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5 Big Breasts and Manga

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Erotic Comics in Japan
This chapter is in the book Erotic Comics in Japan
5Big Breasts and MangaIntroductionWhy are so many men attracted to women’s breasts? Maybe it is because breasts are symbolic of femininity and maternity (the capacity to accept others, fertility and so on). Or the clearest symbol indicating “woman.” Or because the breast was the direct object of infantile oral desire. Because men basically have a “mother complex” (mazakon), a thing for their mothers. Or because it is biologically so. Because there is some unknown program for liking breasts encoded in the Y chromosome. Or because we are still living with the distorted view that women with big breasts are weak in the head and so easy to manage. Or because there is cultural or social pressure at work that says men must love breasts. From idle gossip at bars to straight-laced talks at academic conferences, various takes and theories have been put forth. There are merits and demerits to each, but in all honesty, one is left thinking, “You could say that, but...” If not everything can be explained by biology, then the answer also does not lie in cultural factors alone. At present, the most acceptable approach is probably something along the lines of, “Men’s attraction to breasts is the result of physiology and psychology. Biological initial settings and sociocultural norms contributed in complex ways.” Seeing the swarm of overly enormous breasts that have overrun not only contemporary bishōjo-style eromanga, but also the worlds of manga and anime, the questions just keep on mounting. Why breasts, and why so much interest in them?From Lolicon to Baby-Faced and Big-Breasted“Big breasts” (kyonyū) are now the default standard of eromanga. The inf luence of “breast men” (oppai seijin) extends to even general manga magazines. As in the case of Matsuyama Seiji’s Eiken (published by Akita Shoten from 2001), manga with big breasts as their gimmick are steaming up boys magazines. In contemporary eromanga, drawing big-breasted characters is the norm. The ones drawing average-sized breasts have become the minority. It is a time when one can sense the emotional attachments, calculations and interests of those creators persisting with f lat-chested characters. To eyes that have become accustomed to big breasts, certainly “small breasts” (hinnyū) appear fresh. Suppressing the symbol of femininity can serve to emphasize a unisex eroticism.
© 2021 Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam

5Big Breasts and MangaIntroductionWhy are so many men attracted to women’s breasts? Maybe it is because breasts are symbolic of femininity and maternity (the capacity to accept others, fertility and so on). Or the clearest symbol indicating “woman.” Or because the breast was the direct object of infantile oral desire. Because men basically have a “mother complex” (mazakon), a thing for their mothers. Or because it is biologically so. Because there is some unknown program for liking breasts encoded in the Y chromosome. Or because we are still living with the distorted view that women with big breasts are weak in the head and so easy to manage. Or because there is cultural or social pressure at work that says men must love breasts. From idle gossip at bars to straight-laced talks at academic conferences, various takes and theories have been put forth. There are merits and demerits to each, but in all honesty, one is left thinking, “You could say that, but...” If not everything can be explained by biology, then the answer also does not lie in cultural factors alone. At present, the most acceptable approach is probably something along the lines of, “Men’s attraction to breasts is the result of physiology and psychology. Biological initial settings and sociocultural norms contributed in complex ways.” Seeing the swarm of overly enormous breasts that have overrun not only contemporary bishōjo-style eromanga, but also the worlds of manga and anime, the questions just keep on mounting. Why breasts, and why so much interest in them?From Lolicon to Baby-Faced and Big-Breasted“Big breasts” (kyonyū) are now the default standard of eromanga. The inf luence of “breast men” (oppai seijin) extends to even general manga magazines. As in the case of Matsuyama Seiji’s Eiken (published by Akita Shoten from 2001), manga with big breasts as their gimmick are steaming up boys magazines. In contemporary eromanga, drawing big-breasted characters is the norm. The ones drawing average-sized breasts have become the minority. It is a time when one can sense the emotional attachments, calculations and interests of those creators persisting with f lat-chested characters. To eyes that have become accustomed to big breasts, certainly “small breasts” (hinnyū) appear fresh. Suppressing the symbol of femininity can serve to emphasize a unisex eroticism.
© 2021 Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter 1
  2. Table of Contents 5
  3. List of Images 8
  4. Note on Japanese Names and Words 11
  5. Translators’ Introduction : Eromanga in the Global Now 13
  6. Introduction: The Invisible Realm 39
  7. Part 1 A History of Eromanga
  8. Memes Spread 45
  9. 1 The Gene Pool of Manga and Gekiga 49
  10. 2 The Rise and Fall of Third-Rate Gekiga and the Eve of Bishōjo- Style Eromanga 63
  11. 3 Bishōjo-Style Eromanga Takes the Stage 85
  12. Part 2 The Various Forms of Love and Sex
  13. Subdividing Desire 115
  14. 4 Lolicon Manga 117
  15. 5 Big Breasts and Manga 137
  16. 6 Little Sisters and Incest 151
  17. 7 Disgrace and Training 169
  18. 8 Love Stories 187
  19. 9 Sadomasochism and Sexual Minorities 203
  20. 10 Gender Mayhem 215
  21. Part 3 Addition to the Expanded Edition (2014) 235
  22. Conclusion: Permeation, Diffusion and What Comes After 267
  23. Index of Artists and Individuals 285
Readers are also interested in:
https://doi.org/10.1515/9789048550722-011

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter 1
  2. Table of Contents 5
  3. List of Images 8
  4. Note on Japanese Names and Words 11
  5. Translators’ Introduction : Eromanga in the Global Now 13
  6. Introduction: The Invisible Realm 39
  7. Part 1 A History of Eromanga
  8. Memes Spread 45
  9. 1 The Gene Pool of Manga and Gekiga 49
  10. 2 The Rise and Fall of Third-Rate Gekiga and the Eve of Bishōjo- Style Eromanga 63
  11. 3 Bishōjo-Style Eromanga Takes the Stage 85
  12. Part 2 The Various Forms of Love and Sex
  13. Subdividing Desire 115
  14. 4 Lolicon Manga 117
  15. 5 Big Breasts and Manga 137
  16. 6 Little Sisters and Incest 151
  17. 7 Disgrace and Training 169
  18. 8 Love Stories 187
  19. 9 Sadomasochism and Sexual Minorities 203
  20. 10 Gender Mayhem 215
  21. Part 3 Addition to the Expanded Edition (2014) 235
  22. Conclusion: Permeation, Diffusion and What Comes After 267
  23. Index of Artists and Individuals 285
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