Interest

Mothers Weigh in on The IDOLM@STER Kindergarten Costume

On December 27, The IDOLM@STER: Shiny Colors game Twitter account released an image of the new obtainable character in its latest event. The illustration shows the character Tenka Ōsaki dressed in an outfit commonly worn by kindergarten-aged children in Japan.

News website Sirabee reported that some women have criticized the design. The site quoted a woman, who is a mother of a small child, as follows: "I would have understood if she wore a Santa Claus outfit or a New Year's kimono since it's winter. But why a kindergarten outfit? I don't get what purpose they had in mind when they made a teen girl wear a kindergarten outfit.

"I shudder just imagining that there are players of this game celebrating when a woman wears a kindergarten outfit. It freaks me out even more to think that they might have an interest in kindergarten-aged children.

"It's not particularly revealing, so I don't think it was made with a perverted intention in mind, but I can't understand at all why anyone would make a young woman where a kindergarten outfit, so I honestly find it creepy."

On the other hand, the site also showed the image to another mother of a young boy, who said that she did not find it creepy. "I think it depends on the style of the illustration, but I don't think it's disgusting at all," she commented.

Manga writer Masao Haku (Teconder Park) wrote jokingly on Twitter that kindergarten outfits are a "tradition" for the series. The Sirabee journalist also stated his own opinion, saying that while he also didn't understand the kindergarten outfits, he thought it was non-serious and not particularly sinister.

The IDOLM@STER: Shiny Colors browser and mobile game first launched in 2018. The series first originated with an arcade game in 2005. The franchise has spawned multiple anime and video games.

Source: Sirabee (Kumao Kumada)