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Feb 27, 2021 5:23 PM
#1

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qbaiting is a marketing strategy where creators hint at, but then dont actually depict, lgbtq representation (usually gay/mlm romance) they do it to attract(bait) their audience in/ally's of the lgbtq community with the suggestion of relationships or characters that appeal to them while at the same time attempting to avoid alienating other consumers

i discussed this with some of my friends who are in the lgbtq community yesterday and we think they're qbating, so i wanna know what other ppl think. do you think they're qbating? if you're in the lgbtq community, are you bothered by it?



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Feb 27, 2021 5:35 PM
#2
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at first i definitely did think it was, especially since it has the same director as free (qbait, heavy fanservice) and banana fish (not necessarily qbait, but ambiguous enough that some people considered it that way). but after the most recent episode i really don't think i could consider it qbait even if the reki/langa ship isn't canon. i mean (in my opinion) langa pretty much confirmed that he likes reki romantically, so even if reki doesn't return his feelings that's still one canonically gay/bi character.

i mean, i guess they could go back on that and have langa say he meant "like" in a platonic way, but from the word-choice and the body language in that scene with langa looking away from his mom and blushing, i really don't think that would happen. but, if it did i would be really disappointed and i'd for sure consider that qbait.
removed-userFeb 27, 2021 6:41 PM
Feb 27, 2021 6:36 PM
#3

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Personally, I don’t think it’s queer baiting like Yuri!! On Ice. If they got into a relationship together at the end, I’d 100% support it and I hope it wouldn’t be contrived. Other than what swixzy said, I personally did not see any romantic feelings between them, but rather, the ‘bond of friendship’ albeit cliche way to phrase it. They also don’t really talk about relationships in the anime very much, if at all, so there’s not enough ‘hinting’ for me to consider Sk8 that way. Feel free to disagree, but I just see it as a fun, over-the-top sports anime :D








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Feb 27, 2021 6:47 PM
#4

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We don’t know. We will find out soon tho. If they end up together then I support.
Feb 27, 2021 6:59 PM
#5

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I feel like folks throw around "queerbaiting" too liberally sometimes.

after ep.8 You could interpret Langa's convo with his mom as him admitting he is in love with Reki. But the whole convo was based on his mom thinking Langa was talking about a girl he liked. So when Langa gets embarrassed when he realizes his mom thought he was talking about a girl, you could interpret Langa's embarrassment as him admitting he's in love with Reki, or just embarrassed/confused that his mom thought he was talking about a girl, and he isn't in love with Reki.

we see Langa being all depressed that Reki isn't around him anymore, but that may not mean he's in love with Reki. Langa is socially awkward, and Reki was the first friend he made after moving to Japan. Reki taught him how to skateboard.
So of course he's going to be upset that his friend has pretty much abandoned him.

And even if Langa was in love with Reki, it be a unrequited love, because I don't see Reki returning his feelings. I'm fully expecting them to just stay friends. Which would be fine, because I don't think there's enough romantic subtext btw them.

the other "couples" though....Cherry and Joe hate each other, but they constantly talk about how they've done stuff together in the past, travelling together? and talk about things that happened in their childhood. They come off as exes for sure.

Adam and Tadashi give off vibes that they may have been in love w/each other when they were younger(I mean how to you explain that scene from ep.8 where Tadashi sadly touches that heart duo symbol on the concrete when he's practicing skating??? that scene was gay as hell), but because of how mentally f**ked up Adam is in the head, he's now abusive towards Tadashi.

so the anime is def very queer coded, but I wouldn't call it queerbait either. If anything canonically gay happens with any of the characters, them awesome, but I'm not expecting it to happen.
Feb 27, 2021 7:02 PM
#6

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Maybe the author just felt like writing 2 male characters being wholesome. There's nothing wrong with having gay undertones. No different from hinting straight romance in any other anime tbh.

Feb 27, 2021 7:29 PM
#7

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You know, the whole issue with queerbaiting is that characters having sexual tension has never been uncommon in fiction, even if said tension never lands. Just because it's between two characters who happen to be the same gender doesn't make it bait. We don't go around calling bait every time a boy and a girl act awkward around each other in fiction, so we should probably not do it if two boys or two girls do.
Feb 27, 2021 7:33 PM
#8
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Feb 2021
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Myself I didn’t notice anything romantic (just a friendship thing, even though I don’t mind it getting romantic), of course we can extrapolate from the data from episode 8, but so far it seems to be a longshot
Feb 27, 2021 7:35 PM
#9
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Feb 2021
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im gonna riot if they are queerbating istg
Feb 27, 2021 7:43 PM
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I can't really guess as Hiroko Utsumi is really excelling in both "pretending to be straight (Free!)", and "pretending to be gay (Banana Fish).

