I think he's mostly using that term to make him angry but it doesn't work because he's a good-spirited guy. Plus I think there's a 'lost in translation' aspect to it - old fashioned people or generally older men in ones extended family can be referred to in manga as "oji-san" or variations, which generally mean "uncle" or "old man." I wouldn't read so much into it.
Ive seen manga where a 28 yr old says something about being an old man. I got curious and started researching it a bit and its bc the Japanese culture has basically fetishized youth. New and young is attractive. I saw an interview with a Japanese politican who was talking about how Japan has fetishized youth and how they just outlawed possession of child porn. They only outlawed the production not that long before that. Manga/anime is exempt though. In Japan getting married happens extremely young as well. I also noticed that there's almost a reverse trend happening too. Just like how in America during the waif model period bbw appreciation started popping up in the culture; now I'm noticing a fetishizing of older men (I read yaoi so I'm not sure if it's in other genres but prob so). I wouldn't worry about it unless your in Japan bc in the west it's different.
Thank you for your answers, girls. So I guess there is this overall perception in Japan that in your late 20's-early 30's you are already old, and if you are not married with children, you are labeled as a 'good for nothing' human being, like it's the case with Etsuro here. That's pretty sad, the pressure from society must be enormous in that country, especially on women.
I usually don't take the things portrayed in manga seriously, I know it's mostly fiction, and I enjoy it for what it is, but some facts depicted in it are clearly based on a harsh reality that is hard to ignore... as Zoey said very well - the fethishization of youngsters.
About the reverse, with older men, I'm not sure I understand. Are you talking about fetishizing older man according to the yaoi criteria? Meaning men in their 30's? Or men older than 40-45?
I'm rather new to yaoi, and the oldest main character I read about was 39 years old - which according to the dictionaries, it's still a young age.... :))
Wow, looking at my thumbs down, it seems that many agree with the Japanese yaoi approach - 30 is old. I really pity those who have such an outdated thinking!
I totally agree with you about this whole issue! I'm approaching 30, and after all these years reading manga that look at people past the age of 28 as "old", I feel like I'M viewed as some kind of grandma (at least in Japan). And I'm thinking you got a lot of thumbs down simply because the majority of people on this site are probably teenagers, or in their early 20s. When I was younger I always thought being 30 meant you have kids and a nice house and a steady job....
Reality is a harsh bitch. lol!
Bu anyway, I've learned to kind of look past the way Japanese culture thinks about age when I'm reading manga. I realize they're different, and that's just the way it is. I personally think being in your 30s is still rather young!
most manga/anime fans (and most users on this site) are in their teens or early twenties. i'm also on the older end of the spectrum so i'm sympathetic to your indignation, but to most consumers of BL, 30 is old ... they don't realize how quickly it approaches, lol. don't take the downvotes to heart.
I think it's because of their age gap? Kyuta is far younger than Etsuro so he probably looks old to him.
Naono Bohra has uke's that are in their 40's and 50's. She has one where the vice principal who looks 45 or so is being raped by a 17 yr old student. I think it's an Asain thing. In China they have the left over women. If your not married by 30 it brings shame on your family and they put their daughters pictures up in a park with description looking for husbands for them. In Japan if you're not married by thirty it's considered odd as well. I love yaoi and I over aome of the Japanese specific aspects of it. Stuff that's missing from a lot of American m/m romance. I keep looking for the yaoi stuff I like in a story with some western sensibilities. Sometimes I just write them in my head. I've been daydreaming my perfect novel in my head since I was a kid anyways.
'Middle aged man/old man' at only 35 years old?? Wtf, are you kidding me?
As a 30 years old woman, I'm really turned off and pissed by the terms used to describe manga characters in their 30's, especially since they have nothing to do with today's reality. Maybe a 30-35 years old woman/man was considered old some hundreds of years ago, but that's definitely not the case anymore, unless Japan has still not emerged from the medieval period.
And I see some readers going along with that... Just so you know - According to Collins Dictionary, the middle age is usually considered to occur approximately between the ages of 40 and 60, while the The Oxford English Dictionary list middle age as 45-65.