Hentai: The Past and Present

Last Modified: September 24th, 2006
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Contents

  1. Origins
  2. Modern use
  3. Diversity
  4. The Internet Generation
  5. Outside Views
  6. Exports
  7. Onward

Origins

The word Hentai is a compound term used in the Japanese language to define someone or something that is seen as perverted or strange, this is primarily meant in sexual connotations. It originates from Shunga (erotic pictures) as early as 1300. As time has progessed, the word has gained meaning as a genre of Japanese animation and cartoons (manga) featuring explicit sexual content (most usually pervese or extreme in nature), this new definition of the word has found popularity in the western audience of the art form and is sometimes incorrectly referred to as any type of animated pornography, which is inaccurate. An example of the western popularity of the term shows in the English version of the well known internet search engine Google displaying 7,920,000 results when the term Hentai is searched for, this shows comparison in the well known Japanese words used in the English language such as Samurai (13,600,000), Kimono (2,690,000), Yakuza (2,570,000) and Sushi (17,600,000) which shows that it is one of the most popular loanwords used by those outside of Japan when referring the culture of the nation.

Modern use

Nowdays the word is commonly abbrievated by western fans to 'H' ('ecchi' in Japanese) which is inaccurate when translated to the original of the material, as words such as Hentai, H and Ecchi do not have the same primary meaning in Japan as they do when used by Western fans. In fact the abbreviation 'H' in Japan is a generic term bearing similar meanings to 'naughty' or 'dirty' and can be used as a noun to refer to the act of sexual intercourse, this shows how as the words used to describe Hentai as a whole have crossed from continent to continent, they have lost and gained new meanings along the way. It is arguable that the Western definitions of the word are beginning to stick, and the words are being redefined amongst many of those who hear and read them.

Diversity

Hentai as a word now encompasses a huge scope of different niches, ranging from ecchi (which refers to nudity and posing as compared to full sex) to futanari (female characters bearing male genetalia) and on to some of the most extreme forms which include guro (mutilation), rorikon and shotakon (featuring female and male, respectively, under the age of consent). It has also spawned a new art form known as Dojinshi which features copyrighted (and usually famous) characters presented in sexual situations, which are usually never created by the original artists or production companies themselves. The characters featured can originate from video games, anime, manga and even characterized versions of famed Japanese personalities, this has also extended to popular news stories with the example of 'Nevada-Tan', based on a Japanese grade-schooler who murdered a classmate with a box cutter, becoming somewhat of an internet meme and resulting in many different Dojinshi being produced focusing on the incident and the girl in question.

The Internet Generation

The rise of the internet in the last decade has lead to many websites being created focusing on the art form, many of which sell access to bootlegged material that is stolen from DVDs and VHS tapes produced in Japan featuring the content. Companies such as ADV films (the largest producer and distributor of anime outside of Japan itself) frequently have to take legal action against such sites as their copyright is infringed upon. For productions that are not licensed outside of Japan it is hard for the original creators to shut down the sites and many still operate using bootlegged DVD content without permission. Legitimate websites ran from webmasters and companies outside of Japan find it hard to license the original content and often resort to purchasing the rights to Dojinshi works or producing their own anime-style work which is often noticed by fans of the niche quickly. The problem of stolen content may be attributed to communication problems between Western and Japanese companies, although it is arguably more likely to be people exploiting a market that they presume cannot follow up on their actions. Rumours of some of the major hentai production companies in Japan setting up websites for their films in both Japanese and English languages have so far not materialised, this may be due to the companies concentrating on their main source of revenue; the sale of DVDs in Japan.

Outside Views

Hentai is criticised by some (mainly westerners) for it's portrayal of unrealistic bodily attributes, the most common criticism being the enhanced breasts that artists create for young and/or thin characters. Many see this as the artist trying to create an unrealistic view of both women and men, although it could be argued that it is merely an expression of the artist's desires or what they think their audience would enjoy. The art has also garnered attention for sometimes crossing the limits of obscenity in it's home country. A prime example of this would be in January 2004 when Monotori Kishi, a hentai manga writer and illustrator, was given a one-year prison sentence for producing the graphic novel Misshitsu ('Honey Room' when translated to English). It was ruled that "Bodies were drawn in a lifelike manner with little attention to concealment (of the genitalia), making for sexually explicit expression and deeming the book pornographic matter" by the presiding judge Yujiro Nakatani. This shows that even though 45% of all books sold in Japan are manga, with many containing sexual material, there are still boundaries that authors cannot cross when it comes to obscenity, although the internet is beginning to break down barriers such as this. With anonymous posting of work allowed across the internet, authors can be as graphic and as obscene as they want to be without fearing punishment, many sites have been set up to show the uncensored work of artists, the sites are frowned up by the Japanese government and are criticised by Western officials, who claim that material such as rorikon and shotakon (along with other productions, including those with animals or "lewd" acts) should be illegal.

Exports

Much of the manga and anime targeted at the male demographic in Japan often contains ecchi scenes, this has caused problems in the past when the material is licensed and released in other countries. This issue came to a head in 2005 when the British press criticised libraries for stocking material such as Kyuukyoku!! Hentai Kamen or Ultimate!! Hentai Kamen (Ultimate!! Perverted Mask when fully translated) and Peach Girl (a shoujo manga featuring some sexual refrences and content), the press claimed that the comics were unsuitable for the audience they were reaching as they had been aimed towards teenagers instead of those above age 18. This could be seen as a culture clash as the comics are accepted and frequently read by young teenagers in Japan and although they have gained popularity amoung teenagers in Britain, they are condemned for setting a bad example to readers. Accompanying the Internet as a growing medium for hentai (both inside and outside of Japan) has been the advancements in computer gaming. Eroge (also known as H-games or Hentai games) have been in production since the 1980's, nowdays these games sell in their millions with such popular titles as 'Air', 'Kanon', 'Fate/Stay Night', 'Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien' and 'Tsukihime' selling in high volume and even being exported to be played by fans in other countries. Some of the games are licensed and official translated by companies in America and Europe, some are taken on as projects by fans to translate and release them for free so that people can play them in their native language, and example of a fan-translation project would be the continuing work on the game Kanon, originally released in 1999.

Onward

In conclusion, with the surge in popularity of hentai in the last decade, it is sure that the number of animated films and cartoons produced featuring sexual content will rise. Although many ask the question that where will the boundaries lay once the walls deeming what is obscene are broken down, the genre itself is now regarded by many as a type of pornography and as the number of websites dedicated to it show, it is here to stay in both in Japan and the Western world as a whole. One factor that could measured to see the growth of the art form as a whole would be the volume of titles licensed over the course of a year, compared to the previous year. This number has been steadily increasing over time as it gains popularity across the world, and not just in it's home nation of Japan.


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