GenshikenFollow

An anime about Otaku.

An awesome anime about Otaku.

An awesome anime about Otaku whose "Show within a show" is now its own anime.


So, anyone else watch it?

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Genshiken

How much of that is there, out of curiosity? There are few things prevalent in anime that really bother me, but for some reason I really can't stand Yaoi.

I watched maybe the first six episodes of Genshiken before I decided it didn't fit my tastes. To me it seemed to be largely about anime fans who watch terrible and uninteresting anime and enjoy being suckered into buying related merchandise. I'm sure Anna would like it.

Edited, Oct 1st 2009 5:25pm by Allegory

Somehow I doubt that.

Hey, his mom likes me

Edited, Oct 1st 2009 7:10pm by KyonStarbreaker

Yaoi subculture runs strong in the female half of the fandom. It ranges from girls who enjoy the occasional couple in series, to the rabid fangirls who try to slash any two males they think might be cute together. Most fans fall in between that however.

Yes, I have yaoi doujinshi.

Yes, I've written yaoi fanfic in the past.

But I don't consider myself a yaoi fangirl, because I only like it for canon couples. And I really despise the worst fangirls, the squealy ones that say all animated men are gay.

What amuses me the most? Two female yaoi cosplayers who ham it up to other girls and kiss each other in public. It's almost like bizarro world lesbians.

I've heard of this phenomenon of girls digging yaoi material, but I don't really understand how or why. I wonder if the companies make yaoi stuff for these female target audience rather than gay males. But I won't try to think too much about it. Like most straight guys, I'm allergic to yaoi.

To be fair, my aspartame allergy rarely gives me hives. Vomiting, yes.

The psychology of yaoi is a big research paper on its own. The theory that most people studying it go with is that:

- It's a safe way for young girls to explore their sexuality
- By swapping out a vulnerable female for another male, they can enjoy the romantic aspects of a relationship without the associated risks

I'm not sure that really applies to the other yaoi fangirls, who really just like the idea of two cute guys boinking each other.

And yes, yaoi manga and anime is 100% directed to a female audience. Some gay men in the US find it as annoying as you straight guys.

For me, it comes down to comedy. Take for example the series Kyo Kara Maoh, where the main character accidentally engages himself to another guy through cultural ignorance. This situation would not have been nearly as funny if it was a guy and a girl.

Also a hilarious series. But really not "yaoi." There's no nudity in it, and if there's kissing, the scenes are few and far between (enough so I don't remember). Then again I've probably only seen like half the series. Plus, the main character, despite being engaged to a guy, is straight.