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Much like the term otaku, yuri (although originally a Japanese loanword) has undergone significant semantic drift. The precise difference between 'yuri' and 'shojo-ai' -- or even whether or not there is a precise difference, or any difference at all -- can vary greatly depending on the speaker. One reason for the use of the latter term shoujo ai is used simply because "yuri" produces too much unrelated material in search engines hits.
In Japanese, the term is typically used to mean any lesbian content, whether sexual or romantic, explicit or implied (notably, Futaba Channel's yuri board is not seperated into hentai and non- hentai content); the term shojo-ai is not found in this context, except in reference to some Western fandom where the term is used.
American use of yuri has broadened in recent years, picking up connotations from the Japanese use, but the historical usage differed:. Yuri has typically been used to denote only the most explicit end of the spectrum, being effectively a variety of hentai, while shojo-ai (independently coined, following the logical reference to shonen-ai) described anything without explicit sex. The term likely stayed popular as many fans wanted to remove the direct connotation of pure pornography, which is still often associated with anime as a whole in some circles.Unlike yaoi's explict origin as a term, yuri's history is imprecise; the word yuri literally means "lily", and is (like many flower names) a relatively common Japanese name. One frequently heard derivation is that the term originates from the large number of yuri hentai dojinshi containing characters named "Yuri" or "Yuriko". (Variants of this may name specific characters, often Yuri of the Dirty Pair .) Another suggested derivation is that the lily-flower was originally associated poetically with female-female relationships, and that the poetic use of the term gradually drifted into common use. (The lily is indeed used in such a fashion, although it is not certain whether such use predates the term.)
Many fans enjoy yuri for its skewing of the classic gender roles in anime, which are often quite sterotyped in nature and sometimes have a female character take a slightly more 'submissive' role if a significant other is introduced or appears. Conversely, yuri content is often criticized as never going anywhere, with the majority the more dramatic stories ending tragically (relatively to the melodrama of romance in manga in general).
Young same-sex affection experimentation is considered natural in real-life Japan, but generally regarded as something girls grow out of. Because of this the Japanese concept of lesbianism and thus of yuri is slightly different than in the West. It often has less to do with a character's sexual identity and more to do with the current interactions with other characters (shoujo in particular is known for its frequently ' bisexualIn human sexuality, bisexuality describes people who are sexually and/or romantically attracted to both males and females. In botany, a bisexual flower is one that possesses both male (pollen-producing) and female (seed-producing) parts. Botanists call th' characters who would never feel the need to use that term)
Other yuri stories may involve characters with no previous romantic experience or who are otherwise depicted as straightThe word straight may refer to: a straight (poker) honesty lacking turns, bends or curves a heterosexual sobriety (often used in regard to drugs)., but are attracted to a single particular female, such as Yoshida Chizuru of HEN or Tenjou Utena of Revolutionary Girl UtenaAnime Manga Revolutionary Girl Utena (; Shojo Kakumei Utena) is an anime series about one very weird academy and the students who attend it. It and a manga were created simultaneously, although aside from some similarities they go in very different direct.
Many archetypical stories exist, such as the schoolyard not-quite romances between sempai and kouhai (senior and junior), where the former is an olderlooking, more sophisticated woman and the latter is her younger, more awkward admirer. This is famously depicted in Marimite, which has a large yuri fandom. In other stories, some characters have more sterotypically 'masculine' characteristics, such as being very tall, athletic, occasionally crossdressing, and (relatively speaking) handsome rather than beautiful. Lady Oscar of Oniisama E and Tenjou Utena of Revolutionary Girl Utena are famous examples.
Yuri in shounen is sterotyped as more blunt or explicitly sexual in depiction than shoujo, although some argue this is according to the taste of males towards relationships in general than simple fanservice. Many critics of the sometimes evasive nature of shoujo in regards to sex admit yuri is more easily found in shounen because it is depicted in a healthy, sexual manner. Generally, relationships are still depicted in a junior and senior way, but it is often related to the age or maturity of a character rather than the appearance of the character.