Why do you like Shounen-ai?

[mirichan]

Originally Posted by babbito2k

I have fansubs of a couple of episodes of Mirage of Blaze but I never did get to see the whole thing. Thanks for the tip, mirichan.

My pleasure... if you discover after watching it that you would like to understand more of the past of these 2 characters and what the novel has been up to (the series ends at vol. 8 of the novels, the final vol. (40) was published a few weeks ago), I would suggest you check the Mirage of Blaze Yahoo ML... there is one person there who has READ all the novels and have answered a lot of questions... this story is so great, it's too bad we only saw a little of it...

[elihua]

At first I wasn’t really sure why I liked shounen-ai. I was actually a bit confused with myself about it. But I’ve thought about it a bit, and I think I know the main reason for me:

I don’t mean to, but I tend to be awfully hard on anime girls. So many of them seem to be like the Pathetic Clingy Girl, or the Extra Sugar Sweet How Couldn’t Anyone Not Possible Love Girl, or the Way Too Good To Acknowledge the Rest of the Cast Girl. And even when there are female characters in anime that I like, I always find myself (usually not consciously, but still) waiting for them to mess up and act a little like those other girls. I guess it bugs me that those annoying character types are so often the characters in a series that are supposed to be representing my gender. And I’m just being silly, I know, it’s just a show. But I just always do that.

So then whenever I see a girl with a guy in anime, I’m always thinking things like “Why do you have to be so pathetic and sweet?!” or “Why does she have to keep going after him when he hates her?!” or “Why does that guy even like that brat?!”

But with shounen-ai, there is no girl I can sit and brood about every little thing she does that is even slightly stereotypical. Certainly, the guys act like annoying stereotypes sometimes, but I don’t seem to mind nearly so much, I guess since they are not my gender and I don’t feel the need to slap them into acting sensibly. Like Shuichi and Yuki from Gravitation. I’m sure if either character were a girl I would absolutely despise them. But since they’re just two guys, instead I just sit back and watch, and while I didn’t particularly care much about Yuki, I thought Shuichi was funny and cute (even though I am fully aware that he is probably even more annoying and clingy than almost any girl in any anime I have ever seen).

It’s silly, I know. For what it’s worth, I don’t seem to have anything against real-life girls.

[Ratt-san]

Hmm...Why do I like shounen-ai? Well, I suppose because its, in most cases, deepper and more tasteful than yaoi ^^. I like the romance between the two characters and watching it evolve usually thorugh difficulty. Its just a big bonus that the romance happens to be between two guys.

I will admit, I'm completely a fangirl, but I don't see anything wrong with that. I like to read fanfictions, yes, simply because I like reading and I like writing and its interesting to read sidestories to existing animes that explore the possabilites between two characters whether they be together in the original manga/anime or not.

I haven't really looked about the forum that much and so far I haven't seen a Shounen-ai forum and if there isn't one then I think that's too bad. Its difficult to try to find shounen-ai anime and having to look all over forums or reading all the descriptions of various animes is a bit annoying. It'd be easy to find them if there was a certain section where people discussed shounen-ai.

Because of that most of the shounen-ai I like is in the form of mangas, but I do enjoy Gravitation (since it was one of my favorite animes) and Yami no Matsuei (which I adore) and though I haven't seen the anime, I'm sure I'd love FAKE as well because I love the manga. Being a big sap and fluff lover I can't help but adore shounen-ai, especially when the characters actually look like men ^^; and not have far to femminine of features.


~Ratt-san~

[jennwenn]

Originally Posted by elihua

I don’t mean to, but I tend to be awfully hard on anime girls. So many of them seem to be like the Pathetic Clingy Girl, or the Extra Sugar Sweet How Couldn’t Anyone Not Possible Love Girl, or the Way Too Good To Acknowledge the Rest of the Cast Girl. And even when there are female characters in anime that I like, I always find myself (usually not consciously, but still) waiting for them to mess up and act a little like those other girls. I guess it bugs me that those annoying character types are so often the characters in a series that are supposed to be representing my gender. And I’m just being silly, I know, it’s just a show. But I just always do that.

