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BL and it’s Shoujo grandma
In the last few years a lot of people have entered the fandom from different pathways and don’t know its history and origins. This post is an effort to clarify some of the whys and the hows of how the genre and industry came to be in the way they have. In this post I want to talk about BL and its connection to Shoujo manga through their tropes.
We all know to some degree (and if you don’t you will now) that BL came from the more traditional romance manga genre: Shoujo.
Today, BL is its own independent genre, so many people might not know that a lot of what is characteristic of BL, is an evolution or a trace from its Shoujo grandmother. After all, romance is romance, and our hearts flutter very easily with the same tropes over and over again.
We must also take into consideration that everything in this life influences each other so the limits between genres will never be cristal clear. There is no clear line between Shoujo and BL... but the ambiguity is part of the charm.
Please be remiended that this is my own thoughts on the matter. It’s a hypothesis I have come up with based on my readings but do not take it as gospel. Anyone and everyone is welcome to add to this post and correct any errors, or comment their own takes on the topic.
Edit: this got so long I’m gonna put it under the cut
Shoujo, as the Romance Manga Genre by definiton, comes from Japan. Even though it is not the only source of romance content, I believe that it has had one of the biggest influences over the mainstream asian romance media. Which, I believe, has a lot to do with the recent history of the region.
First, a little bit of history and context (and some speculation)
The after effects of WW2
Well, Japan’s imperialism and war against the west makes it occupy a big part of the countries of southeast asia and “during this period, GDP in most Southeast Asian countries fell by half; 4.4 million civilians died prematurely; severe shortages of food and goods affected almost all Southeast Asians; and many lived in fear of draconian military rule” ( World War II and Southeast Asia Economy and Society under Japanese Occupation, by Gregg Huff) yes this post has citations people
Overall, Southeast Asia faces economic difficulties, social and ethnic unrest, and political struggles through much of the mid-twentieth century. By the 1980s, conditions have improved, but the “Asian financial crisis” in the late 1990s is a serious setback for the region (source)
All of this to say, that it makes sense that, in such a landscape, it was Japan who, after the American Occupation was the one country with the means to produce and eventually export entertainment. The US wanted to successfuly avoid any resurgance of imperialism and a base in the east on their side for the cold war, and other subsequent wars. This special attention helped the stability and economy of Japan in the long term (compared to all the other countries that had been under its rule).
Manga and Shoujo
More or less at the same time manga as we know it today started (with Osamu Tezuka, aka the god of manga) around the 50′s.
First made by men then by women around the 60′s, Shoujo was the genre “for girls” in opposition to Shounen, that was “for boys” (these labels just inform of the content and tropes of the stories you read, there are many other genres but I’m trying to make this short). Women authors took control of the stories that were being told to women audiencies, taking into account what interested them at the time: gender roles, sexuality and romance, among others.
To me, the most interesting time period for Shoujo after the initial 60′s/70′s (ie, The Rose of Versailles) is the 90′s/early 2000′s (ie, Sailor Moon, Magic Knight Rayearth, Ouran High School Host Club, etc... My favorite shoujo manga come from this time, really really recommend reading some). Which coincidentally happens around the same time as manga’s worldwide boom and expansion.
How has Shoujo influenced asian media?
The 80′s/90′s was when manga arrived to the US, and subsequently to the rest of the world. Depending on the country manga became popular at different times, however by the end of the 90′s it was a success worlwide.
references
Why I think shoujo manga has had one ot the biggest influences over romance media in Asia
Shoujo manga has been adapted into live action so, so much. Many memorable doramas were mangas first. Boys Over Flowers being the most prominent example of this (we will come back to it later).
Imo, Shoujo was able to explore a certain amount of themes that interested women at the time, and through manga’s popularity and expansion, those themes came with tropes and ended up becoming the backbone of the genre, influencing other romance media in general. But it has also been influenced by the mainstream trends of tv and interests of the public as it evolves according to the demand. The name does comes from its target demographic.
Some of the most typical themes we find in shoujo are:
Interpersonal relationships between characters concentrating on the interaction of their emotions and a lot of inner monologue, aka romance
Gender
Sexuality,
Fashion,
etc...
One of the interesting things here -- going back to the historical context I gave before -- is that Japan’s Constitution (1947), that was made which the US’s supervison, enabled a bigger equality between men and women. Which might be one of the reasons why “characters that defy traditional roles and stereotypes surrounding gender and sexuality have been a central motif of shōjo manga since its origins.”
General Romantic tropes we find in Shoujo
Romance being one of the main themes of Shoujo, it is inevitable that a lot of what we consider romantic will also be a Shoujo trope. Many of these are just inherent to any romantic theme. What influenced Shoujo or was influenced by Shoujo? It is hard to tell. Nevertheless, I will do my best to do some sort of categorization.
General romantic behaviour tropes: kabedon, accidental kiss, feed me, sucking on wound, temperature check, indirect kiss, lap pillow, shirt tug, hair kiss/touch, monster-in-law ...
Other tropes include, not limited to romance but pretty common: we got together kiss/sex, drunken acts, I can’t control myself/I’m a man too, overnight trip, miscomunication, physically hurt/sick moment where they get taken care of, ...
Here are some of the most typical shoujo tropes:
How many times have we seen a scene under the rain, where the use of an umbrella was made very romantic? Or an icy, emotionally closed off man being melted down by a warm woman’s love?
Others shoujo specific tropes: sponge bath, drying hair with a towel, snuff cheek kiss, indirect kiss, unconscious kiss, kiss them to make them take their medicine, bitchy girl rival (because mysoginy), violent defense of loved one, he belongs to everyone (mysoginy and girl rivalry again), accidental meet cute (library/street corner), gender bender, woman dressed up/mistaken as a man, ...
How many shows came to your head (queer or not) while you were reading that list of tropes? A lot of them you know or have seen many times in kdramas, jdramas, cdramas, thai dramas, etc... Probably some of them you didn’t know were a common trope.
Shoujo tropes refs 1
To exemplify the influence of Shoujo Manga on the Romance Media...
Let’s talk Boys Over Flower/ Hana Yori Dango/ Meteor Garden/ F4
Boys Over Flowers (or Hana Dan) is the best example to see the influence of Shoujo tropes in Asian romance, since it has been adapted many times, and is still being milked to this day.
Contrary to popular belief the taiwanese Meteor Garden did not come first, the manga did. Followed by: the japanese live action movie (1995) >> the anime (1996) >> taiwanese series (s1&2, 2001-2002) >> japanese series (s1&2 + movie, 2005) >> korean drama (2009) >> chinese Meteor Garden (2018) >> japanese spin off Hana Nochi Hare (2018) >> F4 (2021).
We find all the tropes in BOF:
love triangle, popular x unpopular, umbrella under the rain, cold ml x warm wl, rich x poor, trapped in an elevator, sick boy, accidental kiss, unfortunate accident that brings you closer, monster-in-law, I leave you because I love you, he belongs to everyone... and many others.
The overwhelming success of BOF, and it’s many reboots and adaptations made the shoujo tropes a staple of the romance genre (at least in Asia).
How does BL appear in all this?
Shoujo and gender and sexuality
BL (or Yaoi or Shounen-ai) started as one of the subgenres of Shoujo (others being Josei (more mature), Horror, Teen’s Love(erotica), Moe, etc). It was a variation on the hetero notion of romantic love, hence the clear paralelism with the gender binary. It slowly started integrating actual queer dynamics later on. The genre in itself has evolved a lot as it has broken free from the Shoujo mantle. It was very very different in the 70's (when it started) to the 2000's (when the hetero style of relationships and dynamics was at its most popular in QLs) to now.
The particular thing about Shoujo is that, besides creating a subgenre about exploring homsexuality, they explored gender and gender roles a lot. Women disguising themselves as men, or characters that did not identify with their assigned gender were and are still very common. Starting with Princess Knight to The Rose of Versailles to Ouran High School Host Club. We see this trope a lot in live action dramas like: Hana Kimi, Coffe Prince, Bromance, Secret Garden, You’re Beautiful, etc..., And all the historical k-dramas with women disguised as men (Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Scholar Who Walks the Night, Love in the Moonlight, The King’s Affection). Besides it being a theme that clearly interests female audiences, other possible influences on the growing of media exploring this theme might be: the Takarazuka Revue, the newfound equality of sexes thanks to the japanese constitution, and trying to break free of gender roles and societal expectations through media.
I kinda see it as an accident that shoujo manga authors ended up making queer content. They were questioning social expectations but I don't think they even knew that there were queer people out there to be appealed by it.
As a quick recap of BL themes through its history, we went from:
the tragic and traumatized european pretty boys (Kaze to Ki no Uta) of the 70′s to
the gay for you, hetero like uke/seme, with problematic content for the sake of drama but with happier endings (Junjou Romantica) of the 2000′s to
the more realistic, featuring characters from the LGBT community variety of content we have now (Given)
BL also eventually gave birth to Bara/Gei Comi (gay comics, by gay men for gay men. Check Gengoroh Tagame’s works to know what I mean), and in some way GL (or Yuri).
