The first being that it's just a poorly written hot mess that lacks real conflict or driving action. It's a harem series, essentially, where the dumb protagonist meets several pretty boys distinguishable only due to their hair color. Marginal Prince is based on the dating sim of the same name, though the anime changes the female viewpoint character to male. In the manga The Shinji Ikari Raising Project, Asuka and Rei gang together to keep Kaworu from turning Shinji gay.
That said, not all of the spin-off material is as positive. This does not invalidate Shinji's bisexuality nor Kaworu's queer identity, especially in Rebuild of Evangelion or other spin-off manga. The Kinsey Scale indicates that sexuality exists on a spectrum, with bisexual people often having a preference for one gender or another. Yes, Shinji expresses interest in only one man, but this is an example of the Kinsey Scale at work. It's also a great example of queer representation. Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the greatest anime of all time. The story indicates the characters turned gay thanks to rape, which is wrong on so many levels. In this case, every sex scene is non-consensual with relatively young characters assaulting one another. What makes its queer representation worse is that, much like Loveless, it romanticizes sexual assault. It's bad enough Fish in the Trap is boring, stiffly animated and somewhat incoherent. WORST - Fish In The Trapįish in the Trap is a three-volume manga with a single episode OVA prequel, and all of it is pretty bad. While Banana Fish includes plenty of depictions of sexual violence, said violence is never framed in a romanticized light like it is in Loveless.
The series is simultaneously a compelling crime mystery and queer coming-of-age story. Dragged into the mix is the naive and sweet Japanese photojournalist Eiji, with his survival depending on Ash and Eiji's combined wits and strength. The story follows Ash, a gang leader in New York City, trying to uncover the mystery of a mysterious drug known as Banana Fish which might have tied into his brother going crazy during the war. The Banana Fish manga ran from 1985-1994, but it wasn't adapted into an anime until 2018. It's implied that Soubi lost his ears to Ritsuka's brother (possibly without consent), but now might either be grooming Ritsuka for a relationship when he's of age or actively seducing him. In Loveless, virginity is represented by having cat ears. However, in order to solve the mystery, Ritsuka needs to work alongside his brother's 20-year-old friend, Soubi. On the surface, this doesn't seem too extreme.
Loveless is at its heart a murder-mystery, focused on 12-year-old Ritsuka diving into a conspiracy of magic to determine who killed his brother. Yuri also demonstrates fluidity in his gender expression and possibly his identity, as seen during his Eros performance where he identifies as a "femme fatale." What the show does so well is it demonstrates how two men can help each other grow and overcome personal obstacles to, essentially, make history. While characters like Victor and Yurio might be gay, Yuri Katsuki - the main Yuri - express interest in both his female childhood friend and, of course, his future fiance Victor. Just about every male character in the series is queer. The world of Yuri on Ice!!! lacks any homophobia or bigotry, making it a beautiful ideal. Yuri on Ice!!! received global acclaim upon release for its positive portrayal of interracial queer relationships. If you're going to explore anime featuring queer men, it's essential that you understand going in what portrayals are positive and constructive and which ones are destructive. There has also been a ton of fetishistic yaoi that present uncomfortable, homophobic stereotypes. Tons of anime over the years have featured queer men in positive and fascinating lights, offering nuanced portrayals of characters existing under these umbrella terms. The representation of gay, bisexual, trans, ace, and queer men in anime is a mixed bag. What are the best (and worst) anime starring queer guys? Some anime featuring queer men are fantastic.