Please tell me what does "yaoi" mean?

Yaoi (やおい) is a publishing genre originating from Japan, involving Japanese comics, doujinshi, animation and fan art creations. It focuses on the homosexual relationship between two male characters and has relatively explicit sexual depictions.

Some Westerners believe that Yaoi is synonymous with Shonen Ai or BL. In fact, they have similar themes but this definition is inaccurate. The material of Shonen Ai does not include direct sexual descriptions. The Yaoi phenomenon has spread beyond Japan, with material containing Yaoi being published in the United States and Indonesia.

1. Terminology

Pronunciation:

Strictly speaking, all three vowels must be pronounced separately to form a three-syllable word (ya -o-i), but yaoi is often pronounced with only two syllables. The acceptable pronunciation is the phoneme /oi/ with "お" and "い" as the main sounds.

In the United States, it is often incorrectly pronounced as /ja?i/ or /je/.

Etymology:

Taken from the Japanese phrase "ヤマなし" The Roman abbreviation of "yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi" (yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi), usually translated as: no climax, no punchline, no meaning; or the slogan "No peak, no point, no problem. Also often Affectionately known as "Yamete! Oshiri ga itai!" (Stop, my butt hurts)

This word originates from Japan and first appeared in the 1970s. It is used to describe all strange, interesting, and interesting things. Imitate funny doujinshi; later it was used to refer to gay material containing direct sexual descriptions. Yaoi is not a common term in Japan, but belongs to the otaku subculture

Usage<. /p>

The term Yaoi is used in various ways, with some purists insisting that it can only be used in doujinshi. Others claim that it can only be used by Japanese publishers specializing in yaoi. In published materials. Most fans use this term to a very wide range of gay-themed comics and animations.

Although yaoi is often used in all gay-content movies or print media, especially in gay-themed comics and animations. It is a work created by a woman, but this is often considered a misnomer. Professional Japanese artists such as Kodaka Kazuma will seriously call their works "yaoi" instead of "gay". .

Gong and Shou

The two participants in a yaoi relationship are often referred to as "gong" (seme) and "shou" (uke), although the two terms originate from "gong" (seme) and "shou" (uke). In martial arts, they have apparently been used in sexual situations for centuries, and have no derogatory connotations. "attack" is derived from the Japanese verb semeru (to attack), and "uke" is derived from the Japanese verb ukeru (to receive). Gay men are often referred to as "on top" or "on bottom," with "attack" and "receiver" more closely related to "pitcher" and "catcher."

Attack is often described as unchanging. Men in Japanese manga culture: restrained, physically strong, and protective. Gong usually has a strong chin, short hair, small eyes, and is usually more masculine than Shou.

Guesses are often bisexual, or feminine in appearance and demeanor, often smaller, and sometimes have girlish behaviors that are out of touch with reality.

Not all. The works all follow the above typical. For example, some anthologies on Be will be broken.

Most of the early yaoi were described as slightly feminine. Later, there was a wave of "muscle yaoi", in which adult men were portrayed as more masculine and muscular. . This type of yaoi is called "bara" by anime fans, a reference to Barazoku, a now-defunct gay magazine known for its pictures of muscular men.

The former type of yaoi was later called "bishie" among anime fans, which refers to "bishonen" (beautiful boy)

2. Yaoi and BL

In Japan, the theme of male-to-male homosexuality The material is classified as shounen ai/BL or yaoi. The term is used in the publishing world and among seiyuu (voice actors). Generally speaking, yaoi refers to material with sexual descriptions, while shounen ai and BL refer to non-sexual descriptions of sex in romantic male-to-male relationships.

3. Doujinshi

Typical yaoi doujinshi depict non-romantic comics or animations, male-on-male couples. Much of the material comes from male-oriented shounen or shojo manga that contain male-on-male relationships. Fans of the anime captured the underlying homosexual appeal. However, yaoi fans may arbitrarily pair up male-on-male relationships from anime, even those where male characters are meant to be platonic friendships. For example, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke in Naruto. Changing sexual orientation and bisexuality is basically impossible.

While collectors often focus on certain manga-based doujinshis, any male character can be targeted in a yaoi doujinshi, even characters from non-comic works such as Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean. . Video games are also targeted, including King of Hearts and Final Fantasy.

Most doujinshi are created by amateurs who form a "circle". Groups like Clamp were originally a circle of doujinshi enthusiasts. However, some professional artists like Kodaka Kazuma and Murakami Maki also create doujinshi.

Some authors even create separate subverses in their stories and fanzines. Sometimes these sub-universes, known as "Aus" or "Alternate Universes", become more popular than the originals, gaining their own anime fans.

Publishing Industry

Japanese publisher Biblos once considered professionally publishing Japanese yaoi primary materials. However, their bankruptcy caused by the failure of non-yaoi investments gave competitors the opportunity to gain substantial access to the professional yaoi and BL manga market

A number of popular Japanese yaoi and BL works have been commercialized and used like Companies like TokyoPop, Be Beautiful, DramaQueen and Digital Manga Publishing translate and export to English-speaking countries