It's interesting to see a thread of conversation where the non-yaoi fans aren't psychotic flammers. ^_^;;

As for my experience with the fandom, I first encountered the word "YAOI" when I was 14 and found a Gundam Wing site. So I read a whole slew of fanfics and really became obsessed with 1x2. . . Then I saw the show and was horribly dissappointed. I do not have any clue where the 1x2 fans are getting their material. 0_o Not to say that I think that Heero actually gives a damn about Relena, or Duo to Hirde, but I don't see Heero and Duo being romantically involved either.

That, however, does not mean that I don't believe that there is YAOI in Gundam Wing. I whole heartedly believe that Quatre is the biggest flamming fruitcake ever to come out of the world on anime. .. but that's just my opinion. ^_^ Seriously, Trowa and Quatre's "female counterparts" are Trowa's 'sister' and a scary chick who stabbed Quatre. I'm just not seeing the love people. Besides, in that episode where Quatre is on the phone making hotel reservations, he didn't have the room changed to two beds after he invited Trowa to stay with him. Hmmm. ..

Uh, sorry for going on there. I don't mean to change anyone's opinions, but that's just how I see it.

And as far as the original creation goes- as a writer I can look back at things I've writen a long time ago that were intended to be straight, and I read how I make the male characters interact and I think: "My God, if I hadn't writen this I would -so- think it was YAOI!" So perhaps the creator's subconciously put it in or perhaps fans just read too much into it.

Also another factor in the YAOI fandom in general is that men on TV, in books and movies DON'T act like real men! Guys will hug and be friendly, intelligent, and sincere with one another. Men in the media are IDEAL, and that makes us think that they are gay, because real men are too stupid. . .. Sorry to go off on my opinion again.

Anyway, you have a great site and I love that there is a place for intelligent debate on this issue.

- StaceS

I think everyone has their own opinion and should openly state it. Yaoi is very fine with me, I have several friends that are in fact gay. And they are open about it and I commend them for that. I am a male, I do believe that yuri is very wrong, but as I have said everyone has their own opinion, if there are yuri girls out there then that is just fine. If that is the way they choose and want to live then go ahead and live it, no one should or has any damn right to tell you how you should live. I may be gay myself but I'm not sure yet. People's life should not be up to others, they should mind their own business. And I think that if someone calls someone homosexuals wrong, sick, or damned then they are so hurt themselves that they want to take it out on others to make themself feel better. I want to say this to everyone who reads this and understands me...no matter how many times a person physically abuses you, or verbally abuses you, you can always believe in what you believe within your heart. Don't ever let a person take your sanity away, don't ever, ever give in. I'm sorry I'm saying this on your site and everything but people need to make this clear...I've been sexually, physically, and verbally abused in my life since I was 8 years old and I have taken it. But as of now I'm out of that situation and I am fully recovered. My point is that anyone can tell and get themselves out of that situation and get on with their life and be free and to believe in what you want.

- Raenef

I like how you constructed your rant. And yes, a person can like yaoi but not see it in GW and not like it in GW b/c they feel it is changing the characters. Personally, I have never read any yaoi other than a few GW yaoi fanfics, so I don't really know what's out there. But with the GW yaoi fics, I kept thinking, this doesn't seem correct. I don't think Heero would like Duo that way... and I guess it just bugged me enough (the way char bashing can) so I quit reading it. I did, however, read a fic that had a mild shounen ai label but basically just had Heero comforting Duo. That's not considered yaoi because it's not necessarily romantic love, right? Platonic friends can do things like that! I just think that sometimes when people see things like that in real life they either tease their friends or really assume something is going on there where it might not be. So, I definitely do not see any yaoi (or yuri for that matter... where would that come from, anyway?) relationships in GW.

- Maeko

Gundam Wing isn't a show that's all about romance. I think that's obvious. It's focuses more on the other kinds of relationships (friendships etc). Despite that, I am a huge 1xR fan, and when I asked around about why people like Yaoi, I found that a lot of the reasons were because they didn't like the G-girls (especially Relena) which is dumb, in my opinion. I don't mind if you truly believe that the characters are gay, but why would you make Duo gay just so Hilde can't have him?

