Yaoi is a genre of anime that you might’ve heard about before. Typically, Yaoi anime is produced for female audiences. However, it can be enjoyed by male audiences as well. Today, I’ll be giving you guys a short and accurate description of this genre of anime and manga.
The term Yaoi was first used back in the 1970s, and it is a portmanteau of the Japanese words “yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi,” which translates to “no climax, no point, no meaning.” Yup, the word Yaoi is actually a self-deprecating term that was initially used by artists in a sarcastic way to define the simplicity of male-male romance stories.
Today, the term Yaoi is used to describe any fictional media involving romantic or sexual interaction between two male characters that originate from Japan. In the West, this term is usually used to describe homoeroticism between two male characters. However, in Japan, the term can also be used to describe simple romantic or even platonic interaction between two male characters.
Different Words Used to Describe Male-Male Romance in Japan:
Throughout history, many different terms have been used to describe male-male romance in Japanese media. While all of these terms carry their own distinct meanings, they are used interchangeably today.
Shonen-ai or Boys’ Love (BL)
Shonen-ai is a Japanese term that translates to Boys’ Love. This term is more commonly used to describe male-male romance stories that don’t focus too much on the sexual stuff. The term can even be used to describe platonic love between two male characters.
Yaoi
The term Yaoi is usually used to describe male-male romance stories that involve graphic sexual scenes. However, it can also be used as a general term to describe all Japanese works that involve male-male romance.
Tanbi
The word Tanbi means “The worship and pursuit of beauty.” This term was used to describe meaningful and deep male-male romance stories in the 1970s. Tanbi works are usually poetic in nature.
June
June is actually not really a type of Yaoi but just a term that was used for male-male romance stories published in a certain magazine back in 1978.
Some Yaoi Anime you need to Check Out
Given
Despite releasing only recently in 2019, Given is one of the most popular yaoi anime ever released. This emotional anime is a must-watch for all you music fans.
Our main protagonist in the story is a boy named Mafuyu Satou – an immature guitarist. While taking a nap in the school gymnasium, Mafuyu encounters Ritsuka Ueyonama. Ritsuka gets angry at Mafuyu for not taking better care of his guitar. Noticing Ritsuka’s love for music, Mafuyu convinces him to teach him more about music. While hesitant at first, eventually, Ritsuka invites him for a jam session with his other music-obsessed friends.
Here, Ritsuka realizes just how beautiful Mafuyu’s voice is and decides to make him the lead singer of the band.
No. 6
No. 6 is a very captivating and beautiful sci-fi anime that can even be enjoyed by the anime fans that don’t necessarily like yaoi.
The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic alternate universe and focuses on the lives of two young boys named Nezumi and Shion. When they were little, Shion used to enjoy a luxurious life in the city-state No. 6. Despite knowing that Nezumi was a fugitive, Shion took him in for the night. Things don’t turn out too great for both of them.
FAQs
Is Yaoi anime porn?
Nope, not all Yaoi anime involve sexual content.
Can Yaoi involve platonic love between two male characters?
Yes. But usually, Yaoi anime only focus on romantic or sexual attraction.
Also wanna find out where the term Yuri originated from? Click here to check out our other article that explains that genre of anime and manga in detail!
