G-men (magazine)
Encyclopedia
is a monthly Japan
ese magazine
for gay
men. Gay magazines in Japan, along with much gay culture, are segregated by 'type' (e.g., muscular men, older men, specific occupations); G-men was founded in 1994 to cater to gay men who preferred "macho fantasy", as opposed to the sleeker, yaoi
-inspired styles popular in the 1980s, and focuses on "macho type" (muscular, bearish men) and gaten-kei (ガテン系, blue-collar workers).
Like most gay men's general-interest magazines, G-men includes editorial and photographic material, as well as prose stories and manga. G-men was designed to encourage steady readership by presenting a more well-defined fantasy image, and by running serialized, continuing manga stories (as opposed to the one-shot stories standard in other in gay men's magazines) which encouraged purchase of every issue. Gengoroh Tagame
's work was an important influence on G-men's style; he provided the cover for the first 60+ issues, as well as manga stories for most issues. G-men was also one of the first gay men's publishers to offer collections of manga bound into tankōbon
. The manga published in G-men, particularly Tagame's work, was influential in the development of manga for gay men
as a marketable category.
G-men usually has approximately 300-500 pages, including several pages of glossy colour and some black and white photographs and drawings of hairy, sometimes bearded, muscular men in their 20s and 30s (these photographs are censored in accordance with Japan's rules; while they feature explicit depictions of sex, genitals — and most pubic hair — are obscured). The photographs sometimes feature traditional themes, such as fundoshi
, traditional Japanese loincloths. Despite the inclusion of pornographic pictures and stories, however, G-men is not considered a pornographic magazine.
G-men has fewer general articles than other magazines such as Barazoku
and more short fiction and serialized stories. Each month there are community listings, several different stories — often pornographic — and several in comic form as well, and advertisements from gay-related and gay-friendly businesses such as spas, clubs and hotels, bars, cafes and restaurants, host bars (hustler bars), brothels, and so forth.
Readers can also place personal ads free of charge, and each month there are several pages of these, most from men in search of romantic attachments, friends or sex partners. Such ads have long been a popular way for gay men to meet each other in Japan, though text messaging and the internet are probably more popular now.
The magazine is printed in Japanese only, and currently sells for ¥1800.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
for gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
men. Gay magazines in Japan, along with much gay culture, are segregated by 'type' (e.g., muscular men, older men, specific occupations); G-men was founded in 1994 to cater to gay men who preferred "macho fantasy", as opposed to the sleeker, yaoi
Yaoi
In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by...
-inspired styles popular in the 1980s, and focuses on "macho type" (muscular, bearish men) and gaten-kei (ガテン系, blue-collar workers).
Like most gay men's general-interest magazines, G-men includes editorial and photographic material, as well as prose stories and manga. G-men was designed to encourage steady readership by presenting a more well-defined fantasy image, and by running serialized, continuing manga stories (as opposed to the one-shot stories standard in other in gay men's magazines) which encouraged purchase of every issue. Gengoroh Tagame
Gengoroh Tagame
is a Japanese manga artist who specializes in gay BDSM erotic manga, many of which depict graphic violence. The men he depicts are hypermasculine, and tend to be on the bearish side....
's work was an important influence on G-men's style; he provided the cover for the first 60+ issues, as well as manga stories for most issues. G-men was also one of the first gay men's publishers to offer collections of manga bound into tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
. The manga published in G-men, particularly Tagame's work, was influential in the development of manga for gay men
Bara (genre)
, also known as the wasei-eigo construction or ML, is a Japanese jargon term for a genre of art and fictional media that focuses on male same-sex love and desire, usually created by and for gay men. The bara genre began in the 1960s with fetish magazines featuring gay art and content...
as a marketable category.
G-men usually has approximately 300-500 pages, including several pages of glossy colour and some black and white photographs and drawings of hairy, sometimes bearded, muscular men in their 20s and 30s (these photographs are censored in accordance with Japan's rules; while they feature explicit depictions of sex, genitals — and most pubic hair — are obscured). The photographs sometimes feature traditional themes, such as fundoshi
Fundoshi
is the traditional Japanese undergarment for adult males, made from a length of cotton. Before World War II, the fundoshi was the main form of underwear for Japanese adult males...
, traditional Japanese loincloths. Despite the inclusion of pornographic pictures and stories, however, G-men is not considered a pornographic magazine.
G-men has fewer general articles than other magazines such as Barazoku
Barazoku
is Japan's first male gay magazine commercially circulated.There had been a member-only magazine called Adonis and its extra issue Apollo in around 1960. It began publication in July 1971 by Daini Shobō's owner's son and editor , who is not gay....
and more short fiction and serialized stories. Each month there are community listings, several different stories — often pornographic — and several in comic form as well, and advertisements from gay-related and gay-friendly businesses such as spas, clubs and hotels, bars, cafes and restaurants, host bars (hustler bars), brothels, and so forth.
Readers can also place personal ads free of charge, and each month there are several pages of these, most from men in search of romantic attachments, friends or sex partners. Such ads have long been a popular way for gay men to meet each other in Japan, though text messaging and the internet are probably more popular now.
The magazine is printed in Japanese only, and currently sells for ¥1800.
External links
- G-men category page at publisher's website