But one thing for sure, it's regrettable that Kyoto Animation doesn't have her anymore. Though I hope she'll comeback to complete Free! as KyoAni lose so many great people surrounding the franchise due to the 2019 arson attack.
Feb 27, 2021 7:57 PM
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jal90 said:
You know, the whole issue with queerbaiting is that characters having sexual tension has never been uncommon in fiction, even if said tension never lands. Just because it's between two characters who happen to be the same gender doesn't make it bait. We don't go around calling bait every time a boy and a girl act awkward around each other in fiction, so we should probably not do it if two boys or two girls do.


i mostly agree with what you're saying but one of the main reasons the term queerbaiting is so prominent is because when there's tension between two characters of the same gender in anime, it's usually shot down as being farfetched or completely ridiculous, even if the chemistry might seem really obvious. with characters of the opposite gender, when there's tension between them most viewers notice it and acknowledge it for what it is.

for many lgbt viewers like myself, it can be really frustrating to be ridiculed for noticing when a character is queer-coded, or noticing when two characters of the same gender have some sort of romantic chemistry. that's why "queerbaiting" is such a popular phrase, when "straightbaiting" (or whatever it would be called) isn't. in my opinion, the term is a little misleading because it's not necessarily '"bait," it's just quite disappointing because it means that yet another queer-coded character will be labeled straight by most viewers and once again lgbt fans will be mocked for thinking that character could possibly be queer.
Feb 27, 2021 7:59 PM
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honestly ep 8 basically confirmed that langa has a (romantic) crush on reki so even if they dont end up together it’s still canon that langa is queer. so either way, the gays win.
Feb 27, 2021 8:11 PM

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Anime in general "fujoshi baits" not queer bait.
Even if someone is actually gay it's still fujo bait same with 99% yaoi/ bl manga created by women because that's what female fans like to see.
HACKs! 🤢🤮
Feb 27, 2021 8:41 PM

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Medialuna said:
Maybe the author just felt like writing 2 male characters being wholesome. There's nothing wrong with having gay undertones. No different from hinting straight romance in any other anime tbh.

But the thing is, it is, and we don't want it to be, but queer people have such a lack of representation. Often when we are represented, it's done poorly, or just for laughs.

mothsoupe said:
im gonna riot if they are queerbating istg

SAME, but it really doesn't seem that way. In episode 8, when Langa talks with his mum about Reki. I learnt from some peeps on r/SK8TheInfinity that the Japanese clarifys that it's romantic. In the subs, Langa's mum asks "you like that person, right?" But in Japanese we hear "suki nanda sho?" Which implies romance. And Langa responds confirming that he does like Reki romanticly. This ain't queerbait. Just as we thought, sk8 ain't str8.
Ryuk is somewhat relatable

Feb 28, 2021 1:18 AM

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unpopular opinion, but i can kinda see how adam could be confirmed queer in the future episodes, maybe with a hint of tadashi and childhood trauma yk. i can't stop thinking about that time his aunties told him to get married to a decent girl soon and tadashi's reaction was weird (foreshadowing?)

still not sure about reki and langa though, the chemistry is quite noticeable, but their relationship could just stay unclear until the very end like in banana fish


Feb 28, 2021 2:00 AM

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I don't care if it stays ambiguous, I only get annoyed when they tease a gay relationship and then give them opposite gender love interests. Considering that the only girls they've interacted with are their immediate family members and some random girl on a boat, I don't think that's likely.
Feb 28, 2021 2:41 AM
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I don't think that's the case at all, like the ADAM character certainly has a weird personality(hisoka 2.0) but that's just the way I think they represent his eccentricities to make him stand out to the viewers as a villain-like character,,,but other than that, I don't see such behavior between other characters like Reki,Langa or any other character for that matter, What do you guys think?
Feb 28, 2021 4:10 AM

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I don't think they're queerbaiting. Hmm we will see I guess.

sugarisdown said:
unpopular opinion, but i can kinda see how adam could be confirmed queer in the future episodes, maybe with a hint of tadashi and childhood trauma yk. i can't stop thinking about that time his aunties told him to get married to a decent girl soon and tadashi's reaction was weird (foreshadowing?)


Yes! Adam reads as queer to me.
Feb 28, 2021 4:57 AM

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weeb-ish said:
I don't think that's the case at all, like the ADAM character certainly has a weird personality(hisoka 2.0) but that's just the way I think they represent his eccentricities to make him stand out to the viewers as a villain-like character,,,but other than that, I don't see such behavior between other characters like Reki,Langa or any other character for that matter, What do you guys think?


Here's the thing tho, yes, the flamboyantly queer villain has been a trope in fiction for decades and decades and it's not likely to disappear any time soon because it's so iconic and recognisable. Characters like that immediately read to audience as villainous because we've all seen that archetype time and time again.
However, that's just the thing. It's a villain archetype. If they wanted to make one of the leads queer and keep them sympathetic, then of course they wouldn't have them act that way. Doesn't make them any more straight tho.

