Yuri (animation)
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- For other meanings of Yuri, see Yuri.
Yuri (百合?) and shoujo-ai are jargon terms amongst fans for lesbian content, possibly sexually explicit, in anime, manga, and related fan fiction.
[edit] Definition and semantic drift
Much like the term otaku, yuri — although originally a Japanese loanword — has undergone significant semantic drift. The precise difference between "yuri" and "shoujo-ai" ranges from large to none, depending on the speaker and language.
[edit] Etymology
The word yuri literally means "lily", and is a relatively common Japanese feminine name, like many flower names. In 1971, Itou Bungaku, as editor of Barazoku, a magazine geared primarily towards gay men, named gay men the "Barazoku" ("rose tribe") and lesbians "Yurizoku" ("lily tribe"). From this, many doujinshi circles incorporated the name "Yuri" or "Yuriko" into yuri hentai dōjinshi. The "-zoku" or "tribe" portion of this word was subsequently dropped.[1]
In 2005 at Yuricon in Tokyo, Itou Bungaku spoke about the creation of the term "yuri". He, and the mangaka and writers who attended as guests spoke of reclaiming the term from a primarily hentai connotation to once again describing all media that represent love, desire, attraction and intimate emotional connections between women.
[edit] Use in Japan
In Japanese, the term yuri (百合) is typically used to mean any attraction between girls in entertainment media, whether sexual or romantic, explicit or implied. For example, Futaba Channel's "yuri" board includes both purely sexual and purely romantic content rather than separating them. The wasei-eigo construction Girls Love (ガールズラブ gāruzu rabu but often rendered as English; occasionally spelled Girl's Love or Girls' Love, or abbreviated GL) is also seen.
The term shōjo-ai (少女愛) is scarcely, if ever, used with these meanings in Japan; instead, the terms shōnen-ai and shōjo-ai tend to denote pedophilia. [1] [2] (Ironically, the English term "girllove" has this exact meaning and userbase, although the similar wasei-eigo Girls Love avoids both.)
None of these terms are generally used by Japanese lesbians in describing themselves, nor are they known by the general population. They are a form of fanspeak amongst manga fans. Japanese lesbians generally refer to themself by the loanword レズ (lez) or レスビアン (lesbian), or by using more specific gay slang such as nabe for a butch lesbian, similar to the English dyke.
[edit] Use in America
American use of yuri has broadened in recent years, picking up connotations from the Japanese use, but the historical usage differed: in America, yuri has typically been used to denote only the most explicit end of the spectrum, being effectively a variety of hentai; shoujo-ai — an independently-coined term, following the pattern of its antonym shōnen-ai — described anything without explicit sex. (The term shōnen-ai was borrowed into English before it acquired the later meaning.)
On the Internet, "shoujo-ai" is sometimes used instead of "yuri" solely because the latter produces too much unrelated material in search engines; the spelling "shōjo-ai" is less used, due to the difficulties involved in entering the "ō" character on most systems. (See Romanization of Japanese.)
[edit] Yuri as story
Many fans enjoy yuri for its skewing of the classic gender roles in anime, which are often quite stereotyped in nature and sometimes have a female character take a slightly more 'submissive' role if a significant other is introduced or appears. Conversely, yuri content is often criticized as never going anywhere, with the majority of the more dramatic stories ending tragically (even by comparison with the melodrama of romance in manga in general). This criticism is truer for older yuri works.[2][3]
Young same-sex affection is considered natural in real-life Japan to a much later age than in the West. The relationships may extend to infatuation complete with gift-giving, kissing (among girls) and other touches many Westerners would consider overtly romantic/sexual. That said, sociological studies conclude that this does not lead to widespread youthful sexual experimentation (especially compared with the US/UK).[4] Homosexuality in Japan still faces social disapproval despite the relative abundance of representations of same sex relationships in mainstream media. Marrying someone of the opposite gender and having children is seen in Japan as the proof that you have become a responsible adult. Unmarried adults, homosexual or not, are seen as having character problems and face job discrimination.[5] On the other hand, homosexuals who marry a person of the opposite gender even if they are out, even if they also have same sex lovers, are not discriminated against in any way.[6][7] (The level of social conformity in general in Japan is considered very high as well.) It is noteworthy that sexual identity in anime and manga often has less to do with a character's sexual tastes and more to do with their current interactions with other characters. (Shōjo anime and manga in particular are known for frequently featuring bisexual characters without explicitly specifying their orientation.)[8]
Other yuri stories may involve characters with no previous romantic experience or who are otherwise depicted as straight, but are attracted to a single particular female, such as Chizuru Yoshida from HEN or Utena Tenjou from Revolutionary Girl Utena.
