For those shouting out our dreams at dusk and yuhki kamatani, I got a special vid for ya ; D ruclips.net/video/VaBw1slszOM/видео.htmlsi=zLwDlMdizqPY3IdI
I just discovered this video thanks to hbomberguy's playlist. *Such* a pleasant surprise. I never expect asexuality to be included. Your video was heartwarming, and I'll definitely consider checking it out these stories. Thank you so much for sharing them, and for your kind words.
As an asexual, it's so relieving and validating to see and hear asexual positivity and awareness after the 2016-2018 "ace discourse" that almost obliterated our community online (and irl too, by extension), especially from people who *aren't* asexual. Despite exclusionists trying to tear the queer community apart, we have each other and our community. We can rebuild and heal, as long as we have each other.
Reading I Want to Be a Wall made me stare at the wall and think about my experiences in a way that other queer media never had before. I could connect with stuff like the protagonist's choice to read BL because she wouldn't have this automatic presence of a female romantic lead fulfilling a role which the protagonist can't, with the subsequent feeling of wrongness lingering in the background as she read it. That's a thing that motivates me to read more stories about gay men than lesbians, despite being a sapphic ace myself. It always feels strange and disappointing to not be the right kind of sapphic as depicted in your romance (or the wrong kind of woman altogether). The conversation about eating dessert when you can't taste sugar and synesthesia as a metaphor for the way you experience the world... that one hit me harder than it probably should. Maybe it's that this was the first manga I had ever read- ace media in general, really- that went further than the simple explanations that feel like FAQs that pervade media about asexuals. They always have lots of definitions but it feels like they never just sit in the moment and try to pin down what asexuality might feel like on a given day, if it feels like anything at all.
Oh yeah, being Ace is hella confusing until you finally "get it". If the language for this had existed back in the early 2000s, i probably would have figured it out pretty quick. But since the language didn't exist, I was deeply confused and misled and arguably even propagandized by my peers and society that sex was something super essential and I'd "change my mind". Until I got undeniable proof of my identity at 31, and everything just fell into place and I went "ohhhhhhhh, this explains SO much!"
Honestly I see that in a lot of asexual spaces and even in history. With how I mentioned “the asexual manifesto” and “the asexual chic”, those documents do not line up to asexual as it is defined by the masses today. If anything it’s about exploring and figuring out how it sticks to you! Glad you were able to understand ofc!
@@BlacklandsA new friend of a longer-term friend at a halloween party proposed a one-night stand, and I just "let it happen" out of curiosity. It was one of the most weird, tedious and awkward experiences I ever had, and the payoff was nowhere near worth the effort. XD
Found this vid through hbomb's playlist! I love seeing more people talk about these great manga. For the protag of Is Love the Answer?, it's noted in the back of the manga that though she identifies as a woman, she also "sometimes feels genderless (X-gender in Japan)", which I think is worth a mention. Another great queer manga with an asexual character is Sex Ed 120%, one of the girls in the group is asexual, and as someone on the ace spectrum who prefers thinking about my cat just like she does, I think she's great.
Another person that discovered this video thanks to hbomberguy, and what a pleasant surprise it was! I really want to read "I want to be a wall" now. As an ace woman that reads romance manga and fanfic nearly every day, that passage about not wanting sex or romance for yourself but treasuring seeing other people experience it was so real, it made me tear up.
Loved the video! If you accept a rec, "Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna" ("She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat") has lately skyrocketed to my favorite LGBTQ mangas, next to "Our Dreams After Dusk". It's a tender, celebratory and joyful journey of self-discovery for two women who share a passion for food and find in their adult years that "being normal" is not as good as being happy. Lately new characters have arrived (one of them an ace lesbian) that have given even more depth to the story. The art is simple but expressive and sometimes includes lovely visual metaphors, and the food is gorgeous (it WILL make you hungry). Again, thanks for your hard work and another great video!
12:12 this is the single most resonant description I have ever heard of my own aroace experience, to the point where I had to pause the video because I was tearing up. Thank you so much for sharing these works.
I’m so happy that this video exists, not only because it has someone talk about one of my favorite pieces of Fiction (Koisenu Futari), or because it gives me more Aro and Ace stuff to read (Thx for that btw) but also because it’s just a video that’s shining light on our oft forgotten community Also fun fact: Takahashi’s actor also previously appeared in a Sentai Series , in Zyuranger, as Bandora’s son
Im asexual and the only manga with an asexual character I read was Is Love The Answer. It really holds a a special place in my hearts as asexuals are a faction the queer community thats hardly ever explored.
