Kinsella, Sharon Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol. 2003] As such, the term "yaoi" is "common knowledge to manga fans". It also refers to how there is more emphasis on the "symbolic appearance" of the characters (see Seme and uke) and their emotions than a traditional plot structure. In Sherrie Inness, ed., "Millennium Girls: Today's Girls Around the World". "Pornography or Therapy? Japanese Girls Creating the Yaoi Phenomenon". This phrase refers to how yaoi, as opposed to the "difficult to understand" shōnen-ai of the Year 24 Group, Suzuki, Kazuko.
Yaoi is an acronym created in the dōjinshi market of the late 1970s by Yasuko Sakata and Akiko Hatsu and popularised in the 1980s standing for Nihongo|YAma nashi, Ochi nashi, Imi nashi|ヤマなし、オチなし、意味なし|extra2="No climax, no point, no meaning".
usually conform to the formula of the "seme" (aggressor) who pursues the "uke" (the target).Īlthough different meanings are often ascribed to yaoi and boy's love, (with yaoi generally said to be more explicit and BL generally said to being less so) there is conflicting information on their usage. However, some male manga creators have produced BL works. BL creators and fans are careful to distinguish the genre from “gay manga,” which are created by and for gay men. Yaoi began in the dōjinshi markets of Japan in the late 1970s/early 1980s as an outgrowth of shōnen-ai (also known as "Juné" or "tanbi"), but whereas shōnen-ai (both commercial and dōjinshi) were original works, yaoi were parodies of popular "straight" shōnen anime and manga, such as " Captain Tsubasa" and " Saint Seiya". Yaoi (as it continues to be known among English-speaking fans) has spread beyond Japan: both translated and original yaoi is now available in many countries and languages. Works featuring prepubescent boys are labeled shotacon, and seen as a distinct genre. Although the genre is called Boys' Love (commonly abbreviated as " BL"), the males featured are pubescent or older. In Japan, the term has largely been replaced by the rubric nihongo| Boys' Love|ボーイズラブ|Bōizu Rabu, which subsumes both parodies and original works, and commercial as well as dōjinshi works. Originally referring to a specific type of dōjinshi (self-published works) parody of mainstream anime and manga works, yaoi came to be used as a generic term for female-oriented manga, anime, novels and dōjinshi featuring homosexual male relationships. ] is a popular term for fictional media that focuses on homosexual male relationships, yet is generally created by and for females. Yaoi (やおい) In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three- mora word, IPA2|jaoi "ya-oh-ee".