also how the mls sexuality is literally never addressed ever again
I’m sorry but where does it say it’s yaoi if only you had read the first 2 chapters you would have already known it’s about crossdressing (which was common too historically) and that’s it… from the cover it’s also clear that the character is a woman as well, and there aren’t even enough chapters to complain about the sexuality of the mls (I can say tho that it probably won’t be a good read)
Also, I too like (mainly liked) reading yaoi but atp it seems to me that y’all are just projecting, as if 3/4 of the works on this website weren’t just straight-up gay porn and it seems that it’s not even enough for you, since the majority of fujoshis always want more and still complain about yuri and straight manhwas (which have less space than yaoi on almost every website)
Well the title would confuse people “male lover.” Anyways I’m pretty sure they’re talking about in general, the trope of gender bender manhwas. That’s why they specifically said “DISGUISING as yaoi” not that it is.
As someone who likes both straight BL romance, I used to enjoy reading gender bender stories where the FL would pretend to be a guy, years ago. But since reading BL, the trope became a bit unsatisfying for me. Idk what it is but it just feels uncomfortable especially when 90% of the time the ML is left feeling confused and frustrated with sexuality only to realize he’s been deceived and the person was a woman all along right after the guy accepted he liked a man.
I don’t think it has anything to do with wanting more gay stories, it’s just the gender bender trope + transmigrating into a BL story only to break up the gay pair- which can make ppl uncomfortable, especially those who ARE gay.
I don’t like gender bender stories for the same reason (even if I believe that the ml here knows she’s crossdressing and he’s just using her, and in this case she’s not even reincarnated in a gay story, which would ofc weird), but my point here stands regardless. Just because gender bender stories exist and authors keeps writing them, I don’t believe it’s because they’re trying to take anything from the yaoi fandom or bait them, but rather it’s because is a cliché that some people like and they’re simply not creative enough to write something new and different. Plus, always comparing stories like this to gay stories is invalidating to both (at least as I see it), especially when there aren’t any toxic dynamics as the ones you mentioned
Just like the user chocobuun's tasteful argument, the gender bender trope makes me VERY uncomfortable as a gay man because it has this weird vibe of tricking and deceiving a man who's sexuality is definitely not straight into confusion and frustrated with his own sexuality which has a very harmful rhetoric that you can turn a man who likes and seeks male partners into being straight aka conversion therapy.
Like chocobuun said, the title is called 'MALE LOVER' but instead we get a woman crossdressing as a man. The MC is not even trans! The ML is actively seeking male partners but instead he got deceived and I really don't like that
Just because the gender bender trope is a cliche, doesn't mean it's okay to do it. That cliche exists because people back then didn't know any better about how it may be harmful to gay people and now we've passed that phase. I'm not saying they should write something new, innovative, or something like that, they can use old plots and cliches to make their stories. Just really think about what cliche it is and what's the message that cliche is going to bring out to the readers
Your other points are valid, but did you even read the synopsis or the first few chapters? The ml liked the fl as a woman in the tavern she was working in, fym “The ML is actively seeking male partners but instead he got deceived and I really don't like that “
THISSSSS. Thank you for at least reading before commenting
Trust me its not that deep
'It's not that deep' right now you just invalidated a gay man's feeling and opinion on why the gender bender trope is not a good trope to make a story and can harm a certain demographic of people aka me. Just say that you're homophobic and call me the f slur why don't you :) this is why I can't stand you straight manhwa readers always trying to undermine a REAL queer person's opinion on why some tropes isn't good and shouldn't be brought back again
I understand where you’re coming from, but the gender bender trope itself it’s a bad trope solely when done in a toxic and confusing way, WHICH IS NOT THE CASE RIGHT NOW, and you would have known that if you had at least read the first 2? maybe 3 chapters or the very synopsis. By itself crossdressing (which seems to be the problem here) is in no way harmful to the gay community AT ALL, since historically both in European and Asiatic countries it was extremely common due to patriarchy and sex trafficking (examples of this can even be found in literature, with works such as the tale of Mulan, “The Black Arrow” by Stevenson or “Twelfth Night” by Shakespeare, just like with many other Greek and Latin myths, fyi). Just because the words “male lead” are in the title, it doesn’t mean that the work is baiting on you yaoi readers or that it’s mining the role of gay people in society, and it for sure doesn’t mean that there would have been a problem if the mcs were of the same sex. You of course can feel offended by some works that happen to do that and that push a “harmful narrative” as someone said, but you have no right to complain about each one of them when there are no evident problematic issues with the works just because you feel entitled to. And again, if you feel the need to complain, at least try reading the work before and see yourself if it’s harmful in any way rather than accusing people of being homofobic. By the same logic you shouldn’t even read works in which the mcs cross-dress or are forced to cross-dress as women, because they’re implying that only straight couples are fine or that only women can be feminine, but I highly doubt you’d avoid them honestly.
And before you come at me, I don’t like this work nor do I like the genre, but all I’m seeing is straight-up bullying coming from a lot of people and many complaints (or rather accusations) made simply because some of you got offended and came here to vent, without even bothering to look at the actual plot.
Holy fuck you jesus bitches are fucked up. Y'all will say and do ANYTHING to make yourselves not look homophobic while still yapping on why the gender bender trope isn't bad. I'm muting this comment, fuck all of y'all (-_-)＝凸
You started your comment offending and you still keep on doing so because you don’t even know how to answer properly (and respectfully). I guess that says more about you than us altogether. Also, just because someone has a different opinion than yours, it doesn’t mean they’re homophobic and that you’re entitled to accuse them as your only way to defend yourself (especially when you don’t know their sexuality), hope this helps
Yoo im telling gender bender not that deep its for fun whether its a man or woman pretending especially in histo Mangas and manhwa cuz most of the time gender roles is important so a woman have to cross dress for work like our fl who was not allowed to work if she was female
I hated the fact that he used his own sexuality as defense which is annoying he acting like everything is offensive buddy most of the yaoi you read is sexualizing gay ppl if this not homophobiic idk what is lol
Thank you for saying this. And don’t even let me start with mpreg wish is terribly sexist.
Exactly they cant have it both ways
Are straight manhwa artists' bills that high and ran out of ideas that they started disguising this as yaoi because they wanted that yaoi money but can't commit to actually drawing two men having sex or even sharing a kiss without making the MC a woman pretending to be a man??