Recently, Adult Swim aired episode 12 of Code Geass, in which a female character tastefully but obviously…uh…masturbates. Anime forums all over the interwebs exploded in a flurry of activity, mostly expressing shock, some hilarity, and a tiny bit of disgust here and there.

But Code Geass was not the first non-hentai anime to explore the joys of self-pleasure, and it probably won’t be the last. As a matter of curiosity, I did some research to find out just how common it is and assembled a list of 4 popular, mainstream, televised anime shows that include implied scenes of masturbation. I am well aware that this is probably going to skew my Google search results quite a bit (and probably show some really odd Google ads too). But I think it’s worth it, mainly as a point of discussion of differences in Western and Japanese cultures because Western TV rarely even talks about masturbation, let alone depict it.

First, a request. If you’re reading this I assume you’re old enough to read a tasteful and mature discussion on masturbation. If you’re offended, I’m sorry. If you wish to comment, please do, but let’s be adults folks.

Anyways, on to the list:

All Purpose Cultural Cat-Girl Nuku Nuku OVA

In the second phase of the first All Purpose Cultural Cat-Girl Nuku Nuku OVA, we have a quick and inexplicable scene where one of the main male characters appears to be masturbating in his sleep. It’s not really vulgar in any way, and some could argue that he’s maybe just scratching himself down there, or holding on to wee willy for comfort. But most people go for the jerk-off theory. What makes this really strange is that, besides this particular scene, the show is pretty much PG-rated and could probably pass as acceptable viewing for the kiddies. The scene is rather funny (though completely random), but I’d wager that at least one unsuspecting parent was surprised to find their kids watching that.

Serial Experiments Lain

This one was not as surprising, since Lain was an odd, mature show to begin with. It is, after all, on my list of 7 of the oddest anime ever made. Still, the scene where Lain’s friend starts to masturbate in her room while thinking about her teacher scored a big WTF?!? moment for most people.

Code Geass

This is the scene that inspired this post in the first place. Major freaky surprise on this one. Anime fans everywhere were left thinking, “Was she really doing what I think she was doing?”. Here’s a little setup for those that aren’t familiar with the series: In this scene we have Nina uh, “enjoying herself” while viewing a picture of Princess Euphenia, whom Nina has developed an obsessive crush for ever since Euphemia saved her from a violent hostage situation.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

This certainly belongs in the Creepy Anime Moments Hall of Shame. In this infamous scene, Shinji displays frustration and fear while worrying about Asuka’s comatose body, but then he masturbates over her. At the end of the scene, he utters a phrase that pretty much sums up his miserable existence.

Odd stuff isn’t it? One has to wonder why this happens in anime so often. Is it a cultural joke? Is it for shock value? Or do the Japanese simply have fewer hangups about the topic than their Western counterparts?

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