Happy 801 Day

Yes, it’s August first and we all know what that means—the glorious holiday of the fujoshi, ‘yaoi day’. Even though ‘yaoi’ is a term mostly discarded in Japanese fandom’s daily discussions in favor of ‘BL’ or other variations, it’s still a term that’s very embedded in the fandom itself. Thus, I feel like I’ll be branded a traitor if I don’t somehow honor this glorious (perhaps even religious?) holiday of the perverts.

Lately I have been getting more and more questions like “what is it about BL that you like so much?” And when it comes down to it, I don’t really have an answer for you. Like I was discussing with someone else a while back, there’s just something about BL (and GL) that makes it feel different from general straight romance usually seen in shoujo or josei manga. Maybe it’s the taboos of being in a same-sex relationship, or maybe it’s something else. Like I said to an anonymous asker on formspring in response to the question “what got you into yaoi? why do you like it so much?“:

In a GL manga I was reading the other day, the girl said something along these lines: “the reason most heterosexual couples get together is out of necessity. To build a family. To follow societies orders. What I want is a real romance that discards all of that.” So I guess what I’m looking for when I read BL is that ‘real romance’ that character was talking about so fondly, maybe.

That’s really as close as I can get to an answer. All those essays written by men trying to explain why women like BL are unnecessary. Everyone in this fandom has their own different reason for enjoying BL manga, whether it be the stories or the relationships or even the pointless sex. Everyone has their own preferences for the stories and characters they prefer. Everyone in this fandom is different. So enjoy this day as a chance to bask in the community of fandom that brings so many different people together, in enjoying the things you love and appreciating the fact that you love it.

Also, real quick I want to give a shout-out to Khursten over at Otaku Champloo!! Thank you for your incredible sweet recommendation, lovely! ♡ Khursten has equally great taste and is a great writer with many, many great BL and non-BL recommendations so please check out her blog. Especially her latest one on Yaoi no Hi!