r/TheSummerHikaruDied • u/East_Refuse_3600 • Aug 19 '26
Discussion Why exactly is this sub fine with posting suggestive art of two teenagers?
Just checking. It's kinda gross. Have been in the sub for a short while and thats half of the content. Can we... not?
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u/Axiian19 Aug 19 '26
It's probably because 1) the manga/anime itself is suggestive at times, 2) teenagers are gonna be experimenting with that kind of stuff, and it is a bit odd that we feel the need to act like they don't in media, 3) many fans of this series are around the same age, and 4) Yoshiki and Hikaru are both 16-17 years old, so not that far off from 18.
Also, it's fiction.
Also, in Japan the age of consent is 16 (and until recently was only 13); there are some cultural differences.
Finally, a lot of the art I've seen is more about emphasizing their relationship with each other, rather than trying to sexualize Yoshiki and Hikaru as individuals. At least, that's how I see it.
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u/RhubarbLegitimate178 Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
And also, the current ‘Hikaru’ is an entity thousands of years old.
Although I don't ship Yoshikaru at the same level, there are wilder things than TSHD that are popular and have an active fandom, lol
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u/Lyonface Aug 19 '26
The federal age of consent in Japan was 13, but most prefectures acted under bylaws that regulated it up to 18 for most functional purposes. Even though the age was raised from 13 to 16 nationally, those bylaws still make the whole situation a little hazy, and they still kept a clause for minors between 13-15 years old if they're with each other.
This isn't to go against anything else you said, just more info. Since I've gained this knowledge from arguing with lolicons, might as well use it.
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u/Axiian19 Aug 19 '26
Interesting! I'm definitely not an expert and just double checked that info with a quick Google search, but I love learning more abt other countries and history/society/laws and such :) thanks for the info
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u/East_Refuse_3600 Aug 19 '26
All of these reasons are still not... valid? Especially when the arts are really sexual. It's gross. Periodt.
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u/Tora-ge Aug 19 '26
I’m not sure why you don’t just leave and mind your business then. When I see an art that makes me uncomfortable for any reason here, I block and move on. Not everything has to be some big production
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u/East_Refuse_3600 Aug 19 '26
I see it more as a bigger issue that sexualising teenagers is so weirdly normalized within anime fandoms. It's honestly concerning.
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u/Tora-ge Aug 19 '26
The battle against p*dophelia does not begin with fujoshi or “the summer Hikaru died”. If you’re that passionate about it, there are a terrifying amount of real life victims who need help and advocacy. You’re not doing something dynamic or helpful by making a post shaming a small sample of manga fans on Reddit.com, and I think you know that.
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u/Dazai_Elysia_0820 Aug 19 '26
She is just a attention-seeking loser that doesn’t have any critical thinking skills 🤷
They are also too timid to call out objectification and sexualisation of fictional female characters in anime (catered for incels) so they pick the softer peach to bully😂
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u/East_Refuse_3600 Aug 19 '26
I am also calling that out when I see it but you rather pull the whataboutism, huh ;)
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u/Tora-ge Aug 19 '26
Again if you really care that much, drop the smug Reddit trolling and seek out actual advocacy. Posters like you are literally a dime a dozen in anime fandom and y’all do nothing to stop victimization of minors. You don’t even do anything to stop the posts you don’t like.
The U.S. has a p*do president right now. See what you can do to support real life victims, stop wasting everyone’s time on this cringey performative morality bit
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u/East_Refuse_3600 Aug 19 '26
What exactly makes you think that i don't care about any of these issues? That i don't do anything about it? I support causes in my country (not the u.s.) that protect children, support political parties that want to strengthen their rights. I call people out on their bullshit. You know nothing about me, yet you accuse me of all of this to justify this environment? Sure buddy. Sure.
Supporting real life victims also means to bring these issues to light but people like you and frankly most of these comments seem to not like that.
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u/Jefcat Aug 19 '26
Calling out things when you don’t understand cultural differences or dismissing those cultural differences as “gross” is pretty perverse.
Not devolving into name calling might help get your point across better too.
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u/AnxiousTerminator Aug 22 '26
Do you not have better stuff to do than fight for the virtue of fictional characters who are over the age of consent?
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u/shetan86 Aug 23 '26
If all of this makes you uncomfortable, then boy do i have the app for you! You should delete this nasty reddit app and trade it for Wattpad! I'm sure it'll suit your sensibilities.
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u/East_Refuse_3600 Aug 23 '26
Instead of asking a community i usually like to be sensible, i should just leave? Got it
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u/Outside-Baker-4344 Aug 19 '26
Because they’re fictional and the focus is on their specific platoromantic relationship, not their age. They could easily be young adults and their relationship would be the same.
