Forum - View topicWhy do yaoi manga have such stylized characters?
|
|
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
 Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
|
||
|
Not much more to say about this question other than why can't men in this type of manga look more like regular anime/manga characters?
They usually have long flowing hair, stunning slender eyes, bold lips and angular faces. I would be more interested in reading yaoi and shounen-ai manga if the characters just looked natural not that frequently seen style that is rather generic when it comes to manga of that type. |
|||
|
|||
|
fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
|
||
I think that in a way tells you who writes the manga. Women in Japan at times will have this fantasy about girly men, which in a way flowing hair, slender arms or legs, no muscle would be of the feminine type. For the longest time, Japanese women were crazy about Korean star Pei Yonjung (if I've spelled it right), because I guess in a way he displayed some of these features. |
|||
|
|||
|
dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9903 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
|
||
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bae_Yong_Joon |
|||
|
|||
|
fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
|
||
Why thank you 
|
|||
|
|||
Not a Jellyfish
 Posts: 539 Location: Boston, MA |
|
||
|
I can't say I'm a big fan of Yaoi, but the series that I read, i don't think they are all that girly-men. There are a few I've seen where they are, and then a lot seem to only have the uke being very effeminate. Which I think kind of defeats the purpose. The only thing that I have a problem with is the extremely girly uke, or the very feminine clothes. But most of the series that I read (and that's not many, mind you) are ones where I think they both look masculine (or at least believable). Although, I do think you may be right about some series.
|
|||
|
|||
|
P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
|
||
|
You know, I never said anything about characters looking too effeminate. What I find fault in with yaoi is the cookie-cutter imagery of the character design, not the content or the gender expression the artist intends to convey. Actually, I find that in most yaoi manga the men look too masculine. Maybe it's because there is a certain sesuality and emotion in the style of the lines and colors that it imparts a very adult, manly visual interpretation to me.
I just want yaoi characters to not be so stylized that it screams yaoi title from one glance of the cover. |
|||
|
|||
|
Not a Jellyfish
Posts: 539 Location: Boston, MA |
|
||
|
My apologies. From your description in the first post, it sounded like you thought they were too effeminate. Again, I don't read that much yaoi, but from what I have read, it's no more cookie-cutter than say stereotypical shoujo or shounen art is cookie-cutter. If you look at an artist like Lily Hoshino versus Fumi Yoshinaga versus Tooko Miyagi, they all look different to me. Although, there are some that do look extremely similar in style. Very light and airy lines that aren't as refined. Not to say bad, but not as bold or connected. I do see that in a lot of yaoi, but other than that, not really.
|
|||
|
|||
|
FeralKat
Posts: 402 |
|
||
Try anything from Hinako Takanaga or Yukine Honami. Classy and not too stylized--especially Honami. 
|
|||
|
|||
|
P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
|
||
|
Hey thanks, FeralKat. I like the look of both those Mangaka's designs and am rather interested in Sweet Revolution and particularly, Little Butterfly. Sounds like a cute story, and is ranked fairly well on ANN.
|
|||
|
|||
red pyramid
 Posts: 10 |
|
||
|
I think that what you say more or less happens because most of the readers of yaoi manga in Japan are girls.Yaoi are not supposed to be realistic and that's why homosexuals in Japan usually read and watch totally diffrent kind of comic/animation.Yaoi's main target group are japanese women.No matter if it is a stereotype,publishers still consider women more sensitive than men and all those nice looking guys with these thin lines are considered more attractive to them.
|
|||
|
|||
kyokazahaya
 Posts: 37 |
|
||
|
what series have you had this problem with. I've read a lot with the stereotypical cookie cutter characters, but realize how big and popular yaoi is now so of course authors are going to try to throw out series just to make money and milk the genre for all its worth. If you want some good yaoi check out jazz, the art of loving, love mode, junjo romantica and my personal fav of all time our kingdom.
|
|||
|
|||
Porcupine
 Posts: 1033 |
|
||
|
Bae Yong Joon looks absolutely nothing like the type of cookie-cutter Yaoi manga character that Past is referring to. He is actually a bit on the huskier side for an Asian male.
I do find it a little odd that he was so popular. I'm sure he must be good-looking overall (since I am a guy I cannot be sure what girls like) but one funny thing about his face is that if you look at his eyes they are crooked by like 30 degrees from horizontal (with the overall shape of his head as a reference). Once someone points this out it's easy to notice and pretty funny I think. Similarly, Vivian Chow a famous Chinese (?) actress, at least 10 years ago (I dunno about now because I don't keep up with Chinese events) also has a very asymmetrical face, one of her cheek is very different from the other. I guess asymmetry doesn't matter to human beauty to most people. It's supposed to matter according to documentary studies, but these two famous people break that rule badly. Anyway only anime people look nice to me so I don't care.
I also wonder the same thing Past does, I don't really know the answer. I think the same question can be extended to shoujo manga (not shoujo anime adaptations, in which the typical shoujo manga look is often removed or lessened)...they usually tend to have these scribbly soft lines and a certain general cookie-cutter art style. Personally I have a theory as to why this is but I don't want to say it because it might be insulting to some people. |
|||
|
|||
pleochroic
 Posts: 16 Location: vancouver island, canada |
|
||
|
i read tons of BL, and i am not certain what you mean since you said you're not talking about effeminate men (which is my own complaint for a lot of it). i think the variety in BL is actually quite broad, though it is limited by what might be conceived as beautiful by society (fat men need not apply, for example). can you give some examples of mangaka whose style you didn't like? then i can more easily point you to art you might find more interesting.
|
|||
|
|||
geishageek
 Posts: 571 Location: Pleasant Valley, NY |
|
||
|
If your looking for anything with un-girly men, try anything from Shuiko Kano. She has the most manly men around. But the swishy hair and the effiminate looks are what work in BL. I mean most BL fangirls have their fantasies about their favorite characters together from non-BL titles but if you were to create one with thew way the charavters really looked, it wouldnt work. Thats why a lot of doujinshi writers always feminize those characters because it works.
I read almost all BL that I can get my hands on, and you tend to get over the girly men. I have and I'm sure others have as well. It's just seeing it for what it is; hot men loving other hot men. |
|||
|
|||
The Xenos
 Posts: 1519 Location: Boston |
|
||
|
Well, I would argue that there is no such thing as "regular anime/manga characters". What's normal? One Piece? Berserk? Hellsing? Fruits Basket? Naruto? Chobits?
Most shonen ai and yaoi are drawn in the shojo family of artists, with feminine men who are for some reason more appealing to most of the fan base. |
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group