I'm just starting this video but I want to say as someone who's recently coming to love my aroace-ness that I'm so excited to see what this has to offer! Thank you for making this video, let's see what comes next! ^^ EDIT: I absolutely loved this video and am being especially drawn to the first manga that you mentioned. If I were to provide constructive criticism I would say that the backing music is just a wee bit too loud for my taste, though I love how it was upbeat to match with the tone and presentation of the material. This is my first time hearing about QPRs as well and that sums up my experiences and preferences soooooooo so much, so thank you for embracing and promoting this term!
Of course tysm!!!! Also yeah as someone who is questioning his aroace-ness (maybe demi?) I`m glad you enjoyed it (Also sorry about the background music but I HAD to blast my girls CHAI I love their music sm)
Happy Pride Asexuals You are valid Asexual pride!❤🧡💛💚💙💜 I'm actually really excited for this video because its good to know LGBTQ is even in anime I'm talking all of it I will definitely read these when I have time this weekend the thumbnail is just cute I love that you talk about everyone it's so awesome to hear the Asexual prospective 4:12 my fav one
another manga with an ace character I would like to draw attention to is "if you could see love" a yuri manga with one of the secondary characters is pretty explicit about her lack of attraction, is shown to never have an arrow of love pointing at anyone, and she also wonders if her twin sister took all of her love, though in at least the translation I read she did not use the word asexual.
comming in with the wave of hbomberguy fans. Incredible video. I had never heard from these amazing authors. The history of mine-kun literally happaned to me, but hontestly its much more depressing in real life to have to end a relationship for something you consider so meaningless
@@Kameno-o Thank you, i just got the your message while watching your Boyfriend webtoons video lol (its really good btw). Sorry for sharing too much, i just felt that more often than not, works on asexuality portray upbeat acceptance and not a lot show the loneliness that comes with it
I don't think I've ever read a manga with aro/ace representation before, so I'm very excited to add these to my personal aro/ace rep in media excel sheet and try them out! I watched Koisenu Futari a bit after it first came out and really loved it, hopefully these others will go well too
This video was incredible, and it allowed me to dig into my own sexuality just a bit. I knew I was aspec, but i never felt comfortable as asexual. I am Litho/Lithrosexual and Lithromanric, so thank you for inadvertently giving me the push to dig more into myself. I wonder if theres any media about folks like me?
also found from the hbomberguy playlist. immediately subscribed. do you ever do panels at conventions??? I would buy tix just to attend EDIT: I JUST ASSUMED YOU WERE ALSO ACE/ARO BC LITERALLY NO ONE ELSE BOTHERS TO TALK ABOUT IT I feel so seen. And I got manga recs as a bonus. You have made my whole day. Thank you for doing the work.
Thanks for making this video. I was 39 when I first came out to anyone and haven't really spent much time actively looking for representation in media. The ace character in I want to be a Wall really hit home for me (minus the part of being married to anyone, heh).
Thank yiu for this video! I came across your sonadow video and looked through your channel and spotted this. Thank you as an aroace its so nice to see people talk about it just as much as other lgbtq+ identies
Thank you for teaching me about rep in manga and more that i never knew about, as usual ! Now I won't fault you for this, though I do feel the teensiest bit pouty, but I'm always a little confused when aromanticism and queerplatonic relationships are thought of/mentioned as an afterthought of asexuality because to me they are all completely different things ! Normativity usually dictates that romance and sex should be thought of in the same vein ( barring sex without romance, which is thought of as a bit more "normal" than the opposite ), but I think normative theory is bullshit. And yet, many people, even queer people, don't realize they're enforcing it somewhat ! Let me try to explain by pulling from a recent struggle I've been having. When I'm flitting about on tumblr reading all the posts gushing about, discussing and analyzing some character relationships, I start excited, but usually end up a bit frustrated, because people, especially through the lens of shipping, tend to subtly erase any possibility of a deep connection being anything other than a binary of romance or friendship ( i'm excluding familial love here because shipping is usually not about that ). And I always want to yell : "No !! There's more than that !". A deep connection could be anything : romance, sexual attraction, aesthetic attraction, admiration, platonic friendship, queerplatonic feelings, relatability, anything outside of that or a mix of things ! I think, that the kind of thinking that leads to "these people do things that friends wouldn't, and have a deeper connection, therefore they are in romantic love" pulls quite a bit from normativity. In my opinion, even a typically romantic gesture, like kissing or going on a date cannot be interpreted as implying a romantic relationship. Does this make any sense ? As an arospec ( don't ask me exactly what, but i am on there somewhere ), I can sometimes feel pretty alienated from a lot of discussions on character relationships, heck, of real life relationships. You approached the topic while making sure to not exclude other related identities, which I am very grateful for and happy about ! But, to me, I think I would be happier if this wasn't presented about being about asexuality, while mentioning aroace, aro, qpr and a-specs in general ( though I understand this is probably mostly done for the algorithm, since a strong focus in the presentation will lead to better results ). In conclusion, nothing is perfect, least of all people, and this is a great effort that I haven't really seen be done before ! I am always loving the range of your media coverage, from medium to tone, you have variety here that I enjoy, while being as respectful as you can to all representations ! Keep it up !
