Young Thai girls are besotted with Japanese sexual gay-themed comics, according to a recent report in Thai Rath newspaper.
Their obsession for these often sexually explicit and violent comics is worrying the thinking crowd. Yaoi comics were introduced to Thailand as long as 15 years ago, but in recent times have enjoyed an explosion of popularity, say academics, who have surveyed teen readers.
The survey does not say why teen girls - many of whom are presumably straight - find so absorbing about pictures of men having sex. Presumably it's voyeurism, or the buzz of being exposed to all that graphic content.
Their obsession for these often sexually explicit and violent comics is worrying the thinking crowd. Yaoi comics were introduced to Thailand as long as 15 years ago, but in recent times have enjoyed an explosion of popularity, say academics, who have surveyed teen readers.
The survey does not say why teen girls - many of whom are presumably straight - find so absorbing about pictures of men having sex. Presumably it's voyeurism, or the buzz of being exposed to all that graphic content.
It says while the popularity of gay Japanese comics was initially confined to girls at the end of secondary school or in university, these days it is common to find primary students flipping between the covers. Funnily enough, even people in 'respectable' occupations, such as doctors and university lecturers, are into yaoi comics.
The yaoi craze has spawned consumer product offshoots. While yaoi comics are made in Thailand, consumers can also buy the comics in story form, as computer games, and even consumer goods such as perfume scent.
Men are typically shown kissing, cuddling, and stroking each other, but the comics also include images of sexual organs. Thai fans meet once a month on the internet, and some girls are so passionate about their interest that they have been known to toss aside boyfriends who put up resistance.
Japanese sex comics of the straight variety also come in for a drubbing. The survey, on culture and sexual politics as portrayed in yaoi comics, says women characters are portrayed as objects. They emphasise big breasts and vaginas. Men are portrayed as hunters and voyeurs.
The males like attacking their female conquests, but the implicit message is that women were only asking for it anyway. Love scenes put great emphasis on the vagina, and needless to say, no one wears any protection.
Sex is the selling point in all these comics, whether they are sold between like-minded friends or in bookstores. They make up an impressive 30% of all comics sold.
No other market can beat Japan for the popularity of sexually explicit comics. See Wiki for further details (and get up to speed with young' person's jargon such as 'manga', and 'anime' at the same time).
As an aside, this interesting piece on the manga style tells readers how to read manga 'code', or how characters portray various emotions.
The Japanese girls like the "gay" manga because they often portray men in a soft, gentle, idealised, emotionally connected, cutsey light which appeals to them much more than the reality of ACTUAL Japanese men, straight or gay.
ReplyDeleteThis also somewhat explains the appeal of Takarazuka theatre to Japanese women (google it if you want to find out about another unusual aspect of women's culture in Japan).
I find the brutality aspect of manga to be disturbing, but it seems Asians have a different view of this. I hope they can keep fantasy from reality.
ReplyDeleteSo do I, Silom! I guess it might be true that Japanese women like the way men are potrayed in the comics, but they can't like the way women themselves are depicted, so it all seems a bit mysterious to me.
ReplyDeleteEven here in the american, teenage girls love this stuff. I personally think yaoi is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and I know many people who would agree with me.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why we like to see gay guys having sex. Probably for the same reason men like to see lesbians having sex. Who knows?