Are the people who work at yaoi cafes actually gay
If you go into a bookstore in Japan and meander through the shelves of manga, wedged in the corner, you’ll detect a section with an array of shiny, colorful covers displaying beautiful men gazing seductively into the distance, at each other, or at you. You’ve entered the kingdom of BL, or “boys’ love,” a genre of homoerotic manga, novels and anime depicting — you guessed it — boys’ adoration. It might seem bizarre to many that Japan, a country where gay marriage remains illegal, puts on such a flashy display of queer adoration . So, what function does BL serve and who is it really for? BL fills a niche for romantic stories and smut made by and for women, and has the potential to be a great representation of the LGBTQ community, but in its current express, it may be causing more harm than good.
Female Viewership
Most authors and readers of BL are cisgender, heterosexual women. According to a survey conducted in 2018 by the bookstore chain Tsutaya, at least one in five women enjoy the BL genre. There are several reasons why BL is so popular, and it’s not just that there’s double the eye candy. For one, straight female readers can read BL without the need to assess themse
Okazu turned 22 this past week! Content birthday to everyone here at Okazu! Every year I like to execute some piece of research and this one is very special to me, so I reflection it would form a great birthday present. ^_^
This past spring saw the introduction of the Queer and Feminist Perspectives on Japanese Popular Cultures Symposium held online. I had recently visited the Yuri Cafe Anchor in Tokyo and wanted to introduce it to more people so I proposed a research article on the cafe. The founders of the event were very supportive and encouraged me to become something in. Willow Nunez volunteered to be my contact on the basis at Anchor and did an interview with the cafe manager, Chibiko.
Since the Symposium, Yuri Cafe Anchor has been updated, and some changes were introduced that I contemplate very positive. Here is our investigate, with a fresh final piece on Anchor’s new evolution.
Originally presented at the Queer and Feminist Perspectives on Japanese Popular Cultures Symposium, April 2024.
by Erica Friedman & Willow Nunez
Yuri Cafe Anchor Research Project
1.0 Introduction
In Tokyo, Japan, cafes are among the several gathering spaces used by various subcultures. Alon
Are you fan of Boys love comis prefer Soredemo Yasashi Koi wo Suru by Yoneda Ko , 10count by Lihito Takarai?
Ever heard of BL school cafe? Also heard of the comic cafe specialized in boys love comics and books?
BL stands for "Boys love". One popular genre for many girls (!) in Japan (and the world). This cafe opened based on the concept of the young guys in admire each other. You as a customer go to the cafe as if you go to the school.
There are 3 grades in college where you can narrate by the color of the tie the students (cafe staff) wear. The 1st grade is red, 2nd, blue and 3rd black.
Upon your first visit, you become a student card and start from the first grade. The rule is that you cannot casual talk to the students above your grade. It is kinda role perform. The more you travel to the school (cafe), the higher your grade will be.
The cafe serves you not only coffee, but also alcohol (what a school!).
The school organizes some event such as school excursion to the strawberry firm etc. from time to time and you can join it.
One important rule in the cafe. You are not allowed to contact the boys there! You can talk to them and get served but no touch. Or you may b Anyone who has ever browsed the manga section of a Japanese bookstore has probably come across shelves of graphic novels with attractive men embracing each other on the covers. The BL (Boys’ Love) or yaoi genre depicts romantic and sexual relationships between men written by straight women for linear women. With content ranging from sweet and lovey-dovey scenes to hardcore pornography, fans of the genre are called fujoshi (腐女子）meaning “rotten girls.” Although the term is used by both fans and detractors of BL, this gendered expression suggests that women who fantasize about two men together are perverted and abnormal. The BL genre is clearly a realm of fantasy bearing tiny resemblance to reality. Non-Japanese characters, especially white men, are disproportionately common and female characters, if they exist at all, are often cast in misogynistic, antagonistic roles. LGBT concerns such as coming out and facing discrimination are largely ignored and frank discussions about sexual orientation and identity are unique . Many of the couples depicted in BL trail strict gender roles mirroring the heterosexual relationships portrayed in other media for women