Kodomo no Jikan

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

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..."

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".

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.

This manga gives me such a mixed bag of emotions that it's honestly hard to describe. It's like it tried to take a handful of taboos, threw it together to make some sort of cohesive love story... and it worked.

It's pretty difficult to talk about a story that consists of lowkey (maybe highkey) child porn, sexual harassment, incest, massive age gap relationships, child grooming and probably a lot more. That being said though, it's such a competent narrative that it's hard not to give credit where it is due.

This manga at its core is just a story about understanding what it means to love and the repercussions of not feeling loved. What do you do when the only person that has ever loved you dies? How do you deal with the reality that your parents never loved you the way you feel they should have? How do you cope with a love that you understand will never blossom? How do you give love to someone who needs it when you are not in the position to give it? What does familial, romantic and platonic love look like? All these questions are posed by the manga and are answered to varying degrees of success. It's all explored through the relationship and interactions between three young girls and their four teachers (and one cousin).

The plot is actually fairly traditional in its approach if you think of it as a 'girl teases guy because she likes him' romance mixed with a 'older man cares for younger girl' storyline... kinda like a cross of Don't Bully Me Nagatoro and House of the Sun only with better pacing. Things happen at a reasonable pace throughout most of the manga, and that drives the story along faster than a typical love story. Most of the major story points seem believable given the situation the characters are put in, which is always a plus in storytelling.

Now the characters are what makes the story what it is, but I can't decide how to feel about them. Kokonoe, the main girl, and her cousin are very fleshed out characters that you are able to understand and actually care about. Everyone else is... alright I guess. The majority have their own backstories and motivations that make sense, but they just aren't the most interesting. Aoki, the main character, is the driving impetus of change, but he is fairly generic when you look at MC's in these types of manga: strong sense of justice, unrefined, tries his hardest, etc. The teachers that surround him are good foils or supports for him, similarly to how Kokonoe's two friends are to her.

The art is fine.

There are quite a few gripes I have with the story overall. Besides all the taboo things I listed above, the main character's irresponsibility really made it difficult to read this manga. It's understandable to see why the author chose to write him like this (gives more room for the main relationship to grow) but there were many clearly avoidable situations for most people to make that the MC fails to do, which is frustrating. The side character stories also paled in comparison to the main one to the point where I honestly just wanted to skip all the chapters having to do with all the side characters. Of course that would take away from the overall message of the manga, but that just goes to show how good the main story was.

Overall this manga is one that I ended up enjoying a lot, if you take away all the gratuitous naked loli scenes. It's a competent story that knows what it wants to tell and how to do it. It deals with heavy topics while never being overly serious, and it balances the two surprisingly well. The characters range from forgettable to downright endearing, but each has a very believable, albeit sometimes twisted, personality and world view.

Would I ever recommend this to anyone? Probably not. The amount of unneeded loli nudity really takes away from it being a recommendable series by a longshot, even if it does the actual storytelling really well.

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.

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.

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~

I actually bought the manga called "Kodomo no Jikan(こどものじかん)" or in English Children's Hour. I did not finish the manga because there were only vol 1-6 available hard copy in my local book store. Even though I only read vol 1-6, I think Children's Hour is a great manga in terms of story.

(spoiler alert)
Children's Hour is about a teacher named Daisuke Aoki. He is a 23 years old teacher, who teaches grade–schoolers. Throughout his days, he always end up in a embarrassing(?) situation with rin, who is one of the student of Aoki. Those embarrassing situation includes kissing and some skinships (スキンシップ), which means "non-sexual touching between very close platonic friends" according to urban dictionary. Eventually, Aoki finds out why she act this way and soon he started to care about her and almost love her....

I know some people are disgust about how Kodomo no Jikan, the author, draw a lewd loli. One might even say it is straight up lolicon doujinshi(同人誌), but I still respect him because the visual and the entertainment (° ͜ʖ°). Plus, I personally like lolis because of their cuteness😏😏😏. I rate this manga 8/10 and I would recommend this to loli lovers :D

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.