My opinion on Yaoi and Yuri

If you mention Yaoi and Yuri in the real world today, you might get some questionable glances and unfavorable looks. Even among hardcore anime fans, people still with turn up their nose at the very mention of them.

But what are they? Why do people not like them so much?

Yaoi is a manga or anime where the emotional or sexual relationship between two or more male characters accounts for most of the plot. Yuri is the same thing except between females. In today’s culture, you can see where this might raise a few red flags for people. While more and more people are becoming open and accepting of people who are more than just the Hetero male and female, it’s still considered taboo.

I realize that I might get a lot of flak for this article. But that’s one of the reasons I’m writing it. But in part, that’s WHY I’m writing this. So I can spread awareness in the anime community. Also, it’s my blog. If you don’t like it, go read something else.

The problem with Yaoi and Yuri is the same as with any other kind of mature content: It doesn’t portray real people in a real relationship but oversexed caricatures and stereotypes. If you can deal with that, there’s really no other problem. The real issues only come when people start to believe that this is really how gay relationships work.

You can say the same thing for TV and movies showing a hetero-sexual relationship. People start to wonder and think on why their life isn’t like that.

There’s nothing wrong with Yaoi or Yuri. But the writing tends to be at the same level as the Twilight books. Terrible, in other words.

There is nothing wrong with two men or women being in love. There is something wrong with bad storytelling being the norm.

There have been only a few Yaoi and Yuri anime shows that I actually liked. Bloom into You was recommended by a friend of mine and the storytelling was well done. Some anime fans joke about how the fact that an anime is more gay by how many exclamation points the anime title has to it. Though I can say that Yuri on Ice!!! is EXTREMELY well done and still one of my top favorite anime shows. The creator even said it was up to the viewer to say if Yuri and Victor were a couple. She made a world where love is love.

And that’s how it should be.

Having been part of the anime community, I’ve known all sorts of people with a wide varying field of interests between them when it comes to their own particular vices and pleasures.
If people enjoy it and they’re not insistent on ramming it down your throat then leave them to it.

I think the only thing I have a problem with is the age difference. A few years, heck even 5 or 6 years is fine. But a 20 year old dating a 50 year old? That’s something I won’t ever understand. But as for male and male or female and female? Leave them alone and heck, maybe even try to get to know them. You might just gain a new friend.

What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

As always,

Keep Smiling!