Ask John: What Explains Lecherous Old Men in Hentai?

Question:
I was reading an old article you wrote about NTR (“Ask John: What is NTR and Why is it Popular?“). In this article, you briefly mentioned “the erotic manga sub-genre … that depicts attractive young women being sexually objectified and used by old, obese, ugly, and unpleasant men.” This is a very common trope, but I was wondering why it exists. Is it so that viewers (who undoubtedly do not see themselves like that) feel a masochistic pain in not being the type of guy who can “get in on the action”? Or is it simply getting off on the degradation of the female?

Answer:
I’ll admit from the outset that I don’t know for certain what the exact rationale is that motivates the commonplace hentai depiction of elderly men taking sexual advantage of younger women. My theory is that the trope is rooted in a variety of ideas and fetishes rather than just one single interest. The commonplace imagery of elderly and often overweight men having sex with younger women, as seen extensively in the erotic manga of artist Chuuka Naruto and doujin artist Kahlua Suzuki (Yakima Line) and in recent anime such as Ran->Sem: Hakudaku Delmo Tsuma no Miira Tori and Toriko no Chigiri, almost always revolves around male domination of unwilling women. In these depictions, women are practically never illustrated as attracted to elderly men. So I suspect that these depictions suggest a variety of themes and meanings. Especially in Asian cultures, where age is respected, advanced age implies inherent respect and power. The depiction of women sexually violated by elderly men appeases a certain male sense of victimization; it depicts a reversal of fortune. In youth, women typically have control over the engagement of sex. While young men may desire sex, it’s women that agree to or refuse sex. Manga can appease the frustration of younger men rejected from sex by depicting a situation in which the man gains the upper hand and becomes able to dictate the engagement of sex. Due to his advanced age and the innate power that comes with age, elderly men in manga are able to usurp the control of access to sex from women. Conjoined with this usurpation of power is often a humiliation and degradation of the women that was formerly in control, a punishment on the female species for not being more sexually attentive and promiscuous toward young men.

From the perspective of young men, the depiction of elderly men staying sexual active and even becoming more sexually aggressive may be encouraging. Western culture traditionally assumes that male sex drive decreases with age, and men become sexually inactive as they enter their senior years. However, in Japan where, on average, Japanese men are 19.7 years old when they lose their virginity, the imagery of sexually virulent elderly men may serve as a way of suggesting that late-blooming doesn’t mean losing years of a man’s active sexual lifetime. The suggestion from manga and anime is that young men don’t need to be anxious if they don’t experience sex during their teen and young adult years; their best days may still be ahead of them. A similar principle may rationalize the related depiction of homeless or disgusting men who take sexual advantage of women. For example, adult manga artist Awaji Himeji and the recent H OVA Kichiku depict slovenly, disgusting, and homeless men that manipulate women into sex. Such depictions simultaneously satisfy the urge to see women punished and degraded and suggest that “normal” average guys certain have a chance of experiencing sex if even such repulsive, less attractive men can get sex.

The depiction of elderly sexually active and aggressive men also relates to the theme of sexual proficiency that runs through adult manga and anime. Lolicon erotica is widely considered attractive because it depicts non-intimidating, non-judgmental female sexual partners for men who may feel sexually inadequate or inexperienced. The depiction of elderly sexually aggressive men may be the opposite side of the coin. With age comes the assumption of carnal experience. Elderly men represent confident, assertive, satisfying and dominant sexual experience and virility. They depict a man who knows what he’s doing sexually and takes what he wants to satisfy himself. Readers can appreciate and vicariously appreciate that confidence and aggressiveness even if they don’t relate to the physical depiction of the male character directly.

The depiction of elderly men sexually dominating women furthermore reinforces the narcissistic Japanese patriarchy. The idea of elder Japanese men, who represent the political and economic power of Japan, sexually dominating women reinforces the pervasive traditional Japanese sense that women are home makers and men are empire makers. For Japanese men that subscribe to the established zeitgeist, the imagery of older men perpetuating the social status quo by maintaining an upper hand over women

The same imagery from a female artist introduces yet another angle to the concept. Female erotic manga artist Yonekura Kengo’s Warau Kangofu manga depicts a sensual, sexually predatory nurse who gets turned from predator to prey when a pair of elderly men interrupt her seduction and rape her. The depiction again illustrates power, in the form of age, asserting its dominance over typical sexual politics. But this particular depiction also suggests that the woman is so sensual, so attractive that even the usually dignified and restrained senior citizens can’t resist her alluring sexuality.