Here's an interesting question. What made you guys stopped reading straight romance manga ...

For me it was mostly because shoujo mangas are written horribly. I'm a feminist. No, not the kind that bashes men and tries to enslave them. Anyway, shoujo mangas depict women aa needing a man to care for her, protect her. No matter how strong willed or manly the female protagnist is, in the end, she REQUIRES a man to save her. That doesn't sit well with me. I always get really upset and irritated about it so I naturally diverted into ONLY reading yaoi. Every once in a while, I'd read a straight romance once or twice but that's it. I can't handle reading those for long.

I never read Shoujo or any other stuff than Yaoi to begin with, started it right off, got hooked and never had the desire to try other genres.
Even if I try reading Shojo now, it just bores me to death and I can't feel for the protagonists. I only get restless and wait for something useful to happen.
I read yaoi, because I like that it's romantic and hardcore, funny and twisted, perverted and straightforward and heartbreaking and comforting all at the same time.
I love all its facets and all the stuff that happens in my head and heart and body while reading.

I haven't stopped reading some shoujo yet, I just read more yaoi now. Some short 5-10 chapter shoujo will be perfect for me because you know how they get if it's like 50+ chapters. The plot is dragged and drama happens every day or something similar. There's always some conflict to stop the two from getting together when in the end, we know they're gonna be together. However, depending on the 5-10 chapter one or maybe shorter ones, sometimes the plot is bad or the content is just not good and no effort was put into the story. When it comes to shoujo, I just find it more difficult to find good ones that are short and concise, content that get to the point instead of all that other bull getting in the way. (this is my personal opinion of course. there's plenty of people who enjoy the drama and whatever. I just don't.) I guess the reason I started yaoi is because it's easier and faster and there's drama but it's solved quickly. Although there are yaois out there that are short and rushed, there's also some that are short but perfect. Also, another reason might be that you just have more guys to look at? and they're hot af so the more the merrier.

Only started reading Yaoi couple of months ago . normally i was reading Shojo or Yuri , mostly because i was in deny of my sexuality ( since i'm male ) , it's not that i hate gay or such but never believed myself one ..

In psychological terms for males , mostly because the way we most raised that should be male with female and such , so i denied the very idea that i get attracted to both sex , until i watched anime Super lovers , and had a break down after started reading the manga itself , took me about month to get back to my normal self , and came to accept myself as bisexual .. for me in males relationship it's unique , because it get much deeper than between ( male and female ) mostly because when the couple same sex gives more understanding , which makes the male easier to let their guard down unleashing their true inner self much more deeper than it would be with female , ( speaking still from male term and point of view ) , never easy to admit such , but also i stopped reading Shojo and Yuri , because i could never this unique term that would fully satisfy me , since also mostly built based on one culture Japanese , which doesn't also feel that would give the intensity or deep value that i feel love should have , the most close in terms of love i could find in shounen ai and Yaoi , i value above the depth of love that even words would lose meanings , and looks between eyes could explain much more than words would do , even it might seem deeper than what we can read in yaoi /shounen ai still the closest to such depth i can read find in both Yaoi / shounen ai

Really sorry for long explaining , i kinda skipped a lot since i didn't get deep in the subject , but wish you could find your answer in what i said or what other answers said : )

Hmm well, for me I've never stopped reading shoujo, I've only added Yaoi/Yuri to what I like to read. For me overly feminine "Uke"s don't sit well with me, and those shoujo protagonists who merely rely on the love interest to help them also, doesn't sit well with me, so it just balances it out? Since I'm so picky with both genres it makes a bigger space for me to find what I like, If that makes sense.

E x a c t l y how I feel. I can't stand how women are short changed in shojo (in a lot of manga).

Thank you for the long info. It's exactly what I've wanted to hear from some people as to why most stopped reading straight romance stuff and move towards yaoi or yuri. If one or the other genre clicks with you most, then it's that one particular genre that you probably can't put down and why that one genre makes most stories' interesting :) In my case, I like both. I read shounen, shoujo, seinen, & josei romance on some occasions, but they don't have the same feels as to yaoi or yuri. Yuri clicks with me a little bit, only on the romance side and that female characters don't look too moe cuz' that ruins it, but with yaoi, it clicks with me more and it actually makes my heart clenched up whereas straight romance doesn't do that for me.