BL tropes
Do we find the general romantic tropes in BL? Yes, we do. However there are some that are inherent to BL. Also, as Thailand finds itself at the head of the current BL boom, we also find these tropes to be influenced by thai culture.
Bishonen boys (beautiful androginous men), uke/seme, rape, gay for you, age gap, psycho boys, ...
I leave here ABL’s posts on the BL characteristics by country, other bl tropes, and Thai BL and tropes. Honestly, they’re the expert on all tropes BL.
As I have consumed all types of romance media, I can hardly tell what tropes are inhenrent to what genre. However, tropes that are inherent to BL would be:
Many of these are related to sex, which is one of the main themes of BL. There is a lot to be said about sex in BL, particularly in its relationship to violence. There is also a lot of BL that features intentionally toxic relationships and unhealty dynamics. Which is the darked side of the genre, to be explored in another occasion.
Coming back to our main theme, here is an example of the connection and evolution of a shoujo trope into a BL tropes.
BL tropes evolved from Shoujo: Rooftop confession
Rooftops belong to the gays now and it should be known. It is a very well known trope used all over genres, but it is has become an very significative one in BLs.
image sources 1 2
Final Toughts
While preparing for this post I decided to research a little about SE Asia’s recent history, as I have been made aware recently that not only thailand is rising in it’s entertaiment production, but Cambodia is rising in the music sphere. All these industries that are sprouting from Southeast Asia, made me wonder why. And my elation when I realized there was a reason why! It all started to get into place in my head.
I have wanted to make this post for a while. In a lot of the conversations we’ve been having in the fandom around shows recently made me realize that a lot of the new fans get into BL without having encountered Asian dramas before or just partially. Lots of the analysis made and the questions posed around BL shows have a partial answer in the context of how the genre came to be and how its intertwined with every other piece of Asian media.
The purpose of this post is to give more detail into how BL is influenced by a lot of the general romance genre, which a lot of the fandom might not know in depth. I hope this clearifies some things for those who search to understand why this or that trope or action happen in a show where it might not make sense, or it might be out of place, or just strange.
As Thailand media is growing, we see how they use what is popular in their favor, while adding a bit of their own personal culture to it. It’s interesting how we can see the kdrama or manga influences. And talking about it and questioning them makes me excited for more.
This will be a series of posts. I have decided to make a post about the general history of BL. Which will be accompanied by another, smaller post where I want to talk about the Yaoi Debates (Yaoi Ronso) and the use of trauma and rape in BLs, as it has been a topic of conversation recently.
A big thank you to @waitmyturtles for her Old GMMTV Challenge, which has promted a lot of conversation about BL and has also made me want to participate in them. I hope this can be complementary to your watches and helps you understand the genre and how it came to be.
#bl tropes#shoujo tropes#bl and it's shoujo grandma#for the fam#and the besties#it got super long but if you read the whole thing I hope you enjoyed it#look forward to the other posts I'm gonna make#bl history
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Ooh fancy pants rich McGee over here ✨
#my art#art#drawing#illustration#dc comics#bat fam#Nightwing#red hood#Red Robin#robin#dick Grayson#Jason Todd#Tim drake#Damian Wayne#fantasy fashion#I will color code them until I die
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Breaking News: Gotham Crime lord and Child Vigilante Accomplice Harass Innocent Taco Bell Employee (NOT CLICKBAIT)
Those dastardly Baja Blast Brothers
#the cutest duo ever 2 me#if you see me struggling with tumblr mobile no you dont#batman#dc robin#dc fanart#dc comics#art#bat family#jason todd#batfam#red hood#robin#dc red hood#gif#artists on tumblr#animation#damian wayne#damian wayne robin#batfam fanart#bat fam#artist on tumblr#damian al ghul#fanart
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Headcanon that the batfam has a Samsung smart refrigerator or whatever it's called, and it is used entirely for doing work while in the kitchen. There has been justice league meetings held on that motherfucker and nuclear threats disengaged.
