OMG, I’m so happy to hear that! I really should write and review more of the yuri manga I’ve read. I’m sure a lot of people don’t know about these titles—especially since many who consume a lot of BL tend to complain that yuri is too vannila-ish or catered toward men. But there are plenty of yuri manga with darker stories or ones written by women, for women. I’m so glad you read Kamieshi, LOL, it’s such a fun yuri manga!
And yeah, you’re totally right about how people place weird moral expectations on GL/yuri. I feel that too, and I don't blame BL fans or others for feeling like it’s restrictive or full of peer pressure. It really sucks how some yuri/GL fans don’t realize that this kind of behavior just pushes people away from exploring or getting into yuri. That’s part of why I want to write more about problematic yuri titles—to spread the love and show people that yuri/GL can be messy and complex too! I honestly think the “yuri should be unproblematic” a la Catholicism is rooted in radfem ideology that’s deeply embedded in the EN-speaking yuri community. You see it a lot, people who "mystify" or "sanctify" lesbianism as if it’s some kind of “pure” or “sinless” sexuality. And as a lesbian, that kind of thinking really puts me off, lol.
LOL, I totally agree with you about Killing Eve! You perfectly explained why I could never really vibe with the fandom or its fanworks. It always felt like the shippers were ashamed of being into a toxic lesbian dynamic. Like, when I see art of Eve as the top, it doesn’t feel like the artist drew it because they liked her in that role, but because they wanted to deconstruct the dynamic out of some moral obligation. It’s such a shame because Killing Eve is such a great example of toxic lesbian rep, it’s probably the closest we’ve gotten to a “lesbian ver. of Hannibal”, but fans rarely lean into the toxicity. It’s funny how the Western side of the fandom avoids it, while in Asian spaces you’ll often see Villanelle portrayed as a typical toxic seme, just like in old-school BL. lmao
I feel like modern fandom being so political isn’t inherently bad, but the way people handle it is just... awful. Especially in English-speaking spaces, it feels like you constantly have to make a moral statement about everything you enjoy or be "critical" of every work or ship you like. There's so much peer pressure, especially for teens, to cancel or call out people who enjoy something “problematic” or who aren’t being critical enough about the media they consume. Honestly, I think a lot of modern BL fans are afraid to openly enjoy BL because they don’t want to be labeled as “male-centered” or “misogynistic” (which is ridiculous), so they try to get into yuri instead, but, their heart just isn’t in it. You can tell.
So many yuri spaces now are full of people who like the idea of yuri moreas a "concept" or "aesthetic" than the actual content. They treat it like an aesthetic or a political stance, not something they genuinely enjoy. That’s why you get so many modern himejoshi or yuri fans whining about wanting more “X but yuri” or getting mad at AO3 stats, instead of actually digging in and reading more yuri manga. In the end, a lot of them are just posers who aren’t really into yuri as a genre, they just want to use it as a tool for performative activism or to make a political statement in fandom spaces.
I am Michi, an Otaku who is an Avid BL & Yuri fans. EN/ID. A blog where I post stuff I like & writing things on my mind. Mainly focused on Video Games, Japanese media/Subcultures, Fandom, Meta, Media review, etc. Occasionally talk about personal life.
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Date: Tuesday, 27 May 2025 03:42 (UTC)And yeah, you’re totally right about how people place weird moral expectations on GL/yuri. I feel that too, and I don't blame BL fans or others for feeling like it’s restrictive or full of peer pressure. It really sucks how some yuri/GL fans don’t realize that this kind of behavior just pushes people away from exploring or getting into yuri. That’s part of why I want to write more about problematic yuri titles—to spread the love and show people that yuri/GL can be messy and complex too! I honestly think the “yuri should be unproblematic” a la Catholicism is rooted in radfem ideology that’s deeply embedded in the EN-speaking yuri community. You see it a lot, people who "mystify" or "sanctify" lesbianism as if it’s some kind of “pure” or “sinless” sexuality. And as a lesbian, that kind of thinking really puts me off, lol.
LOL, I totally agree with you about Killing Eve! You perfectly explained why I could never really vibe with the fandom or its fanworks. It always felt like the shippers were ashamed of being into a toxic lesbian dynamic. Like, when I see art of Eve as the top, it doesn’t feel like the artist drew it because they liked her in that role, but because they wanted to deconstruct the dynamic out of some moral obligation. It’s such a shame because Killing Eve is such a great example of toxic lesbian rep, it’s probably the closest we’ve gotten to a “lesbian ver. of Hannibal”, but fans rarely lean into the toxicity. It’s funny how the Western side of the fandom avoids it, while in Asian spaces you’ll often see Villanelle portrayed as a typical toxic seme, just like in old-school BL. lmao
I feel like modern fandom being so political isn’t inherently bad, but the way people handle it is just... awful. Especially in English-speaking spaces, it feels like you constantly have to make a moral statement about everything you enjoy or be "critical" of every work or ship you like. There's so much peer pressure, especially for teens, to cancel or call out people who enjoy something “problematic” or who aren’t being critical enough about the media they consume. Honestly, I think a lot of modern BL fans are afraid to openly enjoy BL because they don’t want to be labeled as “male-centered” or “misogynistic” (which is ridiculous), so they try to get into yuri instead, but, their heart just isn’t in it. You can tell.
So many yuri spaces now are full of people who like the idea of yuri moreas a "concept" or "aesthetic" than the actual content. They treat it like an aesthetic or a political stance, not something they genuinely enjoy. That’s why you get so many modern himejoshi or yuri fans whining about wanting more “X but yuri” or getting mad at AO3 stats, instead of actually digging in and reading more yuri manga. In the end, a lot of them are just posers who aren’t really into yuri as a genre, they just want to use it as a tool for performative activism or to make a political statement in fandom spaces.