And the number of yaoi anime titles being released is increasing. More and more English translations are being made available in the US. Thus, there are fewer titles published or produced compared to the rest of the market. A smaller following means less of a possibility for profit. Niche genres have fewer fans than the market they are a part of. Yaoi or BL is a niche genre in Manga and Anime just like erotica is a niche genre in romance. It is not to be mistaken with gei-comi/bara which is by gay men and for gay men but also focuses on romantic/sexual relationships between two main male characters. Yaoi is a subgenre of Boy’s Love (also called BL) that focuses very heavily on erotic and pornographic scenes, moreso than any other part of the story elements.īL is a genre aimed at female readers / watchers that focuses first and foremost on a canon romantic / sexual relationship between two main male characters.
