Something special about age 14/15 over there?

[sunnyside]

Just a lot of anime seem to focus on that age.

Now I wouldn't think much of it, except most high school type shows here in the west bump up the age to 17-18. Even if the target audience is younger than that.

Though I suppose it could just be that it's easier to work with 18 year olds if you're doing live action.

But still it makes me wonder if they write off those years as a time to work on entrance exams or something so age 14-15 is when they have their fun.

[Ashminigun]

I believe that one of the reason is the age of consent in Japan is 13 years old. Sort like a legal status for one person to leave their family and stay alone or do part time job when he or she reach the age of 13.

The producers tends to portray the joy and the innocence of that growing age period (even sometimes it's false in reality) in the character life to the target audience. This able them (the audience) to related the anime with their life or sort of escapism from reality.

[Gjallarhorn]

AMG pretty much hit the nail on the head. People are considered an adult at a slightly younger age in Japan compared to most Western countries.

[Datenshi]

During feudal era Japan, the coming-to-age ritual was held sometime between when the child was 12-16. Some of that mentality may still linger.

However, realistically I think it's simply because that's the time when the angsty hormones start to kick in for real. There is a word in Japanese net-slang called "7th Grade Syndrome", which is directed at adolescents who fantasize excessively, or try too hard not to be "normal" (similar to the Western "emo"; bad poetry and loud music and such, you know). A lot of anime is directed at this age level, and therefore tends to feature a young protagonist with a highly escapist theme (see: Neon Genesis Evangelion).

People are considered an adult at a slightly younger age in Japan compared to most Western countries.

I find that a little questionable. The legal age for drinking and smoking in Japan is 20, and the age from which you can obtain a driving licence is 18, which if my memory is correct may be even slightly higher than some states in the U.S.

What is considered lower in Japan is probably not legal maturity, but sexual maturity, which are not necessarily the same thing, despite how modern law tries to differ. As I stated above, a woman was considered marriable at the age of 12-16 two centuries ago, and the protagonist of the famous literary work The Tale of Genji marries a girl he met at around the age of 12.

[Gjallarhorn]

During feudal era Japan, the coming-to-age ritual was held sometime between when the child was 12-16. Some of that mentality may still linger.

However, realistically I think it's simply because that's the time when the angsty hormones start to kick in for real. There is a word in Japanese net-slang called "7th Grade Syndrome", which is directed at adolescents who fantasize excessively, or try too hard not to be "normal" (similar to the Western "emo"; bad poetry and loud music and such, you know). A lot of anime is directed at this age level, and therefore tends to feature a young protagonist with a highly escapist theme (see: Neon Genesis Evangelion).


I find that a little questionable. The legal age for drinking and smoking in Japan is 20, and the age from which you can obtain a driving licence is 18, which if my memory is correct may be even slightly higher than some states in the U.S.

What is considered lower in Japan is probably not legal maturity, but sexual maturity, which are not necessarily the same thing, despite how modern law tries to differ. As I stated above, a woman was considered marriable at the age of 12-16 two centuries ago, and the protagonist of the famous literary work The Tale of Genji marries a girl he met at around the age of 12.

Drinking age here is 21; the lowest age for a driving license is 15 in several, and the highest (that I know of) is 18 in New Jersey. Most states are 16, though.

Thanks for clearing some of that stuff up, though.