For many queer fans, one of the most iconic moments in modern anime fandom was the finale of figure skating anime series Yuri!!! On Ice. It seems difficult to imagine the show topping the dramatic (probable) kiss in episode seven, but the series ended on a note that seemed to say that the future for Yuri and Victor would be one where they’re together as partners on the ice — and off of it as well.
Yuri!!! On Ice has since become an international sensation with countless fans still eagerly waiting for more content. A big reason why is that it blends the familiar sports anime vibes with queer themes that call back to another popular genre: boys’ love (BL).
In the introduction to the 2015 collection Boys’ Love Manga and Beyond: History, Culture, and Community in Japan, editors Mark McLelland and James Welker walk readers through this subtype of manga and how it’s commonly defined. “If you walk into a typical bookstore in Japan today, somewhere on the shelves you are likely to find various books depicting romantic and sexual relations between beautiful, stylish male characters.
These male homoerotic stories might be found in the form of manga — the name for Japan’s globally known narrative comics — or in the form of “ light novels” — a local label for lowbrow, highly disposable prose fiction,” McLelland and Welker write. “If the store you’re wandering around is large enough, you might find these texts occupying an entire shelf, floor-to-ceiling, or even multiple shelves. In fact, it’s quite possible that the bookstore will have one section for manga and a separate section somewhere else for light novels, all depicting male male romance.”