A genre named after its own flaws

"Yaoi" is an acronym of a Japanese phrase that translates roughly as "no climax, no point, no meaning." In the late 1970s, the creators of amateur magazines — doujinshi — came up with it themselves. It was their self-deprecating way of describing short stories where events didn't matter, only the feelings between two characters. The artists Yasuko Sakata and Akiko Hatsu are often credited with getting the joke going.

The joke stuck, and it nails the essence. In yaoi, the plot works for the relationship, not the other way around. War, school, an office or outer space — it's all just the backdrop for how two people look at each other.

Yaoi, BL, shounen-ai, slash and bara: who's who

  • YaoiA fan word from Japanese doujinshi. In Russian and Western fandom, it usually refers to stories with explicit scenes.
  • Shounen-ai"Boys' love" — an older Japanese term. In Russian and Western fandom it tags stories about feelings without explicit content: glances, confessions, a first kiss.
  • BL (boys' love)The official genre name in Japanese stores and publishing. It covers everything, from sweet romance to adult stories.