Ask John: Should Anime Fans Promote Yaoi?

Question:
Should an anime club promote the yaoi genre among fandom? At my local anime club, a group of girls is trying to promote yaoi among the members, even the younger ones. These girls want everyone to become a yaoi supporter, and if you argue with them about it, then you are closed minded. I’m worried about how homosexual graphic sex descriptions contained in the yaoi anime and manga can affect young people. I believe in respecting gay people, but I feel that it is wrong to promote the homosexuality. I would like to read your opinion about it.

Answer:
I’ll probably inevitably offend someone with any response I offer to this question, so I’ll simply speak my mind without reservation.

For as long as I’ve been professionally writing about anime, I’ve encouraged viewers to expand their awareness of Japanese animation by watching a diversity of anime. Anime is, after all, a hobby, so individuals should watch and collect what appeals to them. I think that’s it’s just fine to be a fan of Cowboy Bebop or Dragonball, or a fan of shonen anime or shoujo anime or mecha anime or adult anime largely to the exclusion of other types of anime. But I believe that a genuine anime fan is a fan of Japanese animation itself, including all of its various genres. It’s natural to prefer certain titles or genres more than others, but limiting your exposure, knowingly or unconsciously, impedes your ability to be a knowledgeable and experienced anime fan. To provide an analogy, if I love the Star Wars universe but don’t at least acknowledge Star Trek or Flash Gordon or War of the Worlds, I’m not a fan of science fiction; I’m just a Star Wars fan- a fan of one segment of science fiction, not a fan of all science fiction. Likewise, the person that argues that hentai anime or yaoi are an immoral abhorrence is only a selective fan of some types of anime.

But this response isn’t primarily about the ethics of the existence of sexually oriented anime; it’s about the morality of promoting such anime. As I’ve said, I believe that fans should expose themselves to as many different types of anime as possible, in order to expand their first hand knowledge of what Japan’s animation industry has produced, and develop an awareness of Japanese society’s attitudes about animation and literature. But all things are contextual, and an intelligent person understands the use of situational discretion. Yaoi anime is, by definition, anime that focuses on explicit male homosexuality. Sex, both hetero- and homo-sexual, is one of the most influential and affecting actions known to exist. It’s virtually universally recognized that children are not mentally prepared or capable to comprehend and deal with the stimulus created by sex. That’s why both American and Japanese societies have age of consent laws and prohibit the exposure of sexually explicit material to minors. So while I encourage all people interested in Japanese animation to thoroughly explore anime; adult content is not intended for children and should not be exposed to children. Sexual education is fine, but it’s best left to professionals, not eager anime fans that want to share their enthusiasm with inappropriately young viewers.

The most eager American fans of yaoi seem to be teen and young adult women, based on my own perceptions. Regrettably, as you’ve mentioned, many of these young women seem to often let their devotion supercede their rationality. It’s not my intent to insult anyone. On the contrary, I’m pleased that there are female fans that are so devoted to a type of anime and manga. However, I think that many of these yaoi fans are so heavily indoctrinated by the puritanical and moralistic codes of American society’s right wing that they instinctively become defensive and aggressive when faced by the slightest hint of the opposition that they expect. In other words, some American yaoi fans expect to face intense criticism for their interest in and support of depictions of male homosexuality, so in a sort of Pavlovian response, they automatically become rigid, even when such determination is unnecessary. Because these yaoi fans expect to be verbally attacked for being interested in yaoi, they instinctively respond defensively, even when no such criticism was imminent.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s not wrong or immoral to be interested in yaoi anime. And I think it’s praiseworthy to encourage other anime fans to broaden their awareness of anime, and respect artistic depictions of unconventional sexuality. I think it’s a wonderful idea to screen yaoi anime at an anime fan club meeting because doing so exposes viewers to a type of anime that they may otherwise never see. But yaoi anime is designed for a particular audience, so it should only be exposed to an appropriate audience. Rationally hesitating to expose children and younger viewers to material that they legally and morally shouldn’t be exposed to isn’t narrow-minded; it’s logical and ethically responsible.