Yaoi

***Yaoi*** (やおい), also known as **boys' love** (ボーイズ ラブ, *bōizu rabu*) and its abbreviation **BL** (ビーエル, *bīeru*), is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters.

The genre originated in the 1970s as a subgenre of *shōjo* manga, or comics for girls.

## Etymology and terminology

Multiple terms exist to describe Japanese and Japanese-influenced male-male romance fiction as a genre. In a 2015 survey of professional Japanese male-male romance fiction writers by Kazuko Suzuki, five primary subgenres were identified:

#### ***Shōnen-ai***

> While the term *shōnen-ai* (少年愛, lit. "boy love") historically connoted ephebophilia or pederasty, beginning in the 1970s it was used to describe a new genre of *shōjo* manga (girls' manga) featuring romance between *bishōnen* (lit. "beautiful boys"), a term for androgynous or effeminate male characters. *Shōnen-ai* often features references to literature, history, science, and philosophy.
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#### ***Tanbi***

> *Tanbi* (耽美, lit. "aesthete" or "aesthetic") as a term and concept predates male-male romance manga that emerged in the 1970s, having originated to describe erotic highbrow literary fiction, or literature with themes of homoeroticism and implied homosexuality by authors such as Oscar Wilde, Jean Cocteau and Tatsuhiko Shibusawa.
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#### ***June***

> Derived from the eponymous male-male romance manga magazine (ジュネ) first published in 1978, the term was originally used to describe works that resembled the art style of manga published in that magazine. By the 1990s, the term had largely fallen out of use in favor of "**boys' love**"; it has been suggested that publishers wishing to get a foothold in the *June* market coined "boys' love" to disassociate the genre from the publisher of *June*.
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#### ***Yaoi***

> Coined in the late 1970s, *yaoi* (やおい) is a portmanteau of *yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi*, which translates to "no climax, no point, no meaning". Initially used by artists as a self-deprecating and ironic euphemism, the portmanteau refers to how early *yaoi* works typically focused on sex to the exclusion of plot and character development.
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#### **Boys' love**

> Typically written as the acronym **BL** (ビーエル, *bīeru*), or alternately as "boy's love" or "boys love" (ボーイズ ラブ, *bōizu rabu*), the term is a *wasei-eigo* construction derived from the literal English translation of *shōnen-ai*. It was first used in 1991 by the magazine *Image* in an effort to collect these disparate genres under a single term. "BL" is the common term used to describe male-male romance media in Japan and much of Asia, though its usage in the West is inconsistent.
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In the West, the term *shōnen-ai* is sometimes used to describe titles that focus on romance over explicit sexual content, while *yaoi* is used to describe titles that primarily feature sexually explicit themes and subject material.

## Concepts and themes

#### ***Bishōnen***

The protagonists of *yaoi* are often *bishōnen* (美少年, lit. "beautiful boy"), "highly idealised" boys and young men who blend both masculine and feminine qualities. Musician David Bowie, actor Björn Andrésen, and kabuki actor Bandō Tamasaburō influenced depictions of *bishōnen* characters in *shōjo* and *yaoi* manga.
The late 2010s saw the increasing popularity of masculine men in *yaoi* that are reminiscent of the body types typical in gay manga, with growing emphasis on stories featuring muscular bodies and older characters.

#### ***Seme* and *uke***

The two participants in a *yaoi* relationship are often referred to as *seme* (攻め, lit. "top", as derived from the *ichidan* verb "to attack") and *uke* (受け, lit. "bottom", as derived from the *ichidan* verb "to receive"). Though authors are typically sticking to the original dynamics between the *seme* and *uke*, not all works adhere to *seme* and *uke* tropes; the possibility of switching roles is often an interest among many genre authors. *Riba* (リバ), a shorthand for "reversible" (リバーシブル), is used to describe couples where the *seme* and *uke* roles are not strictly defined. In other instances, the *uke* is portrayed as the aggressor in the relationship; in these instances, the roles are sometimes referred to as *osoi uke* (襲い受け, "attacking *uke*") and *hetare seme* (ヘタレ攻め, "wimpy *seme*").

#### **Diminished female characters**

Female characters often have minor roles in *yaoi*, or are absent altogether. It's noted that mothers in particular are often portrayed in a negative light; it's suggested this is because the character and reader alike are seeking to substitute the absence of unconditional maternal love with the "forbidden" all-consuming love presented in *yaoi*.
Since the late 2000s, women have appeared more frequently in *yaoi* works as supporting characters. It's believed that early *shōnen-ai* and *yaoi* were often regarded as misogynistic, with the diminished role of female characters cited as evidence of the internalized misogyny of the genre's largely female readership. Researchers suggest that the decline of these misogynistic representations over time is evidence that female *yaoi* readers "overcame this hate, possibly thanks to their involvement with *yaoi*."

