- Jan 30, 2026
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Kindly, "respect the genre" is one thing, but you're taking it way beyond that. Nobody is demanding BL in an otome game just because they think an LI looks gay or enjoy shipping fictional characters!
Have you ever shipped two guys in an otome game?
- Thread starter haiane
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- bl (boys love) otome shipping
- Sep 26, 2025
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without trying to be pedantic... I think the issue ppl have with that phrase is that... what the actual fuck does it mean for someone to look gay? Or straight? Like in general lmao.
And pointing to characters, who are canonically straight, and saying yo bro looks gay af just because he's, let's say, pretty, or has long hair, or long eyelashes, or has a nice outfit, DOES come off as the person in question drawing from stereotypes that are often homophobic in their origin.
And just like it's been said to oblivion in this thread and many other places: otome is not BL, otome players don't go to otome to see BL or ships of their LIs together, you CANNOT be surprised that otome players DO NOT like or take kindly to people who probably don't even play otome barging in and shoving their BL ships where they're not expected nor wanted.
- Aug 30, 2024
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sorry but nothing you said makes sense. of course fujoshi demand bl in otome. otherwise there wouldnt even be a conversation like this. a li cant "look gay" if he is canonically straight, which 99.9999999% of otome lis are (the remaining 0.0000001% usually comes from indie otome, which are rarely even otome at all). the "looks gay" stuff is used by fujoshi to excuse their fetishism, but when it doesnt work, they switch to homophobia accusations, which also dont work because bl and relalife homosexuality are two different things
just play bl and ship the dudes there. its not hard at all. there are actual bl games. why insist on shipping bl where it doesnt belong at all? this is why fujoshi have the reputation they have
- Feb 21, 2020
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I don't think I've ever done it. I'm both an Otome and BL fan, but I usually prefer to keep things separated.
In theory, I see no harm in doing that, but I can see why people on both sides get upset with ships outside the "canon" of a certain game. While there certainly is an overlap between Otome and BL fandoms, not everyone gets along and has the common sense of keeping some ships or whatever in their own circles.
Personally I see no reason in playing an Otome game and wanting to have some LIxLI action. Just play a BL vn, at that point. Same thing for the inverse (although I haven't seen many yumes inserting themselves in BL discourses, but I don't really use social media so idk).
In theory, I see no harm in doing that, but I can see why people on both sides get upset with ships outside the "canon" of a certain game. While there certainly is an overlap between Otome and BL fandoms, not everyone gets along and has the common sense of keeping some ships or whatever in their own circles.
Personally I see no reason in playing an Otome game and wanting to have some LIxLI action. Just play a BL vn, at that point. Same thing for the inverse (although I haven't seen many yumes inserting themselves in BL discourses, but I don't really use social media so idk).
- Jan 30, 2026
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you're making an awful lot of assumptions based on one harmless comment. "Some fujoshi do this, some fujoshi do that"!
and a character being canonically straight also doesn't mean everyone has to perceive his appearance the same way u do. "Looks gay" is a subjective impression about a fictional character's vibe.
And nobody is confusing BL with real-life homosexuality. you're the one turning a casual comment about a fictional character into a whole argument about fujoshi, fetishism, and homophobia. If someone ships fictional characters, you can simply dislike the ship and move on!
people can dislike shipping. People can enjoy shipping. Nobody gets to decide what other people are allowed to enjoy or play just because you dislike it!
