Sunday, March 24, 2024
Love In All Its Forms
As
a genre Yaoi has an interesting kinship with masculinity which leads
it down some distinctive narrative pathways. In many ways it is a
mirror of its stable-mate Yuri since it also has the two extremes of
commercialisation and thoughtful representation. Much of the genre’s
output tends to be aimed at a female audience with the characters and
relationships setting out please their sensibilities. There is also a
smaller group of titles who are more interested in a looking at the
realities of a gay romance and the sort of feelings and conflicts it
brings. Despite the vastly different reasons these two groups choose
to create a Yaoi visual novel, they do share a common element in the
form of their utilisation of relationships to provide a unique
perspective on the human nature and how it is applied to
everyone equally. Let’s find ourself some handsome men and discover
what make Yaoi visual novels special.
The Female Gaze
Much
of the output from the Yaoi genre is created with a female audience
in mind and seeks to appeal to them through its content. Just as with
Yuri, the target demographic is the opposite to the characters’
gender and as such bears little resemblance to how someone of that gender would behave and instead presents an idealised vision of what
someone of the fairer sex might think of them. Rather then the purity
and almost religious sanctity of Yuri’s presentation of its
romance, Yaoi leans towards the ideas of masculinity and the violence
and possessiveness associated with it. This is not a negative
violence, but rather a playful type like two lion cubs pouncing on
each other. It is rare for it to be taken to the extreme of doing
meaningful harm to the other person and is a means showcasing their
bond in a way which stands out from a standard heterosexual
relationship by leaning into the lack of a feminine aspect. Of course
this dives into the perception of men being the dangerous gender and
it has no interest in the reality of the situation when it
can just make this element a source of excitement. It is worth noting
the exception of this rule, Traps, which sit in a strange middle
ground between Yuri and Yaoi with elements of both purity and
masculinity. However, they are such a complicated subject that they
deserve their own article and will not be discussed further, but it
worth keeping their existence in mind for a more complete picture of
the genre.
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| Playful is the key word here |
For examples of this female leaning take on masculinity in
Yaoi we can look to Absolute Obedience and Tokyo Onmyoji. The prior displays this through
its intimate character interactions while the later takes a much
broader angle. Absolute Obedience plays this masculinity and the violent
undertone to the relationship in a style where everything is taken to
extremes in order keep the player on their toes. It a strong
implementation of the lion cubs mentality where a lot of what they do
to each other is never presented in a manner where it could be taken
negatively and instead adds a layer to the mixture which is their
relationship. Tokyo Onmyoji takes a much broader method to
implementing its masculinity through interactions beyond simply the
main relationship and into the more general bonds between the cast.
This is partly due to the more openly serious nature of the narrative
and the way it has to weave its character beats in between its plot
ones without harming either. As such spreading out the violent
tension between the male cast serves both to spice up the dynamic and
add impact to important moments in the story. Both games present these elements
the player as a selling point to be desired and assumes their
audience will find it appealing.
Sympathetic And Expressive
Of
course not every Yaoi game is made with the intention of simply
appealing to a target demographic for sales purposes and instead
there are many which use the genre to dive into the emotions and
ideas surrounding male homosexual relationships. These paint the
romances in a sympathetic light and aim to present them through a
lens of the character’s humanity to make it easy to understand
regardless of whether you have experienced the same emotions or not.
However, the games still have the flavour and feelings unique to a
male centric relationship, but rather than focusing on displays of
blatant masculinity there is an awareness of the mixed nature of
actual male bonds and how they are not so straightforward. Such
titles tend to be from amateur or indie groups or individuals who are
open to expressing their own feelings on this type of relationship
and can accept that their product will not have a mass market appeal.
They serve a valuable function in offering an antidote to the
exaggerated takes on Yaoi existing in larger visual novels with a
more grounded take on the genre, but grounded is not the same as not
knowing how to have fun.
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| Bonds always remain |
To see this in action we can look to What
Happened The Night Before. This game follows a single relationship
between Mikage and Noah which is key to ensuring there is the space
to properly paint the bond between them. Having a focus around how
relationships change over time, especially when you are young, gives
the narrative a common emotional resonance to help build its distinctive
romance in a way that appeals to all players. When it comes time to
the culmination of their love, the title presents it in a gentle and
loving manner where their masculine nature is never taken to an
extreme but is instead an extension of the love they feel for each
other. What Happened The Night Before shows us how a Yaoi narrative
can be sympathetic while still maintaining its appeal.
Unique Angle On Our Humanity
In
our differences we can find the common threads which link our humanity
and experiences, but also how those differences can demonstrate the
particulars about our nature which would otherwise go unexplored.
Yaoi is a genre where this side of human nature can be investigated
and put through the lens of this type of relationship. The games
utilising this element tend to place the Yaoi in a prominent
position, but do not make it the sole focus and instead place it
alongside other genres, such mystery, in order to highlight important
aspect of one using the other. This allows them to act as mirrors for
the characters to explore who they are and in turn express themselves
in a raw and honest manner to the player. In particular the heavy
leaning into a male centric cast from the Yaoi provides a heavily
masculine leaning world view, but in a way where the vulnerabilities
of the male psyche are on display and truths relating it to a common
human experience can be teased out of the character’s actions.
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| The use of Yaoi does not need to be direct for it to be strong |
Hashihime of the Old Book Town offers up a strong example of how this
mixture can be utilised. It takes its three core elements, a
historical setting, an occult mystery and Yaoi, and weaves them
through each other and its character’s interactions with them.
Complimented by its visual style, this distinctive mixture is used in such a
way that the parts rub up against each other in an interesting manner to
produce conflicts that unveil expressions of the character’s
humanity. This gives Hashihime of the Old Book Town an angle to show
its themes and core ideas not open to a more conventional title and
the presence of Yaoi is key to helping it come across in a way the
player can empathise with.
Conclusion
Despite
not being the most prolific genre in visual novels, Yaoi still offer
one of the most distinctive narrative styles of any game. It can
create an experience tailored to appeal to a female audience through
a mixture of masculinity and playful violence. On the opposite end of
the scale there are plenty of games which present a more grounded and
sympathetic homosexual relationship to express its value to a wide
audience. Yaoi can also be a part of a greater whole where it acts as
key ingredient in an examination of human nature through the unique
masculine perspective it offers. Overall, Yaoi is a flexible genre
which expresses a distinct angle on romance which is not open to a
more conventional understanding of love.