And to something that 'Desert Princess' said... She said that 'Yaoi makes them seem more human and caring', but I think that's strange. They're already human, they make mistakes, they DO have emotions (Trowa cries, Heero gets angry/sad/etc), and what makes you think that they're not caring? They care, even if they show it in different ways, they do care. The only examples that I can think of at the moment, is when each pilot saves their female counterpart.

I've seen lots of non-yaoi stories where they are caring, human, and completely in character! Granted, I've seen yaoi stories like that too, but my point is that the stories don't have to be yaoi for the pilots to be 'human and caring'.

- Lindsay

I totally agree. If the people who created GW wanted then to be gay they would of made them gay. I mean i've seen so doujinshi pics and there good but some people take it to far. I mean i'm not saying they can't do yaoi,they have rights to there own opinion it's just not my fave. I'm 100% with you on your opinion.

- Rikku12

Well, I just wanted to say that I read your rant about yaoi, and I gotta say that you really explained exactly how I feel about that certain subject. Gundam Wing's characters are NOT gay, and I really don't like how some fans feel that there is evidence of it. I also think that everyone is human, and that everyone needs to be treated well. I just wanted to say that I agree 100% with what you said, and I think others that enjoy yaoi in GW should at least THINK about what you said, and see where we're coming from. I used to be anti yaoi but I have come to the conclusion that, yes - sparks will fly. But I do have to point out that I think Wufei is atually homafobic. He doesnt seem to even relate to the other guys as much as he should, really. Even Quatre's friendliness doesnt get through to him. Duo's a sex freak if anything. Trowa and Herro are proberly both Bisexual but the jury's still out on Quatre.

- Echo Ameagari

Hi again - just to clarify on Duo. I dont think he "loves" Herro as such but he is quite randy in all the fan fiction i've ever read. And I still stick with Wufei being Homofobic and Celebate - it's written all over his face (or maybe he IS just stuck up...) As for the yuri - I find it hard to visualise the G.W girls get'n it on. But in the episode where Trowa regains his memory after using the zero system, it makes his relationship with Quatre clear then - Just Friends.

  - Eboney Heartfell

I have to agree with you. Everybody should have their own opinion about yaoi/yuri. In GW the only relationships I feel are stressed would have to be Zechs and Noin. MAYBE Heero and Relena. If people believe in yaoi in GW they shouldn't pressure you to put it on your site even if you don't like it. They should just go to a site that has yaoi. I personally don't like the idea of yaoi but a lot of my friends do but I don't pay attention to that. And in the world of anime we shouldn't be fighting about whether a character is yaoi/yuri or not. We should realize the beauty of anime and appreciate it. I mean, for example, flaming someone because they don't have yaoi on their site is totally wrong. It's their site and they can put whatever they want on it. Whether it be pictures, yaoi, or even dancing penguins!

  - Flaming Shinimegami

Ok, I am, like, on both sides. I am a yaoi fan, and a non-yaoi fan. It depends on the people that are being...used. I sooo agree that ther is no yaoi in Gundam Wing. There may be some pics of Heero and Duo in...interesting posistions, but I think that Duo just wants to get Heero to be more human. I agree with Shadow-Hawk26, weird pairings like 5/13 just leave me going, "ummmm, right..." But some people may read more into the anime. I think in order to better understand the relationships between people, you have to read the original, in better terms, the manga. Because that is what the creator originally had in mind. Like with Sailor Moon (sorry to put this in here, but I am comparing), Amara/Haruka and Michelle/Michiru have 2 totally different relationships. In the anime, they are cousins, but I don't help my cousin undress and I certainly don't share a bedroom or interlace my fingers with hers. In the manga, the original relationship is that they truly are involved. I think there may have been a quote (and I could be wrong here!!) where Serenity said, "Uranus and Neptune, the forever destined lovers" or something like that. But I think the whole Yaoi issue is that it depends on what the creator thinks. Like if the original relationship was yaoi, then it's yaoi. but if it isn't, it isn't. end of story. If a relationship was not yaoi to begin with, then i don't pay attention to it. The only yaoi relationship that may not be real, but i still use in fanfics is Trowa/Quatre. THey are soooooo amazingly cute! ::starry eyes:: Anyways...I don't especially agree with yaoi, but I am NOT homophobic.