In general, to answer to OPs question, at this point - and that might still change ofc - i think it depends on how you read Langa's conversation with his mum. If you read it as a confession, and as @IamVermillion has already pointed out, "suki nanda sho?" would've read as romantic to the japanese audience, then that puts a stop to any accusations of queerbaiting. He's not straight, it's not baiting ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Feb 28, 2021 6:24 AM
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crys- said:
honestly ep 8 basically confirmed that langa has a (romantic) crush on reki so even if they dont end up together it’s still canon that langa is queer. so either way, the gays win.
when was it canon lol?
Feb 28, 2021 6:28 AM

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lizzziziz said:
qbaiting is a marketing strategy where creators hint at, but then dont actually depict, lgbtq representation (usually gay/mlm romance) they do it to attract(bait) their audience in/ally's of the lgbtq community with the suggestion of relationships or characters that appeal to them while at the same time attempting to avoid alienating other consumers

i discussed this with some of my friends who are in the lgbtq community yesterday and we think they're qbating, so i wanna know what other ppl think. do you think they're qbating? if you're in the lgbtq community, are you bothered by it?



So what if they do then?
Just like Free and many other Sport anime.
What's wrong with that?
Feb 28, 2021 6:45 AM

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elany said:



In general, to answer to OPs question, at this point - and that might still change ofc - i think it depends on how you read Langa's conversation with his mum. If you read it as a confession, and as @IamVermillion has already pointed out, "suki nanda sho?" would've read as romantic to the japanese audience, then that puts a stop to any accusations of queerbaiting. He's not straight, it's not baiting ¯_(ツ)_/¯


So anime can never bisexual bait then?
HACKs! 🤢🤮
Feb 28, 2021 6:58 AM
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It whoud make why more sence if they become boyfriend. Since Langa said he liked Reki.
Feb 28, 2021 7:45 AM
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IshigamiCrisis said:
Personally, I don’t think it’s queer baiting like Yuri!! On Ice. If they got into a relationship together at the end, I’d 100% support it and I hope it wouldn’t be contrived. Other than what swixzy said, I personally did not see any romantic feelings between them, but rather, the ‘bond of friendship’ albeit cliche way to phrase it. They also don’t really talk about relationships in the anime very much, if at all, so there’s not enough ‘hinting’ for me to consider Sk8 that way. Feel free to disagree, but I just see it as a fun, over-the-top sports anime :D

Lmao in which world is Yuri on ice a queerbait I- We’ll be having the movie now and then another season for sure. Their relationship has just started turning into a romantic one. It is a short 12 eps anime afterall. I personally like the fact that they haven’t started dating yet. But yet”we still have to wait that much for the sequels..
And also, people from the cast have said that they’re in love so whatcha talkin about my dude.
The kiss was an actual canon kiss too, so
Feb 28, 2021 8:22 AM

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Old_School_Akira said:
elany said:



In general, to answer to OPs question, at this point - and that might still change ofc - i think it depends on how you read Langa's conversation with his mum. If you read it as a confession, and as @IamVermillion has already pointed out, "suki nanda sho?" would've read as romantic to the japanese audience, then that puts a stop to any accusations of queerbaiting. He's not straight, it's not baiting ¯_(ツ)_/¯


So anime can never bisexual bait then?
People always assume every character is straight so yes. No matter how gay it is, people think Adam for example is straight lol
Feb 28, 2021 10:10 AM

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IamVermillion said:
But in Japanese we hear "suki nanda sho?" Which implies romance. And Langa responds confirming that he does like Reki romanticly. This ain't queerbait. Just as we thought, sk8 ain't str8.



I think at this for people to stop calling something queerbait and for other people to stop saying "this show is queerbaiting" is "reaching", shows need to be as unsubtle and unnuanced as possible, just straight up "hey, I, a man, like you romantically, you who is also a man, making me and this relationship gay, homosexual as in 'not heterosexual'. I hope you reciprocate my very homosexual, non-heterosexual man x man feelings"
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Feb 28, 2021 10:21 AM

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Old_School_Akira said:
elany said:



In general, to answer to OPs question, at this point - and that might still change ofc - i think it depends on how you read Langa's conversation with his mum. If you read it as a confession, and as @IamVermillion has already pointed out, "suki nanda sho?" would've read as romantic to the japanese audience, then that puts a stop to any accusations of queerbaiting. He's not straight, it's not baiting ¯_(ツ)_/¯


So anime can never bisexual bait then?


I'm going to assume that this is not a bad faith argument, despite not being sure how that relates to what i said, but. No, i wouldn't say it can't, however, i would say that's a separate and slightly more complex issue that's perhaps not entirely relevant in this case.
I did specifically say queerbait in which case, yes, i stand by my reasoning that if Langa is canonically queer, then the show is not queerbaiting.