Thank you so much for this comment. And thank you for explaining and going into the depth of qpr way more deeper than I did. I appreciate this insight. In fact, I did want to say that me and one of my irl gay friends (who's allo) are in what we considered a qpr, but I was afraid of admitting it because I didn't see much of it outside of asexual and aspec identities. I usually see more ace people discuss such and I was afraid me and my friend would be stepping on toes despite it being what we consider our relationship (which isn't sexual or romantic, but more emotionally attached) Nevertheless thank you for such.
@@Kameno-o Ohhh congrats about that ! I definitely think qprs aren't at all limited to aspecs, they're just more talked about in those communities, since it's a different kind of relationship than exclusively romantic, platonic or sexual, and with a broad definition ^^ Tell your qpp I said hi and hope you guys have a healthy and fruitful relationship !
Omg thank you for saying that. I feel like that's the only problem i have with aspec representation. I like the inclusion of ace and/or aro characters, but it's very irritating when people call something just "asexual" when they actually mean aroace (or even just aro)
In all the queer manga ive consumed ive only ever organically come across a canon aesexual in Our Dreams at Dusk, which left me feeling unsatisfied anyway in how it only came up in the final volume with no time left to expand on the character. So its really heartwarming to see a video reccomending explicitly ace works, all of which ill be buying asap (if possible). Thank you so much for making this. Youve got yourself a sub 🎉
Wow thank you so so much for this video and your research. I didn't know about the asexual donut yuri manga and I will absolutely have to grab it now! I'm so glad to have found this video, I appreciate solidarity amongst queer people of different orientations so it was heartwarming to listen to hear a gay man who has solidarity with aces and even fujos, lol. Respect 🤜🤛
I was surprised you didn't mention Anonymous, from the "Our Dreams at Dusk" manga. Neitheir did you do it in the trans characters video, considering Utsumi is a trans man. Obviously this is not a bad comment to you at all, since I love your channel. But I'd love it if one day you could talk about this beautiful manga. It not only has an asexual character, a trans man character, but the main protagonist is a gay young boy, who finds community and a found family in people who have similar experiences to him, who are also queer. There are two other fay couples, a lesbian one and a couple of two old gay gentlemen. As well as a character questioning their gender. It's such a STUNNINGLY drawn manga, but with such a DEEP character building. It impacted me deeply. Much love from Latin America ❤
Ty for this video just like all your other queer manga videos ^_^ this one rly made me think about myself and how others understand asexuality. When i first came out to my friends, they were like uhhh noooo bc you read hentai and you got super [okay this is oversharing] So i really do appreciate how you talk about the intricacies of asexuality and how we interact with media and other people. Beautiful work as usual
Found out about this video through hbomb's playlist. I liked it a lot! I'll also use this comment to give a shoutout to the asexual and X-gender (a nonbinary identity) mangaka Yuhki Kamatani. I haven't read any of their work, unfortunately, but I found about about them and their work through an overview on the website Anime Feminist (an article I heartily recommend, btw). From what I can tell, all of their work deals with themes of identity in various ways - including their most famous manga, _Nabari no Ou,_ which has an intersex character - but one series that may be of particular interest to you is _Our Dreams at Dusk_ (aka _Shimaname Tasogare_ ), about a gay teenager and his journey of embracing his identity as he meets other LGBTQ+ people through a drop-in center/lounge owned by someone who happens to be asexual and of indeterminate gender (kinda like the author!).
great video! really liked it! also that is this "hbomberguy's playlist" that people keep talking about? I couldn't find anything? Can someone link it to me?
@@Kameno-o I mean, I've stumbled on a few villanous representations in manga and one not-great but also not villainous representation. The not-villain is Touko Nanami in Bloom Into You, which sadly portrays her discomfort with reciprocated attraction as being an emotional scar rather than an orientation. The two villainous representations I've met are in my opinion better representations of the lilthosexual/lithromantic experience, but are explicitly the villains of their works. in tmfly's graphic yuri one-shot "An Undesirable Relationship" the reveal that the unnamed blonde woman is lithosexual (the term is never used) is a very true to my experience of learning that my romantic attraction is reciprocated, but she is also revealed at the same time to be an abusive and emotionally manipulative woman forcing her allo partner to deny her attraction and perpetrate physical abuse to fulfill her kink (it's a LOT ugh) then in the 1990s fantasy manga Angel Sanctuary one of the demons, Belail, describes the litho experience in great detail almost two decades before the term was coined when describing the nature of their longing for Lucifer and lack of desire for reciprocation. Again it's painted as a villainous trait. those are the only ones I know of, sadly.
