“Yowie!”: The Stateside appeal of boy-meets-boy YAOI comics

These same-sex romances were rare in the USA before 2002, when manga became one of the fastest-growing sections in bookstores. That growth saw comics aimed at female readers – a demographic ignored by major comic publishers for decades – sell with unexpected success. That success prompted one publisher, Tokyopop, to try out lines that would not generally sell to the traditional comic shop audience, including its first two popular YAOI titles: Fake and Gravitation. The success of those two titles inspired more publishers to jump into the genre, revealing a sizable audience eager to snatch up these male/male romances.

When the first YAOI-Con was held in 2001, there was only one YAOI title being published by an American publisher and manga took up very little shelf space in bookstores. In the seven years since, manga has gained prominence in major retailers and YAOI is now handled by most manga publishers. YAOI-Con, meanwhile, has had to change locations several times in order to deal with growing attendance.

As YAOI grew in popularity in the States, it attracted the attention of an underserved gay male comics fan base hungry for same-sex stories that reflected their lives. But the genre’s expansion has also brought some of the clunkier and more cliché-ridden titles to American audiences, revealing the curious nature of the genre’s female-targeted origins. It is this intersect that has led to some furious clashes between female and gay male YAOI fans, who might otherwise seem natural allies.

Girls who like boys who do boys like they’re girls

As a genre, YAOI emerged as entertainment for female readers, and many of the leading writers in the genre are women (quite unlike traditional comics). Perhaps as a result, most of the genre’s romantic heroes do not identify as gay men, despite having intense emotional and physical relationships with men, as the genre dictates. But there are a few notable exceptions.

In Sakende Yaruze’s Shout Out Loud!, much of the drama focuses on coming out issues. The story starts when Shino, a voice actor in his mid 30s, meets Nakaya, his estranged son, and welcomes the chance to get to know his grown child.

As he now has Nakaya to provide for, Shino instructs his agents to accept any work that comes his way, and Shino is soon offered a role in an audio dramatization of a YAOI story. Shino has immediate chemistry with his male co-star, Tenryu, causing producers to request that the two play a couple on more projects. When Nakaya learns of Shino’s work, he is initially appalled to find that his father has been taking gay roles and has to be convinced by Tenryu to accept Shino’s performances in YAOI dramas as part of being an actor.

Shino is characterized by a boyish innocence that makes him seem almost virginal, despite having fathered a child. That sweet nature leads Tenryu to become attracted to Shino. However, Shino has avoided relationships since parting with Nayaka’s mother, and maintains that he’ll never have another lover. That inexperience gives Tenryu pause.