Welcome to an introductory read on yaoi anime/manga…well at least that what I would of like to have been told. I was flipping through a myriad of anime on Hulu when I stumbled upon a title. Now of course I’m not naive either and I did see that the couple gracing the cover were two males. Yet I wasn’t fully comprehending what I was truly in for. Now before I continue let me explain what yaoi is for those that don’t know.
Yaoi is another way to say boys love. This genre is focused on the love stories between two male main characters. Now you might be thinking that these stories are geared towards a gay audience only but in actuality you’ll be surprised how big the heterosexual female audience is as well. The attraction to these stories, at least in my opinion, is in the way the stories are told (you might be thinking well duh but hear me out).
Let’s take heterosexual anime/mangas. You have your strong male lead and the ditsy, frail, or simple female lead. This tends to be the main trope in all the stories. Honestly it gets to be a bit annoying. It’s a stereotype that never seems to break. Man is a successful ceo, dominant, handsome and the woman, even if portrayed as successful, will be super submissive, clueless, or a pushover to then cry her heart out. However, I will say that there are many stories that know how to use those attributes well with the stories plot. At this point your thinking, “oh yea score" right? Wrong because then the first romantic scene occurs and it falls a bit flat. Whether your reading X-rated or PG 13, there needs to be passion of some sort and not many pull it off well. Sometimes the audience (or at least me) wants to see a role reversal. Make the woman dominant, make her initiate the first step, make her the ceo looking down on the man trying to win her heart *heavy pants* uh…yea. Sorry.
Okay so a bit of my annoyance escaped but I digress. Aside from that, if you manage to find an anime/manga that has all the attributes that’s not your typical trope then your stuck in the same cycle of story lines, settings, and predictable endings. If thats the case I’d watch novellas. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying they are bad but it’s not my cup of tea I guess. If that floats your boat then by all means my compadre.
This, however, is why yaoi tends to be very appealing. Yes, there is a fair amount of copy paste type of stories with re-imagined faces trying to convince you it’s a different story. Yey, the variety of what you will find outweighs the few that are lackluster. *wink wink* For example, lets start with the plot itself. You have stories that range from mafia ( my favorite) , gods, college, abuse, gangsters, drug addicts to Ceo, money laundering, corrupt governments, celebrity and more. If your thinking how can those be love stories then you need to wet your toes in this oasis.
Then if we look at the characters we get a pleasant variety as well. In yaoi they are not afraid to cross that line, push boundaries, and make you question your very morals. We get two headstrong male leads, both shy and emotional, one of each, we get ones into chubbies, some that embrace bdsm, theres doms and subs, and the list goes on…. What else goes on you might ask? They have PASSION. This to me is where it’s at.
What is a love scene without passion? Let me tell you that when it comes to yaoi there is no lack of it. The raw aggression, lust, desire, sexual tension expressed in every scene will have you sweating and covering your face if you dare read it in public. Okay wait…it is starting to heat up in here.
………..Opens window……..
Much better. So back to how I ended up being an avid yaoi reader. My room was filled with that green hue we all know and love but on the screen I was faced with a title I didn’t know would change me forever. (Okay okay so I’m being a bit dramatic but you know what I mean.) I clicked play and was suddenly sucked into a story filled with overprotective brotherly love, a one-sided love between best friends, and a little brother trying to find himself along the way. There’s humor, tears, cute moments, and steamy scenes to get you wondering why didn’t you watch sooner. The title that started it all for me is Junjou Romantica.
Oddly enough the art style was not typically something I’d gravitate towards. Sharp lines and features was never my go to for handsome faces but this changed all that. In one day I was already well into season 2. Once I fully caught up to the episodes available I knew I had to hunt down the manga and continue. Boy was I happy I did. That was the very moment I discovered how much more...detailed...everything is. Nothing was the same after that. I spiraled from story to story, manga after manga and couldn’t read heterosexual stories again. They all seemed dull or not as intense compared to the gems I was discovering in this other world
Are you still with me? Okay good. I have been reading this genre for 5 years now and I don’t plan on stopping. I do admit my taste has gotten spicier over the years and while I do still enjoy the more innocent stories that are emotion centered, I’d much rather dive into the ones with more physical attraction if you catch my drift.
So call me Alice because this is one wonderland I am glad I was…err…thrust into.
