-written by: lisa marie cooper
bl. yaoi shonen ai. what what? Admittedly, these terms have become much more common since I first encountered the genre two decades ago, but there is still confusion about what bl actually is. So whether you’re a veteran or just googled bl to find out what your teenage daughter has been up to, let’s dive in and answer the age-old internet question: what’s wrong with bl?
You are reading: What are bl books
definition of terms
First, let’s define some terms. keep in mind that bl is an evolving genre and some terms that were popular ten years ago are rarely used now. other words stick in certain regions/fandoms even as they fall into others, or take on nuances they didn’t have before. consider these definitions as guidelines, not absolutes. When in doubt, ask the person you’re talking to what they mean. the odds are extremely good, they’ll be happy to tell you.
blShort for boy’s love, bl is currently the most accepted and widely used term for anime and manga with gay themes and romantic relationships. covers all ages and genders within that scope. if you’re not sure which term to use, use bl.
yaoishort for “yamanashi ochinashi iminashi” (no climax, no point, no meaning), yaoi used to be the general term for bl in the us. uu. It has since fallen out of fashion in favor of the more inclusive and accurate bl, but you’ll still see it.
shonen aia very obsolete term now, shonen ai literally means “boy love” and used to refer to romantic relationships between teenagers (boys) rather than adults, which became classified as yaoi . at times, it was also used as a catch-all for non-sexual stories. nowadays if it is used it is usually only for shouta titles.
slashslash is used exclusively with respect to fanwork, particularly fanfiction. used to mean depicting two male characters romantically together who weren’t canonically together (the most famous being kirk and spock, where the term originated from), but these days it’s widely used to refer to any fan work that contain homosexual themes, even if the two “broke up”. the characters are together in the original work.
queer baitsome shows deliberately hint that their characters may be gay but refuse to confirm it or even go out of their way to make jokes about fans thinking two male characters are in a romantic relationship . just because they love each other. I won’t mention any manga or anime titles (although you’ll probably come up with some if you try), but the best known English examples are supernatural and sherlock.
not bl but gets confused with itin the same way that a show can contain a romantic subplot without being considered a romance, there are many shows that contain male/male relationships without being considered bl. The most prominent of these (which some people will always argue over ranking) is Yuri on Ice. any romance between yuri and victor is not the focus of the series, so it’s not bl. an older example is cardcaptor sakura. touya and yuki are a couple, but they are supporting characters and their relationship, again, is not the focus.
why do people like it?
See Also: How to transfer library Kindle Books via USB
Okay, now that we’ve clarified our definitions, why are so many people interested in this very specific genre? many reasons! Entire academic articles have been written exploring the topic, but these are some of the most common. your own reason may be something else entirely, and that’s okay. bl is for everyone and there is no wrong way to enjoy your favorite series.
It’s hotsome people like the idea of two men together, in the same way that it is commonly accepted that many men and some women enjoy the idea of lesbians. After all, if one good guy is good, two good guys can only be better, right?
it’s romanticromance is the most popular genre for books, and for many people the genres involved in that romance don’t matter. bl is just another way to read about two people falling in love.
it’s a female spacenot all bl readers are women, but there is no doubt that the genre is a female dominated space, especially the fandom. bl can feel like a cozy haven and a safe space for women to talk about their fantasies.
freedom from gender roles you may have noticed that women in manga are often kidnapped/rescued, need to be taken care of, handle the emotional labor in relationships, etc. Not all female readers want to read another story with the same sexist tropes. without a woman in the relationship, all of that disappears. I can’t complain that they always kidnap a woman if, after all, there isn’t a woman to kidnap. Now, it’s true that many bl stories, especially older ones, have their own set of problems, especially regarding the uke/seme dynamic, but at least it’s a different set of problems.
identificationnot all people who read bl are women. there are also a lot of male readers, and for a while it was the only reliable way for some gay friends of mine to find stories about gay men outside of adult sites. again, some of the common tropes in bl are problematic (“assault as love” comes to mind), but overall the stories are much more positive and loving than you’d find online.
fandom is contagiousthe moment a fan finds out you’re interested in reading a bl story, they’ll be thrilled and offer to recommend a bunch more stories for you to read. in fact, would you like to come and borrow something from their shelves…? maybe marathon the first five episodes of loveless? oh, and what about… then they show you the fanfiction organized not only by fandom and matchmaking, but also specific tags for everything under the sun and you realize that fangirls are organized.
titles to start
If you’re looking to try a bl story, you’re spoiled for choice – a wonderful change from just twenty years ago. and that’s great, because there are so many different types of bl to read. Don’t go thinking that they are all the same. the only thing that is certain in a bl story is a romantic relationship between two men. bl stories can be dark or light, funny or tragic, short or long; the list goes on. many stories cross genres. For example, one of my favorite series, Fake, is a “drama” series about two policemen.
