All About Yaoi

Amitai, or Ambiguous is used to describe titles which usually contain strong, but not necessarily romantic, relationships between male characters. The characters may appear to have romantic feelings for each other, but it is not the focus of the story, and the relationships never truly develop into romance. These are not considered boys' love titles in Japan. Some examples are the manga series Legal Drug and Tokyo Babylon, and anime series Loveless and Kyou Kara Maou.

Boys' Love is an advertising/marketing term used in Japan to denote manga, novels and anime which focus on romantic relationships between males, most often written by women for a female audience. In Japan, and on this site, the term "boys' love" does not take into account whether or not the title has explicit sexual content. "Boys' Love" is used as an umbrella term regardless of the explicitness of the content. Both explicit titles like My Sexual Harassment and softer titles like Sukisho! are considered boys' love.

Fansub is short for "fan subtitled," which refers to an anime that has been translated and subtitled by amateur fan groups, and distributed for free. Most fansubs now are distributed in digital format over the Internet using various file-sharing programs and services.

Licensed is a term for anime, manga or games which have been picked up by U.S. media companies for release in the U.S. with some form of English tranlsation. For anime, this most often means the title will be released on DVD, either with an English voice dub, or English subtitles, or both. For manga, this means that the title will be released in paperback book form, with the original Japanese text replaced with an English translation. Once a title is licensed, U.S. copyright law is in effect, and any unofficial copies, such as digital versions, are illegal in the U.S.

Scanlation is a compound of "scan" and "translation," or a scanned copy of a non-English manga in which the Japanese text is replaced with an English translation. Fan groups produce these images for free, and most today are distributed over the Internet using IRC and other file-sharing programs and services.

Seme is a form of the Japanese verb "to attack." The seme is the top in a yaoi relationship, the one who inserts rather than the one who receives. Usually the seme is more masculine, stronger, and taller than the other partner, but not always. Traditionally, the role is not often reversed.

Shounen-ai is an obsolete sub-genre which is no longer created in Japan. Some Western fans use this term to refer to boys' love titles without sexual scenes, and the term may appear that way in some reviews. Examples of classic shounen-ai titles are the manga and anime Kaze to Ki no Uta and the manga Heart of Thomas.

Slashable is used to describe stories which do not contain romantic homosexual relationships in canon, but for which fans like to imagine romantic relationships between the male characters. Anime and manga series with pretty male characters are popular slash fodder.

Uke is a form of the Japanese verb "to receive," which is just what the uke does. The uke is the bottom in a yaoi relationship, the one who takes rather than gives. Usually the uke is smaller, less strong and shorter than the other partner, but not always. Traditionally, the role is not often reversed.

Unlicensed anime, manga or any other media have not been paid for by a U.S. company for release in English translation. These titles are only legally available on Japanese DVD or other Japanese media. Fan-subtitled digital releases of these anime and manga are not technically legal, but the possession and creation of them is often not pursued or prosecuted by Japanese media companies which hold the copyright.

Yaoi is an acronym for the Japanese phrase "yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi," which roughly translates to "no peak, no point, no meaning." It refers to any material that focuses on romantic relationships between males, usually created by women for a female audience. Some Western fans use "yaoi" to refer to titles that contain explicit sex scenes, as well as an umbrella term for the entire genre.