Your reply doesn't really give me much to work with, but if what you said stems from the thesis that 'queerbaiting could be read as bi subtext and therefor by dismissing it as baiting we also erase bi experiences', then like i said, that's a valid discussion to be had, but isn't exactly relevant to my original statement.
Feb 28, 2021 10:22 AM

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sntiago said:
IamVermillion said:
But in Japanese we hear "suki nanda sho?" Which implies romance. And Langa responds confirming that he does like Reki romanticly. This ain't queerbait. Just as we thought, sk8 ain't str8.



I think at this for people to stop calling something queerbait and for other people to stop saying "this show is queerbaiting" is "reaching", shows need to be as unsubtle and unnuanced as possible, just straight up "hey, I, a man, like you romantically, you who is also a man, making me and this relationship gay, homosexual as in 'not heterosexual'. I hope you reciprocate my very homosexual, non-heterosexual man x man feelings"


Agreed, we need some good representation. At this point it is too subtle, especially the way the translators made use of the english 'like' verb that can be interpreted different ways.

You know, those subtitle people did us dirty. They clearly chose to phrase it like that to lull the English fluent homophobes into a false sense of straitness. I reckon that bit of translating may be considered queerbaiting, but we know by the original that it was not meant to be taken heterosexually.
IamVermillionFeb 28, 2021 10:36 AM
Ryuk is somewhat relatable

Feb 28, 2021 2:01 PM

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sntiago said:
IamVermillion said:
But in Japanese we hear "suki nanda sho?" Which implies romance. And Langa responds confirming that he does like Reki romanticly. This ain't queerbait. Just as we thought, sk8 ain't str8.



I think at this for people to stop calling something queerbait and for other people to stop saying "this show is queerbaiting" is "reaching", shows need to be as unsubtle and unnuanced as possible, just straight up "hey, I, a man, like you romantically, you who is also a man, making me and this relationship gay, homosexual as in 'not heterosexual'. I hope you reciprocate my very homosexual, non-heterosexual man x man feelings"

That's enough for some people have you seen eva discussions lol
Feb 28, 2021 2:20 PM

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It's a show that knows its audience. It definitely teases some dynamics here and there, though it doesn't seem like it'll stumble on some of the pitfalls that this genre of shows often has - like, say, more than a handful of bait with little substance for multiple ships, just to keep the franchise going (Free!, I'm looking at you disrespectfully for this one).

The show itself has fun with the characters and leaves room for the fanbase to explore the relationships (even if with some purposefully placed cues, just like Langa's conversation with his mom). It comes down to what exactly the audience is expecting from the show when engaging with it, to an extent.

Which isn't to say that the knee-jerk reaction of "is this somewhat ambiguously homoerotic or am I being bamboozled?" isn't understandable. Adam's character is the one that actually has me "Hmmm" in terms of the show possibly trying to do smth a little more concrete with his identity (regardless of the likelihood of it still being Very Symbolic and/or Adam-like).

phantomfandom said:
I can't really guess as Hiroko Utsumi is really excelling in both "pretending to be straight (Free!)", and "pretending to be gay (Banana Fish).

But one thing for sure, it's regrettable that Kyoto Animation doesn't have her anymore. Though I hope she'll comeback to complete Free! as KyoAni lose so many great people surrounding the franchise due to the 2019 arson attack.
Utsumi coming back to close the series would be a very nice touch, one can only hope. Also, the "pretending to be gay (Banana Fish)" made me have a momentary out of body experience, I blame Akimi Yoshida (having to tackle BL stigma in the manga industry in the mid-80's to early 90's).
Feb 28, 2021 2:27 PM

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IamVermillion said:
sntiago said:



I think at this for people to stop calling something queerbait and for other people to stop saying "this show is queerbaiting" is "reaching", shows need to be as unsubtle and unnuanced as possible, just straight up "hey, I, a man, like you romantically, you who is also a man, making me and this relationship gay, homosexual as in 'not heterosexual'. I hope you reciprocate my very homosexual, non-heterosexual man x man feelings"


Agreed, we need some good representation. At this point it is too subtle, especially the way the translators made use of the english 'like' verb that can be interpreted different ways.

You know, those subtitle people did us dirty. They clearly chose to phrase it like that to lull the English fluent homophobes into a false sense of straitness. I reckon that bit of translating may be considered queerbaiting, but we know by the original that it was not meant to be taken heterosexually.

actually the TL's did a perfectly fine job with that translation tbh. "suki nandesho" translates to pretty much "You like [subject], don't you?" (jap don't often use 'love' words so suki = to like usually takes place), and even in English 'like' would've most definitely been used in those kinds of conversations than 'love' (which is usually used more when the couples already established more often than not).

