo de los 13 volúmenes, quedé fascinado, por eso la recomiendo mucho a los que tienen una mente abierta y les gusta pensar un poco más allá de solo lo que ven, ya que este manga por obvias razones NO es para cualquiera. La historia trata temas algo fuertes y es explícita, por eso recomiendo verlo bajo su propia responsabilidad, no obstante esto no le quita puntos a lo maravilloso que es leer este manga.
Los personajes también me parecen una joya, ya que al principio parecen los típicos idiotas que al final no aportan nada y simplemente existen, pero no. Hasta a los secundarios se les permite un fragmento de historia y desarrollo como es el caso de Shirase, una profesora de pelo negro que en su vida se cerró a las relaciones externas y se dedicaba a trabajar porque debía y no porque quería y poco a poco ella va suavizando su corazón.
Los personajes presentan conflictos emocionales de lo más interesantes y entrañables, que, en nuestra sociedad son imposibles de llevar a cabo. Como es el caso de Aoki, que a pesar de su edad está enamorado de Kokonoe, pero no puede permitirse amarla por lo que la sociedad ve como moralmente correcto, así mismo Aoki tiene una filosofía interesante, ya que en cierto punto de la historia,él afirma que ama a Kokonoe porque es ella y no porque sea una niña, lo cual en lo personal pienso que lo hace diferente a los demás de este estilo. Después está Kokonoe, que al igual que Aoki, ella presenta su conflicto en el cual se desarrollan bastantes problemas, su conflicto está rondando en Aoki y Reiji (su primo y padre adoptivo), ya que ama a Aoki aunque ella sabe que nunca van a poder estar juntos porque simplemente, Aoki nació muy antes y así mismo Reiji fue el exnovio de su madre (la madre de Kokonoe) la cual falleció por un cáncer cuando Rin era muy joven, y este no la supera por lo que ve a Rin como un remplazo de ella (Él esperaba a que ella creciera para convertirla en su novia y casarse con ella) y Rin, al enterarse de esto, quiere darle felicidad a Reiji a pesar de amar profundamente a Aoki. Y eso no es todo, también está el hecho que no se la toman en serio por ser una """niña""" siendo ella más madura que muchos adultos, en lo personal, opino que Rin es un adulto en el cuerpo de una niña. La narrativa e historia son demasiado disfrutables, la historia presenta agravios los cuales los personajes tendrán que afrontar, como dije antes, no es una historia para cualquiera. Si no les gusta este tipo de historias, pues no la lean y simplemente retírense, no vale la pena leer algo que disgusta.
Esta historia es también sentimentalista para el espectador que la disfruta, ya que uno ve a los personajes crecer tanto física como emocionalmente porque los podemos ver desde que están en tercer año de escuela hasta que están en el colegio y ya son personas mayores y también el hecho de que Rin no dejó de amar a su profesor demostrando así que su cariño no era algo pasajero y de niños, sino más bien, un amor verdadero y puro, y esto no es solo por parte de ella sino también del profesor que en cierto punto acepta que ama a Rin y todo el tiempo que pasa, la sigue amando. Por eso creo que deberían verlo, es una hermosa, profunda, original historia de amor. otro detalle, es que posee mucho ecchi, este manga está en la exacta línea diferenciaría de un hentai, por milímetros no es uno, a pesar de contar con más de una escena sexual...
Bueno, adelante muchachos, disfruten una estupenda historia la cual probablemente los hará llorar al terminarla por el simple hecho de haberla terminado, que eso fue lo que me pasó, aparte de llorar por lo que estaba pasando (no diré si eran de tristeza o felicidad), lloré por terminar la maravillosa historia de Kodomo no jikan.
En resumen: Kodomo no jikan, es una historia con un desarrollo genial, personajes entendibles y entrañables que se disfruta demasiado al final yo le dejo mi 10/10 por lo mencionado anteriormente y el sentimiento que deja. Gracias por tomarse el tiempo de leer mi review, se despide el pederasta de confianza XD.

Hooboy.

KnJ is a hard review to write. There's nothing easy to say about this manga, other than everything is weighed against the fact that yes, sex sells, and kids are the focus of this work.

That said, immediately dispel any preconceived notion you have. There is something great here, one of my favorite pieces, because it tells a story no one else will.


Story.

The big draw to KnJ for many people is seeing how the MC interacts with Kokonoe Rin, the disturbed 12 year old who projects sexual advances onto him at every turn. It doesn't take long to realize that there's more ... to this story.

KnJ is far more about dealing with the hypersexuality of todays youth than it is about showing panties. It does this often, with the MC repeatedly taking a mature stance to stand in and help a girl who is obviously disturbed.

The more he helps, the more he starts struggling with his own feelings and responsibilities, and the acceptance of both.

Do not get it confused, Kodomo is NOT ecchi. It's something at the next level. Ecchi makes you feel like a pervert by dropping sneaky hints that something innocent might be perverted, and leaving you to make that leap.

KnJ on the otherhand, makes that leap for you, and shoves the perversion in your face. This isn't bad, but it's what you should expect.

Art.

The anime and the manga vary a bit, but I enjoyed the artstyle of the mangaka. She drew soft enough lines to make the young look youthful and touched the adults, even the young adults, with enough hard lines to make sure you see the differences. Rins friends are basically dolls for the artists, who give them an assortment of cute outfits.

