MistressPaco
Ezra Savage
Artemisia Moonchild
Hi! I'm coming in late and I think everything's already been said...but I'm going to say something anyway. Even if it is just a repeat... ^^;
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Well, yaoi was created by women for women.
It's romantic and the guys are bishonen (pretty boys or 'chicks with dicks')- the whole thing is idealized. It's not meant to reflect a real gay relationship (which is why many gay men do not like it).
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Gay manga? Well, there is Bara - erotic romance manga for men. Big muscles (which is why it's sometimes called 'muscle love'), short hair, small eyes... Not at all the bishounen characters that draw in many females in the first place. (Personally, bara does nothing for me; I hate the muscles! *laughs*)
***
Well, yaoi was created by women for women.
It's romantic and the guys are bishonen (pretty boys or 'chicks with dicks')- the whole thing is idealized. It's not meant to reflect a real gay relationship (which is why many gay men do not like it).
***
Gay manga? Well, there is Bara - erotic romance manga for men. Big muscles (which is why it's sometimes called 'muscle love'), short hair, small eyes... Not at all the bishounen characters that draw in many females in the first place. (Personally, bara does nothing for me; I hate the muscles! *laughs*)
Who says that all gay men are into simple manly men? To be honest, I really like the romantic and soft touch to most yaoi. And you have to understand how a "real gay relationship" exists before you judge it. Romance isn't just limited to heterosexual couples.
We aren't saying it is.
We are just saying how Yaoi was originally intended, I've been around for 10 years in the Yaoi-Community online, back when there was only 1000 or so active fan's, and now it feels like there's millions and no one seems to know what any history about the term 'yaoi' or it's classical definitions.
Everyone wants to simply say 'yaoi means gay' when infact, it does not.
Homosexual men (which I know many who dislike yaoi, it isn't to say they all do, but most grown (18+) men don't seem to like it too much except to laugh at or giggle. I suppose you have to be into anime/manga before you can even consider liking yaoi, honestly.) are totally allowed to like it! But the point being stated is that it isn't made directed twords them.
But just because they make pants for guys in the guys section doesn't stop me from buying and waring them, same goes the other way with girl pants and emo boys. That's totally OKAY.
Yaoi is idealized in a fashion that girls, for the most part, would find most appealing. If it also appeals to other minorities and groups, that's totally okay but primarily it's main intended audiance, which it is, is girls.
When homosexual men, and expecially boys, get online and see it for the first time they automatically assume it's 'gay' material that was originally made and intended for them, when in fact it wasn't.
This thread has nothing to do with stereotypes, everyone has different tastes. But what Yaoi was originally intended for is set in stone historically, and can't be changed. Though certain minorities and groups of people might say it's a certain way, as it stands, it has not changed from it's original format, girls still make it for girls.
<3 All boys are welcome to it, but it's important we understand things as they are and how they were, and not how we want them to be or how they seem to be on the surface.
that has nothing to do with what I said. I understand that it was made for and made by girls. I was expressing my opinion on what she said about it not reflecting a gay relationship. I think it was kind of an ignorant statement. Romance does exist in a gay relationship, and is not limited to muscle men with beady eyes and short hair.
1. YAOI
Yaoi is a Japanese word, which is actually something of an acronym. It comes from "YAma nashi, Ochi nashi, Imi nashi", which means "no climax, no point, no meaning".
In speech and writing, it's a slang term used to refer to stories that focus on homosexual relationships, usually between men. Yaoi tends to involve graphic sex, often with little or no plot. The female equivalent is yuri.
A related genre is shonen-ai, or "boys' love", which tends to involve less sex and more cuddling (and plot).
2. YAOI
Yaoi is a slang meaning 'boys love' or homosexuality that is used in the japanese language. Popular with fangirls who like their favorite anime guys to kiss.
Whether yaoi was made for girls or not, it does reflect a homosexual relationship, including ROMANCE and SEX. Not just one. Not all gay men are obsessed with sex.
