If you are reading this page, you probably don�t know what the words �yaoi�, �shounen-ai�, �boy�s love� mean. This is a rather brief essay that explains the basics.

The boy�s love fan-culture originated from Japan (Those are not German words. Please.) The terms listed above don�t have the exact same meaning, but they do point to one common meaning: homosexual relationships between boys or men. Call it �gay manga� if you will, though some do consider that derogatory.

However, despite many beliefs that yaoi/shounen-ai is written for gay men, boy�s love is, in actual fact, written for the female population who enjoy such fantasies, and by female mangakas ( manga artists).

The word yaoi is an acronym derived from the Japanese phrase: Yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi (no peak, no point, no meaning). Someone cleverly coined the term Yamete, oshiri itai! (Stop, my ass hurts!), and although amusing, that�s not the real meaning.

In Western contexts, yaoi has been coined as a manga containing explicit sex between two males. Shounen-ai (Boy�s love) has been categorized as either an implied relationship, or simply some groping, touching, or kissing. Newcomers to this culture can consider yaoi as hardcore, and definitely contains explicit scenes and to some extent, very graphic illustrations.

Rarely there are any yaoi mangas that are all sex-sex-sex, except for the branch of one-shots. What are one-shots, you ask? One shots are typically like manga short stories, except if they are considered yaoi, they may be quite plotless and usually do contain lots of sex. Plotless one-shots or plotless serialized manga may be listed under �PWP� (Plot? What plot? � Basically denoting that there isn�t a plot) works.

Remember this: not all yaoi mangas are about sex. Someone who thinks this way may be deemed ignorant by yaoi fans.

Another important branch of the boy�s love fan-culture is doujinshi. Doujinshi are basically fan works. Doujinshi usually are one-shot types. Fans usually illustrate these Doujinshi, allowing the characters from their favourite manga to act out the fan�s own fantasies.

However, it must be noted that not all doujinshi are written or drawn by fans. There are some mangaka who produce doujinshi of their own mangas. And contrary to popular belief, some mangaka do, and enjoy, produce doujinshi of other mangaka�s works.

Doujinshi is perfectly legal in Japan. There are no such things as copyright infringements for the original manga, and fans are allowed to produce and publish doujinshi for the mass market.

What is the major difference between doujinshi and one-shots, though? Mainly, doujinshi are called one-shot fanworks written by fans, while one-shots are usually original works in one-shot format written by the mangaka. There is a huge difference between fans and mangakas.

The common phrases that a boy�s love fan-culture newcomer should now are terms used to describe the manga�s content. Please refer to the list below: