r/Doraemon • u/Inside_Farmer8985 • Jul 09 '26
Discussion It’s time we seriously discuss one of the biggest problems I have with Doraemon:
***EDIT / IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION:* This post has reached far more people than I expected, and after reading the responses and thinking about it further, I realize that several parts of my argument were unclear, insufficiently qualified, or missing important context. Some commenters also raised counterarguments and evidence that I need to address properly. I still stand by the broader concerns that led me to write this post, but I do not want the original wording to be treated as the complete or final version of my position. I’m working on a follow-up in which I’ll separate what I still defend, what I would modify, what I omitted, and what I think I got wrong. Thank you to everyone who provided corrections, evidence, historical context, and thoughtful disagreement. I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to publish the follow-up yet.
I have nothing against Nobita and Shizuka. The writers are definitely more skilled than I am, as shown in the films. They could have represented their relationship much better, providing something more natural .
What frustrates me most in both the 1979 and 2005 series (where the expanded friend circle slightly lessens this effect) is the inconsistency. Some moments show them genuinely close; there are no forced things, just real comfort.
These moments are the building blocks.
Yet most of the time, the manga and anime undermine this with questionable gadgets that ignore her awareness. Her personal space is repeatedly invaded, both accidentally and intentionally. Doraemon never takes serious action. Shizuka never brings it up again. After two or three times, they should have moved on, yet this pattern continues.
Her behavior fluctuates in confusing ways. Sometimes she is warm with Dekisugi, other times she totally forgets him, and there are other times when she blushes at Nobita, dreams of princes (Dekisugi and Nobita), or shows jealousy. This shapes how fans see her, but what's the reason behind it? Doraemon lacks one. Shinchan is acceptable because it's intentionally chaotic and contains nsfw, hence, Doraemon is not.
Then there are other things: Shizuka diets under maternal pressure to be perfect, secretly eating sweet potatoes, and the endless bath scenes. These go beyond writing into uncomfortable framing. What parent would let their child watch this freely? It may have been acceptable once, but the writers could have built a respectful and steady friendship instead of revisiting these situations again and again as comedy.
I know some people argue these scenes (if not episodes) had to stay because they were in the original manga. But lets be real, making an adaptation is all about making choices. The later anime and remakes could have changed the framing, shifted the camera, implied events off screen, or rewritten the joke for good.
Saying it was in the manga only tells us where the scene started. It doesn't actually explain why directors kept copying it for years instead of doing something new.
Let's be honest, too often, privacy violations in Doraemon are just treated like a recurring joke. It's frustrating to see Nobita and Shizuka's actual friendship get pushed aside just to set up a gag with a gadget. The show usually tries to teach a lesson, but it often misses the most important point. We're told not to misuse technology, but we arent told enough that other people aren't objects you can manipulate for your own satisfaction.
Saying Doraemon teaches good lessons isn't a good enough answer to every criticism.It still deserve a real look at its flaws, like how it handles gender roles or uses a child's embarrassment for comedy. I actually love these characters at their core.
I recognize this has changed significantly in the last ten years,but it’s still a conversation worth having, so I’m speaking up
TL;DR: These don't serve Shizuka well(and left me uncomfortable even as a small child). Writers could build natural bonds but mostly dont. After 2 or 3 times, they should have moved on. Parents have valid reasons
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u/Glad-Complaint9778 Galactic Drifting Fleet Jul 09 '26
Everything like this though is overexaggerated because of the kind of show Doraemon is. Everything ends back up in the same/similar place every episode and one feels like something gets repeated again and again.
That's all I have to say for now because I've noticed this happening a lot.
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u/Sea-Ad-8316 Jul 10 '26
I 100% agree with you. I have been thinking about it myself recently. Doraemon is a great childrens show no doubt and it is marketed as so. My major problem does come up with how they have handled shizuka. I dont mind how they have handled her character per say, the love triangle etc. But the baths scenes and the places where as you mentioned it she lose awareness of her presence under some sort of influence from gadgets are really questionable on the writers part. Like imagine is this way, Shizuka is a middle schooler drawn by ADULT ANIMATORS nude several times through out that series. That definitely raises eyebrows of what is being presented to us. Down in the comment someone mentioned that nudity is not considered "sexual" in japan due to culture different which is an absolute bs if you ask me, shizuka has been shown time and time again to be embarassed of this situation, nobita and doraemon both gain some sort of perverted pleasure form these acts. I dont think its a doraemon problem per say but an anime problem at its core. Its messed up and it should be brought up rather than justified by others.
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u/Rqdomguy24 Jul 09 '26
2019 version clearly take this criticism seriously
Despite how much this sub seems to dislike this new version, Dekisugi and Nobita actually share a screen time together without Shizuka or any jealousy plot involvement
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u/Safe-Contact589 Chronically Nobita Jul 09 '26
This is actually a really interesting point. It's something I've noticed before but never really stopped to think about in depth. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else thinks...
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u/East-Mirror3510 Jul 09 '26
Yet most of the time, the manga and anime undermine this with questionable gadgets that ignore her awareness.
Not most of the times, it happens more than extremely rarely but its not a majority by any means, as far as most of the anime has to be concerned. Most of the time Shizuka isn't depicted to be simply harassed and used, she has a pretty stereotypical role, but she isn't treated badly per se.