given how langa's mom was thinking this was some shoujo manga drama with the FL, her context most likely is in a romantic sense, given how Langa reacts his context is probably as well but knowing this director it could easily be played out as platonic. tbh the director probably left it slightly ambiguous on purpose to let people have their own headcannon but we'd have to see how the remaining eps play out
Short_CircutFeb 28, 2021 2:31 PM
Feb 28, 2021 2:35 PM

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I really hope so, I don't want this anime to be ruined by gay romance. It would be a shame because I would have to drop the score to 2/10.
Feb 28, 2021 2:39 PM
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Only_Brad said:
I really hope so, I don't want this anime to be ruined by gay romance. It would be a shame because I would have to drop the score to 2/10.


lmao just say you're homophobic and go
Feb 28, 2021 3:29 PM
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Only_Brad said:
I really hope so, I don't want this anime to be ruined by gay romance. It would be a shame because I would have to drop the score to 2/10.


People like this are the reason those shows choose to stay ambiguous enough for the fujo's to assume it's canon but also ambiguous enough for people like them to keep watching it and telling themselves there are no gay relationships in it. They know that as soon as they confirm something it would be classified as yaoi and it would lose a whole group of possible fans. By keeping it vague they also get more people to speculate about it- like this thread proves -and that's more attention for the anime.

I feel like here in the scene with the mom, Langa's blush can be interpreted as a confirmation, but then the surprise he showed when he realised his mom was talking about a girl, seemed to be added as a: 'don't forget, you can still see this in a straight way!'

Would I prefer to see some canon gay ships? Yes. But I don't think studio's will do that soon. I don't think we will get things that are more 'explicit' than Yuri On Ice was.
Feb 28, 2021 6:10 PM

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To clear a thing: when Langa talked to his mom about Reki they used the word „suki“. It can mean both „like“ and „love“. But it doesn’t always have to be romantic. In Japan people would say this to their friends, family members, pets... it doesn’t necessarily mean it‘s romantic love.

Because some people say it‘s canon that Langa is in love with Reki because he said so. No he didn’t. He said he liked Reki but it’s unclear if he meant it in a romantic way or not.

(I wouldn’t mind either way by the way.)
Feb 28, 2021 6:41 PM

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yes 100% absolutely. It sucks because this is a good show but they can't decide if they want it to be gay or not. I wish it would pick a lane.
Feb 28, 2021 11:26 PM

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Elviri27 said:
Only_Brad said:
I really hope so, I don't want this anime to be ruined by gay romance. It would be a shame because I would have to drop the score to 2/10.


People like this are the reason those shows choose to stay ambiguous enough for the fujo's to assume it's canon but also ambiguous enough for people like them to keep watching it and telling themselves there are no gay relationships in it. They know that as soon as they confirm something it would be classified as yaoi and it would lose a whole group of possible fans. By keeping it vague they also get more people to speculate about it- like this thread proves -and that's more attention for the anime.

I feel like here in the scene with the mom, Langa's blush can be interpreted as a confirmation, but then the surprise he showed when he realised his mom was talking about a girl, seemed to be added as a: 'don't forget, you can still see this in a straight way!'

Would I prefer to see some canon gay ships? Yes. But I don't think studio's will do that soon. I don't think we will get things that are more 'explicit' than Yuri On Ice was.


These people don't buy the BD/DVD so they are basically irrelevant. But the suits in charge are dumb and they think they do, Yuri on Ice was like that because the director fought for it and she still got censored.

Mar 1, 2021 2:25 AM

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CielsEarlGrey said:
IshigamiCrisis said:
Personally, I don’t think it’s queer baiting like Yuri!! On Ice. If they got into a relationship together at the end, I’d 100% support it and I hope it wouldn’t be contrived. Other than what swixzy said, I personally did not see any romantic feelings between them, but rather, the ‘bond of friendship’ albeit cliche way to phrase it. They also don’t really talk about relationships in the anime very much, if at all, so there’s not enough ‘hinting’ for me to consider Sk8 that way. Feel free to disagree, but I just see it as a fun, over-the-top sports anime :D

Lmao in which world is Yuri on ice a queerbait I- We’ll be having the movie now and then another season for sure. Their relationship has just started turning into a romantic one. It is a short 12 eps anime afterall. I personally like the fact that they haven’t started dating yet. But yet”we still have to wait that much for the sequels..
And also, people from the cast have said that they’re in love so whatcha talkin about my dude.
The kiss was an actual canon kiss too, so


Have to hard disagree on Yuri!! On Ice. Here is the 'kiss' scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxmASvFMuLM

It's literally censored. Regardless of whether or not the kiss scene is canon, how can that not be at least in consideration that this scene ‘might be’ queerbait? If Yuri!! On Ice actually was open about the MCs being in an openly gay relationship or being romantically interested in each other, I would not accuse YOI of this. Heck, 2 of the top reviews for the show either call the show queerbait or 'not gay enough'.
You don't have to agree with me, but it's downright frustrating and even offensive for me to see this occur when there are actually well-represented LGBTQ+ media like Yagate Kimi ni Naru and Asagao to Kase-san. Heck, although Sk8 might be considered queerbaiting to some, it's not nearly on the level of YOI.
If you want to check an anime with good BL, I recommend Given.
Space_BoyfriendMar 1, 2021 2:33 AM








