BL Manga for Beginners Main Page
Part 01: Introduction ✧ Part 03: BL Magazines/Labels

Welcome to Part 2 of BL Manga for Beginners! I actually had planned to upload this much sooner, but I really spent a lot of time mulling over this post… Because ultimately the question “What makes a story BL?” is difficult for me to answer. BL has a variety of stories and tropes, and is constantly evolving. Creators, editors, publishers, researches, and fans all have a variety of perceptions on BL as well.

Seme and Uke
While there are some outliers, the seme/uke couple (coupling) is one of the main distinctions of BL in general, and was influenced by doujinshi culture. In short, the seme is the top and the uke is the bottom. These positions are mainly fixed (kotei), meaning the characters do not switch positions. Historically, the seme has carried a “dominant” connotation in addition to being the top. He would be the one pursuing the uke and more initiative of the relationship. There are stories have characters who are vers/switch, which is called reversible or riba for short.

A couple will often be written with an “×” between them, with the seme on the left and the uke on the right. For example, the couple from Ask and You Will Receive by Niyama would be written as Shinobu Urakawa × Hikaru Omoteya. Not only is this writing convention be used for names, it’s used to describe the couple’s dynamics as well. A story may describe a couple with this convention, such as a former playboy × pure prince, which is written on the obi (paper band around a book) of the Ask and You Will Receive 3 tankobon. There are a variety of seme/uke dynamics in BL! For example, opposites attract types such as happy-go-lucky × gloomy and reserved × playful. Other dynamics may focus more on relationship status such as subordinate and boss, upperclassman and underclassman, childhood friends, classmates, friends with benefits, etc. 

Storylines, Settings, and Tropes
When it comes to storylines, current conventional or mainstream (odo) BL manga tend to have a seme and uke enter a romantic and/or sexual relationship with the couple happily beginning to date at the end. Many of these are single volume stories, with roughly 4-6 chapters. Some of these get renewed for multiple “seasons” as well. Multi-volume stories exist as well, with some being slow-burn romances or glimpsing into the seme and uke’s lives as a couple.

While BL’s demographic is more adult and sexual content is very common, there are also BL with little or no sex. The relationships may not be a typical sweet and romantic relationship either. BL is not required to have a happy ending, allowing for ambiguous to tragic endings. One type of ambiguous ending where the situation may look bad to the readers, but one or both of the characters seem happy is known as a merry bad end. Regardless of the outcome, overarching plot and tone, the relationship and emotions between the main characters tend to be an important part of the story for BL. 

With story genres and settings, BL stories can take place in any era/location a creator wishes it to be! While contemporary settings such as office romance and high school or university settings are popular, fantasy, historical fiction, and sci-fi settings also exist. Omegaverse, which began as a fanfiction setting, has gained some popularity in BL. There are also a few omegaverse-inspired settings such as cakeverse and dom/sub-verse. Other popular media and trends also influence BL manga as well, as seen with a rise of BL featuring characters who are VTubers.

Negative Perceptions of BL
There are a few negative generalizations on BL due to some tropes and settings seen in the genre. As previously mentioned in my first post of the series, BL has drawn criticism over the decades due to many creators and fans being women and the fantastical portrayal of gay men and their relationships. Some of these are:
– Gay only for you: One or both of the characters don’t actually identify as gay or bi, and may even be outwardly homophobic. The other character is seen as “special” and the only man the “straight” character would be with. While BL has been known in the past for putting less emphasis on characters’ sexualities, it’s become more common for characters to comment on it. There are still “straight” characters, but a number of stories depict their thoughts and process on discovering their sexuality.
– Dubious consent, sexual assault, and rape: In some stories, there are little repercussions for the actions (usually by the seme) and the couple still ends up together.
– Masculine seme and feminine uke: BL is often accused of being “heteronormative” when the couple has this type of appearance. Some stories have the uke compared to a woman within the story as well, especially during sexual scenes. 
– Relationships with a larger age gap and/or imbalance in power dynamics: These relationships are seen as immoral, so works with these dynamics are often seen as “romanticizing” these issues. One example are student/teacher relationships
– Other taboo relationships: Incest (whether by blood or by marriage) couples have also appeared in commercial BL.

While the following tropes do exist in BL manga, there are plenty of titles that do not include them, whether old or new.

Wrap Up
I’ve seen others describe the possibilities BL stories as a spectrum, and it really is a fitting word to describe. There have been romantic comedies that made me giggle in delight, grounded slice-of-life that pulled at my heartstrings, and stories that lingered in my mind for hours after I finished. Some say BL is rigid with certain tropes and stories, but there are stories out there that go against the mainstream. But with the sheer amount of BL manga published, not every title can be translated into English. And for librarians looking for titles, there may be digital works or print works from smaller publishers that may either difficult or impossible to acquire for collections… Regardless, there really is a BL for everyone, or every BL its reader, as I say.

Also, I recently enjoyed reading Nora’s post in response to a message on BL narratives, and I highly recommend reading it! Reading it actually inspired me to go and finish this post after weeks of trying to figure things out.

Next time, I’ll discuss BL manga magazines and labels.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!

Words/Phrases Mentioned
Coupling (カップリング) – A couple/ship; often shortened to CP or kappu (カップ). Used in both original and fanwork for all kinds of couples/ships

Seme (攻め) – The top character. The word is derived from the verb “to attack” and is used in martial arts. In BL, the seme has conventionally been the pursuer or giver of affection in the couple.
Uke (受け) – The bottom character. The word derives from the verb “to receive”, as the uke was the receiver of affection
Kotei (固定) – Fixed; means the seme and uke cannot be reversed
Riba (リバ) – Short for reversible, it means that both characters top and bottom. In other words, they are vers/switch.
Odo (王道) – Literally translates to “royal road”. Often used to show something that is conventional/mainstream.
Merry bad end (メリーバッドエンド) – An ambiguous ending where a seemingly unhappy ending to readers are happy to one or both characters. Often shortened to meriba (メリバ)
Obi (帯) – A small band of paper often wrapped around books and other media, often having promotional content for the book.The name comes from a piece of traditional Japanese clothing.

Resources/Further Reading
Boys Love Manga and Beyond: History, Culture, and Community in Japan Chapters:
– What Can We Learn from Japanese Professional BL Writers?: A Sociological Analysis of Yaoi/BL Terminology and Classifications – Kazuko Suzuki
– What is Japanese “BL Studies?”: ”: A Historical and Analytical Overview – Kazumi Nagaike and Tomoko Aoyama
Sexual Politics- What Gets to be BL with Dr. Khursten Santos – The Yaoi Shelf Podcast Episode
Boys Love as a Genre — How Do We Decide Who Gets to Sit at the Table – Nora @ allthefujoshiunite
Reply to an Anonymous message about BL  – Nora @ allthefujoshiunite (Tumblr)
Japanese for NERDS: Oshikatsu, Otakatsu, Bokatsu, and language – Ames from Renta!