- Aug 30, 2024
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wrong, im making assumptions based on years of fujoshi misbehaving in communities that dont belong to them. have you heard of utapri? or kamigami no asobi? or virche? or garumani original? i recommend you to read about them
this is only a vibe if you are a fujoshi. if im not a fujoshi, every man looks straight to me. even a canonical gay one. should i start labelling every male character as straight and belonging to the girlies?
also wrong, this is the first thing fujoshi use when they are being called out. source: my personal experience, and personal experiences of thousands of yumejoshi who were unfortunate enough to speak with fujoshi for more than three seconds
and this is why fujoshi should play bl instead. if they play otome and ship lis together, then they should be prepared for bullying. again, simple as that
- Sep 9, 2014
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We only give them a bit of substance, chocolate, and fun, since the protagonists of your vns are idiots—even the CG scenes are boring. If I see a "heterosexual" lead with painted lips and women's boots, I'm sure to say, "Wow, he's so macho"—it's honestly laughable. Besides, *otome* fans aren't exactly illuminated by thought either; they keep buying games with the same recycled characters in a never-ending cycle. Damn, don't they realize they're being sold the same game? I'll stop here, or else people will keep messaging me, and I'm off to play some BL games with steamy scenes—something you guys don't have, lol.
- Aug 30, 2024
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fujoshi and their endless misogyny, how surprising
- Jan 30, 2026
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oh my, "if they play otome, they should be prepared for bullying" is honestly wild. You're literally admitting that your solution to people enjoying fictional characters differently from you is to bully them. Maybe you should just… chill!
- Aug 30, 2024
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or maybe fujoshi should pay for bl games so that gamedevs produce more, since even n+c recently admitted its problems with finances<3oh my, "if they play otome, they should be prepared for bullying" is honestly wild. You're literally admitting that your solution to people enjoying fictional characters differently from you is to bully them. Maybe you should just… chill!
- Sep 9, 2014
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Go play a yuri game better, my love; those women are waiting for you—give them some affection.
- Aug 30, 2024
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i play (and pay for) both otome and yuri, so no need to worry about that:pGo play a yuri game better, my love; those women are waiting for you—give them some affection.
- Jan 30, 2026
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- Jan 30, 2026
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lmaoooo!Go play a yuri game better, my love; those women are waiting for you—give them some affection.
- Dec 13, 2013
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I wonder if there's a similar culture overseas of keeping certain fan content separate from people who aren't looking for it, like the search-avoidance practices we have in Japan.
For everyone's sake, I think it would have been better to talk about specific ships in a thread dedicated to casual BL discussion.
I can understand that it may have felt a bit unfair to have someone take issue with what was just a casual BL-related comment. At the same time, I do think that when it comes to imagining non-canon BL ships or "dream" scenarios, it's important to be mindful of where and how we talk about them.
For everyone's sake, I think it would have been better to talk about specific ships in a thread dedicated to casual BL discussion.
I can understand that it may have felt a bit unfair to have someone take issue with what was just a casual BL-related comment. At the same time, I do think that when it comes to imagining non-canon BL ships or "dream" scenarios, it's important to be mindful of where and how we talk about them.
- Jun 30, 2025
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not really (unless hatoful boyfriend counts...?) i'm just not much for shipping outside casually looking up fanart and nowadays these fictional relationships need to really win me over otherwise i won't care lol. which i'm guessing won't happen in a otome game bc the guys falling in love with the heroine will be its priority ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
but honestly i don't wish for either side to receive harassment. it'd be best if everyone could coexist or simply avoid each other (and block/mute) if necessary... if there's nothing to be gained from an interaction there's nothing wrong with simply moving on from it. i don't use social media much but i know i wouldn't go on anyone's profile to rant about something they said they don't like and prefer to not see because that is common sense.
but honestly i don't wish for either side to receive harassment. it'd be best if everyone could coexist or simply avoid each other (and block/mute) if necessary... if there's nothing to be gained from an interaction there's nothing wrong with simply moving on from it. i don't use social media much but i know i wouldn't go on anyone's profile to rant about something they said they don't like and prefer to not see because that is common sense.
- Jun 7, 2020
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Your takes in this entire comment is... full of cherry picking, false statements, and so hypocritical that it's certainly something hard for me to ignore ngl, I'm sorry lol
Disliking characters, fine. But dismissing an entire genre's MC??? I really hope you aren't one of the people who hate shoujo MCs and yet love the ukes who are mostly the same, but the opposite sex. And saying that otome MCs are "idiots" when there's often times a reason why they're like that due to the plot or the other characters...
