How do you all feel about the 'thousand year old loli' trope?

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

So, in case you don't know, it's basically a trope in JP web novels where there's a little girl who's actually way older than she looks. To be clear, I'm not here to start a debate on the morals of this, so don't go writing an essay about how its disgusting or how it's totally fine, pretty sure that's already been talked about a lot on this forum.
So now to the actual question, how do you feel about the trope, how do you think it should be done? Or are you simply tired of it? Perhaps you simply just enjoy it for the fan service?
IMO, most novels focus too much on the loli part rather than the thousand year old part. Most characters like this are pretty much for fanservice, I think its a lot of squandered potential, specially for those that focus a lot less on the slice-of-life genre. An example of this would be Rory from GATE, her backstory seemed pretty interesting imo, too bad it wasn't expanded as much as it could have been.(At least as far as I know)

 

[ElijahRyne]

I dislike it when they are portrayed as an old person who looks like a child, but am fine when they are old and look like a short 20 year old.

 

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

I dislike it when they are portrayed as an old person who looks like a child, but am fine when they are old and look like a short 20 year old.

Well, that's pretty much the normal 'older than they look'. Any particular reason why you don't like people with a child-like appearance portrayed as an old person?

 

[DarkeReises]

In it for the fan service, as long as its not totally butchered

 

[ElijahRyne]

Well, that's pretty much the normal 'older than they look'. Any particular reason why you don't like people with a child-like appearance portrayed as an old person?

If the character is a ‘capture’ target, even though the character is an adult, when they are portrayed as looking like a child it rubs me the wrong way.

 

[EternalSunset0]

So, in case you don't know, it's basically a trope in JP web novels where there's a little girl who's actually way older than she looks. To be clear, I'm not here to start a debate on the morals of this, so don't go writing an essay about how its disgusting or how it's totally fine, pretty sure that's already been talked about a lot on this forum.
So now to the actual question, how do you feel about the trope, how do you think it should be done? Or are you simply tired of it? Perhaps you simply just enjoy it for the fan service?
IMO, most novels focus too much on the loli part rather than the thousand year old part. Most characters like this are pretty much for fanservice, I think its a lot of squandered potential, specially for those that focus a lot less on the slice-of-life genre. An example of this would be Rory from GATE, her backstory seemed pretty interesting imo, too bad it wasn't expanded as much as it could have been.(At least as far as I know)

I really don't care. It's kind of an industry trope at this point, and I don't have any strong feelings regarding this.

Fun for the memes and jokes, but nothing more. Then again, I'm not a deep thinker too.

Ironically, when I opened the thread, I also thought of Rory first thing.

 

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

If the character is a ‘capture’ target, even though the character is an adult, when they are portrayed as looking like a child it rubs me the wrong way.

Understandable, a lot of people feel like that.

In it for the fan service, as long as its not totally butchered

What would you consider totally butchered?

 

[SakeVision]

it's fine and I wish I was an immortal loli irl

 

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

it's fine and I wish I was an immortal loli irl

That would get annoying though, with everyone treating you like a junior high school student all the time. You better bring your ID every time you go out (if at all). Just imagine going out drinking with your friends and then a police officer pulls over XD.

 

[SakeVision]

That would get annoying though, with everyone treating you like a junior high school student all the time. You better bring your ID every time you go out (if at all). Just imagine going out drinking with your friends and then a police officer pulls over XD.

I said a loli, not a junior high student!

 

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

I said a loli, not a junior high student!

Wouldn't the physical appearance of a loli be somewhere near that?(at least in my country)

 

[DarkeReises]

Understandable, a lot of people feel like that.

What would you consider totally butchered?

Cardboard personality and total irrationality and such. Stuff that ruins any character.

Wouldn't the physical appearance of a loli be somewhere near that?(at least in my country)

More like elementary school student. like 8-10 years old. Though i guess they can also be around junior high and still technically be lolis

 

[SakeVision]

Wouldn't the physical appearance of a loli be somewhere near that?(at least in my country)

nah lolies are like pre-puberty children

BUT I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE

 

[Cipiteca396]

Don't like it, unless it's self inflicted. Being stuck as a kid for eternity would suck.

If the character actually enjoys the way they look, I guess it's fine.

