So I’m starting with this topic because it received the most votes, but I’ll be talking about each topic on the poll within the next week or so, and posting some reviews as well, so hopefully I will please everyone!
It’s kind of stunning now to go back to my original thoughts on yaoi, not because the things I have problems with in the genre have changed, because they really haven’t (though I probably have some new things to add). What’s changed is that I have finally nailed down what exactly it is I’m looking for in a boys’ love story, and the simple truth is that it is exactly what I’m looking for in any story, no more, no less.
I’ve read arguments from time to time (made by people I respect a lot, mind you) about certain things only being “okay” in a BL story–things they would not accept in any other kind of story. And while I can see the point that these things are potentially unavoidable in the vast majority of the genre, I still don’t like them, and wouldn’t purposefully read something with those elements included unless there was a lot of what I do like in there to balance the scale. So in this entry, instead of talking about what I don’t like in yaoi/boys’love/whatever, I’m going to talk about what I do.
One of the things that can make this difficult is if the characters are in an extremely unbalanced relationship, for instance, if one character controls the relationship or repeatedly forces the other into things he/she does not want to do (sexually or otherwise), and definitely if either character is repeatedly abusive. I find it nearly impossible to root for relationships like these in any kind of romance, which generally leaves me uninterested in the romance overall. A story in which romance is only a minor element may contain relationships like these (even between primary characters) and still maintain my interest, but if romance is the point, it usually has to be one I can believe in and support. Unfortunately, this immediately eliminates a huge number of yaoi titles, especially those with explicit non-con, extremely strong emphasis on the seme/uke power (im)balance, characters suffering from extreme self-loathing (especially if that view seems supported by the author), and those in which one of the characters habitually refers to the other as “sir,” even in bed (only NETCOMICS’ Totally Captivated has ever managed to make me swallow something like that).
Epic Plot: While slice-of-life stories can definitely be awesome, my very favorite stories–the kind I’ll re-read over and over–are epic tales of one sort or another, and sometimes this is the only thing that can save a story that fails me in the “romance” category above. Some BL stories, such as manhwa epics Let Dai and Totally Captivated kept me hooked despite their unsavory, violent relationships, simply on the strength of their massive, complicated plots. Totally Captivated even managed to win me over to its primary relationship by the end, which it never could have done in two or three volumes.
Most manga with romance as the main element needs at least five volumes (in my opinion) to be developed fully enough to just sell the romance, let alone any other plot, which is why single-volume romances very rarely work for me. The exception would be volumes of short stories (such as Red Blinds the Foolish and Seduce Me After The Show) in which we’re only being offered a small glimpse into what is really a much bigger story. If done well, these can work nicely, though they will never achieve the same kind of result a long story can.
There are other exceptions to my five-volume rule, of course. Deux Press’ Future Lovers, for instance, was able to get me fully invested in a romance within the first volume. Mostly, though, I like my manga long, plotty, and heavy on characterization, regardless of genre.
Characterization: Speaking of characterization, this is absolutely beyond anything else what draws me to a story, and I very much doubt I will ever truly fall for a story that doesn’t offer me rich, layered characterization. I read fiction primarily as a way of getting just a little closer to some kind of real truth about people, so the characters are what I’m really going in for in the first place. If the story can’t make me love or at least care about its characters, there’s really no point in it for me. I’m looking for complex, idiosyncratic, flawed people, so no matter how cool the robots or spaceships or supernatural plot devices are, if the story isn’t fundamentally about the people, it’s pretty much lost me. Rich characters take a long time (or a hell of a lot of skill) to develop, so my favorite characters are almost always going to be found in longer stories, because those are the ones I’ve really gotten the chance to get to know.
Back when I wrote my original yaoi rant, I’d encountered very few (if any) examples of strong characterization in BL manga (and no long series whatsoever), and truthfully I didn’t actually believe it existed outside of something like Banana Fish, which is really not BL at all. This is no longer the case, but it’s still something I’ve struggled to find on a consistent basis.
What does it all mean?
Everything I’ve listed above could just as easily be called “What I Like About Manga,” and that’s really what I’m getting at here. What makes me only a sometimes-fan of yaoi is that, unlike a lot of its fans (from what I can surmise) I don’t have a different standard for yaoi than I do for everything else, which is not to say that my standards are particularly high. Sure, I love a brilliant, deep story with the power to change my life just as much as anyone, but I also appreciate the value of something that is simply a really entertaining read. No matter what I’m reading, however, even if it is just fun, trashy, soap-opera, I want strong characters, good storytelling, and (if romance is an element) believable romance that I can invest in. This makes me a poor fan of yaoi, I guess, or at least very obviously not the target audience for much of the yaoi I am given to read as a reviewer.
