A scene in ヤンキーショタとオタクおねえさん (yankī-shota to otaku-onēsan ≈ yankee boy and otaku girl) by 星海 ユミ (Hoshimi Yumi) beautifully captures the sensitive subject of “real shota”.

The story centers around a fujoshi who a month earlier was befriended by the 11-year-old boy next door, Aikawa-kun. In the book’s first scene, Aikawa-kun insists on following the woman to a dōjinshi event (which turns out to be for BL manga) and sort of makes a fool of himself and her, so they leave immediately. In the subway on their way back the woman laments that she didn’t buy a single book because of the stupid boy. But looking at the beautiful sleeping boy next to her, it suddenly dawns on her: “This is my chance to touch a real shota!” (Devil horns!)

The moment is broken when their stop is announced: “We will soon arrive at Tanizaki station.” (Obviously a reference to the Japanese author 谷崎潤一郎/Tanizaki Jun’ichirō, whose books presented “a shocking world of sexuality and destructive erotic obsessions” according to Wikipedia.)

The woman gets up with the boy and says to herself: “That was close … what the hell was I doing!!!” And: “If this came out, I would be dead …”

I really liked how the manga brought up a theme that certainly occupies the mind of many shotacon. It is of special interest to me, since my research is focused on how we think about 2D and 3D realities.

A full review of this amusing series will follow!