Characters.

The MC is a bit underated. He isn't interesting on his own, but the weight of his decisions paints a character silhoutte that is enjoyable. Rin and her friends are well fleshed out, from innocence to budding yuri, and they all have relationships that are explored satisfactorily. Even minor characters are applied well enough to make you feel like they exist for a reason.

Enjoyment.

I thoroughly enjoyed KnJ, and at times it is a hard emotional punch that makes you reconsider traditional love. In fact, most of the theme throughout is about non-traditional love, and why it is valid. I highly recommend to those with open minds.

This series is most known for its controversial plot, but because of that, not many people realize how melancholic this series is.

After reading it all again I couldn't help but feel like this was a soliloquy about life. That no matter how old or young you are you'll be tormented by life, battling hardships, scraping for happiness in order to come out happy.

Kodomo no Jikan is very introspective and deals with a lot of heavy themes that are rarely mentioned in media, especially in the West. With the main three girls aging through elementary school you get to experience the female side of sexuality ... when they come of age and because it is drawn and written by a female author I feel like it's very profound at expressing how often we as a culture overlook female sexuality while ignoring their changing bodies. For instance, menstruating is a huge topic later on and characters have detailed discussions on how it affects them and the people around them. The teachers are constantly trying to figure out how much they should teach these kids about their own bodies and what they're not allowed to go into.

At the end of the day, we're all the same no matter what age we are at. We're all scared, fearing that we're not doing enough, lonely, uncertain about our place and happiness. What makes us happy? What mistakes must we overcome? How do we teach the next generation to prepare them to face life?

Yes, sexuality is dealt with, but it's not ogled. These characters are allowed to discover masturbation, crushes, abuse, and normal stuff we all go through when growing up, but because of that, it can be a tough read for some people.

This is a very satisfying read and, while it does have its creepy moments, I applaud how human these characters are and how they've grown up whether they realize it or not.

So i start read this in 2020 because my friend recommend me
I read on 12/1 at noon and i think i could enjoy the story
The fact that all the story full of teaseness, ecchi stuff, and a lots of adult romance, which means not so suitable for some ppl
But then, i start to realize it has some humanity value, teaching, and some events that we might have experienced
So i finish to read this at now, it is 12/2 at midnight
I may not say that the story was good, or the story was bad, it plays my mood upside down for every events, arcs, and mementos
At ... first I start to hate the figure of Reiji, but then grows as he was lack of happiness in his childhood
I am not a fan of loli ecchi stuff, and also found lots of adult jokes inside, no I don't think I will like this one
That is what I thought
At the time the characters progression get stronger and deeper, the more Aoki sensei role become revealed
He was a not lolicon teacher but surrounded by children, that's typical story, but the story covers every characters which is not only focus on Aoki x Rin
What i take from this story is how they teach us about to live, to grow, to support each other, to be on someone, to let it go, to be honest
I like it when it comes into parenting and teaching situation, but sometimes be stressed when adult romances and stuffs come, which not pretty suitable for elementary schoolers
But, both of those elements are what make the story become exist
I don't really like when Rin or Aoki or Reiji goes into adult things, but we will get the meaning after read the whole story until the end
I think i do see some quality values from this story, which let me think about myself how to be able to have Aoki's character, who can really support his students
Besides of the romance route, when you start to read this, you will ended up with drop it at the middle, or finish it until the very end

The book hinges mainly upon an interpretation of Rin's actions; some have used the word "seduction" to describe them and others "sexual harassment" — in my opinion the former description is ludicrous and cannot be justified. A lot of people have not seen it this way but to me this is fundamentally a book about Stockholm-syndrome where a character gains a twisted affection for his rapist and all the more interesting through that.

This is perhaps subverted by that the book aptly mixes serious and comedic elements; Rin's advances are sometimes portrayed as humorous childlike innocence and sometimes as grim sexual harassment. Another thing is ... that Rin and Aoki's relationship might be the primary one but it's not the only one: it's fundamentally a piece of literature about multiple broken unhealthy relationships the characters are involved in with most characters having suffered some degree of psychological trauma from it.

Despite a lot of the subject matter being quite serious the humorous and light tone also makes it easy to forget: as said in a vacuum it's hard to consider Rin anything else than a rapist but the often light tone of the comic makes it easy for the reader to forget this. It's an demonstration of just how easily a heinous act can be perceived as mild by adding a laughing track to it which is a device often employed in comedies where often very violent things like dropping anvils onto people are brushed away as light comedy simply by having a laughing track played when it happens.

Plot-wise I felt the comic slowed down near the end when it seemed like all progression was halted after a certain pivotal event; at the start the reader was introduced to more and more troubling histories of the character but eventually at about 80% the comic reached all development that was there and after that it seemed like it was just filled with side-plots and the dynamics of the relationships didn't really change any more until the final couple of chapters where it again picked up.

Art-style wise you're going to get the usual cartoonish and unrealistic style of eyes taking up about 60% of character's facial area — some like it and some don't. The art style in particular as said takes away from some of the more serious and darker themes of the comic.

Overall though it's a comedy blended with a psychological analysis of how seemingly good men can turn psychologically troubled and dark from having experienced childhood trauma whilst retaining some of their good qualities though committing very dark acts as well.