For fans of Japanese animation and manga (comics), Yaoi/Boy’s Love is one of the most popular taboo words. My introduction sounds oxymoronic to say the least. Still and all, Yaoi is not as widely accepted as other animé and manga genres despite its remarkable female fanbase all over the world. To those who are completely unaware of this genre, I took some passages from Wiki to inform you about it:
… known as Boys’ Love, [Yaoi] is a popular Japanese term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by female authors.
From the passage above, you can already surmise that Yaoi is a sensational depiction of male to male relationships – according to a woman’s point of view. These homo love affairs may or may not reflect a parcel of truth, but homosexuality is a reality as old as the human race itself.
In my opinion, however, it does not matter even if the imagination of female mangakas like Yamano Ayane, Shimizu Yuki, Nitta Youka or Makoto Tateno go overboard, to the point that unusual sensual encounters appear heavenly to readers. So who cares about older yakuza leaders falling madly in love with younger men or two porn actors developing feelings for each other? Moreover, what’s the big deal about an alpha male drug snatcher who eventually gives in to the advances of his gay partner? All these extraordinary events, including typical Boy’s Love tropes, have entertained me ever since I started reading Yaoi/BL mangas. But that’s beside the point.