When I first discovered Gundam Wing and anime in general, I had no idea of yaoi and non-yaoi pairings. Of course, being in the fandom for quite awhile now, I'm well aware of it. My personal opinion: non-yaoi couples dominate GW. This DOES NOT mean I'm anti-yaoi. I'm a huge HeeroxRelena fan but I also think that TrowaxQuatre make a really nice couple. Shadow-Hawk26 said it perfectly: "Justify it!" If you truly believe in a couple, you have to support it. Flaming someone because they don't believe in the same thing as you is totally unacceptable. Saying that, I'm not going to put down all the evidence for my preferred pairings because that would take forever and there's plenty of that on the 'Net. ^_^; The main point is: believe what you want to believe, but make sure your reasoning makes sense. If you're a good GW fan, the pairing you believe in would compliment the characters' personalities and not distort them.

  - Lacey

Actually, the creators did intend for there to be both yaoi and non-yaoi hints in the show. I guess it was because they wanted fans to believe whatever they wish ( and that it was a  way to get girls interested in Gundam). But I have to agree with you on some points. Although I do see some evidence of a particular pairing, some parings like, I don't know, 5+13, leave me scratching my head and wondering what these authors were smoking. It's one thing, to write a romance fic, if you TRULY believe that these two belong together, but its another thing entirely to just write a completely random fic without justifying your reasons for having these two get together. I guess what I'm trying to say is, If you believe that the G-boy are really and truly gay, great, write what you want to write and JUSTIFY IT! But don't make them gay for no reason.

  - Shadow-Hawk26

Hi! I know what you mean that yaoi doesn't fit in this story. I myself had a hard time thinking about all those 'strange' things... I mean it really doesn't fit in the story plot and the producers didn't make any of those romance scenes to prove they're gay especially when the whole story plot is about fighting for peace. So no romance scene, like most anime do. I don't hate the yaoi or yuri pairings actually, I like the way those fans think about them... it's creepy, but very amusing for example the fan fictions ^_^ *I don't like LEMON or LIME, just shounen-ai* For some reason I wonder where they get all those srange ideas about them being gay (referring to the pilots and the others),  I mean they're close friends, right (referring to Trowa and Quatre and so on)? Anyways, I'm happy reveal just a few of my private thoughts to someone... I hope I'm not hurting anyone's feelings!

  - Cindy

I don't really mind, yaoi or no yaoi. Yuri, I just can't see at ALL though. So I'll just stick to the yaoi topic. ^^ I think it's fine to input yaoi into fandom, probably because I happen to like yaoi...and I like it because I see nothing wrong with it, in GW as well as other series. (And I haven't been brought up to have anything against it. I suppose background has a lot to do with how you see homosexuality.) It's a question of sexuality, which isn't the exact same thing as what a person is like, personality-wise, like you said. And of course you can't put yaoi on a site if you don't agree with it, it IS your site after all. But yaoi doesn't necessarily have to destroy the characters, unless it's extremely Out of Character. Out of Character material..is just basically slaughtering. To make Heero a prancing-pink-pony-type gay man isn't exactly very In Character..but there are people who can input Yaoi into Gundam Wing without destroying the characters. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but that doesn't mean either of them is wrong, whether it's series based or fandom-based. There are just different ways of seeing things. ^^ Ah..hm. That turned into a rant. Xx I respect your opinion. *Nod* I just wanted to respond to the 'making the characters something they're not' bit, because I don't believe yaoi always destroys the characters in GW, unless it's by someone who changes them completely. Of course it's still a question of opinion. ^^

  -  Karm

Hello Dubird, i think i'm going to have to agree with you on the yaoi. There is nothing wrong with yaoi or yuri in fanfics and stuff but i really believe that that is where it all originates. The original story of Gundam Wing isn't really about romance and it doesn't make any yaoi references. Yaoi is a fan based thing and i'm glad that there are people out there that realize that.