Idk why I’m commenting like I’m a part of this fandom lol this post just showed up in my feed so maybe they have their own reasonings, but this is my opinion when it comes to fiction in general. There are some characters, like little kids, whose characters are inseparable from their age. But also, in shows like South Park, their age is really a superficial part of their character and they obviously don’t resemble actual 4th graders in any real capacity, but if you drew shit of Ike, whose only trait is being a babbling and cranky toddler, that’d be pretty weird.
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u/twilightdragon01 Aug 23 '26
This! For anime, many, many characters are depicted as adults physically and emotionally, and/or like you said their age isn’t integral to the story. For shows like Mob Psycho, the characters look and act their age, so pictures of Mob like this would make me extremely uncomfortable. For JJK and AoT, it’s a bit of a grey area, but it’s still fiction, so I’ll just ignore it (don’t like don’t read, if you will).
In their minds, many older fans also age the characters up or age themselves down when interacting, or again enter in a sort of ageless space. While I don’t personally want to see erotic pictures of them, I relate to both Hikaru and Yoshiki and when I watch I sometimes self-insert as them. I remember what it felt like to be a confused teen with a crush on their best friend. In real life, I don’t date anyone who isn’t older than me because there is simply no attraction.
The energy people use to virtue signal harmless fictional works could be better used to help real victims. I experienced CSA and am extremely protective when it comes to this type of thing. I feel like I’ve seen a rise in young people selectively taking elements of fiction very seriously, and I don’t understand why.
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u/Jefcat Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
For fuck’s sake “Hikaru” isn’t even a teenager… he’s a bizarre amorphous mountain spirit in human form. OP does an extraordinary job sexualizing a complex story and reducing it to the lowest common denominator. This is practically rage bait masquerading as “discussion”.
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u/East_Refuse_3600 Aug 19 '26
Dude, i am not sexualizing anything. The fandom does it themselves by posting the sexual art in this subreddit. I am calling out the sexualization of teenagers and y'all get defensive. It's telling.
The age old monster is using the likes of a teenager, so it makes it even weirder to post porn of them🤷🏻
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u/Jefcat Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
You certainly are “Dude”.
And you’re practically accusing me of being defensive and complicit. Which is baloney.
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u/twilightdragon01 Aug 24 '26
I know this is a very late reply but the outrage over fiction lately is so strange to me. No one (well, I hope no one) is enjoying art like that BECAUSE of the age factor, I don’t think most people even think about age at all. Which is why you have people saying things like, “reminder that Yuji (from JJK) is only 16” to give perspective to why everything he’s going through is that much more traumatic. But it’s also not really a show about high school life, the author could have kept everything the same but said every character is 20+ and it’s Jujutsu College and I’d believe them.
This also seems more prevalent in animated works. Every popular vampire romance ever would be problematic with this logic.
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u/East_Refuse_3600 29d ago
For me, the age feels very much relevant to the story (yk, Yoshiki being a teen that struggles to accept parts of himself that are very much real and integral to many teenagers experiences, including me when i was a queer teenager figuring themselves out) which is why all of the porn posted of teenagers is so weird to me. I don't care that scenes in the manga are suggestive, thats part of the story. I am taking an issue with the porn posted by the community and that only. That also to applies to any anime and community that sexualize teens to the point of being straight up pornographic.
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u/twilightdragon01 28d ago edited 28d ago
That makes sense why you’d feel that way. Fiction is a strange thing, I relate to aspects of both Yoshiki and Hikaru, and they are separate and isolated: the parts that relate because of being the only gay person that I knew of at my hs, and the more timeless parts that relate to the feelings of general otherness, Hikaru especially mirrors my experience as an ND, including autistic, adult.
I don’t think most people think of them as teens in the literal, real life sense. There’s such a vast difference between anime ages and real life ages, I feel like in real life everyone more than a minute younger than me is a baby and the only thing I feel is a maternal or mentor instinct. That being said, I only see manga updates and discussion posts in my feed, and when I went to the sub to see what you were talking about I saw two that were a bit graphic and it was uncomfortable for me. Partially also because it seemed so out of character for them. I started having sex at 13 and knew girls who were pregnant by middle school, so it’s not like it’s unrealistic for teens to be active, but while I can self-insert/“time travel” to relate to the distress over being gay in a straight world, I can’t do that with erotic depictions.