So then whenever I see a girl with a guy in anime, I’m always thinking things like “Why do you have to be so pathetic and sweet?!” or “Why does she have to keep going after him when he hates her?!” or “Why does that guy even like that brat?!”

But with shounen-ai, there is no girl I can sit and brood about every little thing she does that is even slightly stereotypical. Certainly, the guys act like annoying stereotypes sometimes, but I don’t seem to mind nearly so much, I guess since they are not my gender and I don’t feel the need to slap them into acting sensibly. Like Shuichi and Yuki from Gravitation. I’m sure if either character were a girl I would absolutely despise them. But since they’re just two guys, instead I just sit back and watch, and while I didn’t particularly care much about Yuki, I thought Shuichi was funny and cute (even though I am fully aware that he is probably even more annoying and clingy than almost any girl in any anime I have ever seen).

It’s silly, I know. For what it’s worth, I don’t seem to have anything against real-life girls.

That's exactly how I feel! Most anime girls are just impossible to identify with. They're stupid or weak-willed or just not rational. I don't LIKE them. Miyazaki's female leads in Ghibli films for instance, are great. But they're like girls on a pedestal, how can I think of them as real little girls?

And somehow, the guys come out more likeable and beleivable as characters (and no not just because they are hot.)

I like shonen ai because there are no stupid girls, the guys are cute, and its just something different to watch. However, I think shounen ai is plagued with the same problems that other romance anime have. Some of them are just incredibly sappy and too melodramatic for me to like, like Zetsuai.

Speaking of Hikaru no Go, the mangaka's latest manga series Death Note is just SEETHING with shonen ai possibilities! I mean you have two young, smart, good-looking young men obsessed with each other. (But for the shonen ai-phobic, its all hints.)

[White_Line]

Quote from above post:

"I like shonen ai because there are no stupid girls, the guys are cute, and its just something different to watch."

You took the words right out of my mouth! ^___^ My sister and I are fan-girls, not really hardcore but still... and my sister always complains about how "that girl isn't good enough for him," or "How could he like her?!"

You get to see an interesting story, totally different from the normal boy/girl couples... I mean you see those everyday in movies and manga and everyday life. It's just different you know? ^__^ Not to mention all the cute bishies!

[mishali]

Personally, I like shounen ai because the story is fantastic and the guys are so.... cool and very handsome. OMG. In this world of ours, mostly people think that love between two different sex can only exist but the truth is the gender of the same sex may exist. Gender doesn't matter but the true love you had for each other.

Base on the story that I've had read boy x boy is better than boy x girl. Also I much prefer boy x boy because I can feel the intense love of the character for each other. There passion and commitment etc. Every moment is breath-taking. You should not just let it pass.

[Soullinkia]

I love shonen-ai because it shows men actaully have emotions and arn't just meatheads who like to fight, they can have genuine relations ships (even if they're not sexual most shonen-ai have side characters who are just friends) I like that lots because men nowadays are taught not to have any emotions, shonen-ai changes all that.

[Chiibi]

I think shounen-ai can be really cute (much cuter than hardcore yaoi >_>). Though I mostly ship pairings not due to gender but due to personalities. As long as they're actually in love and I approve of the match, it doesn't matter if they're boyxgirl, boyxboy or girlxgirl. And I certainly don't agree with "same gender is hotter than straight". They are BOTH hot!

Unfortunately, from my experience, canon straight pairings are far better executed than the canon gay ones. It's like the first has more heart while the latter is built off lust and fanservice. Gravitation and Kannazuki No Miko, I'm talking about YOU!!!

........which is why most of the gay pairings I ship are only SUBTEXT gay pairings.

[Ikaros]

Seriously shounen-ai are the most romantic anime...From what i've seen most of the girls adore it, and i agree. Even if it's boy x boy it's still hot! Personally it's one of my favourite genre