Yuri
This article is about the Japanese loanword 'yuri'. For the singer Yuri Canseco Valenzuela, see Yuri (singer).
- The neutrality of this article is disputed.
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2 Yuri as story 3 Non-hentai anime which contain yuri or shoujo-ai 4 External links |
Much like the term otaku, yuri (although originally a Japanese loanword) has undergone significant semantic drift. In Japanese, the term is typically used to mean any lesbian content, whether sexual or romantic, explicit or implied; the term shoujo ai is not found in this context. American usage has historically differed: 'yuri' has typically been used to denote only the most explicit end of the spectrum, being effectively a variety of hentai, while 'shoujo ai' (independently coined, following the most common use of shounen-ai) described anything without explicit sex. However, American use of 'yuri' has broadened in recent years, picking up connotations from the Japanese use: the precise difference between 'yuri' and 'shoujo ai' -- or even whether or not there is a precise difference -- will vary depending on the speaker, and is rarely objective in any case. Common definitions include:
Yuri is also occasionally used in fanfiction as an approximate synonym of the American term femmeslash, although use of the term still indicates knowledge or relevance of Japanese anime and manga.
Labeling an anime or manga as 'yuri' often refers to the story concept, rather than to a character specifically having a sexual identity. (Young same-sex affection experimentation is considered natural in real-life Japan, but generally regarded as something girls grow out of.) Many stories featuring yuri include "unisexual" characters, that is, characters attracted to a single female while seemingly otherwise heterosexual (cf. Tenjou Utena of Revolutionary Girl Utena, or Yoshida Chizuru of HEN.)
A common prototypical setup is the extension of the shoujo schoolyard story, as in a sempai-kōhai (senior-junior) relationship between a youthful, energetic, but somewhat clumsy girl and the older, more classically beautiful, mature classmate she adores. Other setups depict a two-woman situation as having no set roles, often skewing many of the feminine romantic sterotypes in anime with the lack of a "male" aggressive role.
Although they possess superficial similaries, yuri and yaoi fandom outside of American fandom are not synonymous; strict notions of seme and uke are much weaker, and the terms are not often used in a yuri context. Many fans enjoy this vaguer distinction and feel it creates a more realistic depiction of a relationship.
Yuri situations in anime and manga are sometimes criticized as being simply fanservice, particularly when they occur in male-oriented series. Others argue because close female relationships have a habit in Japan of being dismissed as simple complexes (see above), sexual situations are presented as concrete, inarguable 'proof' of attraction.
Definition and semantic drift
Note that many definitions curiously preserve the original American definition's mutual exclusion of yuri and shoujo ai, even though the original meanings have drifted.Etymology
Unlike yaoi's explict origin as a term, yuri's history is imprecise; the word yuri literally means "lily", and is (like many flower names) a relatively common Japanese name. One frequently heard derivation is that the term originates from the large number of yuri hentai doujinshi containing characters named "Yuri" or "Yuriko". (Variants of this may name specific characters, often Yuri of the Dirty Pair.) Another suggested derivation is that the lily-flower was originally associated poetically with female-female relationships, and that the poetic use of the term gradually drifted into common use. (The lily is indeed used in such a fashion, although it is not certain whether such use predates the term.)Yuri as story
Non-hentai anime which contain yuri or shoujo-ai
External links