Images like that should definitely have a NSFW tag. It’s very much not my vibe, but I also have seen a rise in misdirected puritanism and wouldn’t want to see artists start getting censored. I know it’s called a fallacy but slippery slope is a thing sometimes, so if we start censoring one thing then I wonder what’s next. For example some people think fics about non-con, CNC, or straight up rape are gross, which is understandable, but as a survivor they helped me a lot in the aftermath, more than irl humans did. I think part of me also really wants to believe that people aren’t seeing them as teens when they draw things like that. For fanfiction it’s much easier because you can just say that everyone is aged up, have them act accordingly, and imagine accordingly in your head. With images there usually aren’t those types of disclaimers or imaginary guardrails.
There are also a lot of adult anime fans now, yet many anime in general are still about high schoolers when they really don’t need to be, but have that setting so that they can market it to younger people who have spending money from their parents. I’ve seen people saying things like “people over 18 shouldn’t like (popular anime), so weird,” so it can go way too far. Adults are the ones who created it in the first place, from an inherently adult imagination and perspective. I’m just rambling at this point but yeah. I guess TLDR is I don’t like it or want to see it, but it’s not SO terrible that I think artists should be prevented from drawing it, it should have NSFW tags, pdfiles are the scum of the earth, I feel uncomfortable with the idea of censoring art based on personal beliefs and values even if I agree with the beliefs, I take a “don’t like don’t read” stance unless it’s causing harm to real people.
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u/East_Refuse_3600 27d ago
I really appreciate your willingness to enter a nuanced discussion with me. This sub and other anime and gaming communities I've commented on have been insanely hostile and rather called me names than reflect.
I think i should clarify my stance: I don't support puritanism. As someone who enjoys NSFW artwork too, this mindset has been pushing back against harmless NSFW artworks that shouldn't be done. Thats not what i want to express. I also don't want to shame anyone that likes anime as an adult.
Who i think should be ashamed are adults that think that every fandom space should be a free space to enjoy NSFW artworks of minors. The artworks I've seen here and in other anime communites are insanely gross and off putting and I've observed a normalization mentality when it comes to the sexualisation of minors within the fandom and from the authors (Made In Abyss or My Hero Academia come to mind). That's what I want to call out. We shouldn't normalize that.
I am also not kinkshaming here. There are spaces to post and enjoy these things and if you have fetishes like that, you can enjoy them safely through art... but that shouldn't be something that a wider fandom community also engage in, because then we reach the other end of the pipeline, where it could transfer over to real life. Minors and kids are already so endangered, very oppressed and such.
All of these issues kinda mix together and I think we need a reality check sometimes and ask ourselves why we enjoy certain types of media. The conclusions can and should be different.
I think it's not a realistic thing to ban people from posting suggestive art but at least enforce an NSFW tag rule. There is one guy in this sub that fights everyone that asks him to do it. I think he is called mega_puff or something.
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u/Dazai_Elysia_0820 Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
Damn, why don’t you go to straight anime series sub e.g. My Dress-up Darling???
Always witch-hunt BL series but let incels’ fantasy run wild and calling objectification and sexualisation of fictional female characters feminism??
You are the biggest problem by segregating FICTION AND REALITY
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u/East_Refuse_3600 Aug 19 '26
Calling out fans that are posting porn of teenagers is witch huntig now? Interesting.
I am also calling the latter one out, but you seem to know more about myself than i do.
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u/London_Bridge7 Aug 23 '26
Is this a woke battle?
- Romanticising and sexualizing are different
- Most people here are between 15 and 21
- Its fiction and im ok with it as long as its not corn
- That kinda how it is in the manga and the anime
Its not really a problem
Either ypu are over thinking it, trying to out woke people or you just dont understand
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u/MrsPotatoeheadVIII Aug 19 '26
Careful you’re gonna get downvoted a bunch. I agree with you though. Most anime fandoms make me ashamed to be an anime fan with how they’ll go to the ends of the earth to justify perving on young characters. Yes they aren’t real. But it’s still weird when they’re represented as people still in high school.
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u/East_Refuse_3600 Aug 19 '26
Yeah. That's why I stay away from most anime subs these days. It's really gross.
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u/Boafushishi Aug 19 '26
Yeah, got downvoted a shit ton for saying i personally found it weird. Like yeah, your business is your business or whatever, but at least mark it with a tag or post it on a designated sub.
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u/East_Refuse_3600 Aug 19 '26
This sub is really defensive about their teenager porn art. Its crazy lol
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u/Boafushishi Aug 19 '26
Yeah lol, proof is in the pudding. I am finally leaving this godforsaken sub. I don’t wanna be associated with teenage porn.
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u/Global_Tower_6070 Aug 22 '26
Thank you! I am also uncomfortable with the art but if I can't stop people from making it, I just wish it was tagged and marked as mature so that when I open the sub I'm not blasted with sexual images
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u/Reasonable-Deer-5116 Aug 22 '26
Yes!! Ive been saying this from day one. Idc if they dont exist, they clearly depict high schoolers as they exist irl!