#dcu#dc#dc characters#dc comics#tim drake#jason todd#dick grayson#duke thomas#damien wayne#cassandra cain#stephanie brown#bruce wayne#alfred pennyworth#justice league#batfam headcanons#batfamily#bat fam#batfam shenanigans
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#nightwing#red hood#red robin#robin#dick grayson#jason todd#tim drake#damian wayne#batfamily#bat fam#bat family#batfam#dc batfam#the batfamily#the bat boys#dc comics#dc universe#dcu#dc
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i've been waiting for gravity falls to become relevant again so i could share one of my favorite underrated bits from the entire show. like it's only episode 2 but this whole segment just makes me lose my shit. i think jason ritter's exasperated line delivery is what makes it
#something about the comedy in early gravity falls just hits different imo it's SO neat#also legend of the gobblewonker is just a really solid episode overall#i don't think i have literally any criticisms of it??? it tells a simple but meaningful message without undermining the audience#it has GREAT characterization for the main characters but especially the pines fam#lots of really memorable gags#THIS IS THE ORIGIN OF MY AIM IS GETTING BETTER#leo.txt#gfalls#gravity falls
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dick: you were gone for months, everyone though you were insane or else, dead even, you cut off all of the contacts with your family, friends and colleagues. and now turns out you what. almost joined an ancient murderous cult? lost an organ? have committed a few terroristic attacks? and fraud?
tim: it was my hot girl summer
dick: you've been banned from seven different countries
tim: not me being a girlypop
dick:
tim: also, is it a terroristic attack if you attack terrorists?
#tim drake#timdrake#tim drake wayne#red robin#redrobin#dick grayson#richard grayson#nightwing#red robin comics#dc#dc comics#batman#robin#batfamily#bat fam#dcu#ras al ghul#batman comics
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helping out 🌱
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That's his signature look, Vanessa
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Jason hitting the panic button in his sleep cuz he was still in his uniform and rolled over but because he’s in one of his safe houses the signal is all messed up and the Batfam is in chaos trying to find him but Jason is just “zzzz” the whole time
#please this is so funny#Jason dreaming about unicorns and shit#and the fam is ‘OHMYGOD HES GONNA DIE AND COME BACK EVEN MORE ANNOYING’#batfamily#batfam#red hood#nightwing#jason todd#dick grayson#Batman#bruce wayne#batman family#duke thomas#damian wayne#cassandra cain#stephanie brown#tim drake
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harder better faster strong world
#one piece#finally got to watch strong world and it’s so peak#entire fam mad as fuck … in glorious 24 fps animation#one piece film strong world#one piece fanart#zolu#roronoa zoro#zoro#monkey d. luffy#luffy#my art
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Went into record store this week and decided to slap them onto Please Please Me
#my art#art#drawing#illustration#dc comics#Batman#bat fam#robin#Nightwing#red hood#Red Robin#dick Grayson#Jason Todd#Tim drake#Damian Wayne
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Dick pushing thirty is forever funny to me. I imagine he pouts in the corner anytime Damien or Jason jokingly call him "old man"
Once during a particularly stressful mission he came back and took a shower only to notice a single grey hair amongst the black. He was basically that scene in howls moving castle where he threw himself on the nearest surface and wallowed until Kori had to reassure him he was still young.
He works on a mission with Bruce and is beaming when an officer comes up to him and he's expecting a "thanks kid" like the old days or maybe a "hey bro" in solidarity but the officer just shakes his hand and says "thank you sir"
Dick cries for a week.
#dick grayson#nightwing#jason todd#damien wayne#robin#batman#dc comics#bat fam#he's a crybaby#but he's pretty so i forgive him
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baby’s first homicide case
(inspired by supernatural’s painfully awkward season 1 promos)
#i love jaybin#you know how your parents make you stand for the world’s most awkward photoshoots with your siblings#no just me okay#dick grayson#jason todd#dc robin#robin#nightwing#batman#batfam#jaybin#he’s just happy to be there#jim gordon#commissioner gordon#art#drawing#artists on tumblr#digital art#bat family#bat fam#dc#dc comics#dc fanart
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i love it when characters are unfair, actually. i love it when they’re uncouth and cranky and hypocritical, i love it when they have cognitive dissonances, i love it when they make good and bad choices for the wrong reasons. i love when they’re short to anger and hard to understand. i love it when they’ve destroyed themselves for nothing but can’t even see either part of it yet. i love it when they’re messy and selfish and bad at communicating. i love it when they get convinced of their own ego and stuck in a feedback loop regarding their own warped paranoia. i love it when characters actively make their lives unknowingly harder for themselves. i love it when characters don’t know they’re in a story. i love it when characters are like real people
#text post#the dragon prince#the gang's all here#s4 is my best friend#tragedy enjoyer#morally ambiguous fam#viren#claudia#rayla#callum#runaan#tdp viren#tdp claudia#tdp harrow#tdp runaan#tdp rayla#tdp callum#king harrow
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