Yaoi and Other Popular Terms Used to Describe Gay Romance in Anime and Manga

Seeing the terms 'Yaoi', 'Boys' Love' and 'Shounen-ai' being tossed around to describe certain manga and anime titles can be daunting to someone unfamiliar with the language being used. Understanding some basic differences in usage between these three terms alone is particularly important since not every Yaoi or Boys' Love manga is going to be to someone's specific tastes. Every manga title is different, just as with other flavors of fiction, and every reader has a different idea of what appeals to them in regards to artwork style, level of male/male content and romantic themes, and realistic storyline development (or lack there of). So, whether you're already a fan of Boys' Love and Yaoi or you simply have an interest in branching out into the realm of male-male relationships in manga or anime, this is the definitive A to Z guide for anyone looking to familiarize themselves with the terms of this genre.

The Basics Behind the Most Popular Terminology Used by Fans of Yaoi and Boy's Love:

Yaoi typically refers to any anime or manga that contains a focus on male-male relationships and content, usually created by women authors for a mostly female audience, through many men also enjoy and author titles from the genre. Yaoi is an acronym for the Japanese phrase "yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi" (coined from the highlighted initials within the phrase), and this roughly translates to English as "no peak, no point, no meaning". Most US or Western fans use Yaoi as specifically referring to anime and manga titles that contain more explicit material or scenes between male characters, and secondarily as an umbrella term for the entire genre. Yaoi can transcend and intersect with any other manga genre - science fiction, horror, fantasy, drama, and humor, etc.

Ambi or Ambiguous is used to describe titles that contain strong relationships and bonds between male characters that are usually unromantic in nature. In this way, the characters may appear to have romantic feelings for each other, but it is not a focus in the story being told, and the relationships presented generally never develop into romance. These are generally not considered Boys' Love titles, but can be labeled as 'slashable', or in other words left open to interpretation of a romantic relationship. Less commonly, Ambi or Ambiguous can also be used to describe a particular character that is portrayed to be either 1) ambiguous in sexual preference, or 2) possessing of non-gender-specific traits, usually combined with some appearances of being romantically interested in a member of the same sex.

Boys' Love is a umbrella term typically used to indicate novels, manga, and anime titles that contain at least a partial element of male-male relationships. The genre is usually written by female writers for a female audience, but some men also enjoy the genre. When used by both Japanese and Western fans the term can be non-specific as to whether or not a title deemed as Boys' Love contains explicit content. However, Boys' Love is most often used to indicate 'soft' or non-explicit titles (ie, titles both focusing more on the romance of a particular couple or the main plot, and not sexual content).

BL is a shortened abbreviation for Boys' Love, and is used in the same way.

Seme is a form of the Japanese verb 'semeru' (to attack). The Seme is the 'top' or another analogy would be the 'pitcher' in a Male-Male relationship, rather than the one who receives. In manga and anime, the Seme is traditionally depicted as more masculine, and often taller and older than his partner, although both partners can also be similar in size. The role is not often reversed with the Uke, but in some instances the two are difficult to differentiate or remain undefined within the relationship. In general circumstances, however, it is fairly easy to tell the Seme from the Uke.

Slash is a term most frequently applied to fan-written fictional works with a direct focus on Male-Male relationships, usually based on characters from existing works of fiction. Slash, like the term slashable, found its beginnings as slang to describe the same medium of fan fiction, and possibly one of the earliest and (since most cited) examples of slash was fan-written material involving interpretation of the relationship between Star Trek's Kirk/Spock.

Slashable is a fan-made term used to describe non-romantic relationships between male characters in anime and manga that users of the term would imagine or interpret as romantic in nature. Slashable is not only used when describing anime and manga characters; the term actually found its start as a wildly popular piece of slang used amongst fan fiction communities of all different stripes and flavors.

Shounen-ai (also spelled as Shonen-ai) is a sub-genre of Yaoi that for the most part is no longer used in Japan. Shounen-ai literally translates as 'boy-love'. Some Western fans still use Shounen-ai as interchangeable with the term 'Boys' Love' when describing both anime and manga titles without explicit Male-Male scenes. Most often, when Shounen-ai is used, it is used just like Boys' Love, to indicate stories with softer or milder content, generally with a strong focus on storyline and/or romance.

Uke is a form of the Japanese verb 'ukeru' (to receive). The Uke is commonly referred to as the 'bottom' or alternately, the 'catcher' in a yaoi relationship. The Uke is often portrayed as smaller, younger and with softer facial features than the second partner, but can also be depicted as similar in size and facial masculinity. Ordinarily, this role is not frequently reversed with the Seme.

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Other Helpful Terms Non-Specific to the Boys' Love and Yaoi Genre:

Bishonen is translated into English as 'beautiful boy' or 'beautiful youth'. Bishonen are abundant throughout the many genres of anime and manga, and are often depicted with androgynous characteristics, such as a slender frame and refined features. Many of these characters are also portrayed with some level of sexual ambiguity. Through Bishonen applies specifically to youths (young adults) in its original root word, the term has come to be used by fans around the world as a general descriptive of pretty males in anime and manga, regardless of the age of the characters.

Bishie is an affectionate but less often used abbreviation of Bishonen coined by fans of the popular 'beautiful boy' aesthetic, and is used in the same manner to indicate handsome and/or often androgynous male characters.

Fan Fiction applies to any medium of fan-created writing based off of (or using the characters of) an already existing work of fiction. The term fan fiction is also written as fan-fiction.

M/M is a shortened abbreviation of homosexual relationships or content between males within any type of fiction (in other words, 'male-with-male' or 'male-male' abbreviated). Not only utilized by anime and manga fans, this term is widely used in describing works of fiction within the US as well as by fan fiction writers of any creed, and is most often used online.

Western Fans refers to fans of anime and manga outside of Japan, and more specifically those located in the US, Canada, UK, Europe and other countries commonly categorized as 'Western' countries.

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I hope this guide to the terms that accompany this genre was helpful to new fans or those curious about Yaoi. An excellent place to browse and securely buy manga online is Amazon.com, which offers hundreds of Boys' Love and Yaoi manga for purchase, as well as customer made reviews and scheduled release date information for as yet unreleased titles.