Teens' love
Teens' love (TL) (Japanese: ティーンズラブ), is a subgenre of Japanese women's comics that has been established since the 2000s. TL is characterized by romantic and sexually explicit relationships between male and female protagonists, which are portrayed more sensitively than in media for men. They are usually set in modern Japanese settings such as offices, but also in fantasy or isekai worlds.
Typical characters in TLs are office workers in their late 20s or older. Relationships often develop through dramatic encounters, reunions or unexpected marriages. The male characters are taller, calmer, more experienced in love and have a better reputation than their female counterparts, they largely initiate the relationship. Their attractiveness is often emphasized by the appearance of love rivals. The focus is often on female protagonists who are inexperienced in love and are shown with drooping eyes. Recurring motifs are dramatic encounters, reunions and overcoming conflicts through the power of love. Teens' Love is represented in a wide range of media and is aimed at a core target audience ranging from teenage girls to adult women.
TL has been criticized for the fact that in some depictions of violence in sexual scenes, consensuality is not always clearly recognizable and that topics such as contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases are often left out.
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Historical development and media
[edit]Teens' Love (TL) comics, also known as Ladies' Comics,[1] have been an established subgenre of Japanese women's comics since the 2000s,[2] which has been published since the early 1990s.[1] The genre name “Teen's Love” became established around 2002,[3] and the first TL magazine was published in 1998.[3] Publishing was particularly strong from the mid-2000s to 2010, with a number of specialized belles-lettres labels emerging.[3] Since the 2010s, TL has been translated to South Korea, but rarely in paper form and only in e-book format. TL is present in various media, including Anime,[4] Manga,[5] Light Novels, Card Games[6] and e-books, , which are available on the Renta! website.[3] There are publications that started out as books and have been published online, and vice versa.[2] Consumption is increasingly switching to electronic distribution. This can be explained by the fact that it is more convenient to buy manga whenever and wherever you want to read them, and that you can only read what you want to read. And because you don't have to have a guilty conscience when you buy erotic manga.[3] It's unclear how much is read online, but almost every platform that has e-books has a section for TL, which are categorized as their own genre.[2] Originally dominated by manga, more novels have been added since 2024, published under various specialized labels.[3] TL comics are primarily distributed via magazines and[1] the covers mostly show a man embracing a woman on one side, indicating a desire to be “hugged by a beautiful man”.[3] They typically contain around ten manga works that cater to the sexual fantasies of female readers. A magazine is usually the size of an A5 book, with around 800 pages.[3] These works usually focus on a female protagonist.[7] It's aimed at readers who wanted to read sex as an extension of girl manga and don't want to read something as radical as redicomi.[2] The genre is primarily created by female artists and appeals to a primarily female readership,[2] and is also aimed at a younger audience.[8] In a survey of Japanese university students, 1.3 % of respondents said they had read TL in the past and 4.8 % said they were currently reading TL.[1] As restrictions on sexually explicit material became stricter, fewer and fewer stores and bookstores began to stock the magazines, and electronic publishing, which can be read on smartphones, became mainstream.[3]
Characteristics
[edit]The genre is unfamiliar to most readers among women's media, so there are few reviews or studies, and the published analyses focus mainly on general discussions of the genre as a whole, i.e. the types and characteristics of TL manga, because most TL manga, like lady comics, are read casually and discarded as a pastime.[3]
Plot locations
[edit]Half of the 40 most popular TL books of 2023 are set in modern Japan, with little explanation of the world e.g. it is not explained why you work at a company so you can easily empathize, with settings such as workplaces or bars that allow random encounters are also preferred.[9]
The plots are often based on relationships with childhood friends or acquaintances from school or university. Based on stories not shown that took place 5 or 10 years before the main plot. These stories explain why the hero is in love with the heroine. In some cases, you meet the person you are best matched with through the app, or you meet a forced marriage in a marriage arranged by your parents. Another popular setting is offices, where heroes are often portrayed as dedicated colleagues, cold-hearted bosses. The reason for this is said to be that it is easier to draw situations that are unique to such offices.[9] In addition to these scenarios, around 10 % of the stories are set in fantasy worlds with reincarnation elements and a further 10 % in historical eras such as the Taisho period. Science fiction or future settings, on the other hand, are avoided as these would require a more detailed explanation of the environment. Even in works set in offices, there were also depictions of encounters such as working in a company with a childhood friend or a chance meeting with the vice president of a business partner in a bar.[9]
Motives
[edit]The main triggers for relationship development, with 30 % occurring in each case, include dramatic encounters that form the basis of the story. Reunions, often with childhood friends or potential partners who meet by chance. And lastly, an unexpected marriage, unique to TLs that occur under unusual circumstances, is also common and helps drive the stories forward. These stories begin with the revelation of the heroine's feelings while drunk, though the hero always remains lucid. Even when drinking alcohol, the hero is only “tipsy”, and there was no story in which he attacked involuntarily because of the alcohol.
