Thoughtful Posts About Yaoi Exist on the Internet -

This was your reaction, admit it

The subject comes up mostly because I've decided to stumble upon the likes of Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi, and in turn, Junjou Romantica. I love them. Don't judge me. Okay, judge me, but not too hard.

I know what you're thinking - a female in the anime/manga/J-rock/j-whatever/blahblah fandom that likes yaoi. So intensely predictable, it's almost disappointing, isn't it?

You'll get over it, I'm sure. Right now, there's points to be made, so just barrel through it, you might be a better person in the end. Think of this as part review of the previously mentioned titles, part general comment on the genre in its entirety. Because I'm bringing up Gravitation. It's required curriculum for the fans of boy love, after all.

Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi is an ongoing series and I haven't made it all the way through Junjou Romantica just yet, but in general, they both follow a similar formula. Which makes sense, given that one is a spin-off of the other. And that most yaoi/shonen-ai titles pretty much has the same base with different embellishments with very few exceptions. At least, most of the ones I've read. And I'm an expert. The sarcasm, does it burn?

Generally, all the stories break down to the same stock characters forced into different situations. Not a bad thing, since often each author has their own way of making their characters likable, but definitely true.

Both Sekai-Ichi and Junjou make use of just about all of them, but the focused pairing has probably the most-used archetypes of seme and uke: The strong, stoic personality who is often the most accepting of the relationship and takes the lead (Takano and Usami) and the easily-excitable one that's in complete denial of it and follows (Onodera and Misaki).

You still have similar characteristics in the other pairings as well. It's simply inescapable. However, it makes for a fun, light, and fluffy storyline, which I'm okay with. I'm not watching/reading these series for their depth.

But it does make me miss Gravitation a little.

Now, I bring up Gravitation for the sheer fact that it too has similar archetypes, with an exception. While Yuki is the strong stoic who sets the pace of the relationship, he by no means is overly enthusiastic about it. Shuichi is the one who is pushing forward towards the ultimate goal of being with Yuki.

It had this strange balance between the two characters, instead of a constant tug-a-war of personalities constantly clashing, with the uke being the one to ultimately give in. Yuki would eventually give in to Shuichi's antics, and in turn, Shuichi would occasionally calm down for Yuki's sake.

Though, the amount of effed up trauma that plagues any romance title like this still exists. You can't have romance without a heavy dose of angst. Don't believe me? Check it:

From the tops:

• Takano comes from a broken family with parents that care very little for him or each other.
• Usami grew up in an emotionally distant household and longs for a normal, caring environment.
• Yuki became a social outcast due to his natural hair and eye color and shot and killed his mentor, who accepted money from two men to assault him (count it, three times the trauma, that's some soap opera craziness right there).

From the bottoms:

• Onodera battles nepotism to achieve things on his own merits.
• Misaki's parents were killed in a car crash when he was 8, which he shoulders a lot of guilt for.
• Shuichi is assaulted by some thugs hired by a member of a rivaling band, who takes pictures of the incident to leak to the press.

What gets me, in this wonderful world of comparisons, is the subject of the actual romance in each of these publications. In Sekai-Ichi and Junjou, the fact that the romances feature two guys is something that is a constant reminder, even reasoning used by the characters who, in emotional turmoil, lists it as a reason why the romance would never work out. Multiple times. It's almost to the point of an annoyance. When Kisa (my personal favorite character from Sekai-Ichi) started to do it, I was incredibly unimpressed.

I do not recall Gravitation putting this much of an emphasis on the fact that the two protagonists are in a homosexual relationship with one another. I don't remember Shuichi ever pacing back and forth, fretting over the fact that he had fallen in love with a man, in almost every episode. At least twice. And that it could never work out. The focus was generally more shifted towards them both being two celebrities, and the impression of the public and press, as opposed to their own personal objections.


In short? Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi and Junjou Romantica are like crack. Incredibly fluffy, frilly, pointless and cookie-cutter crack. I love it and am addicted to it and it's so very bad for me. I will watch and read however much I can before I either run out of it, or simply just vomit out my brain due to an overdose.

However, when it comes to a title that will ultimately continue to hold itself up proudly, with the lasting power to continually be called a favorite, no matter how many times I re-watch it (which has been countless, I'm sure), Gravitation will continue to dominate. Yes, it's still just fluffy cuteness, but it's fluffy cuteness with substance. And Ryuichi Sakuma singing Sleepless Beauty in ugly shirts.

Who saw that coming? Be honest.