Whether cannon or not, yuri makes lesbian relationships look like the best thing ever. I'm well aware that in real life every relationship is subject to pitfalls and is not the apogee of flowery romance most commonly associated with this genre. Nonetheless, it's hard for me not to appreciate and feel a small inkling of happiness whenever I see a good portrayal of a yuri couple.
I'm guessing yaoi fans must feel roughly the same. Yaoi's nice too, but it just doesn't do it for me as much as yuri does. (And no, it needn't be on ice.)
That last addition is perfect!
And I'm with you on yaoi, and to a lesser extent yuri, it's nice to see variety, and in animes and manga yaoi and yuri aren't beating the same trope of "girl fragile and generally misadapted/stupid, guy's average but in comparison he looks good". (there are exceptions, Yuki and Yuno are maybe insane but a great couple, plot-wise).
I will say about the trope thing, I loved what Princess Jellyfish did with it. The girl is a nerdy hikikomori, but behind her anxiety she turns out to be pretty stable emotionally. The dude is rich, hot, a player, and a REALLY good cross-dresser, but underneath the hood, he is a hot mess. He brings out her confidence a little; she kind of makes him aware he needs to deal with his shit.
I'm guessing yaoi fans must feel roughly the same. Yaoi's nice too, but it just doesn't do it for me as much as yuri does. (And no, it needn't be on ice.)
And I'm with you on yaoi, and to a lesser extent yuri, it's nice to see variety, and in animes and manga yaoi and yuri aren't beating the same trope of "girl fragile and generally misadapted/stupid, guy's average but in comparison he looks good". (there are exceptions, Yuki and Yuno are maybe insane but a great couple, plot-wise).