×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Semi-serious question for the Yaoi fans


Goto page 1, 2  Next

Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Anime
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
DragonsRevenge



Joined: 15 Nov 2004
Posts: 1150
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:23 pm Reply with quote
Yaoi titles are literally gay anime titles right? Why do you find this appealing? If there was a live action "gay" series on TV would you watch that, or find it disgusting? Personally, I dont have a problem with a person's sexuality, as long as I dont have to see it.

Or is there more to these titles than that. Is there something I'm missing?

Edited cos of my ignorance.


Last edited by DragonsRevenge on Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
fighterholic



Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 9193
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:27 pm Reply with quote
Umm, yaoi is gay anime porn. It's shonen-aithat's going to be the one that has the relationship there, but with no sex.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
DragonsRevenge



Joined: 15 Nov 2004
Posts: 1150
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:31 pm Reply with quote
fighterholic wrote:
Umm, yaoi is gay anime porn. It's shonen-aithat's going to be the one that has the relationship there, but with no sex.


Ah... well that changes it entirely.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
fighterholic



Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 9193
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:38 pm Reply with quote
DragonsRevenge wrote:
Ah... well that changes it entirely.

You probably could just change the thread title. Just hit the Edit button in your first post.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Levitz9



Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Posts: 1022
Location: Puerto Rico
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:56 pm Reply with quote
What I don't know is why girls like it. I mean, why be attracted to a gay man? If he's gay, he's not gonna be interested in a girl, much less a squealing 16-year-old.

Of course, the same goes for yuri... Embarassed
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
digitalkikka



Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 462
Location: Chicago, Illinois
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:34 pm Reply with quote
DragonsRevenge wrote:
Or is there more to these titles than that.


No, not really. People read/watch yaoi because it turns them on. Why else would someone want to look at two characters having sex?

Quote:
If there was a live action "gay" series on TV would you watch that, or find it disgusting?


If I didn't watch it, it wouldn't be because I found it 'disgusting' Rolling Eyes
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Eruanna



Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 451
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:42 pm Reply with quote
fighterholic wrote:
Umm, yaoi is gay anime porn. It's shonen-aithat's going to be the one that has the relationship there, but with no sex.


I think they are calling it "Boy Love" now, arent they? Razz

Anyways, I dont find it attractive myself. I am female, and two guys going at it isnt attractive to me in the slightest. But, I do understand the attraction. These shows always have a huge cast full of gorgeous guys, and it is nice to get a break from all those shows full of girls with huge tits. :/
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:48 pm Reply with quote
Levitz9 wrote:
I mean, why be attracted to a gay man?


I don't think it's really an attraction when it comes to liking yaoi, at least not in the same way as one is attracted to someone they want to be with.

It's hard to explain why the appeal is there. I'm not a huge fan of yaoi/shounen-ai, but I do enjoy it, despite being very obviously not a gay man. But it's definitely not because I personally am attracted to the characters involved (at least not necessarily...I must admit, Gravitation's Yuki Eiri is pretty hot, but he's also bi anyway so Razz).

I've sometimes thought (and this is just my opinion) that perhaps the appeal for it is that there is a manner of control when it comes to seme (top) and uke (bottom), which is something women don't really have, seeing as we lack an important piece of anatomy (strap-ons notwithstanding). But that is just a personal theory.

To sum it up, I'm not sure if there is one reason why girls like yaoi. The same as there isn't a reason why guys like yuri/lesbians. They just do, for some reason or another.

As for the live action comment, I definitely believe most yaoi fans would be into it as well, and certainly I would be shocked if any of them would call it "disgusting."

Quote:

I think they are calling it "Boy Love" now, arent they?


Some people are, apparently, but I think most people (at least the ones I deal with) are still using the yaoi/shounen-ai terms.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Obaa-chan



Joined: 18 Feb 2007
Posts: 16
Location: Israel
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:55 pm Reply with quote
Hmmm, most girls are enough in touch with reality to know that an anime charachter is not going to like them ever, no matter if he's gay or not.

Personally, I find Shounen-Ai anime to be totally charming. For me, it's because they show people that are shy and insecure and then gain emotional strength without beating anyone to a pulp (or at least the beating is not displayed as an essential part of getting stronger). It's a nice change from the testosterone driven growth of the usual action hero...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Eruanna



Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 451
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 4:05 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
I've sometimes thought (and this is just my opinion) that perhaps the appeal for it is that there is a manner of control when it comes to seme (top) and uke (bottom), which is something women don't really have, seeing as we lack an important piece of anatomy (strap-ons notwithstanding). But that is just a personal theory.


Now here is an interesting aspect that most of these "Why is yaoi attractive?" conversations dont usually touch on.
Number one, alot of girls do like being on the bottom. Im not going to really get into, since it will make alot of feminists mad at me, but speaking from me personally, there is something damn hot about the guy being the one in controll, being the more dominant one. Alot of girls like the idea of having a dominant male make them to be submissive.
Okay, so the power exchange is a turn on. They want to see this dom/sub kind of a relationship and how it plays out. BUT, they are attracted to guys, so our submissive party, who is also usually the main character, has to be male. BUT, again, the idea of a girl dominating the guy is a role reversal that dosnt turn these kind of people on. If a girl is they type who enjoys the idea of a dominant male, she's not going to like the idea of a dominant female, so, we need that to be a guy too. Tada! Instant Gay relationship!
Theres also something very attractive about someone who isnt normaly a submissive kind, being made to be submissive. Again its the role reversal thing. To this way of thinking, the role reversal is hot in the guy, but not in the girl, so it ends up becoming two guys. And voila. You have the phenominon that is Yaoi.

