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depict highly explicit depictions of graphic homosexual intercourse

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BARA MANGA AND GEI KOMI

THOMAS BAUDINETTE @tbaudinette

“LIVING TOGETHER” © Murata Poko 2014. Used with permission

Just what is bara manga/gei komi anyway?

Question 1

Bara manga/Gei komi Simple definition:

“Homoerotic, explicit manga made by Japanese gay men for gay men”

More complicated definition: “A number of manga sometimes made by gay men that are usually consumed by other gay men, united by a loose collection of genre and stylistic rules [that are made to be broken!] which are sometimes explicit, sometimes humorous, sometimes romantic”

Little history of bara/gei komi Homoerotic comics similar to bara can be found in 1950s “perverse press”

Often claimed gei komi emerged in the 1970s/80s through Japan’s first gay magazine Barazoku

Moved from a niche market in the 1990s, dojin circles started to appear at mainstream events (Comiket)

Advent of internet in early 2000s led to bara spreading outside gay publications

Late 2000s: formation of bara publishing houses (Terra Publications, revival of B-Comics)

2010s: widespread sale of bara dojinshi in “fujoshi” areas such as Otome Road in Ikebukuro

Tagame Gengoroh, one of the “founders” of gei komi

STYLISTICS• Gacchimucchi (super gatai-

kei)• gekiga and shonen framing,

line work and shading (“realism”)

• Panels dominated by the penis, musculature (bodies filling frames)

THEMATICS• Typically less romance,

more about power play• Strong BDSM content• Focus on explicit sex• Attempt to represent

“raw/hard” and “real”masculinity

Gai Mizuki of the circle “Rycanthropy”

Mentaiko, a popular bara doujin circle

But rules are made to be broken Although bara/gei komi are often viewed as promoting “hard” masculinity, some artists do not…

Themes are malleable Not all bara/gei komi is Porn without Plot

Some are quite romantic! Some are humorous (actually, many are!)

The humorous bara of Kumada Poohsuke

The humorous bara of Maeda Poketto

So how are BL and bara/gei komi different?

Question 2

BL on the left, bara on the right

But the genres are “hybridising”

Stylistically Thematically

Yaoi/BL is not real, bara/gei komi is…

Controversy 1

Yaoi ronsô – The great Yaoi War 1990s

Queer and feminist activists argue that BL/yaoi represents a problematic depiction of gay experience (OCCUR)

Bishônen aesthetic promotes idea that gay men are inherently “women” (notable proponent: Tagame Gengoroh)

BL is straight women’s fantasy, bara is gay men’s reality (Fushimi Noriaki, famous gay activist)

Divided opinionsMy scholarly research: uniting the “genres” under the highly malleable category of “gay manga”

Some view both bara and BL as legitimate “gay manga” and reject the idea of “genre”

Some young Japanese gay men view BL as more realistic because it focuses on romance

Some accept the validity of 1990s yaoi ronsô stance

So where can I get bara/gei komi?

Question 3

Traditionally, Japanese gay magazines

Gay stores in gaybourhoods

Lumiere in Shinjuku 2-Chôme

The internet broadens distribution Pixiv Tumblr Twitter Ameba DLSite Rainbow Shoppers Toranoana etc.

The internet has also GLOBALISED bara/gei-komi(www.gaymanga.tumblr.com)

Only Japanese gay men can produce “real” bara/gei komi!

Controversy 2

Bara influenced BL by Black Monkey Pro (Indonesia and Philippines)

Bara-influenced yaoi by PenguinFrontier (Indonesia)

So just what is the difference between bara and gei komi anyway!?

The big question!

Thank you!

ごごごごごごごごごごごごごごEmail:

thomas.baudinette@monash.eduTwitter: @tbaudinette