Abstract
In recent years, yaoi has been increasingly popular among youth interested in Japanese media such as anime and manga. Yaoi is defined as commercial and fan-created media that thematically focus on the romantic love between two men, often in a sexually explicit way. Despite the widespread popularity of this Japanese subgenre, there is a lack of empirical studies on the motives for consuming yaoi media that analyze the full range of motives using reliable research methods. The present study aimed to explore and operationalize the motives for yaoi media consumption based on previous qualitative research (Pagliassotti, 2008). Using an online survey, 724 yaoi consumers (58% male; Mage = 30.1 years, SD = 10.4) completed the Yaoi Consumption Motives Questionnaire (YCMQ). According to confirmatory factor analyses, the bi-factor model of nine motives yielded closer fit to the data than the theoretically proposed, first-order ten-factor model and a second-order nine-factor model. The nine-factor YCMQ demonstrated strong psychometric properties in terms of factor structure, internal consistency, and measurement invariance. These results indicate that the 31-item YCMQ is an appropriate instrument to assess individuals’ motives for consuming yaoi media.
Highlights
Japanese media have been increasingly popular over the past two decades in the United States and several European countries [1]
Yaoi is primarily targeted at young, heterosexual women, previous studies have found that bisexual and homosexual male and female enthusiasts account for a considerable proportion of yaoi viewers/readers [3]
Using χ2 tests, it was found that frequent yaoi viewers/readers were more likely to be female than male (32.9% vs. 26.0%, χ2(1) = 4.14; p = 0.05; Phi = 0.08)
Summary
Japanese media (e.g., anime, manga) have been increasingly popular over the past two decades in the United States and several European countries [1]. Corresponding with this expansion, yaoi materials have attracted increasingly widespread interest among young women. Yaoi is primarily targeted at young, heterosexual women, previous studies have found that bisexual and homosexual male and female enthusiasts account for a considerable proportion of yaoi viewers/readers [3]. Yaoi viewers and readers often discuss original yaoi products and distribute fan-created yaoi materials in large online fan groups [4]. According to a recent survey conducted by the Yano Research Institute, the yaoi market
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