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Mar 1, 2021 5:43 AM

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IshigamiCrisis said:
CielsEarlGrey said:

Lmao in which world is Yuri on ice a queerbait I- We’ll be having the movie now and then another season for sure. Their relationship has just started turning into a romantic one. It is a short 12 eps anime afterall. I personally like the fact that they haven’t started dating yet. But yet”we still have to wait that much for the sequels..
And also, people from the cast have said that they’re in love so whatcha talkin about my dude.
The kiss was an actual canon kiss too, so


Have to hard disagree on Yuri!! On Ice. Here is the 'kiss' scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxmASvFMuLM

It's literally censored.

Yeah, because it was gay lmao.


Yuri on Ice authors wasn't trying to "bait" you or anyone, she wrote a gay love story in the capacity she could in a society where gay male relationships are shunned. Just look at this thread or the other and see how many people go "ewww BL"

The only reason you think it's "queerbait" (Do people thik the character in YoI are straight lmao? Because that's what it means) is because one of them is not a girl lmao.


If you want to check an anime with good BL, I recommend Given.

The only reason Given has all that stuff is because it's literal BL, it's an adaption of a gay manga in a magazine aimed at girls who enjoy gay porn, it doesn't have to deal with censorship. The show is was less courageous that you think, there are over 500 manga similar to Given.
Mar 2, 2021 10:11 PM

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Bernrika said:
IshigamiCrisis said:


Have to hard disagree on Yuri!! On Ice. Here is the 'kiss' scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxmASvFMuLM

It's literally censored.

Yeah, because it was gay lmao.


Yuri on Ice authors wasn't trying to "bait" you or anyone, she wrote a gay love story in the capacity she could in a society where gay male relationships are shunned. Just look at this thread or the other and see how many people go "ewww BL"

The only reason you think it's "queerbait" (Do people thik the character in YoI are straight lmao? Because that's what it means) is because one of them is not a girl lmao.


If you want to check an anime with good BL, I recommend Given.

The only reason Given has all that stuff is because it's literal BL, it's an adaption of a gay manga in a magazine aimed at girls who enjoy gay porn, it doesn't have to deal with censorship. The show is was less courageous that you think, there are over 500 manga similar to Given.


I still maintain my opinion. Obviously, it is clear that both Yuri and Victor are romantically interested in each other. That's detracting from my point. Regardless of what the YOI authors intended, it still comes off as queerbait if the romance is HINTED at but NEVER depicted. Heck, YOI is not even in the romance or shounen ai genre. Anytime the word 'love' is used is never put into context. This might've passed in HS literature where you can analyze if Dale Harding from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962) might've been LGBTQ+, but Yuri!! On Ice is from 2016. There is nothing wrong with having LGBTQ+ relationships being accurately depicted in media and its been more and more accepted internationally. One of the prefectures of Japan was the first place in Asia to openly embrace LGBTQ+. In fact, your claim that Given doesn't have to deal with censorship while YOI is censored does not make sense. They both broadcast on Japanese TV. Neither of them are R-rated so they get the same treatment. Why are they hiding it? I don't care if people are homophobic in this thread or others, YOI is not a pioneer of gay rights when there are actual anime who will openly embrace itself as a BL. Calling Given a "manga in a magazine aimed at girls who enjoy gay porn" is an insult to their fans. I would argue that because of the fanservice in YOI, it should be put in the ecchi or even yaoi genre. It confuses me when MAL puts the Given manga in yaoi yet MAL does not categorize YOI as ecchi, shounen ai, romance, or yaoi. Maybe it's another case of Free!. I don't care if you agree with me, but you're going to have live knowing that I and quite a few others believe YOI is blatant queerbait. Thankfully, Sk8 is not this frustrating.








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Mar 3, 2021 3:29 AM

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IshigamiCrisis said:
I still maintain my opinion. Obviously, it is clear that both Yuri and Victor are romantically interested in each other. That's detracting from my point. Regardless of what the YOI authors intended, it still comes off as queerbait if the romance is HINTED at but NEVER depicted.


]https://i.imgur.com/bUq9FD7.jpg

Are you telling me that if one of those characters were a girl, you would debate this was not a depiction of romance? What is a depiction of what, friendship????


In fact, your claim that Given doesn't have to deal with censorship while YOI is censored does not make sense. They both broadcast on Japanese TV. Neither of them are R-rated so they get the same treatment. Why are they hiding it.

