Introduction

Why are so many men attracted to women's breasts? Maybe it is because breasts are symbolic of femininity and maternity (the capacity to accept others, fertility and so on). Or the clearest symbol indicating “woman.” Or because the breast was the direct object of infantile oral desire. Because men basically have a “mother complex” (mazakon), a thing for their mothers. Or because it is biologically so. Because there is some unknown program for liking breasts encoded in the Y chromosome. Or because we are still living with the distorted view that women with big breasts are weak in the head and so easy to manage. Or because there is cultural or social pressure at work that says men must love breasts. From idle gossip at bars to straight-laced talks at academic conferences, various takes and theories have been put forth. There are merits and demerits to each, but in all honesty, one is left thinking, “You could say that, but…” If not everything can be explained by biology, then the answer also does not lie in cultural factors alone. At present, the most acceptable approach is probably something along the lines of, “Men's attraction to breasts is the result of physiology and psychology. Biological initial settings and sociocultural norms contributed in complex ways.” Seeing the swarm of overly enormous breasts that have overrun not only contemporary bishōjo-style eromanga, but also the worlds of manga and anime, the questions just keep on mounting. Why breasts, and why so much interest in them?

From Lolicon to Baby-Faced and Big-Breasted

“Big breasts” (kyonyū) are now the default standard of eromanga. The influence of “breast men” (oppai seijin) extends to even general manga magazines. As in the case of Matsuyama Seiji's Eiken (published by Akita Shoten from 2001), manga with big breasts as their gimmick are steaming up boys magazines. In contemporary eromanga, drawing big-breasted characters is the norm. The ones drawing average-sized breasts have become the minority. It is a time when one can sense the emotional attachments, calculations and interests of those creators persisting with flat-chested characters. To eyes that have become accustomed to big breasts, certainly “small breasts” (hinnyū) appear fresh. Suppressing the symbol of femininity can serve to emphasize a unisex eroticism.