A phrase that has become almost synonymous with an entire genre of pornography for western culture, “hentai” is the combination of the Japanese kanji characters “hen,” meaning strange or weird and “tai,” meaning appearance or condition. As an adjective it means abnormality or perversion but it has come to be recognized by many as the genre of animated pornography in its entirety. In its Japanese meaning, it can be used in both science and psychology, and does not carry the same singularity that it does for the West.

It was in the 1920s that the usage of hentai really began to solidify it’s meaning in a sexual sense, as German medical texts were being explored and translated. ‘Perverse sexuality’ became a topic of interest and study. During the early 20s Japan developed an industry of publications devoted to the discussion of perverse sexuality with journals comprised of articles submitted by experts, medical professionals and those willing to share their stories and experiences; this was supported by the working classes rising literacy rates that placed reading as a favorite pastime and allowed a ‘low scientific culture’ to develop. (Fruhstuck)

When used in Japanese in its sexual context, hentai seiyoku meaning ‘abnormal sexual desires,’ refers specifically to sexual material of an extreme nature. Anime and manga that depict sexual encounters of the more vanilla variety are referred to as “ero” whereas hentai (in its abbreviated form) refers to perverse or unusual sexual circumstances both same-sex and heterosexual that are dialed up to an Nth degree of fantasy (ladyboys, gang rape, bizarre and/or illicit partners like aliens or monsters).

Ahegao – “weird face” a close-up of a flushed, overly exaggerated orgasmic expression usually featuring the characters mouth open, tongue extended and eyes rolled up.

Fetishes, sex and kink have all been explored in art forms like sculpture, literature, and illustrations for years but it has been the advent of the Internet that has introduced dispensable novelty and over sexualization into the mix. As we seek out natural rewards like bonding, food and procreation for their dopamine releasing effects; our 21^st century versions of these things (high-calorie fast foods, internet pornography, etc.) lead us to practice binging.

Internet porn addiction stems largely from what is known as the Coolidge effect, which is a mammalian program that perceives each novel female as a genetic opportunity for procreation. Internet porn and its capabilities of mulit-tab browsing allow one to keep up high levels of dopamine-releasing novelties with an infinite host of possible “mates” only a click away. A study done in 2009 by Dutch researchers titled “Cyberpsychol Behav” found that the addictive potential of Internet use varies, but that erotica and gaming hold the highest potential for addiction. While studies are inconclusive, its theorized that this hyper-sexualiziation and ability of searching, fast forwarding and manipulating sexual “experiences” could restructure the brain leading to sexual desensitization, ADHD, OCD, social anxiety, erectile dysfunction and performance anxiety.

A depiction of a male homosexual couple from the January 1928 edition of Hentai shiryō.

For a porn addict or young minds, the draw of the erotic Japanese art form hentai seiyoku is two fold. It marries the already idealized situations and body types of pornography with the impossibly sexy, violent and perverse realm of an animated world. This double disassociation allows the exploration of very dark material including rape, bestiality, incest, and child pornography. Conversely, it allows a safe outlet for those interested or aroused by taboo forms of kink and fetish, and permits them indulgence without legal or physical ramifications.

What has seen conclusive results have been how the repeated use of pornography can lead users to seek out more extreme forms which in turn can condition the brain to become reliant on an intense level of stimulation, leaving physical interactions inadequate and unsatisfying. This doesn’t confirm anything outright, but searching Reddits sub-reddit /NoFap (a forum dedicated to those abstaining from masturbation and the use of internet porn for a variety of different reasons), many speak specifically about the difficulties they’ve experienced in trying to leave hentai manga and anime.

The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife (1814) Classic of Japanese erotic art (shunga)

“Hentai has always been a soft spot for me because it broke the boundaries of extremes that normal porn can offer in terms of torture. next to hentai only stories could proceed that far without it becoming just plain murder, which in my view isn’t in any kind sexual even if the death is the result of bdsm. but without death, the limitless and unrealistic torture was one of the few things that could get me to highs of arousal where I’d lose myself completely for as much time as I was able to spend on it.”

Reddit r/nofap comments http://www.reddit.com/r/NoFap/comments/1ymxv7/just_relapsed/

“Reddit you’re an amazing resource, I know you will come through for me.

I am a 21-year old female and I am ashamed of my addiction to shota/loli (manga of underaged boys/girls). I really don’t want anyone to find out and I really don’t want any legal trouble. I’m also scared that it might start to affect me mentally. I get off to rape and incest manga as well, but not dickgirls or tentacles or things of that nature; my thought is the realistic-but-taboo nature is what gets me off. I can get off to other types of Hentai-manga, but not as easily. Real porn and even animated porn has little appeal to me, but actually having sex does. I’ve never thought about a real kid (or even a known anime character) in a sexual way, but what if I do someday? I’m really afraid and ashamed and I’m not sure what to do…”

http://www.reddit.com/r/needadvice/comments/f2pgx/i_want_to_stop_looking_at_shotaconlolicon_hentai/

SOURCES:

McLelland, Mark. “A Short History of ‘Hentai'” Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific, 23 Feb. 2008. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

McLelland, Mark J. Queer Japan from the Pacific War to the Internet Age. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. Print.

Wilson, Gary. “The Great Porn Experiment: Gary Wilson at TEDxGlasgow.” YouTube. TEDxGlasgow, 16 May 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

Fruhstuck, Sabine. Colonizing Sex: Sexology and Social Control in Modern Japan, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003.

Cyberpsychol Behav. Addiction Research Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 2006 Feb;9(1):95-103.

Reddit. r/NoFap community

– http://www.reddit.com/r/NoFap/comments/1ymxv7/just_relapsed/

http://web.archive.org/web/20030317120606/http://home.attbi.com/~kagamix2/H_does_not_mean_hentai/