This subculture contained another subculture that focused on erotic stories, many of which saw love blossoming between the men found in popular anime and manga franchises. Many dōjinshi were based on existing works. Due to being self-published, these creators could be way more explicit with their depictions of adult behavior. Many of the creators in this scene were heavily influenced by both Shōnen-ai and Gekiga. The story follows him as he goes through the ups and downs of musician life, including getting involved in some sexually explicit scenarios.Īt the same time, the self-publishing subculture referred to as dōjinshi gathered speed. Lovers' Forest told the story of a professor and his younger male lover, while Fire! was a shōjo manga series by Hideko Mizuno about American rockstar Aaron. Two works are considered the early prototypes of Boys Love: Mari Mori's 1961 novel, Lovers' Forest and Hideko Mizuno's Fire!. This would massively inspire the independent scene and eventually assimilated into the mainstream. This movement totally redefined what was possible with manga and created a whole new aesthetic and form of storytelling within the medium. However, the term soon became synonymous with manga with a shock factor, including stories featuring violence, eroticism or other adult topics. Gekiga emerged in the 1950s and aimed to show more mature and realistic stories aimed at older audiences. This was also combined with a massive change in the manga industry with the growth of the Gekiga genre.

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