This is a small piece on the Axel/Roxas couple, otherwise known as AkuRoku. This also applies to other couples of the same nature. Axel/Roxas (AkuRoku) will set the example for this essay's points.
As of late, there have been dire attacks on the AkuRoku community. Artwork featuring the couple has been decimated. Groups celebrating the couple have been devastated, due to the drastic loss in artwork. It seems as if people are taking time out of their lives to report such artwork. Apparently, the Roxas character is too young for the art of love. But is the AkuRoku pairing really wrong? Is it wrong to have Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist fall in love with Roy Mustang?
Yes, it is true that the Roxas character is young. Like so many other anime/manga/video game heroes and heroines, Roxas falls at the age of 15. But unlike the 15 yrs of our live-action world, Roxas has gone on epic adventures. Adventures that involve soul-searching. Digging into one's heart, and travelling the universe to find one's purpose. Not too many pre-teens/teens in this day and age partake of such adventures. Therefore, the character Roxas and others in his situation are far more mature than twenty year olds we know. A billion times more mature than thirty year olds, forty year olds and fifty year olds.
'But EW, UR CONDONING PEDOPHILIA! UR GROSS'! Pedophilia is commonly linked to abusive, violent behavior towards children in our society. Once again, the children in our society have not undergone blockbuster adventures, so they are not as mature as the 'children' featured in popular manga/anime/video games. Roxas might be wise enough to know what true love is, but the children in our society hardly know the difference between up and down. Furthermore, not too many people write stories on Axel using Roxas for psychotic, baby fantasies. Nobody has either one of the characters dressing up as babies, shaking rattles. The same can be applied to the Edward Elric/Roy Mustang couple of Fullmetal Alchemist. Ed might be young, but he endures adventures that would crack a sixty year old's soul like a twig. One can't say he isn't mature enough to know what love is.
Bottom line: the fairy tales we create are to be separated from the crass act of pedophilia. A thirty year old man getting it on with a thirteen year old in this society doesn't have the same ring as the Axel/Roxas couple. Thirty and sixty year old people have difficulty in finding true love, so in our live-action society, it's HIGHLY UNLIKELY that a 13-15 yr old can have a firm grip on romance.
BUT UR STILL CONDONING PEDO STUFF, UR SICK! Saying the AkuRoku couple condones sexual violations of children in our society is akin to saying the support of the homosexual community condones terrorism. Politicians/government officials have said that homosexuals are either terrorists, or they're worse than terrorists. In many yaoi stories, characters experience sexual violation. We yaoi authors, in NO way, are condoning the actual act of rape. It is merely fantasy, a way to play with our favorite characters. A way to instill drama and emotional angst. There is a difference between Narnia, and the world outside our window. Some things are meant for Narnia, while others are meant to stay with the hustle and bustle of our streets. And once again:
A thirty year old man getting it on with a thirteen year old in THIS SOCIETY doesn't have the same ring as AkuRoku. Not to mention Ed/Roy, Ciel/Sebastian, Ritsuka/Soubi...
Let's go over how many characters fall between the ages of 12-16. Almost every anime/manga hero and heroine falls in the age range. Sailor Moon was reported to be at the age of 14, yet she's involved in a romantic relationship. Aya Mikage of the Ceres anime/manga series started her journey as a sixteen year old woman. The character declares her age on the first page of her new manga novel. Sailor Venus declares herself to be 13, on the very pages of her new manga book. It's on sale at your local bookstore. The Disney Princesses are all at the age of 16. Kagome of the Inu-Yasha series is 15 years of age. Inu-Yasha himself starts off at 16.
Yet the Kagome/Inuyasha pairing is extremely popular on this very site.
Eclair from the Kiddy Grade anime is 16 years of age. I could research and list all similar characters, but then I'd be typing this for hours.
All of those characters endure hardships and adventures that we'd flee from. I'm sure there are many more I have not listed here. But once again: these characters are far more mature than thirty year olds we find on the street. Not to mention many of the previously featured characters are placed into intimate, romantic situations (Kagome, the Disney Princesses, Sailor Moon, etc).
I could spend all week reporting every Sailor Moon, Kagome and Inu Yasha piece on this site. Then I could hunt down the other pieces that feature similar characters. But I'd rather not. I'm not of that mindset. I'd rather spend my time promoting art and love, not war and devastation.
BUT UR STILL PROMOTING PEDO-CRAP, AND IT'S WRONG! Just in case you're unable to comprehend anything beyond the alphabet, here it is again: the young 'uns featured in anime/manga/video games are far more mature than any number of adults we can find, right outside our front door. And if it's all right to report supposedly offensive, disgusting art, I have every right to report/fight all popular art that features characters supposedly too young for love. But I'm not going to. It's a waste of time.
I was once closed off to the AkuRoku pairing, because of Roxy's age. But falling in love with a Dance Central 2 character, Glitch, has opened my eyes and heart. If you're willing to create a Narnia where a young character falls madly in love with an older character, then so be it. The wonders of the human imagination can do no harm, unless they're abused in the worst ways imaginable.
Some magic is meant to remain in Narnia. It is meant to bless the eyes and soul inside of Narnia. Once it leaves the gates of our sanctuary, it takes on an entirely different meaning. In simpler terms: a thirty year old man getting it on with a thirteen/sixteen/fifteen year old in OUR SOCIETY is a million times different from Axel and Roxas sharing epic Kingdom Hearts adventures. Nobody's eyes are falling out of their sockets over AkuRoku love. Not too many fifteen years old in our live-action world experience heart-breaking, earth-shattering adventures, so they aren't as mature as the characters so many of us love.
BUT UR STILL CONDONING PEDO CRAP, AND UR BEING DISGUSTING!' Instead of bashing artwork that only serves to please, shouldn't you be out reporting hate propaganda? I've seen it, right on this site. Shouldn't you be disgusted by the many forms of hate propaganda? Shouldn't you be reporting 'hate art'? Shouldn't you be making your own artwork, and spreading joy to others? And if that's too hard to compute, shouldn't you at least remember how to use your BACK button? Your Esc key? Shouldn't you remember how to control your own eyes, and look elsewhere if artwork doesn't please you?
About 95 percent of boy/girl pairs bore me. To death. But you'll NEVER catch me running around here, randomnly flaming boy/girl art and/or groups. EVER. There will NEVER be a PeorthMoon that posts 'ew, boy/girl stuff is boring' on art galleries. I'm much too busy spreading the love.
Shouldn't we all be concerned with spreading the love, inside and outside our Narnia?
Bottom Line:
-The pre-teens/teens of our society are MUCH DIFFERENT from the pre-teens/teens featured in popular anime/manga/video games. Unless I'm wrong, and someone's fifteen year old brother went on an epic journey to find his Keyblade.
-There is NO art that depicts Axel and/or Roxas wearing baby gear, shaking baby rattles. There is also no art that depicts either character in psychotic child games.
-Supporting AkuRoku, Ed/Roy, etc does NOT condone pedophilia. This is connected to the FIRST point, listed just above. Some things are meant to stay in our Narnia, and in Narnia ONLY. Tales of true love between popular characters should not be connected to sexual violations/abuse.
-Many popular characters are young (Disney Princesses, Kagome from the Inu Yasha anime/manga, Inu Yasha himself, etc), but they are regularly depicted in romantic situations-and no one's eyes have burned out yet.
Please take care. Happy Holidays, Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Black Friday and let's just focus on spreading the love.