Also, the characters tend to relate to each other as equals more than a traditional male/female relationship. The androgynous designs of the characters can let a reader see the characters as both male, male and female, or even both female.
It it thought that yaoi allows girls to safely explore different sexual identities free from stereotypes and societal norms. Male characters also help avoid misogyny, female stereotypes, and sometimes abusive treatment of female characters in sexual scenes. They are more neutrally in love with a particular character as opposed to being a certain sexual orientation. Interestingly, yaoi characters typically do not identify as homosexual. While they do have sexual connotations (much like the American slang “hitter” and “catcher”), they are derived from formal martial art forms. Seme refers to “top” or “attacker.” Uke refers to “bottom” or receiver. Yaoi is characterized by 2 specific character roles: seme and uke.
Both the themes and the fact women were the authors shook many traditional mangaka. Yaoi caused a lot of controversy when it first appeared in the male dominated manga industry. The sub-genre was thought to have started as fan fiction. Yaoi stories are typically written by women for women and girls. The acronym sounds sexual but actually refers to the story structures used in the sub-genre. Osamu Tezuka was said to be the first to use the phrase to describe poor quality manga.
It stands for: yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi (no climax, no point, and no meaning). Yaoi first appeared in the 1970s and sharply contrasted from the typical shojo focus on emotions and personal development. Yaoi stories deal with sexuality and violent emotions such as strong loneliness. Yaoi is different from more traditional shojo storylines since it is focused on boys seeking love with each other as opposed to a girl seeking that of a boy. Yaoi is focused on male homosexual relationships however, it isn’t targeted toward a homosexual audience. Shojo is categorized by the primary audience: women and girls. Yaoi, also known as Boy’s Love or 801, is an offshoot of shojo manga.