 

[BlackKnightX]

So, in case you don't know, it's basically a trope in JP web novels where there's a little girl who's actually way older than she looks. To be clear, I'm not here to start a debate on the morals of this, so don't go writing an essay about how its disgusting or how it's totally fine, pretty sure that's already been talked about a lot on this forum.
So now to the actual question, how do you feel about the trope, how do you think it should be done? Or are you simply tired of it? Perhaps you simply just enjoy it for the fan service?
IMO, most novels focus too much on the loli part rather than the thousand year old part. Most characters like this are pretty much for fanservice, I think its a lot of squandered potential, specially for those that focus a lot less on the slice-of-life genre. An example of this would be Rory from GATE, her backstory seemed pretty interesting imo, too bad it wasn't expanded as much as it could have been.(At least as far as I know)

I don’t really care as long as it’s fun. Japanese has this interesting way of creating a paradox in a character.

Like; he is a loser, but all girls love him. She’s a cute loli, but she’s also an ero-manga-artist. He’s a demon lord, but he has to do a part-time job to make a living, etc.

These paradoxes make the character more fascinating and more entertaining to read or watch.

So the same thing applies here. She looks like a little girl, but she’s actually over 1,000 years old. It’s just another paradox to make the character interesting.

 

[LostLibrarian]

If it is used to give enough fanservice with a child's body --> I don't care about it. No interest in a child's body so I just bear with it.

Sometimes though, it is done to actually impact the story. E.g. a 1000 years old loli who actually acts different from a child. It's often used to show "You can't judge a book by its cover" or to show that "there are always stronger people" and in that case, it's fine. It gives the MC the option to make an error without big consequences, it can lead to some worldbuilding/power explanation, and then we can just move on.


So in the end... to me the trope lives or dies with how the character acts as I don't care about the fanservice at all. To each their own, I won't riot against a drawing, but if it doesn't impact the story or MC, it is just a waste of time...

 

[Chaos_Sinner777]

A thousand years? That's so young!! I'm older than time itself personally. But I sometimes use that sort of Loli figure myself. It's cute and it tends to disarm people, then they're even more amusing to kill in ridiculous ways!

 

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

Don't like it, unless it's self inflicted. Being stuck as a kid for eternity would suck.

If the character actually enjoys the way they look, I guess it's fine.

These types of things are actually a curse more than anything else. This guy gets it.

If it is used to give enough fanservice with a child's body --> I don't care about it. No interest in a child's body so I just bear with it.

Sometimes though, it is done to actually impact the story. E.g. a 1000 years old loli who actually acts different from a child. It's often used to show "You can't judge a book by its cover" or to show that "there are always stronger people" and in that case, it's fine. It gives the MC the option to make an error without big consequences, it can lead to some worldbuilding/power explanation, and then we can just move on.


So in the end... to me the trope lives or dies with how the character acts as I don't care about the fanservice at all. To each their own, I won't riot against a drawing, but if it doesn't impact the story or MC, it is just a waste of time...

Yeah, sometimes they're used as a plot device to show that the world is mystical and everything.

A thousand years? That's so young!! I'm older than time itself personally. But I sometimes use that sort of Loli figure myself. It's cute and it tends to disarm people, then they're even more amusing to kill in ridiculous ways!

Well I also personally transcend the concept of time itself, but I prefer to present myself as a manifestation of countless realities in the form of a green moustache. Hence, I do not condone omnipotent gods using the form of a female child to viscously eject innocent victims from existence, but you do you I guess. A thousand years is enough to present the concept of 'old' to mortals anyways, unless they read a lot of Xianxia, then I may have to add a 0 or twenty.

 

[NotaNuffian]

It is fucking jailbait and anyone who likes sexualising them and those that likes them sexualised are extremely questionable, ie Ophis nipple sticker cover for one of the volumes.

"It's just a drawing" should never be an excuse for an unhealthy fap. I am a hypocrite who is saying this but seriously, don't wank at kids.

Then there are those who are not sexualised, ultra-rare imo. Those who looks like kids and act like adults, my thoughts to them are "boy, garnering respect from strangers is hella hard." Who here never face prejudice from your gender, color and face? (Rhetorical question)

 

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

It is fucking jailbait and anyone who likes sexualising them and those that likes them sexualised are extremely questionable, ie Ophis nipple sticker cover for one of the volumes.

"It's just a drawing" should never be an excuse for an unhealthy fap. I am a hypocrite who is saying this but seriously, don't wank at kids.

Then there are those who are not sexualised, ultra-rare imo. Those who looks like kids and act like adults, my thoughts to them are "boy, garnering respect from strangers is hella hard." Who here never face prejudice from your gender, color and face? (Rhetorical question)

Yes, authors who do this trope and actually make them act their age do earn my respect. In regards to the sexualized part, that depends, as long as the author doesn't overdo it. though i won't say my opinion on this thread.