Cartographies of desire in contemporary manga: the role of the Yaoi (Boys’ Love) genre in adolescent cultures

Abstract

This article explores the role of the Yaoi manga genre, also known as Boys’ Love, in the identity construction processes of contemporary adolescent cultures. After framing manga as a cultural medium with distinctive aesthetic and narrative features, the article traces the origins of the Yaoi genre within the Japanese shōjo manga tradition, analyzing its main thematic coordinates: the seme/uke relational dynamic, the idealization of intimacy, character androgyny, and the erotic dimension. Through the analysis of paradigmatic works popular among adolescent audiences the article highlights the plurality of the genre’s expressions and discusses its formative implications.