Pure Love, Deferred Intimacy
Hwang, Hyeseon
Pure Love, Deferred Intimacy - 2026.
3
This paper examines how “pure love” narratives—intense emotional bonds without physical consummation—have emerged as a convergent theme across East Asian pop cultures (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong) and how they intersect with persistently low fertility rates. Drawing on case studies from Japanese film, manga/anime (Otoko wa Tsurai yo; City Hunter; Your Name), Chinese BL fiction, and Korean dramas, the study argues that these narratives both reflect and reinforce shifting gender scripts, herbivore masculinity, and women’s renegotiated social roles. Through comparative content analysis and secondary demographic data, it maps a feedback loop wherein pop-cultural imaginaries of love decouple romance from reproduction, contributing to demographic decline. Theoretical foundations include Henry Jenkins’s convergence culture, the concept of “no’nai ai”/jun’ai, and the author’s notion of gendered melancholia.
Pure Love, Deferred Intimacy - 2026.
3
This paper examines how “pure love” narratives—intense emotional bonds without physical consummation—have emerged as a convergent theme across East Asian pop cultures (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong) and how they intersect with persistently low fertility rates. Drawing on case studies from Japanese film, manga/anime (Otoko wa Tsurai yo; City Hunter; Your Name), Chinese BL fiction, and Korean dramas, the study argues that these narratives both reflect and reinforce shifting gender scripts, herbivore masculinity, and women’s renegotiated social roles. Through comparative content analysis and secondary demographic data, it maps a feedback loop wherein pop-cultural imaginaries of love decouple romance from reproduction, contributing to demographic decline. Theoretical foundations include Henry Jenkins’s convergence culture, the concept of “no’nai ai”/jun’ai, and the author’s notion of gendered melancholia.
Réseaux sociaux