Kodomo no Jikan is an anime based on a manga written and illustrated by Kaworu Watashiya. The anime was produced by Studio Barcelona, and directed by Eiji Suganma. The twelve episodes of Kodomo no Jikan aired on Chiba TV and KBS Kyoto from October 12 through December 28, 2007. About a month before the anime aired on television, a one-episode OVA was released. Another one-episode OVA, titled Kodomo no Jikan Gakki Special was released on January 21, 2009. A three-episode OVA, Kodomo no Jikan 2 Gakki, was released on February 26, 2009.

A 23-year-old named Daisuke Aoki lands his first teaching job at Futatsubashi Elementary School, where he is put in charge of Class 3-1 after the original homeroom teacher abruptly resigned. Aoki’s idealistic notions of teaching are put to the test by Rin Kokonoe, one of the students in his new class. She’s nine years old, but she develops a crush on her new teacher. To try to win Aoki’s affection, Rin uses blackmail. Rin’s favorite ploy is to get Aoki alone, and threatening to scream and claim that he’s molesting her. Even though Rin is this manipulative with Aoki, she shows that she is capable of caring deeply for her friends and her family.

Kuro Kagami, another student in the class, is Rin’s “partner in crime.” Kuro is openly contemptuous of the new teacher, and saying that he’s naive. Kuro is also constantly accusing Aoki of being a pervert. Mimi Usa, a quiet and bespectacled girl, has been skipping school. The original teacher would tease and bully her, which made Mimi more self-conscious, emotionally fragile, and depressed. Her own parents didn’t take her seriously. However, Aoki says he believes in Mimi, and encourages her to return to school. Amongst the school staff, Aoki has a friend in Kyoko Hoin, and it seems Kyoko develops a crush on the new teacher.

Even though Kodomo no Jikan features cutesy-looking characters who are nine years of age, the anime is NOT aimed at children. The children characters are used in numerous scenes that include sexual innuendo. I have to admit that I felt rather uncomfortable watching these particular scenes. Even though Kodomo no Jikan is not a hentai series, it is definitely straddling a very fine line. This is a series that I can only feel comfortable recommending to anime viewers who are eighteen years of age and older. However, if you are uncomfortable with watching young children in scenes depicting sexual innuendo, then you should avoid Kodomo no Jikan at all costs.