Kurenai is so good I’m going to triple the number of screencaps and make a story!
Kurenai Second Episode
With the drain and the stream
OMG! What kind of sick, voyeuristic show has children bathing stark naked in public? Just look at this! That child is completely exposed and not only that, he’s on his phone which could give him brain cancer!
The Japanese created a completely pointless bathing scene without much thought. That I had a voice (there are many) in the back of my mind telling me the censors won’t like this, speaks volumes about the cultural differences.
That is because today Britain is a society run by your mum (Really!). It’s a touchy, feel nanny state with knee jerk over-reactions, to for example, “child” and “Internet” being mentioned in the same sentence. Should you dare re-enact Kanokon spanking, you will most likely spend 6 months in a dark cell where you’ll be forced to endure YAOI everyday.
But if you get over the Loli-kon and have finished ogling on Murasaki’s daily life with occasional exclamations of “Kawaiiii” and “awwww”, you get the delightful interaction between Murasaki and Kurenai. The pair already act like brother and sister. Murasaki is perhaps a little unrealistically mature. Murasaki’s lesson today was commoner manners 101 – arguably a lesson too many people skipped on their first year. Kurenai was forced to dish out his first bit of discipline because Murasaki was treating everyone like servants, so he hit her and forced Murasaki to apologise properly.
Murasaki took it well, perhaps too positively. I would have expected her to be afraid of her new surroundings, be disobedient and be difficult to teach. Maybe Japanese children or this Japanese child in particular, with her unique maybe even abusive upbringing in her secluded environment is different.
Who can verify this!? It’s not like the writers are able to make more observations on the high-class loli they’ve kidnapped.
~ Teeif
Lostlink ~ Wrong Way To Japan! 
I’m sure my vitriol aimed at the nanny state (or, as Owen rightly called it, ‘pseudo-paedophile hysteria’ ) will never abate any time soon! Back on-topic, Kurenai is too classy, sophisticated and well written (not to mention well animated) to be something intended to pander to the lolicons. This episode was excellent – I just wish people would leave the loli issue alone and concentrate on the fact that this ep had a lot to offer in terms of the characters and cultural observations.
By: Martin on 21 April, 2008
at 9:10 pm
I think one of the cultural differences which lies at the heart of the negative reaction is our attitude to others and strangers is fundamentally different in the west than in the far east. Over-reaction to a animation about little girls is stark example of how silly our attitudes are.
We are more inclined to see others as a threat and suspect strangers of harbouring ill intentions in Britian, than in Japan. Why the different attitude in similar systems of law and democracy?
First, society in more homogeneous and the impression is of safety. In Hong Kong I am forced to call people older than me, friends and strangers, auntie and uncle (a custom that messes up fansubber’s heads); this implies that everyone is part of the ‘family’.
Second, the system of governance applied encourages perception of crime and fear of crime to be kept underwraps, even with a free media. This relates to more than a millennia of Confucianist teachings.
By: Teeif on 21 April, 2008
at 10:11 pm
Looks great, going to check it out. Perhaps I should recommend Candy Boy.. The only show with no boys in it (besides Strawberry panic). It’s K-On eye-candy and a really nice but sadly brief series.
By: kodama on 19 August, 2009
at 1:33 pm