According to Midori Makita, the heroes' motivation for the relationship is mostly due to the fact that they like the heroine. There were also cases where relationships change due to changes in work content, and there were several stories where heroes appear in various situations to save the day. For example, in the case of changes at work, there were stories where people were attracted to each other when they talked to their business partners and deepened their relationship by working hard together as colleagues. You can also see a firefighting hero who helps you out of a jam, or who helps you when you're entangled with your ex-boyfriend. Besides being an opportunity to portray a cool hero, you can say that it's an opportunity to understand why the heroine falls in love. But there are also cases where there were no major incidents and the pattern of change was slow.[9]
Age
[edit]The age of the people depicted is usually in their late 20s. The next most common age group is heroines, aged 23 to 25, and the heroes are often in their early 30s. Furthermore, both men and women do not appear after their late 30s. This age was justified by the fact that during this time people are looking for a serious relationship with marriage in mind, this element of finding a partner for life is often found in TLs. This age range was also justified by the setting, Modern Japan, in which TLs are set.[10] None of the stories are set in schools, nor do they feature teenagers, despite the genre having “teenagers” in its name. The age ranges in genres “Isekai reincarnation” and “History/era”, are generally younger, and teenage characters have also appeared. The genre, “Isekai reincarnation” is set in the environment of a medieval Europe. And values such as “when you turn 20, it's too late” can be deeply ingrained, and it can be difficult to portray a heroine in her late 20s. In the Taisho period, which formed the setting for several works, that average age at first marriage was 25.0 years for men and 21.2 years for women.[10]
Professions
[edit]The profession that the female characters mostly have is that of an office worker (75 %), and they mostly play in modern Japan. There are also female presidents who ran a company at a young age, and a female yakuza (who became a yakuza), but basically the heroine's environment is considered a “normal” character that is hardly noticeable when reading. In works set in the Isekai Tensei, there were many instances where she was a villainous daughter, in works set in the Taisho period, there were many stories where she was a young lady of the Chinese family, and in works set outside of modern Japan, there were many stories where she occupied a “royal aristocratic” position. However, instead of being a princess beloved by all, there are many heroines who started from the point of view of being shunned by those around her, even if she held a noble position. The fact that the story unfolds in the form of a hero who finds and rescues such a lonely heroine can be described as a kind of Cinderella story in terms of form.[10]
As far as the hero's profession is concerned, it is the same as the heroine's in that most are office workers at 37.5 %, 17.5 % are civil servants and 12.5 % are executives. The hero's occupation is more diversified than that of the heroine. The milieu of a “normal” office worker makes sense as it describes the character's inner life and not her title. The hero's profession is broader than that of the heroine.[10] The most common attire worn is a suit and tie, even lawyers and military personnel were often depicted in a suit and tie. In TLs a tie is an important accessory, it shows that you are in a working state, when taken off it shows that you are released into a private state, it is also used to show that you are evolving from a businessman to a man. The discrepancy between the otherwise serious and innocent hero taking off his mask and tie and meeting the heroine as a man at eye level enhances the character's appeal.[11]
Appearance
[edit]The heroes of the stories tend to have black hair and the heroines white hair. The expression of the characters' eyes is described as “droopy eyes”. The heroes tend to be slim and the heroines tend to have droopy eyes. In TL, there are many stories in which the hero, heroine seeks something energetically, and it is believed that the hero tends to have a slanted character expression and the heroine a passive expression.[10] There are also cases where it becomes a hanging eye because it wants to express the hero's goodness, and there are also cases where it becomes a hook to draw a weird heroine. It's an element that depends on the story. In most TLs, the heroes are tall, it located the heroine's head by the hero's chin, resulting in the hero being more than a head taller. Titles that emphasize the difference in physique and height are common, so you can see that heroes with such characteristics are favored.[10]
