Does Yaoi Equal Pornography?

Trying to defend a work of art that features explicit sex as something other than pornography is difficult. Many cannot look beyond the surface of the sexual acts. Such is the case with the Japanese manga and anime genre, Yaoi. This is a shame because Yaoi is far more than a collection of sexual exploits. It is a well thought out and crafted genre that draws a readership that is far removed from those who commonly purvey pornography.

Yaoi is a genre that deals with male sexual relationships. Now, male-male love storyies are not revolutionary; they have been in print for centuries. However, what makes Yaoi unique is the fact it is written for a female audience and not a male homosexual audience. Because the stories are written for women, the style and tone of these manga and anime are significantly different than how they would be presented to a male audience.

This is why Yaoi manga and anime are generally not popular with male homosexual audiences. One reason for this is the presentations of the male characters. More specifically, the male characters are designed to appeal to female perspectives and sensibilities. Gay men are put off by these types of presentation of male love because it appears unrealistic.

While the male audience for these tales is minimal, the female audience is huge and has remained so for decades. No, Yaoi is not a new phenomenon. The roots of the genre can be traced to 1978 with the publication of the magazine JUNE. (The word Yaoi derives from a Japanese acronym meaning “No climax, no point, no meaning”.) The debut of Yaoi in the magazine’s pages was successful and it spawned the publication of similar themed manga. These manga would be published throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. Today, Yaoi works are internationally popular and conventions celebration the genre takes place all over the world.

In some ways, the tales can be considered conventional. This is because the portrayal of the primary characters appearing these works follows many traditional genre patterns. The narrative of a Yaoi tale usually centers on the adventures of the main characters called the seme and the uke. These words derived from traditional martial arts terms meaning “attacker’ and “receiver” respectively. While different Yaoi tales will embody a number of different writing styles and traits, the presentation of the seme and the uke are often similar. The seme is often portrayed as the aggressive, powerful figure no different than many of the protagonists found in other genres of anime and manga. The uke is often portrayed as a weaker and more feminine counterpart who is pursued and, often, dominated by the seme. While this is not the only type of portrayal of the seme and the uke, it is the most prevalent. The same can be said of themes of an aggressive partner chasing a weaker one. This scenario plays itself out through various other narrative scenarios including yakuza tales, school romance narrative, science fiction, and many more.

Yaoi tales are not bubblegum romance yarns. The depiction of the sexual acts in these works is often explicit and hardcore. This brings about a question: Is Yaoi pornography? While many Yaoi tales are explicit, it would not be accurate to call Yaoi material pornographic. This is because pornography is usually devoid of artistic style and, instead, caters to base, prurient interests. The artistry and style of Yaoi brings it significantly above such trite presentations and into the realm of artistry. It is not the explicit sex that drives the popularity of Yaoi. It is the skill of the writers and artists and the unique imagery of the stories.