I said to someone not too long ago that I wasn’t sure there was even a point to people like me reviewing most yaoi, but I think the value in it is probably for other people like me who might rather have someone else do the work of trudging through the massive slew of monthly BL releases in order to find a few we might enjoy. I had some angst recently when I realized that someone from the publisher of a yaoi title I’d reviewed negatively was reading my review, and I thought to myself, “Well they must know I’m not their audience when they read this, right?” And I really hope that’s true. Not that I necessarily want to encourage the publication of more books like that one, but hey, the audience is obviously there and they know what they like and what they want more of, so who am I to rain on their parade? If I have a regret here, it is only that I suspect those books are responsible for the general perception of the genre as a whole, which might discourage some readers from giving any yaoi a chance, even titles they might actually like.
I won’t spend time here going into the various things I tend to find offensive in the genre overall. Much of it I’ve said before, and if you want to see more of that, I’d recommend reading my reviews. Even some stories I’ve really enjoyed have contained some of these elements from time to time, and I generally say so. The good news is, I have discovered that the genre does contain a good number of stories that I find truly compelling and that I have no reservations about recommending to anyone, and I’m sure I’ll continue to find more of them. I look forward to recommending them to you all!
Tari says
April 23, 2009 at 3:21 pmHm, have you tried 1999nen 7 no Tsuki no Shanghai yet? Reading this post makes me think that maybe you’d really like that series.
Melinda Beasi says
April 23, 2009 at 4:22 pmI have not! I did not even know about it! Is it licensed here?
Tari says
April 26, 2009 at 12:58 amI don’t know if it’s licensed yet, but the whole series has been fully scanslated (I can email you links if you’re interested).
sutlers says
April 23, 2009 at 3:50 pmHeh, you pretty much hit the nail on the head for what I’ve always want out of yaoi/romance in general. I find that epic plot especially is important (it’s my favorite thing about reading fanfic, too, incidentally) because it really allows the characters room to grow and to grow together, while acknowledging that romance isn’t the be-all end-all of these people’s lives. There are other relationships and goals that people have, too. It makes the characters much . . . realer, and helps get me invested in their happiness.
Melinda Beasi says
April 23, 2009 at 4:25 pmYes, yes exactly! And it is what I liked best about fanfic too, though I also really enjoyed those little, delicate slice-of-life fics (similar to the est em books I mentioned here), the ones that really get me are the epics.
You make a really good point about the importance of being able to watch the characters grow together, too.
Michelle Smith says
April 23, 2009 at 5:50 pmWhat makes me only a sometimes-fan of yaoi is that, unlike a lot of its fans (from what I can surmise) I don’t have a different standard for yaoi than I do for everything else, which is not to say that my standards are particularly high. Sure, I love a brilliant, deep story with the power to change my life just as much as anyone, but I also appreciate the value of something that is simply a really entertaining read. No matter what I’m reading, however, even if it is just fun, trashy, soap-opera, I want strong characters, good storytelling, and (if romance is an element) believable romance that I can invest in.
I think this sums up my own feelings, too.
Though I haven’t read it yet, your list of things you want is why I’m looking forward to reading Ze. It’s a longer series by an author whose 11-volume work, Love Mode, is pretty universally praised. It’s got a mystery/supernatural element going. And the guys on the cover of volume two look extremely loving and simply happy to be in each other’s company, which is definitely the sort of romance I can invest it.
I just hope I’m not disappointed!
Melinda Beasi says
April 23, 2009 at 7:41 pmI’ve been looking at the info on that, and it looks really promising! Oh, now I want to read it too!
Ed Sizemore says
April 23, 2009 at 9:14 pmGreat essay. Also, great insight as a reader and a reviewer. I had the same revelation a few years ago. There are certain core elements I look for in my fiction regardless of genre. I think understanding that helps open you to try new genres. I’m looking forward to the other essays as well.
Melinda Beasi says
April 23, 2009 at 9:30 pmEd, thank you so much. It’s kind of strange that a discussion with you is what inspired me to want to write about this, especially since I suspect you aren’t a big yaoi fan. ;)
Ed Sizemore says
April 23, 2009 at 9:52 pmIt’s true. I don’t read yaoi. I tried one tame BL title and knew it wasn’t for me. But I enjoy reading discussions about what people like and don’t like about the genre. It’s probably the most analyze genre of manga.
