Okane ga Nai
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Okane ga Nai; No Money! |
| Abbreviation(s): | |
| Creator: | Shinozaki Hitoyo (writer), Kousaka Tohru (artist) |
| Date(s): | 2002-ongoing; anime 2007 |
| Medium: | Light novel, manga, anime |
| Country of Origin: | Japan |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Okane ga Nai is the story of Ayase Yukiya, who finds himself on sale at an auction run by human traffickers after being sold by his cousin. Out of nowhere, a man appears to save him, offering an absurd amount of money to purchase Ayase outright. However, the man (Kanou Somuku) is intent on getting Ayase to remember that they met once before, and until Ayase remembers, he refuses to release Ayase from his debt.
Kanou, a member of the yakuza, offers to let Ayase repay his exorbitant debt through sex, with each session being worth 500,000 yen. In his efforts to win Ayase's love, Kanou gradually allows Ayase more freedom like going to school and working a part-time job, and as the story goes on he seems more receptive to acting like a normal couple.
Reception
Okane ga Nai is an infamous yaoi series that, to its detractors, embodies every negative stereotype of the genre. It features a youthful, naive and feminine uke, a square-jawed, sadistic seme who is violently homophobic and transphobic, and copious amounts of rape portrayed as an unavoidable stepping stone on the path to true love. It has been mocked and criticized for its art, especially in the early volumes, as well as its characters and romanticized portrayal of what is essentially Stockholm Syndrome. Some fans favor a side character who shows interest in Ayase's well-being as a potential alternate love interest.
Thanks to its anime adaptation being translated by aarinfantasy, Okane ga Nai was somewhat popular among English-speaking yaoi fans back in the days when little yaoi/BL content was available in English. Though the series is still ongoing, its fandom has more or less evaporated and it's now remembered chiefly in jokes about the concept of yaoi. The authors have published numerous doujinshi side stories, as well as a spinoff called Henshin Dekinai, in which two side characters navigate a healthier relationship that places much more value on consent than the main series.
The series is sometimes cited as an example of yaoi created by men, in attempt to defend the genre from accusations of fetishization. However, this seems to be based entirely on the fact that the creators were at one point listed as "Male" on Baka-Updates Manga. Both creators have masculine pen names, but no information about their gender is available in Japanese. Okane ga Nai's publishing style and aesthetic adhere much more closely to female-led doujin culture than to male-led hentai culture. As of 2021, the creators' gender on Baka-Updates had been changed to Female.