Child Abuse

[kaitoushinichi]

In Japan, it's actually rather normal to see parents hitting their kids. Well, not too normal in recent times, but sometimes, you even see teachers hitting the students. Of course, they don't do it with anything except their hands. In fact, my friends' teacher in Japan actually had to slap a few guys like... 10 times one time.  (It was actually because they were peeking in the girls' locker room though...) Even my Japanese school teacher said that when her father first came to America to visit her, he hit her at the airport because of something about the passports or something...

[c-square]

Now this is starting to skirt more into general slapstick.

I understand what you're trying to say here (throwing across the room is taking it pretty far, 1st Law of Anime aside), but you really can't take a lot of slapstick violence seriously since the injury is either not visible or not visible for long.  

I hear you, and I agree, slapstick comedy isn't meant to be taken seriously.  For me, however, slapstick only works when it's between two people of equal power, or when the violence is committed by someone of lesser power upon someone of greater power.  Home Alone worked because it was a weaker child performing slapstick on stronger, sometimes armed adults.  Often you'll see women performing slapstick violence on men, as in many societies men are seen as the stronger, more powerful sex.  In Ranma 1/2, it wouldn't be funny if Ranma always hit Akane with a huge hammer.  Similarly, it wouldn't be funny if the bandits in Home Alone bashed Kevin McCallister up until he was bloody.  The power dynamics make all the difference in slapstick, and its for that reason that I don't find powerful parents (or caretakers) beating up on children very amusing.

In the end, we may just have to agree to disagree.  What some of us find funny, others won't, and that's okay.  There must be enough people out there who find it funny, otherwise they wouldn't keep it in the show.  I'm just hoping that eventually society will drift to where fewer and fewer do.

[Animeking1108]

It's just comedy 

That may be, but it can be disturbing what society deems as 'funny'.  For example, back when the Honeymooners was running on TV, everyone found it funny how the husband always threatened to hit the wife, "Pow! Right in the kisser!".  You don't see that on sitcoms anymore because people no longer find it funny.  I have a feeling the same thing will happen with the child abuse shown here, and in other shows like 'The Simpsons'.  Our kids will look back at these examples and just shake their heads.

And as far as comedy goes, Mouri throwing conan here didn't add anything comically.  It was purely unnecessary for him to get his point across.

After I started to read this thread (when it has just started) and then saw the video, I knew someone would post this pic here.

It seems like this violance tends to get to the extreme in movies and AOs

Kogoro: STRIKE!

Lol. Sorry. It looked like he was bowling in that pic.

[Schillok]

For me, however, slapstick only works when it's between two people of equal power, or when the violence is committed by someone of lesser power upon someone of greater power.

But Conan/Shinichi IS the one with greater power.
Not physically of course. And not in his possition in society.

However he is the hero, the main character. He has all the smart ideas, he solves the cases, sets the traps, is courageous, has the crazy gadgets - while Kogoro is... well, calling him a fool is the most diplomatic description I can come up with.
And these things is what DC is all about.

I think it is Slapstick. Kogoro is much weaker than Shinichi when you consider on which attributes the Anime/Manga focuses. 

[ssjup81]

ITT: Running gags = Serious Business.  Of course that won't work in real life; that's why they can get away with it shown in a cartoon, which is basically what anime is. Dohohoho.

*Points to post I made earlier, which seemed to go unnoticed*

viewtopic.php?p=48221#p48221

Not limited to just animated stuff.

OH!  I just recalled another part of the drama i mentioned above.  The father of the main character actually punched his son in the face. It was funny in the sense that it was unexpected.  The boy walked in, his father yelled at him and then just punched him.  Then his son thinks back to all the times his father has hit him (pretty much never...not purposely, usually accidentally [you know, like could be sleep next to a person, and accidentally hit the person next to you]).  Anyway, he heard a rumor, and thought that his son was having a relationship with his teacher and got her pregnant.

[Animeking1108]

But you know, it is amazing that Conan stays smart after getting knocked in the skull for the last 15 years.

