How many times do you have to be called a demon in order to start behaving like one?
Name: Kodomo no Omocha | Kodocha: Sana's Stage
Author: Obana Miho
Year: 1994-1998
Status: Completed
Volumes: 10 Volumes (36 Chapters)
Genre: Shoujo, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, Comedy, School
Synopsis:
Kurata Sana is a child actress that is currently going through a lot of problems at school with her class, mainly with her classmate, Hayama Akito. Sana’s extroverted and friendly personality leads her to try to solve the problems around her, including the somber Akito. In this attempt to solve the class’s situation, they end up getting closer and it’s the beginning of a great friendship that will face major difficulties.
Review
Before I begin my analysis, I need to explain that when I started reading this manga I had low expectations. As I watched the anime before I read it, I already knew the story and expected naive and trivial work. However the narrative revealed itself to be completely different.
The story begins with the introduction of a problematic class in which the boys are undisciplined and don’t let the classes go normally, leaving the girls angry for not being able to learn anything. Our protagonist, Kurata Sana, which is a famous child actress, decides that it’s time to end the problems and confront the leader of the boys, Hayama Akito.
The first impressions that the reader has is that it will be another romantic comedy, but the plot transforms itself throughout the chapters, exploring themes such as disfunctional families, bullying, suicide, among others.
One of the positive aspects, that jumps out for those who have watched the anime first, is the fact that the main narrative does not get lost in too many side stories that do not contribute to the unravelling of the story.
Another positive aspect and one of the main focuses of this work are its characters. Once again, I chose a work that follows the day-to-day life of children: their vision of the world and society, the inner battles they have in order to discover who they really are, and also the way they deal with the issues that appear along the way as they grow up.
In my opinion, the author, Obana Miho, did an excellent job in this field. She manages to perfectly convey these children’s feelings and make us go back to the time when we were that age. We remember our own insecurities from that time and we start to relate with the characters. Since the story accompanies a time period of approximately 5 years, we get to witness the characters’ maturing and we conclude that they were well constructed.
The author finished the story in a simple way, but it was well achieved. In my opinion, it wouldn’t be worth doing it in another way. If she had done it, the reader would have gotten the feeling of “Again?”, as if they were plotting or postponing the outcome. On the other way, the creators of the anime pursieted that option and I got that feeling at the end of it.
Years after the end of Kodomo no Omocha, a crossover with the manga Honey Bitter, named “Deep Clear”, was released. With only 3 chapters, it follows the protagonists, Sana and Akito, in their adult life and face a new dilemma in their life.
Whsper of the Heart
Kodomo no Omocha is a manga that every parent should read in order to understand their kids’ minds.
In a society that is surrounded by issues such as divorce, bullying, social pressure, etc; where are the children in the middle of this?
As we grow up and mature we move past the obstacles that come our way, but sometimes we forget how it is to be a child. And that the way we grew up and our parents raised us, will shape the adults that we become. For that reason, when we make the decision to become parents, we have to take on all the responsibilities that come with it.
A child arrives on this world without any filter or any formatted mind, without prejudice and stereotypes. All this will be incorporated through the values and messages that the parents and family members give. Because ever since we were babies we are a sponge that absorbs everything around us, through all of the experiences we come across.
This manga reminds us of that through its protagonists, Sana e Akito, both having a heavy background for eleven year-old children. Sana was abandoned at birth on a bench in a garden, and Akito lost his mother due to complications during labor. The way these children approached these experiences is impactful, for they end up blaming themselves even though they have no fault in what happened to them. And this happens because of the egoism of the adults that surround them.
There is a sentence from Sana regarding Akito that marked me to this day: “How many times we have to be called a demon to start behaving like one?”. And it is true. If a child grows up constantly hearing something, whether truth or a lie, she will inevitably start believing in it, since it is proclaimed by the people closest to her and, since our family is the strongest bond we have, in the child’s mind, why would she question what is said?
It is up, without a doubt, to the current society to take a break and reflect on these questions, or we will never be able to break this vicious cycle. The children are naive, so everything we tell them, if not well explained, can cause a negative impact on their future and how they grow up. And the truth is that we are growing up with an increasing amount of information, through television and social media. If this information is not filtered it may become a problem in the future of the children from today.
Reading this manga is a “wake up call” for every parent and for society, even though it was written between 1994 and 1998, the themes in it transcend time and apply to the current days.
I chose this manga to be a part of the Ecletic Heart 30 Post Challenge under the topic “a manga that deserves more recognition”. In my opinion, since it was released in the 90’s it didn’t have a lot of recognition and the current fans of this genre don’t like to venture and read older works with poorer art style. Despite that, I recommend you to read it!
Rating- 🟉🟉🟉🟉🟉🟉🟉🟉 (8)