Kodomo no Jikan

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.

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.