That Yaoi Priests Article!

Characterizations in Japanese BL often run the gamut in fetish; from the tattooed Yakuza, the Nazi in jackboots, the samurai in their flowing robes, to representing men closer to home, like the school-boy in his uniform, the salary-man in his business suit, or the spectacle-clad intellectual with his laptop. Much manga featuring the above mentioned characters already grace retail bookshelves here in the States, but there’s one character-type not mentioned, one that’s also common in Japan…but this particular character is likely never to see publication; he is, the Catholic Priest.

Seishokusha, those who work in sacred vocations [1], appear in scores of BL manga anthologies that range from the soft subject romances in BeBoy, to hardcore BDSM in the now defunct Zettai Reido[2].

It’s the ‘cosmetic’ allure of the ‘holy profession’ that gives holy men in manga their massive appeal [3]; Shinto Priests with their thick flowing robes, the clean shaven heads of Buddists Monks wearing their gnarly necklace beads and matching sarongs; no they don’t escape some of the more salacious BL manga one-shots that feature men of the cloth–because it extends to all cultural cloths; yet the Catholic Priest is still the one that many non-BL fans just can’t seem to get their head around. What they fail to realize is, the clothes make the man…or in this case…the fan.

Catholic Priests engaging in all forms of male on male action are found in many popular story collections, like Amasaki Yoshimi’s Acid Flower [ISBN4-87734-729-1] or Minami Megumu’s Sono Ude de Boku wo Daite [ISBN 4-8322-8228-X]. I suspect, in most Japanese comics, it’s the concept of ‘costume’ that plays a major factor in the draw of the Priesthood. Priestly vestments rank up there as the ultimate in uniform hotness, along with another popular character that’s recognized for his outfit: the Japanese school boy. Yet the ‘Gakuran’ BL has been brought over, extensively, by licensor’s. How is this possible? Licensor’s have taken it upon themselves to change the characters ‘ages’. So we have schoolboys wearing a middle/high school uniforms, now attending college. 0_o.

Some characters may never find acceptance in the West. Many Western manga readers flinch at the notion of an Nazi SS Officer, a the bearded man of size [any man who might be fat], or someone’s school-teacher Father; all three of those have and are considered hot topic at times, for sexual viewing in Japanese BL. Iris Print plans to be the first BL publisher to dabble in the clergy BL, but not by licensing something from Japan. This years Yaoicon marks Iris’s debut as an English Language ‘BL’ publisher, and while they plan to deliver plenty of male on male erotica in graphic and fictional novel formats, the most notable on their list of upcoming releases is the graphic novel Only Words [ISBN 0-97875-314-3]. It’s Iris Print’s first ‘mature BL’, and goes on sale in May 2007.

‘Words’ opens in 1941 Poland, and is about seminary student Koby Bruk, who’s watched as the Germans move in, displace homes and families in the border town he lives in. Life exists in a sort of imposed rule, and though the book doesn’t touch on any aspects of the war, it focuses on Koby’s budding attraction on a Hitler Youth in his class; when Koby is bullied by a classmate, he chooses to make trouble by ratting on him, thus evoking the anger of a fellow classmate, the Hitler Youth leader Oskar Keplar. Will fans like this rather western take on what the Japanese consider a cosmetic theme? Time will tell, but fans of clergy-slash do exist, even in the West, and some of the fans didn’t discover it through Japanese comics. (^_^) As always, fiction is often a safer road for certain themes, and so a graphic novel depicting such a relationship, may still raise eyebrows. BL fans still support it, buying manga from Japan like Yuuwaku no Hitsuji [ISBN 4-7781-0156-1] by Maeda Momiji or Akuma demo Aishitekureru? [ISBN 4-89644-093-5] by Kagami Satoi, because they offer up black flowing robes hiked up on hips, rosaries coming to rest on naked sweaty backs, and the discarded peels of a white collar tossed carelessly on the floor.

It’s the pious perversity of the costume, and the sanctity of sexual sin, that drives fujosi stateside to buy titles untranslated, like Hitsujitachi no Bannin [ISBN 4-86134-070-5] by Satoru Ishihara and even collection that feature just one holy-theme story, like CHI-RAN’s Crazy for Daddy [ISBN4-8322-8286-7]. So why aren’t they being licensed? I find it amusing that licensor’s should care about what non-BL fans might think.

While the high school boy can have his age changed despite the presence of his uniform, the Catholic Priest can’t afford the same luxury; because of this, even something tame like Kamisama no Ude no Naka [ISBN 4-8352-1603-2] by Nekota Yonezou, is disqualified, for courting controversy.

 

Koby Bruk, from Only Words
[c] Tina Anderson/Caroline Monaco
Published in the USA by Iris Print.

Despite his popularity, the Catholic Priest is actively ignored by licensor’s trying to avoid scandal or a raised eyebrows. In the end, it’s a real shame for fans of cosmetic clergy, who accept their fixation for what it is; forbidden hotness in ink and tone. None of them would find an actual Nazi arousing no more than they would find a murderous Yakuza thug sexy. BL is about escaping from what’s real, and what better form of escapism is there, than a young man in his priestly robes engaging in something as unthinkable as a same sex relationship?

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[1] Designer Christianity PT1 - Jeanne Johnson - Aestheticism
[2] Aestheticism List of BL Anthologies
[3] Designer Christianity PT2 - Jeanne Johnson - Aestheticism
[Note] seishokusha - Japanese term for Priests or Clergy
[Note] BL Categories/Characters June Categorization
[Note] Only Words - IS MY BOOK. This entry is me pimping, with facts!!