Sekinin wo toranakucha...

[flemmings]

There's a new manga store on Bloor near Spadina where the used CD place was. I only realized it *was* a manga store because I caught a glimpse of a Full Metal Alchemist cover in the window and wondered vaguely if the used CD place was now dealing in used DVDs as well and if so did I want to buy the series, and wandered in. Having ascertained what it was- a store with translated manga- I briefly checked out the shelves, to find manga divided into 'action adventure' (meaning shounen), 'romance' (meaning shoujo) and...

'yaoi.'

Someone please tell me this isn't all our fault? That someone else would have invented an Aestheticism-type zine if Fearless Leader hadn't? That yaoi was just waiting to invade the happy shores of America and would have invaded anyway without our kind promotion of it? Somebody? Anybody? Bueller?

FTR their 'yaoi' means 'shoujo, dammit, because YnM is *not* yaoi; and neither is Count Cain, while we're at it.' I know they have to call it something and I know they can't call it BL. But. But. But.

Comments

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

The modern world needs to get its facts straight. There was a recent article in the nat'l paper about a Russian-born Canada-domiciled cartoon artist whose 'manga' (their word) have been published in several languages including Japanese. Fine, she draws Japanese style rather than western, I'll call it manga too. But: 'She was first inspired to draw in manga format by a Japanese manga called Elfquest...' Headdesk, as they say on the wank communities.

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

The modern world needs to get its facts straight.

I strongly suspect that that will never happen. The terminology has taken on a life of it's own and, if anything, is at the beck and call of the squeeling amorphous fangurl market.

Personally, I've crawled into a cave and am never coming out again. :-)