Boys' love, commonly abbreviated BL, is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that depicts homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created by women for a female readership, distinguishing it from the equivalent genre of homoerotic media made by and for gay men, though BL also attracts a male audience and is sometimes produced by male creators; the genre spans manga, anime, drama CDs, novels, video games, television series, films and fan works.
Facts
Place of Origin Notable ExampleThe Heart of Thomas (1974-1975) by Moto Hagio and Kaze to Ki no Uta (1976-1984) by Keiko Takemiya 1 Defining TraitCharacters are paired according to the roles of seme, the active pursuer, and uke, the passive pursued 1 Connections
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Japan, originated there.
Sources
1. Boys' love - Wikipedia
Lead section, sentence 1
is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that depicts homoerotic relationships between male characters.
1970s and 1980s: From shonen-ai to yaoi section
The Heart of Thomas (1974-1975) by Hagio and Kaze to Ki no Uta (1976-1984) by Takemiya.
Concepts and themes section
A commonly recurring characteristic of BL is the practice of pairing characters in relationships according to the roles of seme, the sexual top or active pursuer, and uke, the sexual bottom or passive pursued.
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.