Okay, so yaoi isn’t the WORST genre, but I think it is up there (or down there, rather). As I consume a lot of manga and anime, I felt that it is important to address this genre rather early in these posts, as I will be building on some of these themes in later articles. Yaoi can best be described as a genre that primarily focuses on the explicit homoerotic relationships between men. While this genre officially got its start in manga from Japan in the 80s, it has a long, complex, and nuanced history.
The precursor to yaoi was “shounen-ai.” Shounen-ai had its heyday throughout the 1970s, with the genre primarily focusing on loving or romantic relationships between two men. These manga were primarily rated around an American PG-13, with most of the intimacy stemming from flirting, a hug, and maybe a kiss at the finale- overall, very wholesome. However, by the early 1980s, yaoi became more popular, causing shounen-ai to become an increasingly uncommon genre. While shounen-ai focuses on relationships, yaoi focuses more on lust and sex.
And while I don’t have a problem with Literotica or other spicy media, yaoi is riddled with harmful stereotypes. Plot devices frequently include rape, coerced relationships, nonconsensual imbalances of power, internalized homophobia, drug abuse, or drug tampering, with many yaoi ending in suicide or death. Lust and desire are the themes that drive the plots of yaoi, and while that is not problematic in itself, there is a combination of things that create a perfect storm for this genre to be an absolute disaster.
First, Japan is not known to be a particularly LGBTQIA+ friendly place, with civil-unions and marriages still illegal in many of their provinces. Additionally (and this is a massive blanketed statement), there is incredible pressure on LGBTQIA+ people to remain in the closet in Eastern Asian countries. Many people who do come out face incredible amounts of discrimination without any legal protections widely available support networks. This creates (what I call) “an othering effect.” LGBTQIA+ people are seen as “the other,” an outcast, a scapegoat, someone who does not inherently belong in mainstream society. And when “othering” happens for too long, the people who are othered are no longer seen as human- they become objectified in a way that makes it easier to criminalize or brutalize them.
Since LGBTQIA+ people have been othered in Japanese society (which is slowly resolving), it would be fair to say that they also do not get a say in their media representation. The people who “othered” the LGBTQIA+ community are now the ones creating media about that community. Herein lays the power imbalance of yaoi. Where shounen-ai humanized the romantic relationships between homosexual men, yaoi portrays gay men as predatory, hyper-sexual beings that cause harm to others. And so when people consume this media over and over again, without meeting out-of-the-closet gay men, they create an image of gay men as base and unstable people, which is not the case.
All of this is further complicated by language barriers. In most English-speaking countries, “yaoi” is the umbrella term for all manga and anime that feature homosexual characters. The term “Boys love” (also abbreviated to BL) is also used in Japan as, since it is a foreign word, it does not carry the connotation that “boys” “love” does in America. The same can be said for English speakers as “yaoi” and “shounen-ai” are Japanese words; we do not understand the full context, history, and nuisance between these genres.
I suppose the bottom line is not that LGBTQIA+ representation in media is inherently negative; rather, bad representation can lead to real-world negative consequences for the involved people. Yaoi is made to be sexually explicit, and people most frequently consume it outside of the LGBTQIA+ community (straight woman). And while everyone should have a right to see themself portrayed in media, we must use media as a tool to break down barriers between communities who are marginalized.
As a personal note, seeing someone like yourself in media is one of the most validating experiences. It tells us that people in the world look, think, and are like me. Good representation helps us to realize that we are not alone in our experiences while being exposed to new kinds of people we may not always see in our daily lives. While more LGBTQIA+ representation may not be at the top of the agenda, it helps people realize that queer people are just like everyone else.
Here are some examples of good gay-male representations in anime (also a great place to start if you are interested in anime):
- Yuri on Ice (2016) – TV Show {Ice skating but even more gay}
- Banana Fish (2018) – TV Show {Crime Drama}
- Doukyuusei (2016)- Movie {one of my favorites}
- No. 6 (2011)- TV Show {prepare tissues}
I first want to say thank you for the recommendations because I have been wanting to get more into anime because I love just seeing the different animation styles and how animators choose to portray emotions and character development..great but getting into it. This is very informative seeing as you’re right, I have not heard of this genre and I am glad I got a genuine opinion on it and one in fact that makes a lot of sense. I have noticed on social media your “othering” fact that people in the LGBTQIA+ community are seen as outsiders and are not properly portrayed. Its a dangerous thing to do and misinforming people especially on something so personal does more harm than good. I think you did a great job of informing us what exactly were looking at and what it means and I am excited for your next review :))
Honestly, I know absolutely nothing about amine however, I thought you post was actually really cool.. As a person who doesn’t watch amine your post was easy to follow and I didn’t find myself getting confused. I thought your perspective on this style of amine was very interesting and I can tell that you can very passionate about this topic which makes it that much more fun to read as an audience member. Awesome work! I can’t wait to keep reading your posts.
Hello, this was an interesting article and provides good food for thought. However, I found it to be a bit heavy-handed. At the beginning you say that it’s a complex, nuanced subject but do not truly delve into any of its nuances, such as the genre’s inherent intersectionality. Perhaps all you see being depicted are gay men, but truly yaoi is a reflection of gender roles and, in some cases at least, women struggling for equality in Japanese patriarchal society. Interestingly the fantasy of yaoi for some women but also the inhabitation of equality, that homosexuality is “more pure” because there is no constant battle between the sexes. Of course, this can further the othering you speak of, since the gay identity is being used as another person’s political vehicle, but it lends yaoi a certain light that you do not spare.
also, i feel like you make some generic assumptions about the consequences of yaoi. Ex: that the “otherization” will lead to more easy brutalization/criminalization. But from what I’ve read the dominant stereotype of gay men in Japan is that they are crossdressers and/or feminine–not base rapists. of course, this is my assumption, but I doubt that the women who are reading yaoi — fetishizing, idolizing, drawing, writing– fantasies of gay men are also going to be the ones to criminalize and brutalize them. because of Japan’s laws around homosexuality and rape, there’s in fact not much politicization around gay identity. only until 2017 was male rape actually illegal under the law ( I know shocking)