Geekscape Interviews: SuBLime Editor Jennifer LeBlanc Discusses All Things Yaoi! *Mature Content*

******WARNING***** Adult content discussed below!

Yaoi is an interesting genre because it is part of the anime community but is often misunderstood by those unfamiliar with it. I always noticed the loud (they did a good job at getting your attention) and colorful yaoi booths at anime conventions but never understood the appeal. Then I watched Brokeback Mountain with my friend, and she and I swooned over the romantic relationship between the two male leads. Ah! I finally understood why this genre was so popular with the ladies (and boys). Curious to know more? Well, I was able to interview SubLime editor Jennifer LeBlanc. Read on to get an in depth perspective on all things yaoi!

Can you explain what yaoi is for the benefit of those who may have never heard of it?

The definition of yaoi varies depending on whom you ask, but what most people understand it to be is stories written by women about two men in a romantic relationship, and they are written with a female audience in mind. That’s not to say that men don’t read yaoi, just that the target audience is women.

What do you think the draw of this genre is, and why do you think women love it so much?

Women read yaoi for a myriad of reasons, more reasons than we have space for here. There’s the lingering misconception that women aren’t sexual beings who like to explore their sexuality. They are and they do. Yaoi is one of those things that allow women to do this in a safe environment. They can share their love of the genre with other women in the fandom without being judged for it, or being told that because they’re women they shouldn’t like this kind of material.

In most yaoi, the men are beautiful and often one of them is the “female” (and they can look more feminine too) in the relationship, would you still consider those stories about gay relationships?

They’re about gay relationships to the extent that the characters are both men and are living their lives as men, even if one is portrayed with more feminine attributes. In real-life gay relationships, one man could choose to have a more feminine look or affect, or a more masculine one; it doesn’t make him more or less gay. That said, realism isn’t the main focus of these stories, any more than it is with other romance genres.  In most yaoi stories, traditionally defined gender roles and depictions are deliberately broken.

What you would say to people who think yaoi is just hentai? How would you say the two are different/similar?

Well, that’s kind of like saying gay sex is just straight sex. At their core, yes, hentai and yaoi are both erotic material. However, how each is presented, what they’re about, and who they’re for just aren’t the same. There is some crossover as far as the audience for both, but generally the audience for each is simply not the same. If yaoi was just hentai, we’d have a much larger male demographic.

How much is lost in translation when a title is converted from Japanese to English?

Our goal as a publisher is to not lose anything in translation, so we look to hire the best translators we can who have an excellent grasp of the Japanese and English languages. Sometimes there may be jokes in a story that won’t make sense to readers not familiar with Japanese culture. In those instances we may adapt the joke for English readers, or instead leave it as is with a side explanation.

How did you get into reading yaoi?

My curiosity got the better of me. I was already a fan of anime and had heard there was anime porn (hentai) that existed. I kind of didn’t believe it, so off to Google I went, and that’s how I found yaoi. It didn’t take long to find out that there were books with the material in it as well.

What are some of your favorite titles?

Well, my first favorite when I found out yaoi existed was Ayano Yamane’s Viewfinder (now called Finder). That will always be a favorite of mine. Currently, I am absolutely in love with the series Blue Morning by Shoko Hidaka.

How did you get into working with yaoi as a job?

When I first got into yaoi, I was having a hard time finding the stories I wanted to read (hard yaoi). There weren’t any reviews that told me what I wanted to know—Is there sex in the story and if so, how explicit is it? I decided to start my own yaoi review site that specialized in hard yaoi, The Yaoi Review. After running it for a few years, VIZ suddenly posted a position for a yaoi editor. I had no intention of applying, but a few industry people and also readers of my site prodded me about applying, and here I am.

What exactly is SuBLime?

SuBLime is a yaoi manga publisher, and is a partnership between VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate). We publish both print and digital books, and we were the first manga publisher to offer DRM-free downloadable PDFs of our books for purchase.

Where can fans and curious people find out more about yaoi and SuBLime titles?

The first place they should look is our website, which is www.sublimemanga.com. Fans of the Nook can also find many of our titles on the Nook Book site. SuBLime also has a large social media presence and can be found on:

Twitter:             @SuBLimeManga

Facebook:        facebook.com/SuBLimeManga

Tumblr             sublimemanga.tumblr.com

Check back soon for my reviews on this titillating titles!  ^_^