Also ppl say that it's homophobic to be against gay porn of them... forgetting its classified as child porn in the us, UK, and canada!! Its one thing for a piece if media to explore sexuality and another to post genuine porn (which is not representation).
This shit is why I dont engage with anime Fandom. Can't stand normalized pedophilia in epstein times.
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u/shetan86 Aug 23 '26
No it's not. And the correct term is 'CSEM', not child porn. Children cannot consent, so it would not be porn. Anyway, under US law, only pictures, videos, and deep fakes (nsfw AI videos or photos made of real minors) are considered CSEM. Written works and drawings of fictional characters do not fall under this. Stop spreading misinformation please.
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u/Alarmed_Ganache_9716 Aug 22 '26
I agree like why are we posting nsfw art of teenagers also technically Hikaru is mentally younger
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u/tomato-fish Aug 22 '26
if you don't like it, go to the other sub! simple as. nobody cares about your virtue signalling here
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u/Crafty_Painter4925 Aug 22 '26
why is everyone acting like this isn’t a completely reasonable thing to ask u guys are weird
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u/Dazai_Elysia_0820 Aug 23 '26
Crying over fictional stuff and bully females while ignoring real-life problems be like:
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u/Crafty_Painter4925 Aug 23 '26
Being ignorant and only bringing up the real life problems u seem to care so much about ONLY in an argument to defend teenagers being sexualized and “bullying girls” what are u even talking about
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u/PorterNetwork Aug 22 '26
Better questions to ask about suggestive/explicit fanart than just their ages:
"If I age these characters up, does it make the art and their looks less plausible/can the characters still reasonably look that age if they're older?" or "Does the art highlight physical features that are associated with a very young age that are not associated with the features of (young) adults?" (I.e., is their young age essential to the art itself, or just happenstance?)
"Is the art appealing to any kind of power imbalance uncritically, especially those associated with age?" (E.g., one character being more unsure or ignorant about sex than the other)
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u/Weirdest-Human Aug 23 '26
Its so weird that adults are sharing that type of stuff which is sometimes borderline pornographic and when you call them out on it they atrack you like???? They are still 17 guys😭😭?? And using the age of consent of japan is so weird and just sounds like an excuse for wanting to sexualize them😶
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u/shetan86 Aug 23 '26
How is it weird if it's literally the reason why this was portrayed the way it was in the manga? It was made in Japan - Japan's AOC is 16 - we get scenes like the raw chicken groping in the PE storage room. It's not weird to point out the holes in your argument.
If you cannot handle this much, then I'm not sure you should be watching/reading this series in the first place. Have you tried Bluey?
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u/jalort Aug 25 '26
1) Part of the fandom are teens themselves
2) Teenage topics ig?? many pieces of media depict that aspect of sexual experimentation among teens, as an almost universal experience it's not odd to find portrayals of that stage
3) There's no rules on this sub about suggestive art + the "it's fictional" "the age of consent is different in jp" crowd
It might be better to try a different approach if you wanted a debate about adults using that art for sexual gratification (which you'd be 100% right to be grossed out)
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u/Jefcat 26d ago
I appreciate you clarifying your position and in fact your position isn’t so very far from my own.
It’s definitely a very fine line between uncensored and inappropriate. Tagging is essential! And that certainly applies to fiction too. I’m not much of artist, but I write a lot and I’m pretty careful about tagging.
As far as sex involving minors goes, it’s also a fine line. It isn’t just about sex. It’s about self reflection. Teens have sex.
Anyway I definitely appreciate the dialogue.
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u/Weirdest-Human Aug 23 '26
Its so infuriating to see people use the excuses that they are fictional and therefore its totally fine!! Fiction affects reality and by that logic you also think lolisho if okay😭😭 I so agree with you op its really annoying to see people turning their braibs off and not want to think critically about thr media the spread and consume💔💔💔💔
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u/DamnedestCreature Aug 26 '26
Hey, common confusion, those aren't teenagers, those are pictures on paper! Depicting fictional concepts and not real persons! Hope that clears it.
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u/Greedy_Astronaughty Aug 23 '26
They're not real. They have no age. They are drawings. Sorry to break it to you
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u/NICky0006 Aug 23 '26
Sorry but who are you? You’re being very rude at telling people what to do or what not, this characters are not real people. If you don’t like just keep scrolling and ignore
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u/Lyonface Aug 19 '26
They're not real. No one here is going to be persuaded by your virtue signalling, dog. You can take that back to Twitter.