Forum - View topicAre Shonen-Ai Fangirls Just Looking For a Fix?
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Raicho
 Posts: 28 Location: Whitby, Ontario |
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Alright, I'm pretty sure no one's posted about this yet, so I'll try and cut to the chase: Are yaoi/shonen-ai fangirls so desperate for their 'fix' that if they read a shonen-ai manga, they read it only because it's a relationship between two males?
I'll admit, I do find shonen-ai cute, but I shy away from Boys Love manga because I am perpetually afraid that the only reason I'll be reading it is for the BL. I have a fair amount of female friends though, who seem to thrive off of BL titles. I know that there are some good titles out there, FAKE for instance has a strong, working plot line that is separate from the main characters' relations, but a fair amount of shonen-ai manga (or at least the titles I've heard of) seems to be rather shallow. Also, none of my male friends who read manga seem nearly as crazy about shoujo-ai as the girls are about shonen-ai. Personally, if you're going to buy a shonen-ai manga I think you should try and pretend one of the characters is a girl (assuming that you don't hate het. relationships), then read what the summary for it is and if you still think the plot is interesting, go for it. So, do you think females (and males if they like that sort of thing) are so desperate for shonen-ai that they just don't care about the actual plot, characterization, art, or any other factors that would make the manga worth buying? |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16974 |
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For starters, correct me if I'm wrong, shonen-ai is not "Boy Love." That would be yaoi. Shonen-ai refers to "pretty boys" correct? Regardless, manga with man on man love has become a fad no doubt. It has become one of the "in" things no question, but I think saying So, do you think females (and males if they like that sort of thing) are so desperate for shonen-ai that they just don't care about the actual plot, characterization, art, or any other factors that would make the manga worth buying?[/ is a bit of an overstatement. You make them sound like crack addicts on the rebound looking for the next fix. While that may be a close comparison I don't think we need to open up any clinics for manga addicts just yet. Just give them some valium and send them on their way. As I said though I do think there is a very dramatic rise in the popularity of shonen-ai and yaoi manga. Women simply seem to be more in tuned to that sort of them then men with ragrds to shoujo-ai and yuri manga. I don't see that as a bad thing though, I mean more people are reading at least. 
That's cause many simply watch porn with 2 chicks in them 
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Raicho
Posts: 28 Location: Whitby, Ontario |
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I suppose it does help the industry, fangirls are rather obsessive about this sort of thing, and I guess I did mess up my terms a bit, I wasn't trying to make them sound like crack addicts or anything but I appreciate your response.
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DarkWarLord
 Posts: 141 Location: Tucson, Arizona |
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Actually, shonen-ai means exactly that, "Boy love", as seen here animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/lexicon.php?id=26 Just thought I'd throw that in there 
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Neverwhere
 Posts: 351 Location: socal |
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Just to be a bit more technical, the type of thing you say you enjoy is actually BL, and the more 'hardcore' stuff is yaoi, which is no plot, no point, just, ermm, getting it on. *grins* There are some people who get a bit miffed when the two are confused (or even refered to as 'shounen-ai', as that can have rather negative shouta connotations).
Your male friends probably aren't as involved with yuri simply because there just isn't that much of it around yet -- Kashimashi, MarMite, and Strawberry Panic are the only titles that most people know, and maybe Simoun and Kannozuki no Miko as well, although those aren't exactly 'explicitly' yuri either. Most BL *is* shallow, or at least rampantly cliche; but since it's an offshoot of shoujo this is hardly surprising. There are some excellent stories, even among yaoi titles, and you shouldn't really look at BL as some sort of special entity seperate from the rest of its manga brethren -- there's an awful lot of exceedingly crappy shounen titles, for instance, and no one makes a big deal about them, because it's just assumed that not everything created is going to be involving or even interesting. The whole 'why are BL fangirls so annoying' debate could go on forEVER so I won't touch it here -- suffice to say it's been discussed many, many times here and there are many answers and excuses given, if you want to have a rummage round the forum.  (There are some good rants in recent Answerman threads, for example. : )
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HitokiriShadow
 Posts: 6251 |
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Shonen ai = boy's love. Whether its the correct term is debatable. "Bishonen" means refers to 'pretty boys'. I really don't see the problem with girls reading shonen-ai/boy's love/yaoi just for that. Many people probably read yuri for the *gasp* yuri. Now, I would hope people would be able to appreciate a title for the things beyond that (if they are there - some things are only good for their shameless yaoi or yuri romps), but I don't see a problem with someone reading "The Man Who Doesn't Take of His Clothes" just for the yaoi. |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar Posts: 16974 |
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Thanks for the clarification. So basically Gravitation is shonen-ai and the underground version of them on a heart shaped bed with various oils would be the yaoi one. Got it
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omar235
 Posts: 1572 Location: Florida, Jacksonvile |
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Wow for being #1 in the ANN special olympics you sure do learn quick.  