For those shouting our our dreams at dusk and yuhki kamatani, I got a special vid for ya ; D ruclips.net/video/VaBw1slszOM/видео.htmlsi=zLwDlMdizqPY3IdI
I have mixed feelings, mainly over how you understand asexuality and these media, feeling dissapointed that you didn't go deeper or truly integrate their meaning. At best you repeated points that have been talked about in the community for years like they're brand new (engaging with sexual content, relationships with allos and QPR, isolation, etc), which to be fair are important to learn. At worst you misunderstood the Asexual Manifesto (not only does it textually says that asexual isn't celibacy or antisex (even if she considers it a choice and not an identity) but you also took out "...if one has sexual feeling they do not require another person for their expression. Asexuality is, simply, self-contained sexuality.", which is inclusive, the basis of asexuality's definition today, in those manga and my personal vision of myself, an asexual) and promoted an uncritical article that features stereotypes ("it's chic" (a fad), "don't have time for sex", using celibate as a synonym, "asexual would rather keep their mouths shut" and so on). I don't think you're a bad person, but to fight to be more than just an afterthought one has to expect more than the minimum, which I think this video doesn't even reach.
@@sofistar-yt5dh hey hey you're fine! I like this criticsm bc it makes me undersstand ace experiences better (yours) and sees where I can improve in analysis.
I am so happy to discover your channel through Kat's playlist, your videos have made me rethink about many things, especially asexuality and yaoi. On the topic of this video, I myself am not an asexual but I was always kinda wierded out by asexuality(I was like, it would suck to not have a sex drive), but I was soo stupid. They never chose to be that way, but they are, so they accept themselves and try to move on with their lives with the best of their ability and it's quite inspiring. This video has opened my eyes.(Btw your voice is really cute 😳) Edit: Oh my god you actually hearted it, I love how smaller RUclipsrs appreciate each and every comment they get. You deserve much more tbh.
Wow, i’m glad I gave you a different look on things. Yes asexuals and aspec people are not just “I don’t want sex”/“I don’t want a sex drive” and it’s more complicated. I hope this encourages you to look further and learn more! Also tysm for the voice compliment!
@@Kameno-o Thanks for replying. I will definitely check out I want to be a wall and Is It Love. The Ace spectrum is fascinating and knowing more about them just makes me happy to be a part of this community even more. Btw, Ace is such a cool ancronym.
For those shouting out our dreams at dusk and yuhki kamatani, I got a special vid for ya ; D ruclips.net/video/VaBw1slszOM/видео.htmlsi=zLwDlMdizqPY3IdI
I just discovered this video thanks to hbomberguy's playlist. *Such* a pleasant surprise. I never expect asexuality to be included. Your video was heartwarming, and I'll definitely consider checking it out these stories. Thank you so much for sharing them, and for your kind words.
Tysm!!
As an asexual, it's so relieving and validating to see and hear asexual positivity and awareness after the 2016-2018 "ace discourse" that almost obliterated our community online (and irl too, by extension), especially from people who *aren't* asexual. Despite exclusionists trying to tear the queer community apart, we have each other and our community. We can rebuild and heal, as long as we have each other.
I’ll always keep fighting for ace inclusion. Ace exclusionists and exclusionists of any of us have no place.
Reading I Want to Be a Wall made me stare at the wall and think about my experiences in a way that other queer media never had before. I could connect with stuff like the protagonist's choice to read BL because she wouldn't have this automatic presence of a female romantic lead fulfilling a role which the protagonist can't, with the subsequent feeling of wrongness lingering in the background as she read it. That's a thing that motivates me to read more stories about gay men than lesbians, despite being a sapphic ace myself. It always feels strange and disappointing to not be the right kind of sapphic as depicted in your romance (or the wrong kind of woman altogether).
The conversation about eating dessert when you can't taste sugar and synesthesia as a metaphor for the way you experience the world... that one hit me harder than it probably should. Maybe it's that this was the first manga I had ever read- ace media in general, really- that went further than the simple explanations that feel like FAQs that pervade media about asexuals. They always have lots of definitions but it feels like they never just sit in the moment and try to pin down what asexuality might feel like on a given day, if it feels like anything at all.
Oh yeah, being Ace is hella confusing until you finally "get it". If the language for this had existed back in the early 2000s, i probably would have figured it out pretty quick. But since the language didn't exist, I was deeply confused and misled and arguably even propagandized by my peers and society that sex was something super essential and I'd "change my mind".
Until I got undeniable proof of my identity at 31, and everything just fell into place and I went "ohhhhhhhh, this explains SO much!"
Honestly I see that in a lot of asexual spaces and even in history. With how I mentioned “the asexual manifesto” and “the asexual chic”, those documents do not line up to asexual as it is defined by the masses today. If anything it’s about exploring and figuring out how it sticks to you! Glad you were able to understand ofc!