The CGs and their scenes are boring because...? Is it the composition? Is it the content? Is it the quality? And, no, "it's not smut!" and/or "it's not BL!" are not 100% objective reasons why they're boring. That's just your opinion.
Not going to point out that "you believe in harmful stereotypes" again like I did earlier. It's not like you're forced to say or think that they "oh they look like *insert stereotype here* when you look at someone unless you were raised that way or something.
Are you going to make the same comments to a high fashion runway show or to a visual kei band? Anyone can wear makeup, heels, whatever clothing article as a form of artistic expression, not just because stereotype #110001.
If there's anything "honestly laughably", it's this. I don't know why you're commenting this when you likely are judging on what you see and read on VNDB rather than playing the games yourself.
A large majority of media are like that nowadays. Tropes and character archetypes are how genres work, and a large majority of creators love to use safe formulas. Even there's gameplay-related genres having concepts constantly being reused. And it's how consuming genres works in general, and it's not because fans of the genre are "aren't exactly illuminated by thought."
Mind you, the BL genre does have its own recycled tropes and archetypes and even share some of the same tropes with every other romance media. So it's very telling that you only picked out otome fans for supporting their genre.
R-18 otome games and audio exist. And bragging about the steamy scenes in particular??? And not the writing (which is important for novel part of visual novels) is certainly something. If that's what you're there for and enjoy it, that's fine, but it's not a sign of superiority.
Hinakochan
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- Aug 19, 2026
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Yes!! They always say this person looks gay but never say this person looks straight. Even though we have words to describe people appearance and vibe without going into assuming their sexuality. A feminine man or a masculine woman, bam not hard. And the fact that "looking gay" inherently comes from homophobia makes it worse, people could get harassed or beaten up for looking gay, masculine women or feminine men despite having no information about the sexual orientation. It still happens in some countries too! It's really so sad
And the fact that some man are said to look "gay" just because they are not macho alpha male... That's why masculism is getting more important lately too and it's harmful to everyone!
- Aug 30, 2024
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CRYING fujoshi love complaining about lack of all-ages bl as a "valid" reason to invade otome, but then all they play is r18 bl games... what kind of logic is this even??
- Aug 30, 2024
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yes, this unfortunately happens a lot even today, which is why words like "omg he looks soooo gay" are just downright gross. im not saying that anyone who thinks like that is homophobic, however it is a very homophobic worldview. sorry.
the funniest part is that when you look into media created by and for gay men, you can barely find any thin pretty-faced bishounen. so what does it mean to "look gay"? are bishounen gay, or are bears gay? is everyone gay?? who decides that??? (going crazy)
Hinakochan
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- Aug 19, 2026
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Lmaoo yeah, I'm also guilty of saying someone looks gay and I know I'm trying to stop, but even in our lgbt communities, most of us are guilty of that even if it's a compliment.
As for the "is everyone gay??" As a french meme says "tout le monde est lesbienne Marina" which means "everyone is lesbian Marina".
But yeah I feel like bl circles tend to be misogynistic as well, as if women are lesser, and I think it's because of self hatred and internalized misogyny for some women bl fans. Making sense as even gay men can be really hateful to women and looking down on them/us. I don't know If I made myself clear but yeah...
