The Yuri reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004
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Yuri

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Yuri, the female equivalent of yaoi; i.e. lesbian content, usually sexually explicit, in anime, manga, and fan fiction based on these. Unlike yaoi's explict origin as a term, yuri's history is imprecise; the word yuri literally means "lily". However, within anime, yuri is much more rare than yaoi. Yuri can also be used to mean any lesbian sexual or romantic content, explicit or not; the term shoujo-ai is also used. Ironically, the term used in Japanese fandom is often the English "GirlLove" and the term "yuri" is used to emcompass all degrees of sexuality and romance, including pornography. This is somewhat played down by many fans in an effort to remove the preception of yuri simply being a kind of hentai.

It is essentially synonymous with American femmeslash, although use of the term indicates a knowledge of Japanese anime and manga. Yuri tends to refer to a story concept rather than a character specifically having a sexual identity. Many stories featuring yuri include "unisexual" characters, attracted to a single female while seemingly othewise heterosexual.

Although they contain superfical similaries, yuri and yaoi fandom outside of American fandom are not synonymous. A common prototypical setup is the extention of the shoujo schoolyard story, as in a sempai relationship between a youthful, energetic but somewhat clumsy girl and the older, more classically beautiful, mature classmate she adores. However, strict notions of seme and uke are much weaker. Many fans enjoy this vaguer distinction and feel it creates a more realistic depiction of a relationship.

Some yuri situations in anime and manga are sometimes criticized as being simply fanservice if they contain explicit sexual content, particularly in male-oriented series. Counterarguments note female-female relationships are portrayed in such a manner sometimes to remove overly dismissive doubt to the nature of romantic relationships between women. This is more problematic, as young same-sex affection experimentation is considered natural in real-life Japan, but generally regarded as something girls grow out of.

Other fans compare a two-woman situation to having no set roles, where typical men are considered aggressors and women receivers, along with many of the feminine romantic sterotypes in anime being skewed with the lack of a male "role".

Some non-hentai anime which contain yuri:

See also

External links