Melinda Beasi says
April 23, 2009 at 9:55 pmYou know, that makes a lot of sense to me that it would be heavily analyzed. It’s so complicated and contradictory. Before I’d ever read any, I didn’t expect that I’d find so much of it to be honestly homophobic, considering the subject matter. Such a strange animal, it is.
duowolf says
April 24, 2009 at 10:10 amSee a lot of this is why I don’t read short mangas at all (or short stories that aren’t fanfic) because I just don’t enjoy the stories as I just don’t conect with the characters and thus don’t care at all about their story.
That said I genrally don’t read Yaoi manga anyways for a ton of reasons but mainly because the plot in usually pretty damn bad and I usually fine them pretty boring because of this. I much prefer Shonen-ai titles like say Fake or Gravitation where there is a plot to go along with the boys falling in love with one another.
Melinda Beasi says
April 24, 2009 at 12:51 pmI have read a few yaoi series that did NOT suck, and I am thrilled to have this opportunity to recommend them. My reviews below.
Future Lovers *heart*
One Thousand and One Nights (not really yaoi yet, but seems to be headed that way)
Totally Captivated
Let Dai (definitely read the review for caveats)
There are more, but that’s what I have off the top of my head.
Melinda Beasi says
April 24, 2009 at 5:15 pmAlso, these collections of short yaoi manga are fantastic:
Seduce Me After the Show
Red Blinds the Foolish
Melinda Beasi says
April 24, 2009 at 5:17 pmAlso, I quite liked You Will Fall In Love
And a short NETCOMICS title I can’t remember the name of… I must ask Michelle.
duowolf says
April 25, 2009 at 3:42 amCool I’ll have to check them out.
Geri-chan says
April 28, 2009 at 12:17 amHere via MangaBlog—great essay! I read a lot of yaoi, but the power imbalance I see in so many of the titles bothers me a lot, too. I can think of a couple of good yaoi titles where the characters are equals:
Tea for Two, published by Blu: About two high school boys who fall in love, a sort of opposites-attract thing between a klutzy athlete and the cool, sophisticated heir to a tea ceremony family. The klutzy guy is the uke, but he isn’t girly at all, and in fact, seems more steroptypically “manly” to me than the seme tea ceremony guy. And they seem very equal to me—they both have their strengths and weaknesses, and they both experience insecurities and jealousy at times.
Embracing Love (Haru wo Daiteta): Unfortunately, it’s out of print now, but it’s one of the best titles I’ve ever read. (If you can find used copies at not too outrageous prices, I highly recommend it.) About two porn-stars-turned-mainstream-actors who fall in love, and the only yaoi manga I’ve seen without the strict seme/uke division. Iwaki is the uke more often than Katou, but Katou makes it clear that he enjoys both making love and being made love to by his partner. It also injects some realism, such as dealing with prejudice and family members who aren’t happy about their son or brother dating a guy.
Melinda Beasi says
April 28, 2009 at 6:05 pmThank you so much for the recommendations! These sound great!
jazz says
July 3, 2010 at 7:53 am…try Maiden Rose, if you can get through the first volume.
Michelle Smith says
July 3, 2010 at 11:18 amI also found Maiden Rose very interesting. It is a little disturbing in a few places, but overall is quite different from most BL currently available here.
P-chan says
July 23, 2010 at 3:57 pmI’ve always walked a very line line with Boys Love (I’m using it as an umbrella term for Shounen-Ai and Yaoi), in that 8 out of 10 series I’ll try, I’ll find SOMETHING I can’t stand.
But I’ll never be able to say that I don’t love it, because not only do I enjoy most of the other 20%, some Boys Love are amongst my all-time favorite fiction ever, manga or otherwise. (And no one will ever personally persuade me that Banana Fish isn’t BL. Because it is in my heart. The same goes for Wild Adaptor, Silver Diamond, and One Thousand and One Nights).
One recommendation I feel obligated to make, even as I know that most people who try it won’t like it, and that if you do try it, you have to read all of it in one sitting, is Yu Watase’s very explicit Sakura Gari.
It’s full of every bad thing you could imagine in yaoi: rape, incest, abuse, near-Stockholm Syndrome, pedophilia, suicide and some occasional insanity and sadism. But it doesn’t support ANY of these, and they’re used more to repulse the reader than anything.
It’s also probably Yu Watase’s best manga in both art and execution. But I’m also aware that if I hadn’t read all three volumes together, i would have hated it. Even so, It’s still one of the best yaoi i’ve ever read, and it’s just as gorgeous as it is repulsive. If you think you can stomach it, it’s definitely worth reading.