? about age ranges when it comes to anime/manga

[little_miss_ururu]

i have been wondering what age most people let their kids watch certain anime and read certain manga.  we came into a spat with the homeschool co-op we were attending because they said my son was too young to participate.  i was puzzled by this.  so i thought i would pose this ? here.

also i noticed there were age guidelines at the con.  so that made me wonder even more. 

my child, talon, will be 9 in october.  he is allowed to watch lots of anime, but we usually watch stuff together.  i don't have any problems with things like death note, gurann lagann, boogiepop phantom, FMA, bleach, gravitation, code geass, trigun, vampire hunter d, inyuasha, pokemon, naruto, and lots of others. 

so are these things inapproperiate for that age range?  he is an only child and very mature.  so i am not understanding what the other parents feel is so inapproperiate.

thanks for your input----
cerridwen

[oslapedo]

I don't think age has much to do with anything, there are mature 5 year olds and immature 35 year olds. I think that giving a child indepence can be a great way to strengthen your bond with them and give them responsibility. I see no problem with your kid watching anime, as long as you think he can handle it

[Rathany]

Well, there are a couple of different peices to it.  For example, since some Japanese families still bathe together, the Japanese tend to not worry about kids seeing nudity.  Sexual content is okay for kids at much earlier ages than in the US.  Violent content is more restricted. 

Also, some anime get 'localized' in such a way to make them more kid friendly.  I remember waaaay back in the day when a heavily edited Tenchi Muyo was actually playing on TV and being aimed at a very young audience.  I had to explain to a lady in a Suncoast why she might not want to buy a tape of 'her little boy's favorite show' for him.  (Yes, I am talking about the VHS days.)  The casual molestation in the show and also a certain bathing scene ...  That 'certain bathing scene' had something that really kinda squicked me and I don't think I should mention it on a PG-13 message board. 

A more recent example, One Piece was hacked to bits to make it a kid's show.  Though, the truly classic example of creditive editing was changing genders in Sailor Moon to hide homosexuality.  These later came out in unedited forms on DVD. 

So, it's hard to tell at times what is kid's stuff and what isn't.  I think as long as you watch the stuff with him it's fine.  Boogiepop Phanton has some scenes that I would worry about a 9 year old seeing, but I am not a parent and have less of a grasp on age appropriateness. 

Manga is writtten for every demographic in Japan, from kids to highly educated adults.  Some people have a very narrow and biased view of what manga is.  There was also a case a while back of a library banning an adult from a manga reading group because they assumed it was just stuff that appealed to teens.  There was an implication in some of the articles that the library thought that the guy was being creepy by wanting to take part in a teen activity. 

Anyway, I should not post this late at night.  I may be more coherent in the morning

[Darknight2433]

I don't know if it makes much of a difference, but my parents let me watch said things such as that when I was 6, and I never changed how I thought about anything because of it. I didn't get more violent or cuss more, and as long as you are confident in your kid not being high impressionable to the content of it, then I say go for it! The worst case scenario, he has some bad dreams, swears more, and may take up some themes from the anime you aren't too fond of. So, just think it over and make your choice, because only his parents would know what's right for him

[saya-chan14]

Sence i was 1 week old Ive watch anime with my brother who was 13 and when  i was 3 i sarted watching stuff buy my self like any kind of anime there was my brother rented or bought it and the rating was from pg - R mostly R but i dint really change me i do go around kill or cursing it just trued me in to a cosplayer and anime lover.

[valliegirl]

Depends on the content of the show, the maturity of the child involved, and how over protective the parents are. 

My younger sister is 15 and watches a lot of anime.  She's pretty mature for her age.  Our mother doesn't mind her watching anime, and likes watching with her...  But she's really particular about what my sister can and cannot see because she doesn't want her to view something too intense. 

When picking out something to suggest to my sister, I have to keep my Mother's sensitivities in mind because I don't want to get a phone call a few weeks later with her screaming at me. 

I know my sister pretty well and I've got a pretty good handle of what she can deal with, but if our mother wishes to be over protective, that's her business, and I have to respect that.  In the meantime, I'm making a list of everything my sister needs to see once she's 18. 

On the other end of the spectrum, if a person has a child that they know is mature enough to violent or sexual contest and they wish to watch shows with their child that has content that is a little more intense, I would trust that parent to know what is and is not ok for their own kid.

[Sugarlat]

I don't think age is a problem really.
I mean if a program has excessive nudity or much gore and violence I'm pretty sure it's common sense that someone of the age of 5 shouldn't be watching it, but I've noticed kids now a days are much more mature in watching stuff like that. I mean if it's something that the parents think it's okay to watch and the child can handle it I don't see any problems. I mean we all know that it's technically just a bunch of pictures and sounds, it's not like someone would actually find a death note and go around killing people.
Anime and manga has a wide range for age I mean they have Hello kitty to something like Higurashi o-o

[AnimeMatrix]

Violence and nudity/sexual content are usually the biggest reasons for age ratings. Next is smoking and drug use. (Most) Responsible parents try to steer their children away from either of these things, but I heard of a survey in which parents were asked would they let their child see violence vs. nudity, they overwhelmingly chose violence. An interesting contradiction.

