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Kumar Sivasubramanian On Ladies Comics Magazines
posted November 3, 2008
 

In Japan, walk into any book store or convenience store like, say, 7-11. Walk over to the magazine racks and go to the side oriented to men. You'll get your political magazines, your vehicle and sports magazines, then your porno magazines, your comics aimed at men, and your selection of phone-book-thick porno comics aimed at men.

Now walk over to the side oriented to women. You'll get your fashion magazines, your gossip magazines, your comics aimed at women, and YOUR SELECTION OF PHONE-BOOK-THICK PORN COMICS AIMED AT WOMEN. These comics typically, but not always, feature photo covers of attractive Western couples in the park brodered in flowers that look like the pictures that come with a picture frame bought at SEARS as portrayed by those preppy stereotypes as seen in moves such as BACK TO SCHOOL and REVENGE OF THE NERDS.

For some reason, I have never seen anyone mention these comics in the Western media (by which I mean internet). Back when the manga boom really started to pick up in the US and people started talking about how great manga was compared to American mainstream comics because of the wealth of genres like golf comics and ramen shop comics, and, yes, Yaoi. But I never once saw anyone mention the ubiquitous heterosexual porn comics for women despite the fact that these are as readily available (and with as much selection) in any convenience store as a bag of chips or a pack of batteries. (Did Chris Butcher even comment on them?) Admittedly, I myself only learned about them after a few years in Japan because a girlfriend at the time pointed them out to me, and she bought them herself once in a while.

All that said, however, I'm not sure exactly why the Okayama Prefecture government would feel the need to consciously flag them as "harmful" to children. That strikes me as being like the State of Ohio labelling Hustler and Penthouse Letters (or Zap) harmful to children. I will admit, though, that these things were almost always on the BOTTOM SHELF when I saw them, and perhaps there were no prohibitions in place on them being purchased by minors (just like any minor can in principle purchase a novel by Anonymous at any book shop -- in Canada anyway).

I hope this gives you a bit of that context you're looking for.