[NotSoFluent]

Now this is starting to skirt more into general slapstick.

I understand what you're trying to say here (throwing across the room is taking it pretty far, 1st Law of Anime aside), but you really can't take a lot of slapstick violence seriously since the injury is either not visible or not visible for long.  

In the end, we may just have to agree to disagree.  What some of us find funny, others won't, and that's okay.  There must be enough people out there who find it funny, otherwise they wouldn't keep it in the show.  I'm just hoping that eventually society will drift to where fewer and fewer do.

Sure; it depends on the person when it comes to humor.  I'm perfectly fine with that; I agree with the equal power to an extent as well. *handshake*

[TheBlind]

I think this thread can be summarized with "Japan plays by a different set of rules".

They are like the free spirits of the world that make us go "Okay too much freedom...now into extremely weird and not appropriate territory" from time to time. .

[Akonyl]

I think this thread can be summarized with "Japan plays by a different set of rules".

They are like the free spirits of the world that make us go "Okay too much freedom...now into extremely weird and not appropriate territory" from time to time. .

I like that about Japan. Having a country that is willing to push so many bizarre boundaries is a good way to get society changing and moving.

[kkslider5552000]

I think this thread can be summarized with "Japan plays by a different set of rules".

They are like the free spirits of the world that make us go "Okay too much freedom...now into extremely weird and not appropriate territory" from time to time. .

I like that about Japan. Having a country that is willing to push so many bizarre boundaries is a good way to get society changing and moving.

I would prefer society not moving towards raping underage girls with tentacles.

[c-square]

I think this thread can be summarized with "Japan plays by a different set of rules".

They are like the free spirits of the world that make us go "Okay too much freedom...now into extremely weird and not appropriate territory" from time to time. .

I like that about Japan. Having a country that is willing to push so many bizarre boundaries is a good way to get society changing and moving.

I would prefer society not moving towards raping underage girls with tentacles.

Umm.. Yeah..  That too...   

[Akonyl]

I think this thread can be summarized with "Japan plays by a different set of rules".

They are like the free spirits of the world that make us go "Okay too much freedom...now into extremely weird and not appropriate territory" from time to time. .

I like that about Japan. Having a country that is willing to push so many bizarre boundaries is a good way to get society changing and moving.

I would prefer society not moving towards raping underage girls with tentacles.

not to say that everything that comes out is a good example to follow. But if you want any seriously new ideas, you need some crazy people to say crazy things.

[Mahjong]

I don't think it's a bad thing to hit a child when it does something bad and won't listen - this method functioned for many centuries and it's rather stupid to want to change that.Of course hitting a child just because IS a bad thing to do!As I said it should follow only after the child was told it has done something bad but it did it again...
The same goes with taking baths with own children - damn what's so bad about that?
I always looked forward to take a bath with my parents or siblings, it's just more fun! 
As for Japan they are used to take baths with other people anyways...

But honestly - aren't some people just thinking to much into it?
It's just drawn!
It's not like Gosho is even trying to show us some social problems or something...it's just a part of the comedy in Conan.

[c-square]

If Akai, Okiya or someone 18+ would have Sex with Ai, would that abuse? I mean she is in reallity over 18.

Firstly, if it's not consensual, then no matter what her age is, it's abuse.  And if she's still in the body of a child, then it's statutory rape.  Many people who have had sex with minors have tried to use the excuse that the kid's mind was more mature, and almost every time that argument has failed.

[Akonyl]

If Akai, Okiya or someone 18+ would have Sex with Ai, would that abuse? I mean she is in reallity over 18.

Firstly, if it's not consensual, then no matter what her age is, it's abuse.  And if she's still in the body of a child, then it's statutory rape.  Many people who have had sex with minors have tried to use the excuse that the kid's mind was more mature, and almost every time that argument has failed.

Except in this case, it wouldn't be statutory rape, because she is in fact 19 (or however old she is), not 6. The "body of a child" argument holds about as much water as the "mature mind" argument, all that matters is that when they pull up her birth certificate as proof of age, it'll say she was born 19 years ago.