Romantic experiences
[edit]Heroines tend to be described less in terms of their romantic experiences, they are shown to have had no or few romantic experiences. In most cases, heroines who have had romantic experiences do not have very good memories of their previous relationships. The only exceptions are “reconciliation stories” in which the heroine is reunited with a former partner. The impression is given that previous partners are portrayed in the story in order to create a contrast in the form of “the love with the hero is great this time and cannot be compared with their previous boyfriends”. The heroes, on the other hand, are rarely portrayed as inexperienced, but rather as people with some or more experience. However, this experience is not mentioned for the most part, but is portrayed indirectly, through a calm character, suggesting that they have gained experience in the past. It is assumed that this is because the heroes are expected to take the initiative decisively, to show no doubts, and to avoid comparison with previous partners. They are portrayed as “newcomers”, but with high expectations that the heroine was able to satisfy from the beginning. It can be said that the heroes are expected to be skillful with women and clean without reaching for past women. Also, the heroine's inner life is shown and her psychology is described, these are implied. The psychological descriptions of the heroes are minimal, this was reasoned that it is probably because they are not often described in terms of their experiences.[11]
Development of the relationship
[edit]60 % of TL stories begin through acquaintances, the remaining 40 % are first encounters, there are almost no beginnings of romantic relationships. The only pattern that exists is that the heroine was in a contract marriage but had amnesia, and the relationship developed over the course of the story. With the physical relationship, there is only amnesia and the reunion with the ex-boyfriend, and there was no story of a pattern of “lovers who were harmonious from the beginning”. In TL, it can be seen that the direction of establishing a romantic relationship is stronger than maintaining a romantic relationship. After the first episode, about 30 % of them were in a romantic relationship (about half of them were forced marriages). 80 % of the storylines are more than touching. It is typical of TL that the relationship between the body comes first and then the relationship between the mind. This is done to show that the relationship is deepening. The relationship deepened from the middle to the end, at the end of the first volume the relationship is 100 % touching, but only 87 % of the time the line is crossed. Around 70 % of the stories are based on the idea of a continuous plot, leaving room in the first volume for the relationship to deepen in the future. Around 40 % of the stories end with a known relationship status for the time being, with the finale only expected in later volumes.[11]
In TL stories, the heroes show a threefold greater willingness to deepen the relationship than the heroines right from the start. Although the heroine becomes more active as the story progresses, she never reaches the same level of intensity and lags behind the hero by 30 % at the end. The classic development of TL is that the hero's feelings open the heroine's heart, with romantic motives dominating. At 22.5 %, lust-driven motives are twice as strong in the hero as in the heroine at the beginning, but are reversed in the course of the plot. External motivations, such as financial reasons or the desire to have children, are initially stronger for the heroine at 25 %, but become less important as the plot progresses and give way to romantic motives. This external motive is used to create a trigger for the story.[11]
Confessions of love are a central part of the plot, usually initiated by the hero, whose affection drives the relationship forward. Confessions of love are presented by him as a unique expression of affection, e.g. he says “I've liked you for a long time!”. Compliments come mainly from the heroine, while derogatory or insulting words are almost absent in the stories. In sex scenes, the hero can take on a more aggressive character, but this is made socially acceptable by expressions of love and compliments. This is done by the hero because they really love each other.[11]
Mutual affection is often symbolized by physical gestures such as French kisses, hugs or holding hands. Kisses in particular are seen as an indispensable confirmation of love. Forced kissing or holding hands is not often depicted. Holding hands is depicted in 40 % of the episodes, while it only occurs in 17.1 % of manga for men. Hugs in various forms and hair touching are other typical expressions of love by the hero.[11]