- Aug 30, 2024
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i wonder if it has something to do with wishful thinking. like if you, a bisexual/lesbian woman, see an attractive lady somewhere and declare "holy shit please be a lesbian/bi". in that case, i can kinda understand ww not in otome though, since all relationships are targeted at you, the heroine. and of course not in bl or yuri. if someone said they wish a yuri heroine was straight, i would just perish
unfortunately. however when you try to criticize a fujoshi's misogyny, usually you are met with accusations of misogyny (since fujoshi are women) and homophobia (since criticizing bl ships is bad or something). but as someone who used to be a fujoshi, and as someone who used to be in circles consisting of rabid shippers, this is a behaviour that must be addressed before its too late (so that we dont get grmn 2.0 or utpr 2.0 or anmt 2.0 or) :(But yeah I feel like bl circles tend to be misogynistic as well, as if women are lesser, and I think it's because of self hatred and internalized misogyny for some women bl fans. Making sense as even gay men can be really hateful to women and looking down on them/us. I don't know If I made myself clear but yeah...
Hinakochan
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- Aug 19, 2026
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Yes, it's kind of like that, I'm pan so I just like everyone not really caring about the gender, but yeah I think it comes from wanting someone to be lgbt and also from the fact that being in the lgbt community must mean that person is really pretty and knows how to dress as if heterosexual people didn't have drip as well, but yeah I understand, it's easier to find alt people and people who play with fashion in the lgbt community.
Yes it's like they think being in the community makes them unable to hate on that same community, as if black people couldn't be racist even towards black people, gay men saying they're not lgbt, the german AFD president who votes against gay rights and immigrants but she is a lebian woman and her partner is an immigrant.
Also something I realized as well is that some bl fans are homophobic not just because of hatred but extreme fetishizing. They think gay men are like their favorite media, and some absolutely hate the idea of reading yuri or straight media. It just feels homophobic to me to only like Bl and not yuri if you are not a gay man yourself. Maybe I'm not right, I don't know what other feel about that and would like to hear your thoughts on that as well, but it just feels weird, since bl works often depict toxic relationship and abuse as well.
- Aug 30, 2024
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oh, this is true as well. obviously im not trying to force everyone to read all genres, however if you claim to support queer works and authors but then read ONLY bl and not yuri, this deserves a side eye or two i think
in my experience, the most common complaint about yuri from non-yuri-reading people is "all yuri is about school girls!" or "its all sweet fluffy romance!" or "its all malegaze!" or "its all porn!" or "its not porny enough!". so, generally, people just dont do research. and by research i mean people just cant google "list of 100% yuri anime/manga". i miiiiiiiight have understood all these complaints if they were made in like, 2005 maybe, however newer yuri manga is created almost exclusively by women. like genuinely, im having trouble finding modern yuri manga by a man. its all women. and thats really really cool i think
and when talking about various genres, yuri is just as vast as bl or het. hell, one of the most (in)famous yuri is kitakawa, which is as toxic as it comes! theres also black and white for toxic adult women yuri, ayaka is in love with hiroko for adult women yuri, love bullet for yuri that has made it out of bankrupcy, and generally if people just kept an eye on newer yurihime releases, theyd have their mind blown at how big, even if niche, yuri pool is
also, i think that one of the issues is that people dont know what they want from female characters in anime/manga. fluffy yuri is unrealistic and portrays girls as those cute dollies without agency, but toxic yuri is misogynistic and basically just torture porn, but non-toxic yuri is boring and unwoke, but darker yuri is fetishistic etc etc etc. also, fujoshi LOVE using the argument of "well i just hate dudes to much i want to see them suffer!! so lemme see this toxic yaoi hehe>:)"
OH AND ALSO, remember kamiina botan? this anime is as yuri as it gets, yet people found out that the mangaka(?) likes some nasty fetishes on their pixiv, so they immediately discarded the entire anime. and this is not the first time it happens. so, just like the "fujoshi dont pay for bl" stereotype exists, unfortunately the "himejoshi dont read yuri" stereotype is realistic too:"(
people just need to google more, read more (articles/threads/recommendations), search more, and maybe there wouldnt be a need to excuse your bl obsession with words like "erm all yuri is yucky". if you like dudes, good for you, but maybe you should reflect on your aversion towards everything female lol. <-- this is an advice from a former fujoshi who unfortunately also suffered from internal and external misogyny. this shit MUST get checked before its too late