Glad i could be some help . also about same gender romance , it's more easy to understand the deepest of the gender if love between couple same gender , male can get over the pride or ego issues with another male because it's much simpler this way , because when it comes to male with female , the male feels he need to hide his weaknesses and always to look strong front of a female , rarely showing any sign of weakness front of them . it's basic animal side as well , so when it comes to male with male this side of males can disappear making it easier to show all his inner deepest and darkest side since the partner is a male as well : ) , and i think something like that goes when female with female couples as well ..

as just advice :- Ego is just like a dust in the eyes . Without clearing the dust you can't see anything clearly . so clear the ego and see the world , that is the way i go even so i never let go of my pride ... sorry again made a long answer : )

I'm also the same way. When reading straight romance from shounen, shoujo, seinen, & josei for too long, you've somewhat lost all feelings to it. For me, when it comes to boy/girl couples, I don't feel anything from them unless the straight couples are unique in a way that they don't annoy you at some point. But when it comes to m/m or f/f couples, you get a different feeling of aspects from it and sometimes the m/m or f/f couples' stories make your heart clenched up and you can't stop reading about them. Basically as years passed by, I have become very picky with both genres where I have to look through the mangaka's work and read the synopsis very carefully where I don't get trick on what the story's really about. I don't mind the uke being a little bit girly, just not too girly that it's like reading a shoujo manga, except with a dick (hint: Lily Hoshino) :P As for the female lead like in First Love Monster I think, can't stand them like, oh my god.

I feel the same way. When reading shoujo or josei, I somewhat get a little irritated and annoyed at the stuff they do and almost always get misunderstood when they don't stick around to confront their love interest. With yaoi, not so much and have less irritation, especially on the uke's side of things.

for me, to see the uke that actualy is a men, being giving off his pride, and it'll also make them hurt because it is not basically for them to use,, so i think it is something like sacrifice,,,, and if the seme knows that, the seme will be overprotective to keep the uke stay with him, using gentleness, trick, even force,,,,,,
it will be perfect,,, thats my opinion(▰˘◡˘▰)

but i actually still read straight manga,
if yaoi i see it from sex and story, for straight i'll see it from the story,,,

That's ok. Most people need to hear these theories out so they can get a better understanding on why most people read the yaoi or yuri genre and why they step away from the straight romance stuff. Thank you for pointing out the stuff that needs to be said :) At least hopefully somebody writes an article, an essay, or a blog on these 2 genres. Definitely should be under psychological study.

Well it's your opinion true , but force or tricks means the love relationship was also built on lie , love is not only attraction , but also understanding and trust , if you wanna built something right , you have to start it the right way as well , because for tricks part , nothing stay hidden for long , and the force part , means you never saw as an equal but you see as a slave ... i know it's your opinion so it's up to you in the end to decide ..

You are welcome . kinda disagree about psychological study part , since interests or love interests shouldn't be studied , should be more accepted , the real freedom is to do or say anything you want as long as no harm would come to others , but making a case as psychological study means more that it's not accepted as normal interest or love interest ..

hahahahahaha youre right,,,, but "everything is fair in war and love" kekekekekekeke
but in manga yaoi, i think even when the first time the seme will have the uke using trick or force but the ending the uke will accept them heart-fully, cause he knows that it is because the seme love and want to protect them,,,,

and i forget what the word, i think TSUNDERE or something like that, when the seme will be a loving person only toward the uke, and will be a cold guy toward the others,,

this kind of thing i find more interesting in yaoi than straight,,, kukukukukuku ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶

Thank you all for your comments & opinions on your thoughts & interests on the subject matter that is yaoi and yuri. Hope to hear more on these 2 subjects and also; keep it coming guys. Love to hear more opinions of it since not many people never understood why these 2 genres would make most people read them. Like why do girls like yaoi or why do guys like yuri. Hence, psychological or perspective point of view, however you want to call it.

Me too!
I want to start whit other type of genres, but they are...I don't know I can't tell they are boring, because I haven't read them, but I don't feel like doing it.

SHOUJO?! ROMANCE?!
NO WAY!
I just can't stand them!
It's so annoying! And I hate how they draw the girls shorter /I know it's like that in the most cases, but still... / and defenceless and how much they need the male character! It makes me feel ashamed like a female! I don't want this! In the reality I have to deal with the boys who think the same way and I'm already fed up! I don't wanna see it and here, my once way from escape from the reality!

I don't know what made me read exactly Yaoi. I have never liked all this "love in the air " , "kisses and hugs " blah blah blah...
But I have never thought that I'll read about Homo romance! There was a time I "used to be " "homophobic" / not exactly.... /
I guess I have always been open-minded enough, so I can read it

This is a question, which made me think about it! Thank you!

Oh my God it's so annoying!
I thought that I'm the once who thinks this way.
And WHY???!
WHY do the mangakas draw the female characters this way?
WHY they have to be so weak?
WHY nobody hasn't thought of that? There are women out there who will NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES do the things which do the female characters! There are women and girls who don't give up! Who are strong! Who know that they need only themselves to survive! WHY I haven't read stories with a female character who is stronger that the boys , is smarter than the boys and knows she don't need them and don't fall in love with the quiet guy with long dark hair or the popular one with muscles... /OK, it may exist this kind of manga, but I haven't read, and if someone has -PLEESE I NEED NAME/S! /

Took the words out of my mouth. Especially when female characters in shoujo/josei in general act too naive, timid, clingy, whiny, etc. you name it. Cannot stand those types. I will never understand why most female characters like described up top were created that way. Now I know why I read yaoi and occasionally yuri to that stand. The point has been made.