Descriptions by secondary characters
[edit]In TLs, some characteristics of secondary characters are described, showing that the heroine or hero is not blindly in love, but chooses a partner who is actually more capable. It serves to show that one is envied by others. Heroes are shown with a better reputation overall than heroines, in more than 70 % of works they are shown to be competent at work, this is used to show that one has a stable life and that one is a decent person. Some people are portrayed with unrealistic economic power, others have attracted attention in the media. In some TLs, the heroine's looks are praised, this takes the form of mockery from the supporting characters that “you can't do your job just by your looks” (but only heroes do their job fairly).[11]
Problems of the characters
[edit]Problems or things that characters solve through the power of love are a typical stylistic element of TLs. The heroines' problems are shown first and foremost, and they tend to have more worries than the hero. This is because the heroine is portrayed more as her inner self, e.g. through worries about relationships. Work worries, family worries or worries about self-realization that are not directly related to love are also shown. These problems are solved when the relationship with the hero deepens. The hero's problems are typically worries about the relationship with the heroine, which are resolved when the relationship with the heroine deepens. However, there are also depictions of problems with work or family, which give the impression of a higher quality than that of the heroine. The higher quality is represented by worries about her future personal life, such as “I'll lose my job and won't be able to eat” or “I might be forced to quit if I don't keep my current skills!”. This is not shown with the heroines. The hero's worries are not the focus, but are intended to give the hero a true-to-life aura.[11]
Sexual acts
[edit]Some kind of sexual act is depicted in 76.1 % of all chapters. Most of the invitations (80 %) come from the hero, many acts are usually depicted with prior consent, but this consent is not always shown immediately, sometimes consent is only given later. Most of the sexual acts happened in the hero's home, next in line were places like hotels or other surroundings of the heroine where they could be alone. However, there are also places such as offices, the outdoors or the car where they could be seen, these places are used as spice. Most of the sexual touching is done by heroes, whereas there is very little by heroines. This is particularly noticeable in the early part of the story. The act of becoming one increases from beginning to end.[12] Depending on the magazine, the sex content varies from soft to hardcore depictions.[1]
Depictions of love rivals
[edit]The character's love relationships are spiced up by love rivals, male rivals are depicted in around 40 % of all stories, female rivals in 20 %. In terms of individual episodes, there are not as many, ranging between 10 and 16 %. These are used to add highs and lows to the story. The rivals appear in a way that increases the appeal of the heroes. In some cases, the ex-boyfriend shows up to demonstrate the class difference, or the hero came to the rescue when a rival violently grabbed the heroine's hand. This is used to show how good the hero was. When comparing heroes and rival male characters, the heroes tend to be taller. The female rival characters are engaged in activities that stirred up the place. For example, she was responsible for stalking the hero and attacking the heroine, or lying to the heroine to get her to distrust the hero.[11]
Genre overlaps and differences
[edit]Overlaps
[edit]TL builds on genres such as Shōjo, Josei and Boys Love,[3] BL is similar in style and story development, and the name of the genre was also influenced by Boys Love.[2] Due to the sexual acts, it also belongs to the realm of ero manga.[3] The romance relationships in TL are stylistically based on shojo manga.[2]
Differences
[edit]TL differs from BL in its depiction of heterosexuality[2] and differs from shōjo manga in the detail and frequency of sex scenes.[1] The TL manga is also distinctly different from the redicomi comics as it is based on heterosexual sex in a romantic relationship, and unlike the dramatic style of the redicomi comics, the TL manga adopts the style of the shōjo manga.[2] Redicomi comics also differ from TL in that characters and settings are more fleshed out, due to the emphasis on romance, and the process leading up to sex is relatively long, as romance and sex are closely linked.[2] The drawing style of TL differs from Redicomi by using very thin lines and soft background effects, and the inner descriptions (monologues) of the protagonist are important for the development of the story. The style is that of a typical shōnen manga, with the exception of the later development of sexualization.