^Yaoi has also always been a lot bigger than Yuri in general, even before Yuri on Ice (and well the anime adaption of Banana Fish). Way more of a seller, and the Fujoshi fandom is a way bigger force than anything Yuri fans have.
I don't think Yuri can currently compete with Yaoi in general, but I think in order to reach wider popularity levels Yuri needs some anime that aren't purely romance focused. I really love Yagate Kimi Ni Naru and Adachi To Shimamura, but they're both romance centric shows and I think it makes them more niche. Banana Fish is a crime drama with gay romance, and Yuri on Ice is a sports show with gay romance, so there is something there for viewers who aren't into the romance in both series. Which definitely helped with the popularity of both, because from what I know purely romance Yaoi often does very well but not nearly as well as those two.
It'd be cool if we got an epic sports anime with a lesbian romance, a crime drama, epic action fantasy, something along those lines. I don't think they'll be able to really compete with Yaoi still, especially the world wide popularity of Yuri on Ice, but I think we'd see a boon in popularity if Yuri anime branches into more genres. Only downside is the more popular something gets the more awful the fandom tends to get as well haha
Edit: Also something that really helped Yuri On Ice? Pro Ice Skaters were into the show as well, they spread word of mouth and did videos about it. The love from these celebs of the sports world really gave it reach even outside of anime fandoms.
last edited at Jul 5, 2021 2:22PM