Posing as an academic for a change
I haven't written a proper rambling entry in a long while. Likely because I've been hung up about homework and bidding on auctions every single night for the past God knows how long. Like all my entries after a while in posting, this one too is about nothing that's actually happened. Nothing much happens to me anyway.
Recently I read this comment thread on yaoi_daily. For the benefit of my sister who is not a member, I will summarize it, even though I'm pretty sure she's bored to tears by the my schtick entries.
Two male community members get into a discussion about the mispresentation of male-male sexuality in BL manga. The spark of the discussion comes from the others observation that a characters utterance "Let me come", while being anally penetrated is at odds with the fact that he is not restrained from bringing himself to climax. Two possible variations, "I need to come" and "Help me come" are introduced as better alternatives. The discussion turns to the trope of anuses providing their own natural lubrication in BL manga, it being cited as evidence of lack of research into the physical differences in male and female bodies on the authors part. Depiction of prophylactics and commercial lubricants used is cited as indication of such research having been carried out.
The rest of the discussion deals with some less common themes the members are unsatisfied with, such as insertion of unlikely objects in the urethra or anus. This has little relevance to what I'm going to write, so whatever.
As a disclaimer, I'm not a sex expert. I have done extensive research into BL, and lately, moderate research into Japanese sexuality in general. I'm mainly drawing from that research, but whenever I make some awkward sounding claims, that's when I'll be drawing from my own experience.
Taking first the issue of "Let me come". Reading the comment thread, I almost got the feeling these guys felt the line was mistranslated, and the original could perhaps been translated in a better, more natural way (when it comes to man on man sex). I can't be arsed to look for raws, but after reading a fair lot ot BL manga and studying the language they speak in it for some time, I'm relatively certain that the phrase used was 行かせて. This causative form can be interpreted either as making to go or allowing to go. (Note that while the english (and finnish) popular term for orgasm is to come, the Japanese actually go.) There're no other alternative translations. "Let me come" is the most logical considering the context.
Now, why would characters keep asking their partners permission to orgasm? Why aren't there depictions in BL of men furiously jacking off while impaled on a cock (I'm not saying there aren't, I just can't recall any)?
I think I already touched this in my entry on Japanese women and their sex noises (or did I? I can't remember), but it's actually somewhat common to hear the woman saying "I'm going to come" and the man reply "You can come". It's a part of the woman being expected to be passive in sex, I assume. While they don't really ask for permission per se, the implication seems to be there, indicated by the reply. I've yet to actually hear the ubiquitous "Let me come" from a woman. But there definitely is a trend toward it in Japanese sex, so perhaps the reason I've not heard it in the limitations of my current research. I suppose I don't need a better reason to listen to women panting in the throes of pleasure...
The reason for the lack of wankage in BL on the other hand is, I assume, that Japanese men are extremely squicked by women touching themselves. The reasons for this are unknown to me. I guess it too, requires more research.
Now, if it isn't obvious enough already, the explanation for the much hated self-lubricating ass. It's a vagina. Vaginas don't necessarily need lubrication beside the natural one, nor do they necessarily have to be stretched out beforehand. Oral and digital stimulation of the vagina before penile penetration is the norm in Japan, it seems, which explains the digital stretching of anuses men are so happy to see in BL, and also the frequency of rimming, which otherwise seems abnormally high to me. Oral-vaginal stimulation, the vagina being quite clean, poses no such high risk of bacterial infection. The same with fellatio performed right after seemingly anal penetration. These acts occur with such frequency in BL precicely because the anuses are not really anuses, but surrogate vaginas.
Of course there are always exceptions that make it feel like the solution can't be that simple really. Like, stories where it's expressly stated that the characters are homosexual males, stories where there's a lot of attention being paid to lubricants, preparation and positions. I seem to remember at least one story with actual reference to residual fecal matter after anal intercourse. Well look, I'll get to that shit later.
Recently I read this comment thread on yaoi_daily. For the benefit of my sister who is not a member, I will summarize it, even though I'm pretty sure she's bored to tears by the my schtick entries.
Two male community members get into a discussion about the mispresentation of male-male sexuality in BL manga. The spark of the discussion comes from the others observation that a characters utterance "Let me come", while being anally penetrated is at odds with the fact that he is not restrained from bringing himself to climax. Two possible variations, "I need to come" and "Help me come" are introduced as better alternatives. The discussion turns to the trope of anuses providing their own natural lubrication in BL manga, it being cited as evidence of lack of research into the physical differences in male and female bodies on the authors part. Depiction of prophylactics and commercial lubricants used is cited as indication of such research having been carried out.
The rest of the discussion deals with some less common themes the members are unsatisfied with, such as insertion of unlikely objects in the urethra or anus. This has little relevance to what I'm going to write, so whatever.
As a disclaimer, I'm not a sex expert. I have done extensive research into BL, and lately, moderate research into Japanese sexuality in general. I'm mainly drawing from that research, but whenever I make some awkward sounding claims, that's when I'll be drawing from my own experience.
Taking first the issue of "Let me come". Reading the comment thread, I almost got the feeling these guys felt the line was mistranslated, and the original could perhaps been translated in a better, more natural way (when it comes to man on man sex). I can't be arsed to look for raws, but after reading a fair lot ot BL manga and studying the language they speak in it for some time, I'm relatively certain that the phrase used was 行かせて. This causative form can be interpreted either as making to go or allowing to go. (Note that while the english (and finnish) popular term for orgasm is to come, the Japanese actually go.) There're no other alternative translations. "Let me come" is the most logical considering the context.
Now, why would characters keep asking their partners permission to orgasm? Why aren't there depictions in BL of men furiously jacking off while impaled on a cock (I'm not saying there aren't, I just can't recall any)?
I think I already touched this in my entry on Japanese women and their sex noises (or did I? I can't remember), but it's actually somewhat common to hear the woman saying "I'm going to come" and the man reply "You can come". It's a part of the woman being expected to be passive in sex, I assume. While they don't really ask for permission per se, the implication seems to be there, indicated by the reply. I've yet to actually hear the ubiquitous "Let me come" from a woman. But there definitely is a trend toward it in Japanese sex, so perhaps the reason I've not heard it in the limitations of my current research. I suppose I don't need a better reason to listen to women panting in the throes of pleasure...
The reason for the lack of wankage in BL on the other hand is, I assume, that Japanese men are extremely squicked by women touching themselves. The reasons for this are unknown to me. I guess it too, requires more research.
Now, if it isn't obvious enough already, the explanation for the much hated self-lubricating ass. It's a vagina. Vaginas don't necessarily need lubrication beside the natural one, nor do they necessarily have to be stretched out beforehand. Oral and digital stimulation of the vagina before penile penetration is the norm in Japan, it seems, which explains the digital stretching of anuses men are so happy to see in BL, and also the frequency of rimming, which otherwise seems abnormally high to me. Oral-vaginal stimulation, the vagina being quite clean, poses no such high risk of bacterial infection. The same with fellatio performed right after seemingly anal penetration. These acts occur with such frequency in BL precicely because the anuses are not really anuses, but surrogate vaginas.
Of course there are always exceptions that make it feel like the solution can't be that simple really. Like, stories where it's expressly stated that the characters are homosexual males, stories where there's a lot of attention being paid to lubricants, preparation and positions. I seem to remember at least one story with actual reference to residual fecal matter after anal intercourse. Well look, I'll get to that shit later.