I agree, non consensual sex in manga, particularly yaoi, is so mishandled it’s disturbing. Rape is portrayed as sexy and the perpetrator is (almost) always forgiven afterwards for it, or during the sex the victim will start “enjoying it” to the point where it’s “not even rape anymore”. I liked Back to School in part because the rapist wasn’t ever forgiven, despite being a young hot guy who the protag was best friends with and, had it been a different story, definitely could have ended up with the protag (it’s not a perfect story by any means, but I appreciated that).
I’ll admit that I may overlook a rape scene if the story and art are good, but usually it’s such a turn-off that I never feel as invested in the story afterwards.
(No one’s perfect, and one exception whose story I love is Hinekure Chaser. I’m sorry.)
As someone who hasn’t been sexually assaulted, I’m lucky enough to not fully understand the horror and trauma that’s associated, and I think the light way that manga treats the subject only worsens that. I don’t really enjoy psychological yaoi though, so I’d appreciate more regular manga that handle it in a responsible, mature way, instead of using it as a tool to bring the two MCs together.
i'm speaking as someone who reads dubcon/noncon content, and even actively looking for it– i might get a few tomatoes thrown at me, but this is my personal opinion on this topic.
multiple series, especially bl as you've mentioned, feature rape and more often than not, it is easily brushed off. i personally think it would be nice to get trigger warnings on that kind of thing for those who may want to avoid it. however, i don't necessarily think it should be scraped off altogether.
i am speaking about mangas and webtoons that really show dubcon/noncon themes, maybe sometimes even outright mentioning that it's like rape, such as ogawa chise and harada's works, that don't really show repercussions but i think my stance can kind of work with those that don't explicitly say it, but still have it anyway.
i think it's a mistake that people entirely think works of fiction are meant as a reflection of one's morals in real life and think of them as having the responsibility of representing an ethical standards that only apply to real people. while a lot of works speak on society and exist to want to make change, there's also a lot of artists create works as an outlet for emotions and served as self-indulgent for readers.
people do not enjoy dubcon/noncon themes because they want to be actual rapists in real life. i am sure those people exist and they're sick in the head, but most people don't agree with that. some of us enjoy these things from the implied themes it has. for example, i grew up with a very unstable social life and i constantly /have/ to lose people and no one really stays and because of that, i really enjoy a series with themes of jealousy and imprisonment. not because i want someone to be obsessively jealous and possessive of me to the point of imprisonment in real life, but because of the exaggerated point/implication that there's this character who will be a constant fixation in another character's life. it's, as i've said, an exaggeration of things that may be missing in someone's life that's reflected unto fiction.
sometimes, people just like thrills. it's the same way people like gore movies. no one watches them because they want to see the characters live. more often than not, it's antagonist that is being cheered on. that doesn't make gore films fans bad. people need to take note that while fiction CAN affect real life, people also have brains and can differentiate what's right or wrong. i like game of thrones a lot, but you won't see me going around having sex with my relatives, raping people or killing my family members because y'know... common sense? i know it's wrong.
if someone who's easily influenced, like a child, reads stories that feature noncon/dubcon themes, you cannot fault the author because they aren't responsible for someone else. it is the child's guardian.
as a direct response to the concern for survivors, i think a warning should be enough and it is very restricting to say that people should delete it completely. it would be like the thriller genre ceasing to exist in respect for those who were murdered.
i understand that you're speaking about those make rape appear like it's something romantic, but i still offer my point in regards to them. sometimes, i want to read really psychological mangas. most of the time, i just want to read something light with a few droplets of those themes mixed in.
people are more critical when it comes to the romance genre because they believe that people consume content of the genre because they want that in their actual relationships, but that's just wrong. fiction is a tool that can either reflect or explore society and neither is incorrect.
god, this is WAAAY too long but this is something i feel strongly about so forgive me LOL
I think you bring up a few valid points. I don’t necessarily hold these decisions to include such themes in manga against the writers, writing is subjective and should be able to be interpreted differently. I myself think that tragedy in romance can bring on broader discussion and touch base on psychology. I have learned to appreciate it more because it’s not the ideal situation to be in when you think about it in your own life, but that’s what makes it so real because not everything is peaches and cream. I just noted that using the subject to tie in a relationship and ultimately gloss over it isn’t the best portrayal of it and feels exploitative, but then again that’s just me.
Totally agree, you tied in a few loose ends I hadn’t thought as much about, thank you for your perspective!
I came on here to address the very obvious trope that floods a lot of the titles on here. I know very well that this more than likely will not get back to people who are apart of the creative processes for the scripting of mangas, but regardless I feel it is something to be regarded about as an issue. Anyway, onto my not so short monologue..
For starters, I firmly believe that this topic is commonly introduced to satiate people who show interest or keenness towards the subject, which, that in itself can be questioned, but I do realize that if properly executed and implemented to elevate and add depth to a story, can be very telling of scenarios that can even present themselves in our day to day lives.
My one true problem is that rape and or sexual assault in manga isn’t represented in the most faithful of ways. Rape and sexual assault shouldn’t be written in to furthermore introduce lust, it is very damaging and inconsiderate to those who have experienced the former or the latter, or any person for that regard. It is often glossed over and tries to encapsulate lust and all things unholy (not all writers/stories do so of course, but it is an issue) rape is nothing short of overpowering, instilling fear and trauma, acting on cowardice and a pang of feeling as if intercourse or vartiations of it are indebted to one. It is devastating, and so are the numerous interpretations we have seen in many manga. I for one teeter towards avoiding the subject altogether because of aforementioned displeasure, but haven’t completely isolated myself from some stories that I feel have actually tackled the theme in a way that is enriching of the psychology and behaviors associated to the act.
I’m down on my line on what I felt like saying, so I’ll cut it here. I extend a hand to people who feel comfortable to openly discuss their own viewpoint (respectfully, of course). It is a very important topic and shouldn’t be brushed aside because of a few bad apples. I appreciate anyone who fully read through and even those who didn’t, thank you <3