Well them wanting the BL is a reason they read such material, same for guys who read yuri titles, really if they want such things as a yaoi manga...the big reason is going to be for the action and not much else so to them it is worth buying...same with me and yuri titles.
Last edited by omar235 on Sat May 05, 2007 11:52 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar Posts: 16974 |
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I'm just special, not stupid  Well not yet anyway, just started making some bitchin margaritas for my friends and I so in about an hour we'll see.
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Kelly
Posts: 868 Location: New York City |
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I'd say yes - otherwise there wouldn't be a significant amount of it around. Not only that, they also seem to love slashing characters even when there's no indication of something going on between them. I think the fangirls you're talking about tend to forget that sometimes - probably the majority of the time - friends really are just friends. On the other hand, I think it's equally silly to avoid a good series simply because one or more of the main characters happen to be gay or bi, or deny there's something going on if the characters are clearly more than friends. Just my opinion, though. |
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kolibri
 Posts: 712 Location: Vancouver |
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I shan't go into the whole definition debacle (this time), you've heard what I think are the correct definitions multiple times by now
So I'll just chip in about the content.
Well, I say I read it because of the romance aspect, of course. Specifically because it's a male/male relationship? Sure... but the male/male aspect would be less important for me than the romance, and yes, the explicit sex (I'm not gonna beat about the bush here). I would gladly also read romantic manga with a hetero couple in it and plenty of sex scenes, but alas they don't actually exist. Ero-manga is directed to men and has even less of a plot than your standard BL manga does, and can be pretty degrading towards women - there's none of that in BL (because there are no women! ta-daa!)... But if someone wants to recommend some hard-core manga with good plots and characters, I'd love to hear it 
How should I put this - I can read hard-core BL manga with a very thin plot if it's got really good sex in it. It'll never become my favourite, but it can be titillating enough to entertain me for couple of reads. My favourite BL manga have such good plot and characters that I don't care if they have sex in them, but thank god they do - that just raises them one step higher above the rest. Like I said, I buy it for the emotions/romance/sex - I also buy josei manga for the same reason. It's just the question of what is actually available. |
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Not a Jellyfish
 Posts: 539 Location: Boston, MA |
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I mostly agree with kolibri. Mostly at first, I avoided Yaoi, because I didn't want just pointless sex. But, now I read yaoi mostly because of the sex. But I really only enjoy series that have good character development or internal conflict. Some of my favorites are Rin, Only the Ring Finger Knows and Kissing. Some Yaoi I find odd because the uke looks so much like a girl, it's pointless to even be considered yaoi. Like Alone in my King's Harem. So, yes, I read it for the sex. But it's not just because it's gay men. It's because the relationships are more realistic than most shoujo, and because the conflict is mostly internal, leading to character development. As kolibri said, if you can find me sex with good character development and strong relationships that is hetero, I'd read that, too.
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar Posts: 16974 |
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I'm a guy and I read and watch yaoi manga and anime. The sex, if there is any, can really help move the story and be emotional, or it can be as NotaJellyfish said, pointless. I wouldn't say all yaoi has pointless sex though. I also wouldn't say watching/reading it only for sex is a good idea either. Now, if the sexual elements work well with the plot and help move it along or contribute to it then it's all good. |
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Kagemusha
 Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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Just would like to point out that yuri's primary audience is female. For the most part any guy who went into yuri looking for hot lesbo action would be pretty disapointed. As for the actual discussion, being a heterosexual male I have little to contribute other than the couple shonen-ai titles I have read don't have much going for them writing-wise other than featuring effeminate boys ogling each other. I ended up reading them because people had gone on about how they stand alone without the BL aspect, but overall I was unimpressed. Then again sappy, cliché-ridden romance isn't my forte regardless of the characters' sexual orientations. |
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Sarene
 Posts: 79 |
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I've turned into a rather large shonen-ai fan. I enjoy yaoi from time to time, but if it's completely without story, it's intolerable to me. A good, lovey-dovey shonen-ai makes me endlessly happy.
But I do wonder about the "fix" thing. Like with Gravitation. The art, well, of the manga at least, is GOD AWFUL for the majority of it, yet I deal with it because the BL story line makes me giggle with glee... a lot. I also have a growing collection of yaoi and shonen-ai scanlations. I HAVE found that my general rule for other anime [that if it isn't pleasent on the eyes, it's not worth a try] is thrown out the window from time to time if it's a yummy yaoi story. :\ |
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