Welcome to this week’s Sunday Select 7 on Anime Rants! We’ll start by talking about lolis and lolicons. A loli or lolita is a “little girl” character. There are many types of lolis grouped in numerous ways. For example, loli can refer to an unusually young-looking girl, a very short and flat-chested girl or young woman, a very short but busty girl, any female child or teen who is not of age, or small girls with specific character types (spoiled, shy, tsundere, etc.) Basically, lolis are girl characters who are uncommonly cute and young.
So what is a lolicon? It’s anime lingo for someone who has a “lolita complex.” That can mean several things. Lolicons are mostly people who are sexually stimulated by lolis in anime and/or enjoy the sexualization of lolis in anime. (This is not the same as being a pedophile, since there is no attraction to children in reality. It’s only in 2D anime.) But a lolicon can also be someone who loves lolis and all small, cute things- — not in a sexual way at all, but because they’re so freaking cute.
I don’t qualify as a lolicon because a) I don’t enjoy the sexualisation of anime lolis, and b) I’m not particularly preoccupied with the cuteness of loli characters. I don’t need any kawaii lolis to enjoy an anime. But that being said, who doesn’t think that little girls in anime can be super cute? There has to be at least one you like. Now, the 7 lolitas in this list might not all be “cute” in the typical sense. Some are downright scary. However, they are highly interesting characters. Here they are in alphabetical order.
1. Ahiru (From Princess Tutu)
The word ahiru means “duck,” and indeed, this little one is actually a duck. She acquired a magical pendant that lets her take the form of a human girl, so she can get close to her beloved Prince Myuuto and enjoy ballet lessons. Ahiru is so precious! She’s awkward, clumsy, shy, kind-hearted, and determined. Her voice is so cute and funny it makes me feel like I’m melting. Ahiru deserves the world.
2. Enma Ai (From Hell Girl)
Enma Ai is a mysterious and solemn demon girl tasked with sending certain humans to hell. She has an air of elegance mixed with menace. Most of the time, her character design, voice, and expressions are genuinely creepy or unsettling. But sometimes, she can also be very cute. The true identity, motives, and feelings of Ai are revealed slowly over 3 and a half seasons, as she realizes the evil but unavoidable nature of her duties.
4. Mina Tepes (From Dance In The Vampire Bund)
Mina-chan is the queen of all the vampires. Her personality is what I love; she’s a strong leader who gets things done for her people, a creative and sly strategist, flirtatious and expressvie, and oddly vulnerable, as a girl deeply in love with her werewolf bodyguard. The reason Mina is liked in the lolicon community, though, has little to do with her personality. She is one of those way over-sexualized loli characters. To give you a hint, it was surprisingly difficult to find an image of Mina-chan fully clothed. xD
5. Pino (From Ergo Proxy)
Ka-wa-iii! Pino is actually an Auto-Reiv, AKA android, designed to look and act like a little girl. Cogita, a sort of supernatural “virus,” causes Pino to become self-aware, developing her own will and personality. Ergo Proxy is a dark and serious show, both in terms of lighting/colors, and content/themes. So, adding in a kawaii loli android was a great idea. Pino is curious, smart, playful, hyperactive, expressive, and cheerful. She gives so much life and color to the interactions of the main characters.
3. Sana (From Alice and Zouroku)
At first it seems like Sana-chan is a human with magical abilities, but she’s a little something more. A difficult-to-define existence, Sana is something like the will, spirit, or mind of the mysterious other world known as Wonderland. Sana believes her purpose is to learn about our world, collecting information and insight to be processed by the great consciousness of Wonderland. Anyway, as well as being quite an enigmatic existence, Sana is a little girl who, much like a real child, is loud, impulsive, curious, energetic, reactive, and sometimes moody. She’s cute as a button though.
6. Sophie Twilight (From Ms. Vampire /Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san)
Sophie is so adorable it’s no wonder her human roommate fell in love with her. She is the kind of vampire who can coexist with humans. She orders bottled blood from an online store instead of attacking people. A true introvert, Sophie likes lots of alone time, and doesn’t know what to do with friends fawning over her. Though often weirded out by her roommate Akari, Sophie treats the human girl kindly and graciously. Eventually, she becomes slightly affectionate, and it’s wonderful to watch.
7. Sunako (From Shiki /Corpse Demon)
No offense to Sophie or Mina, who I also adore, but Sunako is my favorite vampire loli. She’s more unsettling than endearing. She doesn’t ever strike me as “cute,” with those empty black eyes; however, she is a sympathetic, pitiable, and fragile character. Despite being a vampire and the enemy of all things holy, she still believes in her god and wants to be able to live in peace. She’s lonely and that’s why she makes more vampires.
Thank you for reading! What did you think of my 7 nonhuman lolis? I chose ones that I liked over which ones are most popular. Two other possbilities were Illiya from the Fate series and Senko-san the helpful fox spirit. Do you have any favorite nonhuman loli characters?
(Images were found by searching the web, and I don’t own any of them)
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