I do think there are certain anime kids shouldn't watch, but as many shows as there are that are not appropriate for kids, there are just as many shows that are appropriate for kids and it's the same with manga. Age ratings are just guidelines- it's ultimately up to the consumer as to decide wheather this is something for them or their kids. I don't really think it has anything to do with maturity (because anyone can pretend to be mature- how else do you all think I was able to fool to you all into thinking I would be mature enough to be nominated for Director of Relations ^_^), but understanding and context. I think as long as the parent explains to the child and the child understands what's going on and to not mistaken fantasy for reality, I think then it should be ok for anyone. However, some things are harder to explain to kids than other things, and some things are harder for them to understand.

[Wuntvor]

Hmm...  Hard call.  I don't know you or Talon. so I can't make an unbiased opinion.  I personally think he is a little young for over half the shows named.  Mainly for the violence and gore side of things.  If he isn't disturbed by it or having nightmares because of it, I would almost be more concerned instead of less.  This would mean he is desensitised to it.  A common thing anymore.  I think it is becomming more, and more, a problem in the US in general.  Lots of violence in our TV just for the sake of violence.  People are being trained to accept it and not worry about it.  I feel that if your son can sit there and watch people get attacked by monsters, or devoured by same.  Or people contempalating murder and killing people, just to cover their own actions, and think "Oh, that's OK", you may have some problems down the road.  Don't think that, just because you know that it is all make believe, the kid feels the same way about it.

I think, when I was about that age, I watched some really campy horror shows one after the other.  After watching 'The Day of the Triffids' I had nightmares that killer plants were going to attack me.  All the shadows from the trees outside swaying in the wind.  It took me hours to go to sleep.  I watch that same film now and I can laugh at just how campy it is.  Believe me, age does make a difference in how we percieve something, and the way you respond to it is going to have a strong effect on how your son is going to.  If he sees that you are not upset or bothered by it, well then it must be OK.  Same will be true when he encounters it in real life later.

Think about it.  No, I mean really.  Think about it.  Take Talon aside and ask him about his take on what you watch.  A 10 year old boy died in a sandbox not long ago while imitating Gaara from Naruto.  http://www.pspcrazy.com/forums/lounge/99549-10-year-old-boy-dies-after-imitating-gaara-naruto.html  I guess he thought he could breathe underground. Hard way to learn that you can't.  Don't assume that because Talon seems mature, that he actually is.  How he perceives right and wrong is strongly influenced by TV, video games, and the other kids at school.  Those kids who walk into school with a gun and start shooting students and teachers.  A lot more of them these days.  Wonder why?

[BlackjackGabbiani]

I always had the impression about the sand case that they were using that as a cover, because the reports I read said that other kids were holding him down.

Anyway, I'd say that it depends entirely on the kid.

[allstarsniper32]

Since they are watching the anime with their child if there is anything the kid is curious about or that the parent feels is important for them to know it's not OK or whatever it may be. then it's fine as long as they don't lie about it. about the "people being desensitized to violence" is something explained by the other user about how people say they'd choose violence over nudity, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THOSE PEOPLE? seriously, how can something natural like nudity be more of a taboo than violence?

now about the gaara kid, Some reports said kids were holding him down? I'd believe that any day. kids are smart and sometimes mean, I really do believe that some kids would hold down a kid and say he was pretending to be gaara. I guess that's just because I know kids aren't pure innocence, not always anyways.

[little_miss_ururu]

thanks so much for all of the input yall gave.  i went through the posts and compiled a list of questions to ask talon.  i will let yall know how it goes. 

one thing i asked him was:
did he see anything in any of the anime we watched that he thought might possiably happen irl. 
he thought for a minute and then said:
"only when britania took over japan."  he said, "irl one country could take over another.  so that is the only thing i have seen in any of the shows that could even remotely happen in the real world."

so ok on that one.  an interesting answer.  i will let yall know the out come of the other questions.  thanks lots for giving me ideas!

cerridwen

[Wuntvor]

Glad to give my input.  Gladder still to hear that you followed some of my advice.  I am also glad to see that you take the time to talk things over with your son.  To many parents use the TV as a babysitter, and don't really pay a lot of attention to what their children are watching.  Reading back over your first post I noticed the mention of home schooling.  I, missed that at first.  You must spend a lot of time with Talon.  Tell him he is one lucky boy to have a mom that cares so much for him.

I might add talking to him about the moral issues of the characters in these anime.  Why is what he is doing good, or bad?  How do you feel about this person getting killed or having their memory erased?  Do you understand why it happened?  Gah, I sound like my old Jr. High English instructor!  Anyway, he should have an opinion about most of it.  May be interesting to find out what it is.  From his earlier response about Britan taking over the world, I can assume he is one bright boy.  Also that he likes Code Geass.   

