Girls love (ガールズラブ garuzu rabu), also known as yuri (百合), is a Japanese media genre that depicts relationships between women. The genre encompasses a broad spectrum of media, including manga, anime, drama CDs, novels, movies, and photography books featuring images of women interacting romantically or intimately.
What does Girls love mean in Japan?
The term “Girls love” refers to media works that explore romantic and sexual relationships between female characters. It originated in the 1970s with shōjo manga (girls’ comics) that featured emotional and sometimes physical intimacy between high school girls. While the genre initially focused on innocent “schoolgirl crushes,” it has evolved over time to depict more mature and explicit relationships between women.
Some key aspects of Girls love works in Japan include:
- Relationships between female characters are the central focus.
- Works often explore the intimacy, emotional growth, and sexual awakening of the characters.
- Romantic and sexual attraction between women is normalized and portrayed positively.
- Stories may feature all-girls schools, allowing exploration of crushes or romance between classmates.
- Intense emotional connections and dramatic storylines are common elements of the genre.
In Japan, the term Girls love is generally understood to refer to media and fiction specifically created by and for women that delve into romantic relationships between female characters. It provides an outlet to explore gender, sexuality, and intimacy from a female perspective.
What are some common Girls love character archetypes?
Girls love stories often feature stock character archetypes that serve specific roles in the narrative. Some common archetypes include:
| Character Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Seme | Assertive “attacker” who pursues a romantic interest. May have a boyish look. |
| Uke | Demure “receiver” who is the object of seme’s affection. Often very feminine. |
| Tsundere | Tough on the outside, but with a hidden sweet side. Hot and cold toward their love interest. |
| Yandere | Sweet but capable of violent, obsessive love. May resort to manipulation or force. |
| Bifauxnen | A girlish boyish girl. Appears androgynous or boyish, but identifies as female. |
These character types allow writers to explore different dynamics and tensions in Girls love relationships. The assertive seme pursuing a shy uke is a very common dynamic.
What are some popular Girls love anime and manga?
Some landmark and popular Girls love anime and manga series include:
- Yuri Bear Storm (1969) – One of the first manga in the genre, it told stories of innocent romance between high school girls.
- Oniisama e (1973-1975) – Classic manga featuring emotional bonds between students at an all-girls high school.
- Revolutionary Girl Utena (1996-1997) – Surreal anime series with symbolic use of Girls love themes.
- Maria-sama ga Miteru (1998-present) – Novel and manga series about the “soeur system” of pseudo-sisterly pairings at a Catholic girls school.
- Strawberry Panic! (2006) – Anime following relationships between students at three affiliated all-girl schools.
- Citrus (2012-2018) – Romance manga between two stepsisters with a large age gap.
- Bloom Into You (2015-present) – Popular manga about a student council member who falls for an underclassman.
These iconic works established many of the common settings, themes, and character archetypes that continue to define the Girls love genre today.
What are some common Girls love themes and topics?
Girls love stories explore a wide range of themes and topics involving female relationships and sexuality. Some common themes and elements include:
- Self-discovery – Coming to understand one’s identity and desires through a Girls love relationship.
- Sexual awakening – Discovering physical intimacy and pleasure with another woman.
- Social commentary – Using Girls love relationships to critique sexism, gender roles, and homophobia in society.
- Gender performance – Exploring how the characters express their gender and sexuality.
- Forbidden love – Drama from romances facing disapproval or barriers. Common in student-teacher stories.
- Emotional bonds – Forming intimate connections beyond just physical intimacy.
- Age gaps – Romances between characters with large differences in age or experience.
Additionally, the visual depiction of intimacy between women is a major draw for some fans of Girls love media.
Why is the Girls love genre so popular?
There are several factors that contribute to the enduring popularity of the Girls love genre in Japan and globally:
- It provides an appealing alternative to male-targeted genres by depicting romantic relationships from a female perspective.
- The focus on emotional connections and character growth resonates strongly with female audiences.
- Fans appreciate the aesthetics of intimacy between beautiful female characters.
- The genre has built up a devoted fanbase over decades of Girls love-themed releases.
- It allows female readers and viewers to explore sexuality and romance from a safe distance.
- Idealized romantic portrayals appeal to fans looking for escapism or fantasy fulfillment.
- There is a enjoyment of the melodrama, angst, and ups and downs often found in Girls love stories.
- The genre has produced many archetypal characters and relationship dynamics that fans continue to enjoy.
Overall, the Girls love genre succeeds commercially because it taps into the interest many women have in seeing romantic relationships between female characters depicted in media and fiction.
What is the reception and perception of the genre in Japan?
The reputation and reception of Girls love media in Japan has shifted over time:
- Historically, it was viewed as a niche genre aimed at a female audience, receiving limited visibility and acceptance in male-dominated otaku culture.
- Increased popularity and permeation into anime/manga culture in the 1990s-2000s raised its profile. But some critics dismissed it as derivative fantasy fulfillment for straight male audiences.
- Today, while still a niche, Girls love manga and anime are commercially successful mediums with dedicated fandoms of female consumers.
- Japanese society remains fairly conservative on LGBTQ issues. But acceptance is slowly growing, especially among younger generations.
- Portrayals of relationships between women are viewed as less taboo today. But fanservice-heavy depictions still generate controversy.
- Most fans distinguish between Girls love as a fictional genre versus real-life LGBTQ issues or representation.
So while Girls love remains a mostly female-oriented genre, it has become an acknowledged and commercially successful niche within the broader manga/anime industries and fan cultures.
How does Girls love relate to perceptions of LGBTQ identity in Japan?
There are some key points about how the fictional Girls love genre relates to real-life LGBTQ identity in Japan:
- Girls love stories are typically not viewed by Japanese fans as representative of actual LGBTQ relationships and issues.
- The exaggerated dynamics and aesthetics are seen as fantastical tropes specific to the genre.
- However, the genre has provided female readers with a rare space to explore their interests in same-sex attraction and intimacy.
- For some fans, Girls love media catalyzes a process of understanding their own sexuality and identity.
- Japanese LGBTQ activists have mixed views about the genre’s tropes and focus on male-oriented visual pleasure.
- There are calls for more realistic and sensitive portrayals of lesbian/bisexual experiences in Japanese media and storytelling.
- Overall, a disconnect remains between Girls love fantasy and real LGBTQ representation in Japan.
So while many Japanese view Girls love as distinct from LGBTQ realities, the genre has had an influence on shaping interests in and perceptions of sexual fluidity among female audiences.
Conclusion
In summary, Girls love refers to Japanese media focusing on romantic and sexual relationships between female characters. Over several decades, it has developed into a distinct genre with recognizable tropes, themes, and archetypes. While remaining a female-oriented niche genre, Girls love manga and anime have achieved commercial success and greater mainstream visibility. However, Japanese society still views it largely as a fictional construct and fantasy distinct from LGBTQ issues and identity. The exaggerated and styled portrayals of intimacy between idealized female characters appeal to female readers seeking alternative perspectives on romance in media and fiction.