I explained it to you why they are hiding it lol. One is a BL manga. It's a product written by a a woman on a magazine aimed at women and that existed before the anime. Every producer, director, Japanese suit and staff member involved in the anime knew that whey were going to adapt it and why.They picked a BL manga and sold it a BL product. If you do not want to adapt a BL manga you don not involve yourself with it! BL nomenclature quite acts a warning for people, don't you see how many people here write "I hope it's not BL!" all the time?

Yuri on Ice is an anime original where no one knew what the show was about, the director portraying a homosexual male romance in it meant that every sponsor and suit involved with it had to face the fact they were sponsoring a gay romance while they were not told it was the case. It doesn't make sense to you, but it is what happened!

The director herself said she was subjected to censorship! Why do you think that happened?

You seem under the impression that writers are free to do what they want, but I assure you it's not the case!

YOI is not a pioneer of gay rights when there are actual anime who will openly embrace itself as a BL.

Name one who is not an adaptation? Maybe Sarazanmai, but it came out years after Yuri on Ice. I believe Ikuhara himself said that a product like Sarazanami would not have been possible years ago!

Calling Given a "manga in a magazine aimed at girls who enjoy gay porn" is an insult to their fan


.... But i is a a manga aimed at girls who enjoy gay porn? Maybe you would prefer "gay porn and romance"?

https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=97317


https://myanimelist.net/manga/magazine/1001/Cheri_

There is literal gay porn on the magazine Given is published. This isn't bad, mind you, I enjoy porn too but it's actual a thing Given fans need to understand. Being an adaptation of a BL manga written in magazine that does not censor M/M content allows Given creator to freely show things. And it's great she can show what she wants, but Given can exist as it is because of the magazine it is published!

It confuses me when MAL puts the Given manga in yaoi yet MAL does not categorize YOI as ecchi, shounen ai, romance, or yaoi. Maybe it's another case of Free!. I don't care if you agree with me, but you're going to have live knowing that I and quite a few others believe YOI is blatant queerbait. Thankfully, Sk8 is not this frustrating.

Because YoI is a sport anime, it is not marketed as Yaoi.
BernrikaMar 3, 2021 3:35 AM
Mar 3, 2021 5:50 AM

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Anime/manga series that are accused of queerbaiting tend to be aimed at female audiences rather than lgbtq audiences specifically. The Japanese use labels "joseimuke" and "fumuke" for entertainment aimed at women, whereas entertainment aimed at lgbtq people is called "geimuke" etc. It's unfair to complain about lgbtq specific grievances in a series that is obviously meant as a fan service for women, fujoshi specifically. Are women not allowed to have their fantasies catered to? There are dozens of waifubait and harem fantasy shows aimed at male viewers and nobody complains (most of the time), but the moment female viewers get something tailor-made for them it's immediately put under a microscope for being "problematic". If you're lgbtq and are pissed that SK8 isn't doing it for you then I'm sorry, I hope you find something more fitting for your tastes elsewhere. But claiming that the show has something wrong with it because it follows the same cheesy tropes that fujoshi enjoy isn't the right way to go either. I mean, call it predictable or badly written all you want, but no need to start any crusades in the name of political correctness.
Mar 3, 2021 2:19 PM
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Bacon24 said:
crys- said:
honestly ep 8 basically confirmed that langa has a (romantic) crush on reki so even if they dont end up together it’s still canon that langa is queer. so either way, the gays win.
when was it canon lol?
reki and langa dont have a canon romantic relationship yet but langa’s convo with his mom in the episode w/ the context and language used is basically langa admitting he has a crush on reki so i mean,, not much to explain here
Mar 3, 2021 4:48 PM
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Gallyleo said:
Anime/manga series that are accused of queerbaiting tend to be aimed at female audiences rather than lgbtq audiences specifically. The Japanese use labels "joseimuke" and "fumuke" for entertainment aimed at women, whereas entertainment aimed at lgbtq people is called "geimuke" etc. It's unfair to complain about lgbtq specific grievances in a series that is obviously meant as a fan service for women, fujoshi specifically. Are women not allowed to have their fantasies catered to? There are dozens of waifubait and harem fantasy shows aimed at male viewers and nobody complains (most of the time), but the moment female viewers get something tailor-made for them it's immediately put under a microscope for being "problematic". If you're lgbtq and are pissed that SK8 isn't doing it for you then I'm sorry, I hope you find something more fitting for your tastes elsewhere. But claiming that the show has something wrong with it because it follows the same cheesy tropes that fujoshi enjoy isn't the right way to go either. I mean, call it predictable or badly written all you want, but no need to start any crusades in the name of political correctness.