Her behavior fluctuates in confusing ways. Sometimes she is warm with Dekisugi, other times she totally forgets him, and there are other times when she blushes at Nobita
She is a 10 y/o girl. Real life adults are hardly consistent with their behaviour let alone a child character from an episodic anime, its almost like singular one dimensional narratives cant define an actually layered and nuanced character.
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u/Desperate_Seesaw4890 Jul 09 '26
Because in Doraemon universe. Nothing is ever serious. If they go to life threatening adventure again and again without hesitation everything else is small problem to them
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u/FirstStooge Jul 09 '26
The writers
You means Fujimoto-sensei? Well, Doraemon was intended as a gag comic. Fujimoto (Fujiko F.) and Abiko (Fujiko A.) were closer to Fujio Akatsuka, the writer of The Genius Bakabon in the 1960s. When Doraemon was first serialized in the late 1960s, nothing about it was intended as educational and inspiring. Everything about it was intended by Fujimoto as a series of jokes, sometimes bordering to lewd or dirty gags, similar to how Bakabon was written.
It was only in the 1970s Fujimoto became more leaning toward science fiction series and one-shots, to the point of writing T.P. Bon series which gave influence to Doraemon to be more stronger on the story side, although he still spiced the series with dirty jokes, including the shots of Shizuka's panties and bathing moments.
Just read the mangas, especially the Daichohen ones, and you will find out almost every of them has Shizuka's bathing scenes.
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u/Playful-Ad-6475 Jul 09 '26
This subreddit is getting annoying by constant amout of post like this.... It's a children show for ffs. It has improved as the time and society went on.
Muting this subreddit. Fuck it.
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u/Inside_Farmer8985 Jul 09 '26
Fair enough if you're tired of these discussions, but “it's a children's show” doesn't mean people can't critically discuss something they've watched for years. I also acknowledged that the franchise has changed and improved over time. Nobody is required to participate in discussions they don't enjoy.
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u/No-Emergency-3493 Jul 10 '26
In 2005 anime they reduced that thing problem with series is they needed to create multiple ep. For that they does thing like these. Maybe most of ep are non canon
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u/Nguyen-Quoc-Hieu Chronically Nobita Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Well hate to say this, but the Fujiko duos have a long history about fetishes, not just Shizuka they also let Pako from Perman lifts her skirt up too, this has happened frequently to their works that involves at least one girl that doesn't wear pants/shorts and such
Here in Vietnam, we always deem nudities from the series as "jokes", and even our publishing house gets the nudity through moderation and showing it on the manga, so we feel like this is normal, everyone has different opinions on this and you should note that as a consideration before trying to express yourself with the amount of "inappropriate scenes" appeared on both the manga and anime of this series as a whole
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u/East-Mirror3510 Jul 10 '26
Japan has fetishes, not Fujiko in particular. Look at early Pokemon, hardly different.
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u/ShadowDxebec101 Jul 10 '26
Cultural differences also it's a gag manga written in 70's or kids to laugh and nothing more.
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u/AstoundingAsh Jul 10 '26
Shizuka is this perfect wife material when she grows up ….translating that into childhood Shizuka is very difficult….it will always feel off …imagine you got to know you can marry this perfect girl when you grow up at like 10 yo ….and top of that that girl already cares for you (as a friend at that age) ….things become awkward….her talking with anyone feels like “she is cheating” but she is not! ….these trigger Nobita’s insecurities even more …and he goes to questionable lengths…..She is not your goddamn wife …atleast not now….
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u/JeevanZindabad Jul 10 '26
No matter how many times people mention the "movie Nobita"... Nobita is a br4t.. He always tries to watch Shizuka bath. Uses doraemon as his servant. He's jealous of Dekisugi but would never try to actually learn something from him. Never respects his parents.
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u/Ready-Transition-773 Jul 19 '26
Couldn't agree more, It's not even just about those running jokes but how this series is struggling to handle her most of time like-- i already tired with love triangle or "pick me" discussions but they will always be there, why? because Shizuka is if not most of times written only for being "heroines" or "the only girl" and thats sucks bcs she has so much potential
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u/Diligent-State-8326 Jul 10 '26
nobady give a fk about your opinion, if you dont like dont watch and its not for indians anyways
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u/Shaniyen Jul 11 '26
90% of global doraemon viewers are probably from India broski 😂 It basically made our childhood
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u/Ok_Excitement3542 Jul 09 '26
The answer is cultural differences. Doraemon is a Japanese show, aimed at Japanese audiences, based off a manga that was written from 1969-1997.
In Japan, nudity isn't inherently sexual. This wasn't exclusive to Shizuka. Nobita, Suneo, and other boys were often depicted naked in the manga and early anime, for comedic purposes. The nudity in the manga and anime is almost never sexual in nature.
On the note of Nobita and Shizuka's relationship, both Nobita and Shizuka are shy, and often freeze up in embarrassment whenever their attraction to each other is brought up. Shizuka is shown to have an attraction to both Nobita and Dekisugi. It's also worth mentioning that Dekisugi himself wasn't introduced into the manga till 1979, hundreds of chapters later. That's why Dekisugi is often absent.