Difference between Yaoi and Shounen- Ai

[Cinnamon Cupcakes]

hi. My friend and I were having a discussion on what the main difference between yaoi and shonen-ai is. I think its the age. Shounen ai involves younger boys while yaoi involves more adult guys. My friend on the other hand says that yaoi is just more hardcore. What is the main difference between them?  

[Ganny-chan]

I belive its more the content and how far things go, like yaoi being more hard core.  

[[Romiette]]

Shonen ai/boy love is more cutesy, fluffy while yaoi is hardcore.  

[black moon girl]

Shounen ai is just guys hugging, kissing, romancing, and only implies any M rated activities (like them making out then skips to next morning), while Yaoi is pretty much you see the whole porno senes >.>  

[Tsuki Nushi]

[Romiette]

Shonen ai/boy love is more cutesy, fluffy while yaoi is hardcore.

what she said^  

[Cinnamon Cupcakes]

oh... guess i'm wrong then xd  

[xxchadeXreixx]

Shounen ai usually have guys flirting, hugging, kissing, licking sometimes, obessive behavior and things you can do in public to show affection there also a part of s*x scenes. In yaoi it mostly revolve around you know what and it's more explict. Well that's what I think in my opinion.  

[Bandy Dog]

I'm going to agree with the basic point, except, maybe say additionally: One of the reasons why it seems like Shounen ai and Yaoi are having to do with age is that in a lot of ways, writers and artists can choose to segregate who they think should or should not be having sex.

Yaoi tends to involve older males because older people kinda look more like it's appropriate for them to have sex, whereas younger people are shown in shounen ai stuff because it might seem weird for them to actually have sex (or for the sex to be shown/explicit).

Anyway, like everyone else says, except, if there's no sex at all, or the sex is just an implication, then it's shounen ai (boy love! lol), or if it's really emotional and the sex is tender and artistic, then it's still shounen ai!

However, if there's a lot of sex or really explicit/raunchy sex, then it's yaoi- even if there's only one short scene after a whooooole lot of lovey-dovey stuff. It's like when you put one red sock in the white laundry-- it changes everything!

So that's how I see it~ heart  

[Lunalover009]

Binckle

Shounen ai usually have guys flirting, hugging, kissing, licking sometimes, obessive behavior and things you can do in public to show affection there also a part of s*x scenes. In yaoi it mostly revolve around you know what and it's more explict. Well that's what I think in my opinion.

yup yup thats right!! 3nodding

 

[oh_oranges]

shonen ai is about love and being fluffy and hearts fluttering.
yaoi is hardcore sex.

i looove yaoi. but sometimes shonen ai is appriciated. C;  

[Emu_Blood]

wat i think is that yaoi is more hardcoe while shounen ai is a little (very little) touching and kissing. i personally like yaoi better razz  

[Enzai Sebby3]

Yaoi is mostly used to describe male on male sex. But it's also used as an umbrella term, as you already know.
Shounen ai is an outdated term, most of the light stuff nowadays is known as BL.
Shota involves young men/boys.  

[deathglare77]

I think its about how far they go.. like.. the more sexual activities, the more yaoi the manga/anime.. shounen-ai focuses on the "love" the boys have for each other.. smile  

[Dude Looks Like a Seme]

I think of yaoi as a little more PWP (and thus more "to the point", pun intended) and shounen-ai as the love stuff. I mean, "ai" means "love". Makes sense.  

[MooMooJuice]

Yeah, shounen-ai is now an outdated term. I think if you said 'shounen-ai' now, it would be as if you said 'shota' (I think that's how it goes).
Yaoi now means everything involving two males romantically. Not necessarily sex. But I think a lot of people (at least in the west) still use 'yaoi' to mean 'hardcore BL'.
I know I do... 'cause it just makes things a bit clearer, I think. And then when referring to the fluffy romance, I just say 'BL' or 'boys love'.