  -  SeiryuShinigami

When i saw your opinion page, i was shocked that you and me think alike so much.  When I first started seeing Gundam Wing and came to web about it most of the sites i found were yaoi or anti-relena.  This really surprised me because i thought I had missed something, i started checking out fanfictions and they too were mostly yaoi so i bought the whole thing on anime and watched it over and over again and i felt really silly because only thing i saw between the boys was friendship and no relationship.  Just like you i belive there is no yaoi in GW i am not against it because I have too have plenty of Gay friends who don't impose anything on me.  Even though i don't like yaoi i don't disrespect it, they can have their opinions and we can have ours so I am glad you put your opinion page up.

  -  Quatre's Chic

Well, I totally agree.  Most Yaoi fans say in response to non-yaoi fans that Ikeda, the director, says that there isn't meant to be relationship in GW.  Then why, would there be Yaoi?  It's still a kind of relationship.  I'm not anti-yaoi but I don't believe that GW boys are gay or that the GW girls are Lesbian.  There may be some confusing scenes, but there's no hard proof to suggest that.  And I don't think Yaoi makes them more real.  Why would it?  They say Relena and Heero would never work because they are so different and at the same time real...and that no girl could handle someone like Heero.  How do you expect Duo to handle him?  They're so different, even Duo gets annoyed with Heero sometimes.  I think that the pilots are just really good friends who care for each other and have a deeper relationship than most ppl have cuz of their relationship.  Period.  Thanks for reading my ramble!

  -  Ai

It's true that the actual Gundam Wing storyline doesn't have yaoi, or shounen ai. I myself, being a rabid yaoi fan, can admit that. However, if you notice, there isn't ANY mention of non-yaoi pairings either. The entire series is based on war, politics, and relationships in a platonic way. I see Relena as just someone who looks to Heero as a source of strength, and maybe a little obsession (little, heh). At most, I think it's a small crush, but not really love. Noin respects Zechs. Maybe a little too much, but it doesn't really mean it's love. And Zechs... well, he's just a tiny bit too confused to be thinking of relationships with anyone... Anyways, there are IMPLIED hints of pairings everywhere in Gundam Wing, but NONE of it can be argued to be real, because there is no real evidence. So everyone is allowed their own opinions, yaoi or not. I like how you're expressing your believes while not impressing them upon others. Some people really should learn how to do that ^_^.

  -  Kyuuketsuki

Yay, go you! I think you're absolutely right. I can't see the yaoi in the storyline, but some people do and that's good for them. I have a good friend who loves yaoi and thinks that all the boys in the story are gay. I have different opinions then her but we totally respect each other's opinions and thoughts. I think all people should respect each other and welcome each other's views. Ok, enough with y 'world peace' talk. sorry for preaching...

Thanks for listening, Xero

I think that GW is okay, and I think doujinshi is okay, but I have to agree with you on this.  I don't think there is yaoi in GW.  I mean, yeah, Desert, it is kind of scary to think of someone as a completely emotionless homicidal freak, but he was supposed to be that way.  So doujinshi and yaoi shouldn't change that about him, or even try to, b/c that's not the person they were drawn up to be.  You might not realize it, but each of the main characters of GW symbolizes depression, or sadness, or denial, or some way that teens and tweens handle hard situations.  And sometimes, like Duo, they throw their emotions into their fights and spars, and become a whole other person.  But that's the way they vent, and it's very symbolic in a poetic way about how different people deal and cope with different things.