Many archetypical stories exist, such as the schoolyard not-quite-romances between sempai and kouhai (senior and junior), where the former is an older looking, more sophisticated woman and the latter is her younger, more awkward admirer. This is famously depicted in Marimite, which has a large yuri fandom. In other stories, some characters have bishonen characteristics and are considered handsome rather than beautiful. Lady Oscar from The Rose of Versailles and Rei Asaka from Oniisama e... are famous examples, though the most famous is Haruka Tenoh from Sailor Moon.
Yuri in shōnen is stereotyped as more blunt or explicitly sexual in depiction than it is in shōjo, although some argue this is more according to males' tastes in relationships in general than to simple fanservice. Many critics of the sometimes evasive nature of shōjo in regard to sex suggest that yuri is more easily found in shōnen because it is depicted in a healthy, sexual manner. Generally, relationships are still depicted as between a junior and a senior, but these roles are often related to the age or maturity of a character rather than the appearance of the character. However, many of the design archetypes as in shōjo are used; most often, one character appeals to the bijin aspect, and the other to the moe aspect. This sometimes causes couplings from different series to strongly resemble each other. In recent times, the most notable example of this is the stunning similarities between Himemiya Chikane and Kurusugawa Himeko of Kannazuki no Miko and Azuma Hatsumi (adopted) and Azuma Hazuki of Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito; Chikane and Hazuki in particular look and act almost exactly alike.
One should note that much of what is presented as "subtext" is subjective. For example, younger girls who seem to adore older girl characters may not have any romantic notions whatsoever, and are simply behaving as the author has observed young girls in his or her environment. Many of the suggestions of relationships in anime and manga between characters is often wishful thinking on the part of fans.[3][1][9]
[edit] Famous yuri pairings
While many series have had implied yuri, the most famous "out" yuri pairing appeared in Sailor Moon. Haruka Tenoh (Sailor Uranus) and Michiru Kaioh (Sailor Neptune) first appear in the third season, and it is almost immediately obvious that they are a couple. Haruka makes it a point to dress and act in a masculine manner in the anime; she has short sandy blonde hair and wears the boys' uniform at her school. By contrast, in the manga Haruka was more gender-ambiguous, wearing the clothes of both sexes and even seeming to change appearance slightly depending on what she wore (Takeuchi herself admitted that she drew Haruka's face as more masculine whenever Haruka cross-dressed). Haruka and Michiru were loosely based on the actors of the Takarazuka Revue.[10] At first glance their relationship appears to be the traditional butch/femme dynamic, but neither one can be considered "dominant" over the other.
Haruka and Michiru's lesbian relationship was heavily censored in the English and French dubs, although the lesbian subtext in the English version is still apparent. In the English dub, their relationship is stated to be that of close cousins who had grown up together, but a later episode showing their first meeting is left intact, and some of their flirting is unchanged.[11] The French dub had Haruka's sex stated as male in her civilian form, but female when she transformed into Sailor Uranus.[citation needed] In contrast, the Latin American Spanish dub, made in Mexico, did not make any efforts to censor it and even correctly translated many of the double entendres in the dialogue.
It is often speculated that one or the other of the pair is bisexual, but this is not clearly addressed in the series itself. In the fifth season of the anime, Michiru flirts heavily with the male Kou Seiya in one episode, even though she is clearly in a relationship with Haruka when this takes place. She states beforehand an intention to learn Seiya's motives, fearing that he may be a threat to the planet, but Haruka is no less jealous upon discovering them.
Seiya himself is actually an alien who transforms from a female Sailor Senshi into a male civilian; he has a stated romantic interest in Usagi Tsukino and a link of some sort with the ruler of his people, Princess Kakyuu. In the original manga Seiya is always female, yet still refers to her feelings for Usagi as "unrequited love".[12]
In general, the Sailor Moon anime contains more overt references to lesbianism than the Sailor Moon manga, partially due to the influence of director Kunihiko Ikuhara, who has stated on many occasions that he "prefers lesbians".
Utena Tenjou and Anthy Himemiya from Revolutionary Girl Utena are most likely the second most famous yuri couple. Similarly to Haruka and Michiru, Utena appears to be the more "masculine" of the two, also insisting on wearing the boys' uniform and participating in the surrealist duels at Ohtori Academy. However, she is naive and overly pure-hearted at times; Anthy's jaded, cynical worldview stands in sharp contrast to Utena. Like Michiru to Haruka, Anthy serves as a moderating and calming influence over Utena. It can be argued that Utena/Anthy shows more of the dominant/submissive pattern, since it is in Anthy's character (superficially, at least) to be submissive.
Unrequited love also features notably in shoujo-ai and yuri. One of the most well-known examples is Sakura Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji from Cardcaptor Sakura. In this case, there is what appears to be a one-sided love, that of Tomoyo for Sakura.