Totally agree with this. It feels like whenever there is a show - Free being the perfect example - that caters more so to a female audience, there are plenty of people on both sides trying to tear it down. Either saying it's crappy fanservice for 'fujos' or attacking it for not being politically correct. I hardly ever see people campaigning against the rampant fanservice in other mainstream shows or attacking them for reusing cliched characters/ tropes but as soon as an anime has a larger female fan base it feels like people come out in drones to criticise it. And that doesn't mean that a show which is genuinely problematic shouldn't be called out because I think it should, but it's just frustrating to see when it's so unbalanced.
Mar 3, 2021 5:03 PM

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crys- said:
Bacon24 said:
when was it canon lol?
reki and langa dont have a canon romantic relationship yet but langa’s convo with his mom in the episode w/ the context and language used is basically langa admitting he has a crush on reki so i mean,, not much to explain here


Actually his mother asked if it was a person he liked and he said yes. But it doesn’t have to be a romantic meaning. The term „suki“ can be used for both ways of liking someone. As a friend or in a romantic way. Obviously Langa didn’t get what his mother actually meant.
Mar 3, 2021 5:32 PM
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Ocat1234 said:
crys- said:
reki and langa dont have a canon romantic relationship yet but langa’s convo with his mom in the episode w/ the context and language used is basically langa admitting he has a crush on reki so i mean,, not much to explain here


Actually his mother asked if it was a person he liked and he said yes. But it doesn’t have to be a romantic meaning. The term „suki“ can be used for both ways of liking someone. As a friend or in a romantic way. Obviously Langa didn’t get what his mother actually meant.
“suki” can def be used for ‘like’ or ‘love’ but usually is used in a romantic context when referring to people, combined with langa blushing when his mom asked and he said “yes”, implying that he does have a crush lmao
Mar 3, 2021 6:35 PM
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Ocat1234 said:
crys- said:
reki and langa dont have a canon romantic relationship yet but langa’s convo with his mom in the episode w/ the context and language used is basically langa admitting he has a crush on reki so i mean,, not much to explain here


Actually his mother asked if it was a person he liked and he said yes. But it doesn’t have to be a romantic meaning. The term „suki“ can be used for both ways of liking someone. As a friend or in a romantic way. Obviously Langa didn’t get what his mother actually meant.


i mean... if this scene was about a relationship between a boy and a girl i'm pretty sure there would be no doubt that this was meant to be taken in a romantic way. the body language seems clear to me, if langa really misinterpreted what his mom said to mean "you like that person as a friend right?" then i can't explain why he'd be blushing like that. of course he likes reki as a friend, he has no reason to be embarrassed or flustered like he's shown to be in the scene if he really thought that's what his mom was asking.
Apr 3, 2021 5:25 PM
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No. It’s just an anime about a 2 guys who end up sharing a love and passion for skating.
Yes Langa said he liked Reki, but never said in what way. Him blushing might’ve signified something else, but it could’ve been a flustered type. Like “what does she mean do i like Reki? She probably didn’t mean it like that” And that was taken out of context by so many people and it’s just like...you can like doing something with a person and not have romantic feelings for them.
Like Langa only enjoyed snowboarding when it was with his dad. And when he died, he said it wasn’t fun anymore. Same with his friendship with Reki. When they got into that fight, skating didn’t feel the same. For some people, getting introduced to something and not doing it with the person who taught you about it, makes that thing seem boring/not right.
Apr 3, 2021 8:59 PM
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i really really hope we see more of their relationship in the future
but i don’t mind if it stays ambiguous, though i’ll be a bit frustrated lmao

i kinda wish they would’ve left the story off at a place where we get a 2nd season guaranteed, but i don’t think it would’ve been as meaningful if it did, i really hope it comes back i haven’t liked an anime this much in months
Apr 3, 2021 10:02 PM
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I don't really think its qbaiting. I think majority of the fan base who watch the show are BL genre lovers. Myself included lol guilty as charged. However, as much as I would like Reki and Langa to be in a romantic relationship the show doesn't portray it. Due to many fans watching the show through rose colored glasses of course every conversation between Reki and Langa would seem like they're in love with each other. After the ending and thinking about their relationship you realize they're just... friends. They could have the potential to be in a romantic relationship though if their sexualities went that way, but that isn't confirmed. When you take off those rose colored glasses they act exactly how best friends act. Unless I'm secretly in love with my friends lol. The biggest argument people can make is the scene where Langa's mom asks Langa if he likes a girl and to be honest with his feelings. In returns he blushes and becomes awkward. I don't really remember the scene its been weeks!! But judging from Langa's character it could be that he was embarrassed that his mom thought he was talking about a crush on a girl. The scene is ambiguous and can be taken in different ways depending on how you look at it. The same like the final scene in ep 12 (spoilers?!?) where Langa says "my happiness is..." and then shows Reki on his skateboard. Again its pretty ambiguous. It could be skateboarding or it could be Reki. In the end it all becomes headcannon unless the writer confirms it. Then again if his happiness does mean Reki then that too could be taken either in a platonic manner or a romantic one. The default being platonic since they haven't shown concrete evidence of being romantically interested. But idc my headcannon is that Langa is pinning like crazy for Reki!
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