Yaoi (やおい) is a publishing genre which focuses on male/male relationships and is marketed at females. The genre originated in Japan and encompasses manga, anime, novels and dōjinshi. In Japan, this genre is called "Boys' Love" or simply "BL", and "yaoi" as a genre name is mostly used by western fans. Yaoi has spread beyond Japan; yaoi material is available in the United States, as well as other Western and Eastern nations worldwide.
Yaoi began in the doujinshi markets of Japan in the late 1970s, mostly as parody works; but male same-sex love had previously been presented in shonen-ai, june and tanbi works. Yaoi authors and fans are careful to distinguish yaoi from “gay manga”, which is created by and for gay men.
The main characters in yaoi usually conform to the stereotypes of the older, masculine seme who pursues the younger, feminine uke.
In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-morae word, . However, it is frequently heard...