In recent years, the trend has been toward yuri being more out in the open. Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito (2003), or "YamiBou", was the most notable example of this; the main characters, Hazuki and Hatsumi, were quite obviously in love, and the story centers on Hazuki's journey through time and space to find Hatsumi after the latter departs her world on the midnight of her sixteenth birthday. The series can be thought of as an attempt to bridge the gap between shōjo and shōnen anime; its story is very deep and nearly entirely character-driven, yet it contains large amounts of fanservice and is based on an H-game.
Despite some flaws, Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito's influence can be keenly felt in what many consider to be its spiritual successor, Kannazuki no Miko ("Shrine Maidens of the Godless Month"). This is another attempt to cross genres, featuring a plot-driven storyline. It makes heavy use of mecha (giant robots), but these and even the plot itself (saving the planet from the Orochi) is just a backdrop to the real story: the love between Himemiya Chikane and Kurusagawa Himeko, reincarnations of the Lunar Miko and Solar Miko, respectively, whose job it is to combat the Orochi. Chikane and Himeko resemble Hazuki and Hatsumi from YamiBou extremely closely, though Himeko is much more outgoing than the spooky, selectively-mute Hatsumi. Kannazuki no Miko is considered difficult to watch by many shoujo-ai fans; the show features brutally melodramatic twists and turns, and no concrete conclusion is reached until after the end credits of the last episode. Though exceedingly brief, the final snippet is interpreted by many fans as vague confirmation of a happy ending for the pair.
Another notable example of shoujo-ai and yuri is Maria-sama ga Miteru, or "Marimite". Unlike Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito and Kannazuki no Miko, Marimite is an entirely character-driven shōjo anime with little to no action or drama in the plot. Marimite follows the students at Lillian Jogakuen, an all-girls Catholic school somewhere in Japan. It focuses on the relationships between the girls, set against the backdrop of the Student Council, known as the Yamayurikai. While most of the shoujo-ai is subtext, Sei Satō (Rosa Gigantea) is quite obviously a lesbian and two entire episodes of the first season are devoted to the story of her and a former lover, Shiori Kubō. Yoshino Shimazu and Rei Hasekura act in many ways as if they are already married, having known one another since early childhood, living next-door to each other, and being first cousins. Shimako Tōdō, mysterious and aloof, seems to be growing a romantic relationship with the small but fiery new first-year Noriko in the second season as well. As of 2005, the most popular pairing in the fandom (Sachiko/Yumi) is still at the subtext level, and some fans believe it may never progress beyond that.
[edit] Non-hentai anime and manga where yuri or shoujo-ai is central to the story
[edit] Non-hentai anime and manga with stories that include some yuri or shoujo-ai
[edit] Non-hentai magazines dedicated to yuri or shoujo-ai manga
[edit] See also
[edit] Reference
- ^ a b Friedman, Erica. What is Yuri?. What are Yuri and Shoujoai, anyway?. Yuricon and ALC Publishing. Retrieved on 20 May, 2005.
- ^ Schodt, F. -- Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga. Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press, 1996
- ^ a b Natsume, F. -- Manga no Yomikata [How to read manga]. Tokyo: Takarajimasya, 1999
- ^ Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context, Issue 12 'Queer Japan', January 2006
- ^ Wim Lunsing -- Beyond Common Sense: Negotiating Constructions of Sexuality and Gender in Contemporary Japan, London: Kegan Paul International, 1999
- ^ M. McLelland -- Male Homosexuality in Modern Japan: Cultural Myths and Social Realities, Richmond: Curzon Press, 2000
- ^ Jennifer Robertson -- Sexual Politics and Popular Culture in Modern Japan, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998
- ^ Matt Thorn. Alternative Narratives of Love, Sex, Gender, and Friendship in Japanese Girls' Comics.
- ^ Kishiji, Bando. The Origins of Yuri. Thoughts on Yuri from a Shoujo Perspective. Yuricon and ALC Publishing. Retrieved on 5 December, 2006.
- ^ Takeuchi, Naoko [October 1, 1999]. Materials Collection, Translated by Alex Glover (in English), Japan: Kodansha. Retrieved on October 10, 2006. “"[Haruka] plays a male role in Takarazuka."”
- ^ Sebert, Paul. "Kissing cousins may bring controversy Cartoon Network juggles controversial topics contained in the “Sailor Moon S” series", The Daily Athenaeum Interactive, 2000-06-28. Retrieved on February 21, 2007. “Although the L-word has yet to be uttered by a single character, the gay subtext still exists. ... the two girls referred to each other as "cousins".”
- ^ Takeuchi, Naoko (April 4, 1997; December 10, 1998). "Act 46", Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Volume 18. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178858-2. - a translation is available at The Manga of Takeuchi Naoko.
[edit] External links
- Déjame probar
- The Yuri Mailing List
- The Shoujo-Ai Archive
- Yuricon
- Shoujo-ai Canada Canadian convention events, Lesbian fiction, shoujo-ai database and more.