[2] In contrast to the josei genre, which often deals with dramatic and controversial topics such as rape, incest or enjo kōsai (relationships for reward),[7] modern TL works largely avoid such content, apart from a few early publications.[7] Horis argued and suggested that TL are not pornography even though they contain sexual acts. They are instead, according to her, in the category of female-oriented manga (containing sexual expressions) in the Japanese market, along with redicomi and BL manga, she reasoned that unlike pornography as it is known, TL manga are not realistic and as they are not about satisfying the sexual desires of men.[2] This reasoning as TL in the category of female-oriented manga with sexual expression was based on the fact that pornography has historically been an exclusive domain of men in the West and was molded to serve the male gaze by showing real actors performing sexual acts, making it difficult to apply to mass media used by women.[2] This interpretation was an attempt to emphasize the fundamental difference between female-oriented comics, which are aimed at female readers and depict fictional protagonists and their sexual behaviour in two-dimensional media such as comics and illustrations.[2]
Critical analysis
[edit]Tashiro Mieko describes TL magazines such as Love S-girl, Advanced Love Mint and Love Love MAX as works in which sexual acts often take place on the same day that the protagonists fall in love. Sex is portrayed as the “happy destination of romance”. The stories often include scenarios such as “acquaintance rape”, which nevertheless conclude with a happy ending in which the female protagonist is forced to have sex and refuses to do so.[1]
Tashiro criticizes the fact that such depictions are often portrayed from the perspective of the sexually violent perpetrators, which creates the impression that the victim may not fully reject the acts, even if they show resistance. He also criticizes the lack of topics such as contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, although sex scenes form a central part of the stories.[1] He questions whether the lack of depiction of contraception and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases in sex scenes is justified, even if this may amount to a “demand for something unrealistic”. He also criticizes the fact that violent and criminal acts such as “acquaintance rape” are often normalized.[1] He describes TL comics as a sexist and violence-glorifying source of sexual information that is heavily influenced by gender-specific prejudices. The works often show male-dominated, forced sexual acts, while women are portrayed as passive and without self-determination.[1]
This makes it clear that the stories in the TL genre convey a “superiority of love”. At first glance, they seem to emphasize the positive sides of love and sexuality by presenting the schema “love = happiness” and “sexual activity = pleasure”.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 如子 守: 女子が性表現の消費者になることの意味 : 「第7回青少年の性行動全国調査」データから. 関西大学社会学部紀要. October 2017. pp. 1, 3, 5, 7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 김효진. "여성향 만화장르로서 틴즈 러브(Teens' Love) 만화의 가능성 –후유모리 유키코의 작품을 중심으로–". 일본연구 (in Korean) (73): 1, 3. ISSN 1225-6277.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Hyojin, Kim (2024-12-27). 女性向けメディアとしてのティーンズ・ラブ(TL)の分析:漫画作品の事例を中心に. Korean Association of Japanology. pp. 1–2, 4.
- ^ Egan, Loo (2025-04-12). "Ōkami-san wa Taberaretai Teens-Love Anime Reveals Cast, Staff, September 6 Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (2025-04-12). "Sōryo-Waku Teens-Love Manga Prize Winner Announced With Anime Adaptation Prize". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ "TL漫画が題材のカードゲーム『キメゴマ』が発売決定". アニメイトタイムズ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ a b c "女だって性々堂々と ティーンズラブ 脳科学で読み解く:特集:popress:北陸中日新聞から:中日新聞(CHUNICHI Web)". Chunichi Shimbun. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019.
- ^ "「ガテン男に溺愛されたい」「フェラはNG」TL編集者が明かす"女がエロに求めるモノ"". サイゾーウーマン (in Japanese). 2014-11-23. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ a b c d Makita, Midori (2024-04-08). "2023年に発売した人気TL漫画の特徴を分析! 第1回「TL統計 2024」をお届けします". Qunn(キュン) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ a b c d e f Makita, Midori (2024-04-15). "第2回「TL統計 2024」では、年齢・職業・容姿について分析! 全ヒーローが共通して"持っているもの"とは……?". Qunn(キュン) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Makita, Midori (2024-05-02). "第3回「TL統計 2024」。今回は恋愛経験や悩みなど、キャラクターの内面から深掘っていきます!". Qunn(キュン) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ Makita, Midori (2024-05-28). "最終回となる第4回「TL統計」。感情の変化やベッドシーンでの触れ合い方などを集計しました". Qunn(キュン) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-04-13.