Like most of the world, manga authors usually depict middle Eastern settings like this. The only thing that bothers me in the genre is that it lacks ACTUAL ppl of color but other than that it's a matter of separating fiction from reality.
I can separate fiction from reality, i just love criticizing fiction, i don't get why authors only want the "aesthetic" of the culture of people of color while denying our existence in that "aesthetic", it's racist
I don't like it either but I think if we continue having discussions about culture appropriation ultimately authors will catch up to that. I've been a yaoi reader for a lot of years and I have seen some changes in other areas, hopefully we will change this too.
Honestly it's hard to have patience for this stuff, why do i gotta wait for people to understand we are in fact human beings worthy of being written about
Seems kinda...orientalist