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mussolini

  • Australia
  • Joined Dec 18, 2008
  • ? / M
i

BL (short for Boys' Love) is a genre that depicts homosexual relationships between men. BL is the predominant term in Japan. In the West, the term Shounen-ai categorizes romantic stories that focus on emotional aspects of relationships, while Yaoi categorizes more of the sexual aspects such as Smut or explicit content.

A character in these anime undergoes a complete or partial physical sex change, whether due to environmental aspects, an enchanted item, a wish that's been granted or a number of other factors. Depending on the situation, the character might be stuck in their new body, or changed back automatically at some point, or have the ability to change back and forth at will. If a man and woman suddenly share the same body, the Gender Bender tag applies as well.

Incest is defined as romantic or sexual relations between people classified as being too closely related to marry each other. On Anime-Planet, we apply this tag when: 1) the characters are related by blood, or 2) the characters are related through adoption or marriage and have a long history together. If characters have just met through marriage and develop a romantic relationship, even if the taboo aspect is discussed, we do not apply this tag.

Josei (女性), translated as "woman", is a demographic aimed at women from late teens through adulthood. These titles tend to be more mature, often focusing on realistic situations such as work life or romance. Josei is the counterpart of Seinen, a demographic aimed at older teens and men.

These anime have an LGBT theme as a strong focus. Examples include gender or gender identity themes; an LGBT relationship as a primary focus; or an LGBT character as a protagonist, especially if their gender or sexual orientation is showcased as a back story or plot point. Read more about how we tag LBGT-related content on Anime-Planet.

A reverse harem includes three or more characters who potentially show romantic interest in a female protagonist. The sex, gender, or orientation of the harem members is irrelevant as long as they exclusively, or at least primarily, are vying for the affections of the same individual - who may or may not reciprocate towards one, several, or none of these romantic rivals.

These anime are categorized as Shounen-ai. Boys' Love or BL in Japan, is a genre that depicts homosexual relationships between men. Japan typically uses this single category for all forms of these relationships, sexual or not. In the West, the term Shounen-ai categorizes stories that focus on the emotional aspects of the relationships, while Yaoi categorizes more of the sexual aspects, such as Smut or explicit content. As Anime-Planet's audience is mostly based in the West, we use the Western definition for both Yaoi and Shounen-ai. See BL for a list of both titles.

Yaoi, also known as Boys' Love or BL in Japan, is a genre that depicts homosexual relationships between men. Japan typically uses this single category for all forms of these relationships, sexual or not. In the West, the term Shounen-ai categorizes stories that focus on emotional aspects of relationships, while Yaoi categorizes more of the sexual aspects, such as Smut, or explicit content. As Anime-Planet's audience is mostly based in the West, we use the Western definition for both Yaoi and Shounen-ai. See BL for a list of both titles.