Korean "why is it so gay when it's not" titles

ElliePorter

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Debut or Die isnt gay but it has massive BL vibes
 

PancakesWitch

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its similar to other stories where fujos ship all the male characters even though there's no yaoi in the story and they're usually just generic power fantasies, but the characters have emotions.

sometimes they intend to do it like this, other times not. but i can guess is that they only end up doing bait but never do the real thing so a wider audience (homophobes) can read it safely, which means more money.

remember that all these stories aren't like in scribblehub, they're posted on large sites and are sold by chapters, so they're always going to shift their story, narrative, and everything for the large audience and sales.
 

Blitz

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Fujioshi’s are the backbone of many a series. They’re the ones who usually spend the most on properties and engage and share the content
 

J_Chemist

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Praybird

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I don't know why I find these, but with titles like this, it's weird it's not gay
As a Korean, I can tell you that most of these titles aren't actually misleading at all in their native language! The English translation MAKES it sound misleading because of the pseudo meanings some of these words/phrases carry.

For example, "Closet" literally means a cabinet for clothes and nothing else in Korean. There aren't any innuendos that can be suggested like English. The word itself also carries traditional vibes, the closer translation (in feeling) would be something like cabinet. But unfortunately, closet is the correct translation.

Evil empress...the word "evil" is probably the issue here! The Korean word being used here for "evil," 악녀, means "evil female" and it's often used by males to describe a female (it's almost like the English word "bitch" in tone, but it's not a swear word and it's not used as much). Hence when I read it in Korean, I don't get the same vibe I get in English.

Third one is tough to explain, but when the word "my" is attached to family members, the tone changes in Korean. It becomes a lot more...genuine? Think of it this way, the word being used here for sister (언니) isn't limited to family members; it can actually indicate any female older than the speaking female in Korean. Hence, "Sisters are weird" is completely different from "My sisters are weird."


"Another" is the problem in this one. The Korean word here for another (다른) doesn't actually mean "another," but rather, "different." Another makes it sound like the speaker is a man and they're marrying another man, while the original title makes that assumption impossible. It should really be "Marrying a Different Man."

That being said, some stories do have innuendos and some stories outright hint at themes like this, but for some reason don't portray it. You can blame this on Korean media's tendency to normalize heterosexuality and pathologize everything else. :sweating_profusely:
 

TotallyHuman

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As a Korean, I can tell you that most of these titles aren't actually misleading at all in their native language! The English translation MAKES it sound misleading because of the pseudo meanings some of these words/phrases carry.

For example, "Closet" literally means a cabinet for clothes and nothing else in Korean. There aren't any innuendos that can be suggested like English. The word itself also carries traditional vibes, the closer translation (in feeling) would be something like cabinet. But unfortunately, closet is the correct translation.

Evil empress...the word "evil" is probably the issue here! The Korean word being used here, 악녀, means "evil female" and it's often used by males to describe a female. Hence when I read it in Korean, I don't get the same vibe I get in English.

Third one is tough to explain, but when the word "my" is attached to family members, the tone changes in Korean. It becomes a lot more...genuine? Think of it this way, the word being used here (언니) isn't limited to family members; it can actually indicate any female older than the speaking female in Korean. Hence, "Sisters are weird" is completely different from "My sisters are weird."



"Another" is the problem in this one. The Korean word here for another (다른) doesn't actually mean "another," but rather, "different." Another makes it sound like the speaker is a man and they're marrying another man, while the original title makes that assumption impossible. It should really be "Marrying a Different Man."

That being said, some stories do have innuendos and some stories outright hint at themes like this, but for some reason don't portray it. You can blame this on Korean media's tendency to normalize heterosexuality and pathologize everything else. :sweating_profusely:
I'm just joking about these
 

MatchaChocolate69

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As a Korean, I can tell you that most of these titles aren't actually misleading at all in their native language! The English translation MAKES it sound misleading because of the pseudo meanings some of these words/phrases carry.

For example, "Closet" literally means a cabinet for clothes and nothing else in Korean. There aren't any innuendos that can be suggested like English. The word itself also carries traditional vibes, the closer translation (in feeling) would be something like cabinet. But unfortunately, closet is the correct translation.

Evil empress...the word "evil" is probably the issue here! The Korean word being used here for "evil," 악녀, means "evil female" and it's often used by males to describe a female (it's almost like the English word "bitch" in tone, but it's not a swear word and it's not used as much). Hence when I read it in Korean, I don't get the same vibe I get in English.

Third one is tough to explain, but when the word "my" is attached to family members, the tone changes in Korean. It becomes a lot more...genuine? Think of it this way, the word being used here for sister (언니) isn't limited to family members; it can actually indicate any female older than the speaking female in Korean. Hence, "Sisters are weird" is completely different from "My sisters are weird."



"Another" is the problem in this one. The Korean word here for another (다른) doesn't actually mean "another," but rather, "different." Another makes it sound like the speaker is a man and they're marrying another man, while the original title makes that assumption impossible. It should really be "Marrying a Different Man."

That being said, some stories do have innuendos and some stories outright hint at themes like this, but for some reason don't portray it. You can blame this on Korean media's tendency to normalize heterosexuality and pathologize everything else. :sweating_profusely:
Very interesting, thank you for the explanation. English often lacks the nuances to translate certain words. I had noticed this with Japanese, I didn't think it would be the same with Korean, but it actually makes sense.
 
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