I wish you both well.

[Hazuza]

As long as his head's in the right place, and you do your thing as a parent to keep it there, I don't see any problem with age.

Just so long as he doesn't start throwing weapons at people, or burying his head in the sand *COUGH*
But seeing how you talk about him so far, I see nothing wrong ^^

[BlackjackGabbiani]

I might add talking to him about the moral issues of the characters in these anime.  Why is what he is doing good, or bad?  How do you feel about this person getting killed or having their memory erased?  Do you understand why it happened? 

I can't speak for everyone, but that's exactly the sort of thing that made me not want to share ANY of my hobbies with my parents, which persists to this day.

[Mister_manji]

for me, early exposure to NGE caused a bout of depression that ended with counseling and medication, not because of violence or sex, but because of how depressing the show was.

[Higuma]

I am a parent and have three children. Their ages are 9, 7 and 5. My wife and I watch alot of anime with our children, but if the anime is not made for children then we will watch it first to make sure it is ok. You have to use your best judgement as a parent and not as the child what they think. My 9 year old wants to act like she is 18 but she is not. Out of the anime on your list I did not see anything to would not let my kids watch( except Vampire hunter d, I have not seen it and would watch it first). When it comes to guide lines we tend to not let our kids watch anything with nudity or cussing or strong inuendo. When it comes to violence it depends on how graphic it is but any anime with blood and guts flying everywhere and it being super graphic would most likely have other things like sex or nudity as will.(example Afro Samurai) I guess use your best judgement, there is a big differance between FMA or Naruto and say Ninja Scroll.

[xkuroxhanax]

Well, I've been into anime/manga since I was about 10 or 11, and my parents were fully aware of me interest in it. They pretty much had no issue with me reading or watching what I wanted, and let me do my own thing at my own pace. The first thing I read was the Naruto manga, and starting with the Zabuza arc, which was probably a bit much for a 10 year old, but nothing serious, because since media today is what it is, exposure is going to come one way or another, so it's probably better for it to come when it's very morally obvious and aimed toward an age group ranging from young to very old, right?

I believe that it's fine as long as your son is mature.

[kurakoneko]

I don't think it's necessarily age that is the main factor as to when children begin watching anime.It's just the parents' standards of what they deem to be acceptable/inappropriate.

[Deviant Spider]

Ulitmatly what you are doing is great. I think that if you are watching with your child it is encouraging bonding family time. It also gives your son a chance to ask questions for confusing things. If you deem that an anime is good for your son than you are the best judge of that not somone elses guidelines. The tipical guidelines 14+, 18+, all ages, etc. is put in place for those children who may not have the same maturity level as your son. But unfortunatly as many schools have kids who dont have parents educated enough in anime to teach their children what is right and wrong. And some kids are just deviant for their own reasons. A school cant be responsible for a 9 year old comming home and saying to their parents "then some guy shot his head off and blood sqirted EVERYWHERE!!!!." Any parent would be concerned to hear a statement like that. Schools have to cover themselves, so does our convention. We follow the guidlines on the Animes themselfs to ensure that some titles are appropriate. You may let your child watch Deathnote at 9 but I know many that would strongly inforce the 14 age limit due to the "violene, death" rating.

Honestly it depends on the kid and active role of the parent. My parents had NO CLUE what I was watching when I was a kid, they just thought I was watching cartoons. They didnt know that things like Hentai or other sexual elements would be found in cartoons. But had I tried to go to a convention and watch the same things, that would have been a big no. And there is a reason for it. I give you props for being educated in Anime, and sharing this experience with your son. And always choose what you think is best, you are the parent after all. Publicly he may be restricted, but that will only make him feel more mature that you trust him to watch such titles.

[RandomCosplay]

I am a parent and have three children. Their ages are 9, 7 and 5. My wife and I watch alot of anime with our children, but if the anime is not made for children then we will watch it first to make sure it is ok. You have to use your best judgement as a parent and not as the child what they think. My 9 year old wants to act like she is 18 but she is not. Out of the anime on your list I did not see anything to would not let my kids watch( except Vampire hunter d, I have not seen it and would watch it first). When it comes to guide lines we tend to not let our kids watch anything with nudity or cussing or strong inuendo. When it comes to violence it depends on how graphic it is but any anime with blood and guts flying everywhere and it being super graphic would most likely have other things like sex or nudity as will.(example Afro Samurai) I guess use your best judgement, there is a big differance between FMA or Naruto and say Ninja Scroll.

I agree to this I am a parent also of a 6 year old who is just hiting the bad 2somes of age late blumer I guess but any who he right even tho growing up and find my step dads mags made me think art is art no matter what it is and then haven to wear the shoes of a parent made a big change in me to try to make  it better then what I had growing up I guess we all who r parents do what we think is right for our kids