Lolicon

Lolicon, short for "Lolita complex,""英辞郎 on the WEB" (in japanese) is a genre which focuses on erotic, though not always explicit depictions of underage or prepubescent girls, and characters who look physically young despite being older."ロリ on the pixiv dictionary"(in japanese) A character matching those traits is sometimes called a "loli", even outside this genre."Does Ellie from The Last of Us count as a Loli?" (Accessed 17 April 2017) The term is a reference to Vladimir Nabokov's controversial book Lolita.The Fanfiction Glossary (via Wayback) (Accessed Sept. 19, 2009)
Lolicon interacts with the Japanese moe and cuteness cultures, and broader pop culture tropes. It's mostly used in reference to Japanese media, particularly anime, manga, light novels, or video games, and especially sexual material. It's a popular genre in doujinshi, and there exist several commercial serialised original fiction anthologies,"COMIC LO" (Lolita Only) (accessed 17 April 2017) with a large intersection with fannish communities.
"Lolicon" is also used to refer to fans of such material, or interest in young girls in general. This use is less common outside Japan, where focus is primarily on the genre. Sometimes, it's used as a synonym for gynephilic pedophiles, although academics caution against conflating the terms."マンガで分かる心療内科・精神科・カウンセリング　第十五回「ロリコンはどこから病気なの？」" (in Japanese) (accessed 17 April 2017)
== Influences ==
The term "Lolita complex" first appeared in American author Russel Trainer's titular book, The Lolita Complex, and it may have influenced usage in Japan. Lolicon is said to draw from shoujo and magical girl works; works such as Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro and Magical Princess Minky Momo were particular sensations. The origins of the genre lie in doujin works,, and girls' and yaoi manga in particular where they still have a strong presence, such as in Comiket. Female authors, such as Kaworu Watashiya, remain influential, though some claim that interest in the genre is at least partially due to its non-feminist characters. Some authors connect lolicon to "junior idol" publications.
== Controversy ==
Like underage, lolicon is often criticised for being child pornography, both within fannish contexts (accessed 17 April 2017) and outside them."Why hasn't Japan banned child-porn comics?" (accessed 17 April 2017) It frequently generates wank. Its legal history is often complicated or ambiguous,"Legal status of drawn pornography depicting minors" (accessed 17 April 2017) even within Japan."Tokyo Metropolitan Area Youth Protection Ordinance Reform Bill", section 3: "Restriction of the Sale of Unhealthy Literature" (in Japanese) (accessed 17 April 2017) Fandoms have been targeted for content purges in Livejournal, Reddit,"A necessary change in policy" (accessed 17 April 2017) Tumblr, and even 4chan."Complete History of 4chan" (accessed 6 September 2017) Professional authors have opposed attempts at an institutional ban."Creators Decry Tokyo's Proposed 'Virtual' Child Porn Ban (Update 7)" (accessed 1 August 2017)
Lolicon has been a topic for debate in fannish communities for a long time. For example, in a 2009 forum thread titled Why the f**K would anybody defend Lolicon?, a fan said:
Another fan replied:
A lot of the arguments (and counter-arguments) mirror discourse on underage that surfaced much later, for example 2016's AO3 Content Discussion. There are also some similar discussions during Strikethrough and Boldthrough due to the nature of some of the removed content.
The debate isn't confined within fannish spaces; for example, lolicon has been covered by BBC a few times. Many fans weren't happy with the editorial decisions of the organisation. Two years later, following an interview, an industry veteran also noted the differences in perspective, which made mutual understanding difficult:
Attitudes within Japan are also varied. In 2013, a mangaka wrote in the afterword of his doujinshi about his struggles with censorship in law, and in administration:
== Common Tropes ==
Lolicon is predominantly het, although there is yuri lolicon. Age difference, incest, corruption, and teacher-student relationships are very popular, and due to the influence of Japanese tropes, there is crossover with futanari, tentacles, and so on. Some works depict characters who are capable of consenting and having intercourse without harm or trauma, while others place emphasis on non-con and its harmful effects. Some tropes have spawned subgenres, such as lolidom (portmanteau of loli and femdom), or lolibabaa (much older characters who appear young, usually deities, vampires, or otherwise supernatural)."ロリババア on the pixiv dictionary"(in japanese) Subgenres can themselves be popular enough to have specialised anthologies."first volume of the TOWAKO lolibabaa anthology"(in Japanese)
== Fanworks ==
Lolicon works and archives can be very NSFW and/or offensive, so please exercise caution.
=== Comic Books ===
* All For Love by Ooyari Ashito, Yamada Shuutarou et al.; Final Fantasy Tactics
* みほと杏の内緒の秘め事 by Eitarou; Girls und Panzer
* HakuDARK by Ishikei; To Love-ru
* Cat Tail! by Ujiie Moku, the first in a series of fanworks by the same name; PangYa
* In Love Again by Mochi, a compilation of his Xenogears fanworks
* 黒猫+白=ピンク by Sakurafubuki Nel; Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai
* くうはくのじかん by Kuhaku; Kodomo no Jikan
* Elysion 楽園幻想浪漫譚 by Alphonse; Sound Horizon
* 俗物語 by Tanabe Kyou; Bakemonogatari
* 狼と狼男 by Kishiri Toworu; Spice and Wolf
=== Webcomics ===
* The Grim Tales and Powerpuff Girls D crossovers by Bleedman are influenced by lolicon tropes and aesthetics, and specifically Ooyari Ashito's works"Inspiration" (archived).
=== Fanart ===
* キスショット by Redjuice, Bakemonogatari
* フランの部屋 by as109, Touhou Project
=== Fanfiction ===
* Black Cat Humiliation by Mutou Rei and Ohta Takeshi, Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai
=== Animation ===
* Until Gathered by SelfDrillingSMS; The Last of Us
* 呂500 by Pokiyu; Kantai Collection
=== Songs ===
* "Pomf pomf pomf =3", a homage to the pomf =3 meme, in turn based on Inuboshi's The Light of the Tsukimi Manor (月見荘のあかり Tsukimisō no Akari), serialised in Comic Megamilk.
=== Fashion ===
Although lolicon and lolita fashion are separate subcultures, they sometimes intersect.
* Little White, an illustrated fashion book by Ooyari Ashito
== Archives & Fannish Links ==
Lolicon works and archives can be very NSFW and/or offensive, so please exercise caution.
* Lolicon works on the Archive of Our Own
* ロリ (loli) works on Pixiv
* loli entry on Danbooru
** Publicly accessible mirrors are available in other Danbooru-style imageboards, such as Sankaku Channel or Gelbooru.
* Loli entry on The Doujinshi & Manga Lexicon
== References ==
Category:Glossary