Several terms were used for the new genre, including shōnen-ai ( 少年愛, lit. The genre originated in the 1970s as a subgenre of shōjo manga, or comics for girls. 'Boys' love' and 'BL' are the generic terms for this kind of media in Japan and much of Asia though the terms are used by some fans and commentators in the West, yaoi remains more generally prevalent in English. It spans a wide range of media, including manga, anime, drama CDs, novels, video games, television series, films, and fan works. It is typically created by women for women and is distinct from homoerotic media marketed to gay men, but it does also attract a male audience and can be produced by male creators. Yaoi ( / ˈ j aʊ i/ Japanese: やおい ), also known by the wasei-eigo construction boys' love ( ボーイズ ラブ, bōizu rabu) and its abbreviation BL ( ビーエル, bīeru), is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters.
The svelte, semi- androgynous physical features of the characters are typical of bishōnen (literally 'beautiful boys') common in yaoi media.