(As an ace person myself) What's the undeniable proof you got? Just out of curiosity!
@@BlacklandsA new friend of a longer-term friend at a halloween party proposed a one-night stand, and I just "let it happen" out of curiosity.
It was one of the most weird, tedious and awkward experiences I ever had, and the payoff was nowhere near worth the effort. XD
Found this vid through hbomb's playlist! I love seeing more people talk about these great manga. For the protag of Is Love the Answer?, it's noted in the back of the manga that though she identifies as a woman, she also "sometimes feels genderless (X-gender in Japan)", which I think is worth a mention. Another great queer manga with an asexual character is Sex Ed 120%, one of the girls in the group is asexual, and as someone on the ace spectrum who prefers thinking about my cat just like she does, I think she's great.
Another person that discovered this video thanks to hbomberguy, and what a pleasant surprise it was! I really want to read "I want to be a wall" now. As an ace woman that reads romance manga and fanfic nearly every day, that passage about not wanting sex or romance for yourself but treasuring seeing other people experience it was so real, it made me tear up.
Tysm!!! I want to be a wall has such good writing so I hope you enjoy such!
Loved the video! If you accept a rec, "Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna" ("She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat") has lately skyrocketed to my favorite LGBTQ mangas, next to "Our Dreams After Dusk". It's a tender, celebratory and joyful journey of self-discovery for two women who share a passion for food and find in their adult years that "being normal" is not as good as being happy. Lately new characters have arrived (one of them an ace lesbian) that have given even more depth to the story. The art is simple but expressive and sometimes includes lovely visual metaphors, and the food is gorgeous (it WILL make you hungry). Again, thanks for your hard work and another great video!
I did a video on our dreams so that’s covered, but the first one looks really interesting ans I would like to check it out.
12:12 this is the single most resonant description I have ever heard of my own aroace experience, to the point where I had to pause the video because I was tearing up. Thank you so much for sharing these works.
I’m so honored that I was able to do such. However please shout out marshoturnip, he’s the one that did all the magic.
I’m so happy that this video exists, not only because it has someone talk about one of my favorite pieces of Fiction (Koisenu Futari), or because it gives me more Aro and Ace stuff to read (Thx for that btw) but also because it’s just a video that’s shining light on our oft forgotten community
Also fun fact: Takahashi’s actor also previously appeared in a Sentai Series , in Zyuranger, as Bandora’s son
Yooo tysm for the comment + encouragement for me to watch more zyuranger
Im asexual and the only manga with an asexual character I read was Is Love The Answer. It really holds a a special place in my hearts as asexuals are a faction the queer community thats hardly ever explored.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Please make sure to check it out.
The Manga 'Our Love at the Dust ' also has Ace sexual representation
I'm just starting this video but I want to say as someone who's recently coming to love my aroace-ness that I'm so excited to see what this has to offer! Thank you for making this video, let's see what comes next! ^^
EDIT: I absolutely loved this video and am being especially drawn to the first manga that you mentioned. If I were to provide constructive criticism I would say that the backing music is just a wee bit too loud for my taste, though I love how it was upbeat to match with the tone and presentation of the material. This is my first time hearing about QPRs as well and that sums up my experiences and preferences soooooooo so much, so thank you for embracing and promoting this term!
Of course tysm!!!! Also yeah as someone who is questioning his aroace-ness (maybe demi?) I`m glad you enjoyed it
(Also sorry about the background music but I HAD to blast my girls CHAI I love their music sm)
Happy Pride Asexuals You are valid Asexual pride!❤🧡💛💚💙💜 I'm actually really excited for this video because its good to know LGBTQ is even in anime I'm talking all of it I will definitely read these when I have time this weekend the thumbnail is just cute I love that you talk about everyone it's so awesome to hear the Asexual prospective 4:12 my fav one
Of course!! Asexuals and aspec identities are just as important and valuable to the community
another manga with an ace character I would like to draw attention to is "if you could see love" a yuri manga with one of the secondary characters is pretty explicit about her lack of attraction, is shown to never have an arrow of love pointing at anyone, and she also wonders if her twin sister took all of her love, though in at least the translation I read she did not use the word asexual.
love this! thank you for taking the time to talk about asexuals and aromantics
Of course!!! I’ms o happy you found comfort in this vid!
I connect with the alien analogy a lot. I felt that same way as an asexual kid.
comming in with the wave of hbomberguy fans. Incredible video. I had never heard from these amazing authors. The history of mine-kun literally happaned to me, but hontestly its much more depressing in real life to have to end a relationship for something you consider so meaningless
I’m grateful for your input. Sorry if that point in life was difficult for you.