#### **Gay equality**

*Yaoi* stories are often strongly homosocial, giving men freedom to bond and pursue shared goals together (as in *dojinshi* adaptations of *shōnen* manga), or to rival each other (as in *Embracing Love*). This spiritual bond and equal partnership is depicted as overcoming the male-female gender hierarchy. As is typical in romance fiction, couples depicted in *yaoi* stories often must overcome obstacles that are emotional or psychological rather than physical.*Yaoi* typically depicts Japanese society as more accepting of LGBT people than it is in reality, which researchers contend is a form of activism among *yaoi* authors. Some longer-form stories even have the couple form a family unit, depicting them cohabiting and adopting children.

#### **Tragedy**

Tragic narratives that focused on the suffering of the protagonists were popular early *June* stories, particularly stories that ended in one or both members of the central couple dying from suicide. By the mid-1990s, happy endings were more common; when tragic endings are shown, the cause is typically not an interpersonal conflict between the couple, but "the cruel and intrusive demands of an uncompromising outside world". It's theorized that depictions of tragedy and abuse in *yaoi* exist to allow the audience "to come to terms in some way with their own experiences of abuse."

#### **Subgenres and related genres**

##### ***Bara***

> ***Bara*** (薔薇, "rose"), also known as gay manga (ゲイ漫画) or *gei komi* (ゲイコミ, "gay comics") is a genre focused on male same-sex love, as created primarily by gay men for a gay male audience. Gay manga typically focuses on masculine men with varying degrees of muscle, body fat, and body hair, in contrast to the androgynous *bishōnen* of *yaoi*.
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##### **Omegaverse**

> **Omegaverse** is a male-male romance subgenre that originated from the American series *Star Trek* and in the 2010s became a subgenre of both commercial and non-commercial *yaoi*. Stories in the genre are premised on societies wherein humans are divided into a dominance hierarchy of dominant "alphas", neutral "betas", and submissive "omegas". These terms are derived from those used in ethology to describe social hierarchies in animals.
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## Media

In 2003, 3.8% of weekly Japanese manga magazines were dedicated exclusively to BL. Several of these magazines were established as companion publications to *shōjo* manga magazines, as they include material considered too explicit for an all-ages audience.

#### Fan works (dōjinshi)

The *dōjinshi* (同人誌, "same-person publication") subculture emerged contemporaneously with *yaoi* subculture and Western fan fiction culture in the 1970s. Early *yaoi* *dōjinshi* were amateur publications that were not controlled by media restrictions, were typically derivative works based on existing manga and anime, and were often written by teenagers for an adolescent audience.
Typically, *yaoi* *dōjinshi* feature male-male pairings from non-romantic manga and anime. Much of the material derives from male-oriented *shōnen* and *seinen* works, which contain close male-male friendships perceived by fans to imply elements of homoeroticism.
In Japan, the labeling of *yaoi* *dōjinshi* is typically composed of the two lead characters' names, separated by a multiplication sign, with the *seme* being first and the *uke* being second.

#### Audio Dramas

*Yaoi* audio dramas, occasionally referred to as "drama CDs", "sound dramas", or "BLCDs", are recorded voice performances of male-male romance scenarios performed by primarily male voice actors. They are typically adaptations of original *yaoi* manga and novels. With the introduction of CDs, *yaoi* audio dramas continued to proliferate, peaking at 289 total *yaoi* CDs released in 2008, which dropped to 108 CDs in 2013.

#### Live action television and film

While Japanese BL manga has been adapted into live action films and television dramas since the early 2000s, these works were marketed towards a niche audience of BL fans rather than towards a general audience. When these works were adapted for a general audience, same-sex romance elements were typically downplayed or removed entirely. The development of Japanese live-action television dramas that focus on BL and same-sex romance themes explicitly was spurred by the critical and commercial success of the TV Asahi television drama *Ossan's Love* (2016), which features an all-male love triangle as its central plot conceit. While *Ossan's Love* is an original series, it influenced the creation of live-action BL works adpated from manga that are marketed towards mass audiences.

#### Video games

Boys' love and *yaoi* video games typically consist of visual novels or *eroge* oriented around male-male couples. Compared to *yaoi* manga, fewer *yaoi* games have been officially translated into English; the lack of interest by publishers in licensing further titles has been attributed to widespread copyright infringement of both licensed and unlicensed games.

## Demography

It's noted that "demographic analyses of BL media are underdeveloped and thus much needed in *yaoi*/BL studies," but it's aknowledged that "the overwhelming majority of BL readers are women." 80% of the *yaoi* audience is female, while the membership of Yaoi-Con, a now-defunct American *yaoi* convention, was 85% female. It is usually assumed that all female fans are heterosexual, but in Japan there is a presence of lesbian manga authors and lesbian, bisexual or questioning female readers. A 2008 survey of English-speaking readers of *yaoi* indicated that 50-60% of female readers self-identify as heterosexual.
Although the genre is marketed to and consumed primarily by girls and women, there is a gay, bisexual, and heterosexual male readership as well. A 2007 survey of *yaoi* readers among patrons of a United States library found about one quarter of respondents were male; two online surveys found approximately ten percent of the broader English-speaking *yaoi* readership were male. It's suggested that younger Japanese gay men who are offended by "pornographic" content in gay men's magazines may prefer to read *yaoi* instead. Some gay men, however, are put off by the feminine art style or unrealistic depictions of LGBT culture in Japan and instead prefer gay manga, which some perceive to be more realistic.