Content Warning: Some topics may be NSFW
Edited 2026 Post
Welcome, all she’s, he’s, them’s, and others! Do you watch yaoi or BL (Boy’s Love) anime? I did in the past and there are some series and OVAs I still like in the present. But I sometimes wonder if it’s alright for me to enjoy this genre. If you’ve ever wondered the same, well, I am offering my opinion in this rant. My goal isn’t to change anyone’s mind about anything, but to express my own thoughts and contribute to the creative and critical thinking of readers. My views have shifted a bit since I first wrote about this topic in 2019. That’s why this version was created.
Long story short, I do not disagree with the overall message of what I wrote seven years ago: that it’s not inherently problematic for the average person to enjoy yaoi content. I just have a few notes and nuances to add now that I’ve grown up a bit and learned more information. There are a few matters to clarify.
The first point to mention is that, regardless of how I apparently felt in 2019, I don’t watch yaoi or BL with the intent to be “turned on.” I won’t deny that some spicy scenes or situations do have that effect, but I am there for the drama, romance, and character writing, not the sexuality. It has also occurred to me that there are many issues with the genre such as sexual assault and sexualized child characters – and so I wanted to clarify that those were never the aspects that made me “turned on.”
I know this isn’t a very comfortable topic for a public blog post, but I’ll also add that I don’t necessarily judge people who enjoy yaoi/BL for the spicier elements. First of all, what other people decide to do with art is none of my business. Secondly, what one likes to see in art/fiction does not always reflect what one likes to see in reality. For more related to this point, see the three rules outlined in the original 2019 post.
Basically, I have nothing against most fujoshis and even considered myself one at one time. I wish more BL anime was focused on good writing rather than anything sexual. I also want to see less fetishization of gay couples and more actual experiences of my fellow LGBT+ folk. However, that doesn’t mean I condemn fujoshis or any other yaoi enjoyers. The only people from that camp that I do judge rather harshly are the “super straight” women who are homophobic in their real lives and see gay anime as purely fictional fetish content. It should be obvious why I don’t like those bigots, but I don’t think they make up the majority of yaoi enjoyers. At least, I hope they don’t.
That leads us to another important reason why I enjoy yaoi and BL content. I don’t think I mentioned this in my original post. Even seven years ago, I already knew I was bisexual and thus in the queer community. Now I’m even more at home in the community as a pansexual nonbinary person. I know that I’m not alone in my experience of appreciating yaoi and yuri anime as something that helped me when I was first starting to explore my own gender and sexuality. For that reason, even though it’s got so many problems as a commercialized genre, I still appreciate BL and yaoi for existing. For me, shows like Gravitation and Ouran Highschool Host Club were progressive and helpful in battling the homophobia I grew up drowning in. How can I say it’s bad to enjoy something that helped or encouraged me and other queer people I know?
One thing that’s changed in the last seven years is my taste in specific BL content. I was a lot more forgiving of disturbing content in the past, but I suppose I’ve gotten more sensitive. For example, I used to like Okane ga Nai! (No Money!) It’s an R-rated OVA about a young man who is sold into sexual slavery to pay off a debt to a relative. He falls in love with his “owner.” Though I still think there are good or interesting elements of that production – such as the Japanese voice-acting – it’s no longer worth it to me to watch it because of my disgust at the abusive situation. It’s similar with most of the shows I listed, like Hitorijime My Hero and Junjou Romantica.
(Side note: There is one title that I regret mentioning in the 2019 post because it’s disgusting and also not yaoi. I won’t be renaming it here, either. It was mentioned in the original blog post as an example of a yaoi OVA that I didn’t like. I removed it. In reality, the production is purely pedophilic. It’s about a male pedophile who preys on a male child. Unfortunately, I know this because I watched part of the first episode on a sick dare a long time ago. I’m sorry for even including the title of such a gross OVA. If you do happen to know the title, don’t make the mistake of thinking that this anime is yaoi.)
My list of enjoyable yaoi from 2019 was abysmal. Examples of recent and better BL/yaoi include: Given, Sasaki and Miyano,Tadaima Okaeri, and Twilight Out of Focus. In closing, I will restate that it’s generally not problematic to enjoy BL and yaoi. That being said, it’s worth it to be edducated on the issues within this genre so you can promote better media for the future. I hope these points make sense.
~Thanks for Reading~
Original 2019 Post
Attention all she’s, he’s, and them’s, let’s rant!
I like some of both yaoi and yuri, shounen ai and shoujo ai. In this post, I’ll focus on yaoi, as a shout-out to all the fujoshi! There are several reasons I enjoy watching yaoi. For one thing, I am often turned on by it. For another, it’s unusual, and I appreciate unusual things. Another reason is the characters and drama can be quite interesting.
A few of my favorite tame shounen ai or yaoi anime shows are Junjou Romantica, Yuri on Ice, Love Stage, Gravitation, and Hitorijime My Hero. Some borderline hentai yaoi OVAs I love are Seitokaichou ni Chuukoku, Koisuru Boukun, Sensitive Pornograph, Okane ga Nai, Kirepapa, and Ai no Kusabi.
Sometimes, yaoi can be offputting because of negative tropes or disturbing elements, especially in hentai or unaired OVAs. If you’re just a little bothered by something in yaoi, but you want to be able to keep watching, you can. There are some handy rules to keep in mind for this. I discussed some of them in an older post, but I’ll review them again here.
1) It’s just anime. Don’t confuse reality and fiction. What you are watching has no bearing on the real world. And if there are a few out there who can’t keep reality and fiction straight, it’s not the job of an entertainment industry to change just for them. Also, just because you like something in an anime doesn’t mean you’d like the same thing in reality.
2) You are not what you watch. You can enjoy a trashy show once in a while and not be a trashy person. Do you become athletic from watching tons of sports anime? No, and you won’t become a pedophile or a voyeur if you watch an OVA where 2D animated teenager characters have sex.
3) If you don’t like it, don’t watch it. If the content is disturbing or irritating enough to you, simply withdraw. You shouldn’t force yourself to watch something you absolutely hate, and you’re under no obligation to finish every anime you start.
These rules won’t necessarily work for every show or OVA. There are many yaoi OVAs and shows that irritate or disgust me, so I can’t watch them. There’s Hyakujitsu no Bara, Papa to Kiss in the Dark, and Super Lovers, to name a few. If you’re familiar with any of these shows and features I’ve been mentioning, you might have noticed something. There are ones that I enjoy, like Okane ga Nai and Ai no Kusabi, that are equally disturbing (or more so) than Papa to Kiss or Hyakujitsu no Bara. What’s up with that? Well, since it’s all just anime anyway, it’s alright if what you like or hate is inconsistent. It’s entirely up to the individual what ticks them off and why.
Basically, it’s possible to enjoy yaoi anime and OVAs containing content which might not be acceptable in reality, because it’s just anime. I know that was a short rant, but I’ve got to factor in some downtime, and today is the best day for it in my schedule. This is Anime Rants, and I thank you so much for reading! Have a great day!
(All GIFs were found by searching the internet, and I don’t own them.)
Anime Rants 
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