@@Kameno-o Thank you, i just got the your message while watching your Boyfriend webtoons video lol (its really good btw). Sorry for sharing too much, i just felt that more often than not, works on asexuality portray upbeat acceptance and not a lot show the loneliness that comes with it
I don't think I've ever read a manga with aro/ace representation before, so I'm very excited to add these to my personal aro/ace rep in media excel sheet and try them out! I watched Koisenu Futari a bit after it first came out and really loved it, hopefully these others will go well too
i m glad you are such a voracious reader and desire to share your books with others
Excited as hell for this!
This video was incredible, and it allowed me to dig into my own sexuality just a bit. I knew I was aspec, but i never felt comfortable as asexual. I am Litho/Lithrosexual and Lithromanric, so thank you for inadvertently giving me the push to dig more into myself. I wonder if theres any media about folks like me?
Ooooh I do remember someone in the comments mentioned something about lithrosexual/romantic! Check it out!
also found from the hbomberguy playlist. immediately subscribed. do you ever do panels at conventions??? I would buy tix just to attend
EDIT: I JUST ASSUMED YOU WERE ALSO ACE/ARO BC LITERALLY NO ONE ELSE BOTHERS TO TALK ABOUT IT
I feel so seen. And I got manga recs as a bonus. You have made my whole day. Thank you for doing the work.
Well i’m not asexual OR aromantic, but I MAY be on the aspec SOMEWHERE (demi gay)
Also i’m so honored I made your day. Thank you for checking out my channel.
Thanks for making this video. I was 39 when I first came out to anyone and haven't really spent much time actively looking for representation in media. The ace character in I want to be a Wall really hit home for me (minus the part of being married to anyone, heh).
Thank you for your comment. I’m glad you were able to find comfort in such.
Thank yiu for this video! I came across your sonadow video and looked through your channel and spotted this. Thank you as an aroace its so nice to see people talk about it just as much as other lgbtq+ identies
Ty! I’m glad you were able to find comfort and enjoy it! Aspec and ace identities are just as valid as others and they deserve as much love!!
Thank you for teaching me about rep in manga and more that i never knew about, as usual !
Now I won't fault you for this, though I do feel the teensiest bit pouty, but I'm always a little confused when aromanticism and queerplatonic relationships are thought of/mentioned as an afterthought of asexuality because to me they are all completely different things !
Normativity usually dictates that romance and sex should be thought of in the same vein ( barring sex without romance, which is thought of as a bit more "normal" than the opposite ), but I think normative theory is bullshit. And yet, many people, even queer people, don't realize they're enforcing it somewhat !
Let me try to explain by pulling from a recent struggle I've been having.
When I'm flitting about on tumblr reading all the posts gushing about, discussing and analyzing some character relationships, I start excited, but usually end up a bit frustrated, because people, especially through the lens of shipping, tend to subtly erase any possibility of a deep connection being anything other than a binary of romance or friendship ( i'm excluding familial love here because shipping is usually not about that ). And I always want to yell : "No !! There's more than that !". A deep connection could be anything : romance, sexual attraction, aesthetic attraction, admiration, platonic friendship, queerplatonic feelings, relatability, anything outside of that or a mix of things ! I think, that the kind of thinking that leads to "these people do things that friends wouldn't, and have a deeper connection, therefore they are in romantic love" pulls quite a bit from normativity.
In my opinion, even a typically romantic gesture, like kissing or going on a date cannot be interpreted as implying a romantic relationship. Does this make any sense ?
As an arospec ( don't ask me exactly what, but i am on there somewhere ), I can sometimes feel pretty alienated from a lot of discussions on character relationships, heck, of real life relationships.
You approached the topic while making sure to not exclude other related identities, which I am very grateful for and happy about ! But, to me, I think I would be happier if this wasn't presented about being about asexuality, while mentioning aroace, aro, qpr and a-specs in general ( though I understand this is probably mostly done for the algorithm, since a strong focus in the presentation will lead to better results ).
In conclusion, nothing is perfect, least of all people, and this is a great effort that I haven't really seen be done before ! I am always loving the range of your media coverage, from medium to tone, you have variety here that I enjoy, while being as respectful as you can to all representations !
Keep it up !
Thank you so much for this comment. And thank you for explaining and going into the depth of qpr way more deeper than I did. I appreciate this insight.
In fact, I did want to say that me and one of my irl gay friends (who's allo) are in what we considered a qpr, but I was afraid of admitting it because I didn't see much of it outside of asexual and aspec identities. I usually see more ace people discuss such and I was afraid me and my friend would be stepping on toes despite it being what we consider our relationship (which isn't sexual or romantic, but more emotionally attached)
Nevertheless thank you for such.
@@Kameno-o Ohhh congrats about that !
I definitely think qprs aren't at all limited to aspecs, they're just more talked about in those communities, since it's a different kind of relationship than exclusively romantic, platonic or sexual, and with a broad definition ^^
Tell your qpp I said hi and hope you guys have a healthy and fruitful relationship !
