If you’re a fan of Japanese romance stories involving boys (but not like Goku or Naruto), then you probably know that today, August 1st, is Yaoi Day, but why is this date used to celebrate this manga genre?
Manga and anime connoisseurs know that there is more to explore besides shonen, such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, etc. Well, there are many other genres in the world of animation and Japanese graphic novels, such as shoujo, which is the exact opposite of shonen, where stories are usually led by women, such as Sailor Moon, Sakura Card Captor, and others. But the horizons of Japanese creatives are pushed even further with genres like Yuri, where their stories are starring two female characters who usually develop their feelings and engage in romantic encounters, and there’s also Yaoi, which is exactly the same but with male characters. . a genre that is too popular not only among men from the LGBT community, but also read and loved by many women. Therefore, it is not surprising that he has his own day to celebrate.
But why is it celebrated on the first of August? Well, like most anime or manga related holidays, the fact that Yaoi Day is celebrated on August 1st has to do with the numbers that make up that date and its meaning in Japanese, as well as the popular idioms most used by generations. young men.”
August 1 is also spelled 8/01 or 801, in that sense. and according to Crunchyroll, in Japanese, the short reading “801” can be read as 8 as “ya”, 0 as “o” with Western influences, and 1 as “i”.
Thus, the number sequence “yaoi” has become an otaku shorthand for the genre of male romance novels, and following this logic, in countries where the day of the month is given as a day, August 1st is the day of the month!