It’s true that you’ll see certain story tropes repeated (high school romances will be popular until the end of time), but even within that framework there’s a lot of variation, from tone to characters to art. If you don’t like the first story you read, don’t be afraid to try another one. Unless you absolutely hate romance, there’s bound to be a story for you.
As always, check the ratings if you’re concerned about mature content. all english publishers are careful to include a rating on the back of the book or blu-ray, especially when it comes to bl. but just because a series is listed as 18+ doesn’t mean the series is more pornographic than a standard romance novel. (In fact, many fans have been known to complain that shows aren’t sexy enough or are shrink-wrapped despite having very bland content.) reviews are available online if you are looking for a certain amount of adult content.
See Also: Woodblock Printing | Brian P Coppola
something sweetawkward silence: Her crush on the baseball team asks a shy guy out. they’re happily in love and dealing with issues no more overwhelming than “I miss you while you were at baseball camp” and “when you’re quiet, it’s hard for me to tell if you’re okay with it; could you say this?” once?” there’s nothing sweeter than an awkward silence.
classmates: nakamura asumiko deliberately went for the basics of romance with her classmates, and while the resulting story is itself a cliché (the honor student doesn’t get along with the popular student, so each realizes there is more between them than they thought, love eventually blooms), the lightness with which he deals with the story is bright and refreshing, as is the slightly unusual art style.
something spicy that embraces love: youka nitta’s embracing love is a classic bl. it’s been around in one form or another for 20 years, with some new piece being published in English every few years to keep things interesting. the plot is nothing surprising – it starts with two adult stars competing with each other for a role, and i think you can guess how it goes from there – but not only was it one of the first bl titles in english, it was the first bl series multi-volume to many fans for years afterward, as the story further explores iwaki and katou’s relationship beyond their initial meeting and consummation.
Love Guns: Confession: I’ll always recommend Love Guns on a list like this just because it epitomizes the silliest tropes in the most hilarious and over-the-top ways, even when the characters take things very seriously. the plot? there are these guys, they can turn into animals, and (almost) everyone wants to do it with the weirdest guy/animal who, of course, happens to be our hapless protagonist. sexy timing and some truly implausible plot points ensue. don’t read with your critical thinking cap on.
something differentwhat did you eat yesterday? – fumi yoshinaga what did you eat yesterday? looks more like a cookbook than a bl story. Each volume focuses on the dishes Shiro cooks for him and his partner Kenji. Much more rooted in “real life” than most BL series, older readers will find themselves nodding in agreement as they recognize Shiro’s puzzles, from what to do with fruit bought in bulk to debating whether to tell a friend. Fair warning: you’re likely to leave each volume hungry and wanting to try a recipe.
i hear sunspot – i hear sunspot has more in common with a quiet voice and with light: raising an autistic child than most college-based bl romances. The energetic Tai Chi and the reserved, hard-of-hearing Kohei make an unusual pairing, but their bond turns out to be stronger than anyone anticipated. Unlike most BL romances set in college, I’ve heard Sunspot focuses more on what’s happening off campus and it’s very satisfying to see the characters find their way in the world.
something lively gravitation: An excitable rock star wannabe meets a taciturn writer and is instantly smitten. love and extravagant antics ensue. Gravitation was the series to introduce new fans to when I got into the genre, and it’s still popular now. (witness how many people are excited about the upcoming blu-ray). if you love jpop, you’ll be singing the opening theme in episode three.
junjo romantica: why watch a show about romance when you can get a show with three and a half? (The problem, of course, is when you like one couple better, but the episode you’re in focuses on a different one.) romantic hit between them at least once per episode.
-lisa marie cooper
this is not the first time that lisa writes about the love of boys: she was the author of “on the bl” in newtype magazine and piq. Long-time Right Stuf fans may also recognize Lisa as Marie from the Anime Today podcast or the OG RightstufSpecialsminion on the Anime News Network and fandom post forums. Non-anime articles of hers can be found at positivelyeditorial.com.
See Also: 10 Best Career Development Books (to Read in 2022)