Omg thank you for saying that.
I feel like that's the only problem i have with aspec representation.
I like the inclusion of ace and/or aro characters, but it's very irritating when people call something just "asexual" when they actually mean aroace (or even just aro)
In all the queer manga ive consumed ive only ever organically come across a canon aesexual in Our Dreams at Dusk, which left me feeling unsatisfied anyway in how it only came up in the final volume with no time left to expand on the character. So its really heartwarming to see a video reccomending explicitly ace works, all of which ill be buying asap (if possible). Thank you so much for making this. Youve got yourself a sub 🎉
Thank you!! I also covered “our dreams at dusk” and Someone san’s story in my our dreams run the riot video! Check it out when you can!
Good video! Tbh I've always seen Luffy as asexual so that's another asexual shounen protag lol
You are spitting he is aroace
Wow thank you so so much for this video and your research. I didn't know about the asexual donut yuri manga and I will absolutely have to grab it now! I'm so glad to have found this video, I appreciate solidarity amongst queer people of different orientations so it was heartwarming to listen to hear a gay man who has solidarity with aces and even fujos, lol. Respect 🤜🤛
Hell yeah!! I’ve been wanting to do more outreach for the lgbtq community and I decided making videos talking about such is a good way to go!! 🤝
I was surprised you didn't mention Anonymous, from the "Our Dreams at Dusk" manga. Neitheir did you do it in the trans characters video, considering Utsumi is a trans man. Obviously this is not a bad comment to you at all, since I love your channel. But I'd love it if one day you could talk about this beautiful manga. It not only has an asexual character, a trans man character, but the main protagonist is a gay young boy, who finds community and a found family in people who have similar experiences to him, who are also queer. There are two other fay couples, a lesbian one and a couple of two old gay gentlemen. As well as a character questioning their gender. It's such a STUNNINGLY drawn manga, but with such a DEEP character building. It impacted me deeply. Much love from Latin America ❤
16:47 "This show isn't just Shin-Ultraman teaching Lupin Blue about A-spec identities" hahaha! Laughed hard, great vid!
Tysm!! Literally had to make that reference the minute I saw Touma’s actor and saw Takahashi’s filmography.
Thank YOU so much, know I have an even longer to-read-list... Wait is that good or bad... @@Kameno-o
@@Ganters good. ALWAYS good.
Ty for this video just like all your other queer manga videos ^_^ this one rly made me think about myself and how others understand asexuality. When i first came out to my friends, they were like uhhh noooo bc you read hentai and you got super [okay this is oversharing]
So i really do appreciate how you talk about the intricacies of asexuality and how we interact with media and other people. Beautiful work as usual
Thank you for your comment!! Glad to see you enjoyed it
This shit made me feel warm inside and i wanna cry, THANK YOU.
Of course!! Glad you enjoyed it
Found out about this video through hbomb's playlist. I liked it a lot!
I'll also use this comment to give a shoutout to the asexual and X-gender (a nonbinary identity) mangaka Yuhki Kamatani. I haven't read any of their work, unfortunately, but I found about about them and their work through an overview on the website Anime Feminist (an article I heartily recommend, btw). From what I can tell, all of their work deals with themes of identity in various ways - including their most famous manga, _Nabari no Ou,_ which has an intersex character - but one series that may be of particular interest to you is _Our Dreams at Dusk_ (aka _Shimaname Tasogare_ ), about a gay teenager and his journey of embracing his identity as he meets other LGBTQ+ people through a drop-in center/lounge owned by someone who happens to be asexual and of indeterminate gender (kinda like the author!).
Funny enough I made a video about our dream at disk
@@Kameno-o oh wow! Don't know how I didn't notice lmao
A VIDEO ABOUT ASEXUALITY LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO o(*≧▽≦)ツ┏━┓
@@anapaulamendozadiaz8890 Hope you enjoy it!!! Make sure to subscribe and share!!
this is gonna be another banger from komeno love your shit man ❤️❤️
finally some good fucking food
Thank you so much!!
I've started reading I want to be a wall while I finished watching this video, and so far it's adorable and sweetly funny :)
I agree!! Such a cute story!
ACE GANG RISE UP
WE LOVE ASEXUALS HERE
My garlic bread and I are ready! :D
great video! really liked it! also that is this "hbomberguy's playlist" that people keep talking about? I couldn't find anything? Can someone link it to me?
Gotchu!! ruclips.net/p/PLRGz5EMig3r2ZDgeGzwUlSz-PzF-L1Xu1&si=NptZuttHw-W8RFFu
thank you for this wonderful and informative video!
Always a pleasure 🫡
thank you for making this video! i feel so seen as an ace person :D
I’m glad you do! Hope I did my best!