  -  RamblingDamned Angel

Hi, first of all.... I'm in the middle opinion area... I don't have a problem with others who are gay or like the yaoi or yuri that's pushed into the GW fan world. I like some of it if it is mild. But I don't think that anyone should be biased on this opinion. I think its great to have a site that's true to the original story... instead of believing every little snitch of a rumor about each character. Ok... here's a couple of my opinions, sorry to say.. I have like every episode on tape and watched at least the whole series about 15 times through and also I've replayed favorite episodes probably 50 times or more... yeah, I guess you could say I was obsessed, lately I've reverted my views and changed it to breaking down and theorizing the entire story line... every detail about the story in GW and I personally feel that a little bit of yaoi is implied, but not stressed. So this is why a lot of people got their ideas of the boys being gay... or even the girls, yes there are the few scenes that make people kind of wonder about Heero and Duo. But.. all in all I do think its mostly a non relationship story... the only relationship that basically defined is, Zechs and Noin. Very obvious couple there. am I right. Like I said... I'm not biased, my views can usually be changed. I'm glad that your standing up and not flowing with the crowd when it comes to yaoi in GW. Again, I sometimes enjoy a sweet yaoi fic, in fact I've written a few myself. But everything about the characters in the series is poetic, which makes me love the series. Again... I'm just ranting but I wanted to add my thoughts to your site!

- Thanks, Kira

I really like yaoi and at the same time I like the regular parings to. Why can't you do the same even though you don't think yaoi is in GW? I like it because it makes Heero and Trowa (even Wufei) more human and caring. And its not that way in the regular pairings. Its actually really cool!

- Desert Princess

Wow! This is a subject I've been thinking about lately myself, for some odd reason, I don't mind reading shounen-ai or yaoi (and that goes for GW and original fics) but usually in other fanfic areas, slash stories bother me. I completely respect your opinion on the whole subject, I can see your point of view and understand it, having only recently watched the entire series through once, I've yet to watch it all again in detail, I haven't spotted any obvious yaoi pairings, although there are suggestions in there, it all depends on how the viewer inter[rets what they see, its like poetry, if that makes sense, you know? It's what you see. Personally, as far as the series goes, I don't see any definite yaoi pairings, but for some of them (like Trowa & Quatre) I can see where people get their interpretations.

Having said that, I read some GW yaoi before I'd even seen the series, but it didn't taint how I saw the series when I did. As far as the series goes, I see no actual relationships forming, as people have said, its not about relationships, there are only the blurred ideas given. But as far as fanfiction goes for GW, it seems to be a whole different *thing* altogether, and as far as fanfic goes, I don't mind yaoi at all, I quite enjoy it, well, the halfway realistic pairings at least (1x2, 3x4, I don't know WHERE people get 5x13 from!)

As for yuri . . . well I don't read it, nor do I enjoy it or see any of it, but hey, as I always say, whatever rides yours bus. Yeah, sorry for rambling here, only I found this when the subject has been running through my mind as of late. Anyway, I respect all peoples opinions on the subject and have read some very interesting replies! - shalom! -

- Myca

Yeah! like your views girl! I am another rabid yaoi fan, started reading fanfiction by accident, looking up saint seiya pics I found a fic!! (hey it rimes) so yeah fanfiction hi my favorite hobby now. Dont now if you notice, few people do, but most series like GW have a pattern to them. Five boys, one always a bit more effeminete or sensitive, all against incredible odds and very hot looking bad guys. Can someone say boy band? hehehhe. anyway, yes the creator of GW mentioned no specific couples for reasons he and the publishers now and are not keen to mention. My guess it has something to do with being able to publishe the thing on popular magazines like Shonen Jump apealing to the boys and also get the girls into the action drama genre with a lot of hintings to romance. Yes he was very obvious with 3+4, there has to be at least an obvious shonen ai pairing to get the yaoi fans into the mix. The autor mentioned in an article for NewType (I think its called like that)that: no, Relena doesn't have a relation ship with Heero. He sees her as a simbol of peace, not in any other way. Say's the author. There is no official (or other) confirmation of a 1+2 relationship. Even if Dou feels an interest, if only curiosity for Heero. He sees the full moon and wonder about Heero? (anithing romantic?)it's like an ovni sitting. --we cannot confirm the existanse...---

