PETALING JAYA, April 15 — Netflix’s Old Enough!, where young children venture out into the world on their own, might be the streaming platform’s latest surprise sensation.
The Japanese reality series features children under the age of 6, carrying out mundane errands at their parents’ request, like picking up groceries or retrieving an item.
Armed with these basic instructions, a backpack, and sometimes a bright flag to help them cross roads, the children are left to navigate public transportation and solve any other problems they might face by themselves.
That said, the children in Old Enough! are not “abandoned” in the least — there is a camera crew tailing them after all, as well as a safety team disguised as joggers, gardeners and passers-by.
Additionally, the show’s producers meticulously vet the parents and children featured, and let parents decide on an appropriate task for their children.
Netflix promo tweet w/ short clip of first episode:
Old Enough is the most wholesome show you’ve ever seen — in this unscripted series, Japanese toddlers (ages 2-5) are sent on simple errands to help their parents and the results are just so pure.
— Netflix (@netflix) April 11, 2022
20 episodes are now on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/WpzopRA8ct
The series is a bite-sized repackaging of Nippon TV’s Hajimete no Otsukai (or First Errand), which began airing 1991.
According to The Guardian, the show still broadcasts biannually in Japan and remains a local hit, with each three-hour episode garnering a fifth of all Japanese viewers.
Netflix’s version meanwhile opts for 10 to 15-minute segments, but still retains the flavour of the original; the children’s journeys are punctuated by enthusiastic voice-over narration, alongside audience laughter and cartoon-text pop-ups.
Since airing on the streaming platform this month, global audiences have been in turns fascinated and occasionally horrified at the idea of these tiny tots out in the wild on their own.
One Twitter commenter pointed out that she would have had a “full on anxiety attack” if this were her own child, adding that the concept may be unique to Japan and a “marvel to see”.
Japanese users meanwhile, pointed out that the country prides itself on a culture of self-reliance, sharing their own “first errand” experiences.
In that vein, the show has sparked a broader conversation about why this culture is possible in Japan.
Due to its relatively low rates of violent crime, Japan is often touted as being one of the safest countries in the world.
Nippon.com reported that 2021 statistics from Japan’s National Police Agency showed the number of crimes reported have hit a new postwar low.
Others say that the country’s built-environment had an equally important role to play.
Speaking to Slate, Hironori Kato, a professor of transportation planning at the University of Tokyo, said while Japanese toddlers are not roaming free as per Old Enough!, it is common for children to walk to neighbourhood schools by themselves.
“Roads and street networks are designed for kids to walk in a safe manner,” said Kato, adding that low speed limits and drivers are taught to yield to pedestrians.
A sense of local community also prevails in the towns Old Enough! is filmed at, where people appear to genuinely look out for each other.
This is illustrated by the episode with two-year-old Miro in Mameda town, who is gently cheered on by her neighbours to complete her tasks; when she falters at the prospect of crossing a street by herself, a shopkeeper steps in to guide her along.
Deep cultural questions aside, the show’s format makes for ideal comfort viewing.
One cannot help rooting for the cute stars as they overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable at that age; a fear of the dark, asking for help from adults, or even just keeping a 3-item grocery list in mind.
Nippon TV’s International Business Development head of sales Keisuke Miyata added that the format was also ripe for localisation.
“My hope is that the global streaming of Old Enough! brings smiles to people and inspires the production of new local versions that feature adorable children from all parts of the world,” he said in a statement.
There is already a Singaporean adaptation by Mediacorp, first released in 2018 under the same title.
Featuring local celebrity parents, Mediacorp’s version has found a significant audience on YouTube ― an episode with a three-year-old setting out to the neighbourhood wet market has racked up over five million views so far.
Mediacorp’s adaption w/ 3-year-old:
For now, local viewers can catch 20 episodes of the original Old Enough! on Netflix.