>_> And please, this isnt a big thing about womens rights and what have you. Im not saying that all girls are into being subs, and Im not saying that girls shouldnt be doms. Im just saying, that for the kind of girl that likes being sub, a dom girl is unattractive. Im a girl myself, by the way, so no, Im not trying to belittle my sex.

Oy, I hope I make sence.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
kolibri



Joined: 23 Aug 2006
Posts: 712
Location: Vancouver
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 4:20 pm Reply with quote
I've been thinking about this lately, and I think what in the end of the day appeals to me is that BL turns me on emotionally. Sexually too, yes, but that's not the main appeal - it doesn't turn me on like hetero porn does. See BL is not homosexual genre in the least, it's made by women for women (and before the gay men who like BL come and tell me that, yes, I know you exist but you're not the target audience Wink). In the same way most gay porn in the west is done by men for men, and it doesn't really have any of the elements I'm looking for - I have friends who really like it, but it's just not for me.

It's the emotional side that I find attractive, and sex and the way it's potrayed is part of the appeal. It kind of gives you the "permission" to look at your fantasies from a safe distance, including non-safe sex, no fear of being oppressed as a woman, no fear of getting pregnant - none of the stuff that normally come with being a woman and her sex life. And yes, the taboo side of "we shouldn't be doing this"/"I didn't know I wanted to do this" is part of it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
bonbonsrus



Joined: 15 Oct 2003
Posts: 1537
Location: Michigan, USA
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:17 pm Reply with quote
semi-serious answer...
Bottom line for me is...Everything looks better animated.
would I watch explicit gay porn? no, I don't watch explicit hetro porn... I will occasionally admit to seeing some animated hentai and yaoi however.
Frankly, what Eruanna said doesn't apply to me, maybe I am not the norm. I am not a bold/brassy/controling type days, however that changes at night.
I do agree with the part of liking to see guys dominated when they aren't usually, but I may be warped a bit here, which I don't think I care to share with y'all. Embarassed Of course, I like bondage either way, guys or girls. What deep meaning does this have? I am a perve in my womanly prime
that's deep, isn't it?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail My Anime My Manga
frouella



Joined: 05 Jul 2006
Posts: 199
Location: 大阪
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:01 pm Reply with quote
I thought this topic sounded a bit familiar, so I did a little searching and found this article on another thread:

http://www.tcj.com/269/e_yaoi.html

If you don't freak out over the picture at the beginning and actually read the thing, it's actually quite informative. And also if my linking skillz are up to par... Anime smile + sweatdrop
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Eruanna



Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 451
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:10 pm Reply with quote
bonbonsrus wrote:
semi-serious answer...
Bottom line for me is...Everything looks better animated.
would I watch explicit gay porn? no, I don't watch explicit hetro porn... I will occasionally admit to seeing some animated hentai and yaoi however.
Frankly, what Eruanna said doesn't apply to me, maybe I am not the norm. I am not a bold/brassy/controling type days, however that changes at night.
I do agree with the part of liking to see guys dominated when they aren't usually, but I may be warped a bit here, which I don't think I care to share with y'all. Embarassed Of course, I like bondage either way, guys or girls. What deep meaning does this have? I am a perve in my womanly prime
that's deep, isn't it?


Of course, what I said can hardly be expected to apply to everyone ^^ I was remis in not saying that in my post.
And I agree with you. Everything does look better animated. :/
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
DazzleNeko



Joined: 19 Jun 2005
Posts: 44
PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:12 pm Reply with quote
How come people always ask yaoi fans this? I figured the answer would just be so...obvious. I mean, I'm not trying to sound like a snob or an elitist, but we like it for the same reasons anyone likes any genre of smut or romance.
No one ever asks guys why they like girl on girl, but yet girls get asked for their love of yaoi a lot. Why is this?

Anime characters aren't real, so their sexual orienation doesn't matter. If they are gay or aren't gay, you still can't be with them.

Smut between two guys is hotter. I don't like to look at a female's body because it doesn't do anything for me. If you replace her with a guy, it's twice the hotness. The more hot guys that participate in the act, the merrier.
Also, you can take the place as either the seme or uke. If you like the seme better, you can take the place of the uke. If you like the uke better, you can take the place of the seme. There are also no female characters you have to compare yourself to.

Also, it's very sexy to see a guy being dominated by another guy. In hetero stories, it's a very negative thing to see a girl dominated by a guy (especially in a sexual way).

Also, the fact that the romance is taboo makes it even better. It's more exciting.

Yaoi is also a nice escape from all the other anime out there. A majority of the anime is full of bishoujo. All yaoi anime has lots of bishounen, which is really nice to have once in a while. Some of the anime with the best-looking guys is yaoi.

The reason I don't like real gay porn is because the guys in it art so ugly. The are either too ripped or hairy. Have you ever seen bear porn? That stuff is scary....
The guys in yaoi are always so attractive. If live-action gay porn could have such good-looking guys, I would definitely watch it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Anime All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group