Wufei definently has no romantic interest for anyone in the series aside for that platonic thing he had with his wife (sounds od) but I will definently match him with Treize before I set him up with Sally!! she thinks of him like a baby brother or even a son for crying out loud!! you cant just match them b'cause there are the only ones left without an obvious romantic interest and they are both chinese descent... not right! Dont know about you people but I think Quatre love's Trowa because he said so!! Sorry but the truth is a lot of stuff get censored out of anime when it's translated to english, I saw it in divish. Quatre said he loved Trowa and Trowa felt him crying out and stole a transport to get to him. Stuff like that get "missinterpreted" in the English version of similar series all the time, like: Sakura Card Captors, Saint Seiya, Magic Knight Rayearth, I saw them all in both languages and the English version supresed any implications of gayness they could.

- Rude

Hey, you did a really nice job with your rant here. Anyway, let me get to my thoughts. Personally, I just do not see the supposed evidence that "proves" the guys are gay. Yes, they're bishounen and yes, the director's previous series (Yoroiden Samurai Troopers aka Ronin Warriors) was rife with similar elements, but that doesn't prove that they're gay. If anything, it proves that when it comes to anime, putting in lots of bishounen is roughly equivalent to putting in big-breasted girls: to attract fans by using sex appeal.

Anyway, in regard to Gundam Wing, I just can't see it. In that now-famous interview, Ikeda said that he couldn't write boy/girl relationships. Does that mean that Heero and Duo are gay? Hell no. Just because he admits that he can't do romance doesn't mean that he meant the guys to be gay. If anything, you can see major clues (like the gentle, caring way Heero treats Relena in Episode 48) that point to his being straight and in love with Relena. As for the other guys, Zechs and Noin are set (and how or why anyone could get them apart is beyond me...), Duo has Hilde, and Trowa and Quatre may not have anyone at the end of the series, but they're young. There's time for them to meet someone. When you get right down to it, the thing that probably annoys me the most about yaoi is how commonly it reduces the characters to blatant stereotypes. Whether Heero and Duo are normal, or their personalities are switched so Duo is brooding and Heero is cheerful, those are not the characters. The point of Gundam Wing (and Gundam as whole) is that the characters are fleshed out, well-developed, well-rounded characters. They don't always adhere to the stereotypes most people force them into. Heero's not emotionless, Duo's not on a permanent sugar rush, Trowa doesn't have a limited number of words per day, Quatre isn't a "flamer", Wu Fei isn't an arrogant sexist prick, Relena isn't an obsessive brat, and so on. If all someone can see in a character is the stereotype, then they should go back and watch the series with their eyes opened this time.

Also, on a minor side note, I don't understand how people can hate Relena. As a guy (yes, gasp, a male GW fan), I think she's quite attractive, intelligent, compassionate, dedicated and level-headed. The only reasons I can think why anyone would hate her is if they ignored all her character development and thought that the selfless young woman in EW was the same lonely girl from the first episode, or if they were just that jealous of her having Heero. Either way, those are bad reasons. People who needlessly hate on the Princess are blinding themselves to the fact that she's the real star of the show. ^_^

-Preventer Void

This makes for interesting reading, particularly for an adamant GW yaoi fan. This was nicely done, and I appreciate your acceptance of the yaoi fan-base as well as the non-yaoi fans. The only thing I will disagree on is your belief that the creators dont portray characters as gay. This isnt strictly speaking true, seeing as they arent officially STRAIGHT either. Personally I think that character's sexualities cannot be defined until they say as such or confess their love for another character, be they same sex or opposite. Still, I may be biased. My world spins off its axis if I see Quatre paired with anyone other than Trowa, and vice versa. But anyway, I think this rant was very corageous of you, seeing as the majority of GW fans are pro-yaoi.

-Bramblerose