Ryona
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The word ryona (リョナ, ryona, a portmanteau of ryōki ("seeking the bizarre") and onanī ("masturbation")) refers to a type of sexual fetish in hentai wherein a protagonist, usually female, is subject to physical or psychological abuse from an offender who is usually male. The term is mostly used in connection to Japanese culture, although the theme itself is seen in many other cultures.
The term ryona almost exclusively refers to the action of a woman being abused by a man. In a case where the target is male, it is more commonly called gyaku-ryona (逆リョナ, gyaku-ryona, "reverse ryona"). However, neither term is restricted to gender binary or heterosexual relationships. The genre focuses exclusively on fictional characters in these situations. In some cases, the perpetrator could be a monster or other non-human being.
The term is contrasted with sexual sadism and rape pornography, in that ryona is a voyeuristic fantasy fetish, a romanticized subgenre aimed at a female target demographic and are almost always of non-explicit sexual nature.
Description
Works in the ryona genre are usually depict two persons meet and develop a relationship with each other, which may begin or devolve into a state of hostility.
Examples
The nature of abuse can vary greatly, but it usually includes one or more of the following:
- Domestic violence and rape, and depictions thereof
- Inconvenient disruption of everyday life, such as being prevented attending one's job, or being embarrassed or rejected by friends and family
- Forced confinement and detention for extended periods of time
- Literal torture for extortion, confession, or simply for sexual gratification of the torturer.
- Being regarded and treated as property of another person
There are other minor variations of ryona including characters showing expressions of dizziness, fatigue or semi-consciousness in any form such as well known western tropes featuring "seeing stars" or "circling birds" which have been implemented in any sort of visual media: video games/TV shows/graphic novels/etc, ranging from slapstick, swirly eyes, to a simple game mechanic like a stun debuff or health bar dropping low.
People who enjoy these softcore sub-genres are sometimes mistaken for showing interest in any of the darker examples listed above; though not always the case, these other forms may abet this sub-genre, depending on the individual's ideal fetishistic fantasies.
References
Bibliography
- Mook, Sanwa (2013). 本当に正しいフェティシズム性的嗜好大事典 [Honto ni Tadashi Fetishizumu Seiteki Shiko Daijiten] [Really Right Fetish: A Taste of Large Dictionary] (in Japanese). Sanwa Shuppan. ISBN 9784776910701. OCLC 870402367.
