Yaoi
(やおい), also known as Boys' Love (BL), is a genre of Japanese media that focuses on homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created by women for a predominantly female audience and spans various formats, including manga, anime, novels, and fan-created works. Terminology and Origins
: The term "yaoi" is a self-deprecating acronym for "yamanashi, ochinashi, iminashi" , which translates to "no climax, no point, no meaning". It originated in the late 1970s within the dōjinshi (self-published) community as a way to describe parodies of popular mainstream series. (やおい), also known as Boys' Love (BL), is
: Yaoi is distinct from bara (or gei comi ), which is gay-themed media created by men primarily for a gay male audience. Core Characteristics and Tropes also known as Boys' Love (BL)