Thank you for noticing us
Of course!!! Gays with the aces 🤝
as always you dont miss with these videos
Tysm!!
wow, your voice is a bit similar to Danny Motta's
@@slyuchi7206 Huh, just looked him up. I sound like him??
these are great
Lithromantic and lithsexual is something I have yet to research more but I would love to learn more, is there other sites or works for research?
@@Kameno-o I mean, I've stumbled on a few villanous representations in manga and one not-great but also not villainous representation.
The not-villain is Touko Nanami in Bloom Into You, which sadly portrays her discomfort with reciprocated attraction as being an emotional scar rather than an orientation.
The two villainous representations I've met are in my opinion better representations of the lilthosexual/lithromantic experience, but are explicitly the villains of their works.
in tmfly's graphic yuri one-shot "An Undesirable Relationship" the reveal that the unnamed blonde woman is lithosexual (the term is never used) is a very true to my experience of learning that my romantic attraction is reciprocated, but she is also revealed at the same time to be an abusive and emotionally manipulative woman forcing her allo partner to deny her attraction and perpetrate physical abuse to fulfill her kink (it's a LOT ugh)
then in the 1990s fantasy manga Angel Sanctuary one of the demons, Belail, describes the litho experience in great detail almost two decades before the term was coined when describing the nature of their longing for Lucifer and lack of desire for reciprocation. Again it's painted as a villainous trait.
those are the only ones I know of, sadly.
@@GrandGobboBarb these are actually really cool. Thank you for these
YIPPE AROACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SWAG AROACE TIME!!
For those shouting our our dreams at dusk and yuhki kamatani, I got a special vid for ya ; D ruclips.net/video/VaBw1slszOM/видео.htmlsi=zLwDlMdizqPY3IdI
what is up with the nightcore immigrant song
It’s chai, changed for copyright ofc
🔥🔥🔥🥶🥶
🧡💛🤍💙
💜🩶🤍🩶💚
Whats a Fujoshi is it like she's a futa?
Fujoshi basically just means a fan of boy's love manga
I have mixed feelings, mainly over how you understand asexuality and these media, feeling dissapointed that you didn't go deeper or truly integrate their meaning. At best you repeated points that have been talked about in the community for years like they're brand new (engaging with sexual content, relationships with allos and QPR, isolation, etc), which to be fair are important to learn. At worst you misunderstood the Asexual Manifesto (not only does it textually says that asexual isn't celibacy or antisex (even if she considers it a choice and not an identity) but you also took out "...if one has sexual feeling they do not require another person for their expression. Asexuality is, simply, self-contained sexuality.", which is inclusive, the basis of asexuality's definition today, in those manga and my personal vision of myself, an asexual) and promoted an uncritical article that features stereotypes ("it's chic" (a fad), "don't have time for sex", using celibate as a synonym, "asexual would rather keep their mouths shut" and so on). I don't think you're a bad person, but to fight to be more than just an afterthought one has to expect more than the minimum, which I think this video doesn't even reach.
Ah, thanks for your feedback. Sorry if I didn’t do much for you. I apologize.
Also I never read the asexual chic as a stereotype article, sorry if that offended you. That wasn’t my intention at all.
@@Kameno-o I know, I'm actually subscribed and follow your stuff so sorry if it came out too harsh
@@sofistar-yt5dh hey hey you're fine! I like this criticsm bc it makes me undersstand ace experiences better (yours) and sees where I can improve in analysis.
Who the hell is asexual? I've never met em
I know them they’re pretty cool and swag actually
me
@@sofistar-yt5dh hi asexual. My name is spongebob
@@Kameno-o sorry, I'm also autistic, so I have barely an idea of what you mean
@@sofistar-yt5dh saying hi to an asexual
I am so happy to discover your channel through Kat's playlist, your videos have made me rethink about many things, especially asexuality and yaoi. On the topic of this video, I myself am not an asexual but I was always kinda wierded out by asexuality(I was like, it would suck to not have a sex drive), but I was soo stupid. They never chose to be that way, but they are, so they accept themselves and try to move on with their lives with the best of their ability and it's quite inspiring. This video has opened my eyes.(Btw your voice is really cute 😳)
Edit: Oh my god you actually hearted it, I love how smaller RUclipsrs appreciate each and every comment they get. You deserve much more tbh.
Wow, i’m glad I gave you a different look on things. Yes asexuals and aspec people are not just “I don’t want sex”/“I don’t want a sex drive” and it’s more complicated. I hope this encourages you to look further and learn more! Also tysm for the voice compliment!
@@Kameno-o Thanks for replying. I will definitely check out I want to be a wall and Is It Love. The Ace spectrum is fascinating and knowing more about them just makes me happy to be a part of this community even more. Btw, Ace is such a cool ancronym.