Owing to the small number of works published during this period and their generally tragic focus, "Yuri Shimai" has referred to the 1970s and 1980s as the "dark age" of "yuri". Several theories have emerged to explain the bias towards tragic narratives present in this period. Writer and translator Frederik L. Schodt notes that the majority of "shōjo" manga published during this period were tragic, regardless of whether or not they were "yuri". James Welker of Kanagawa University argues that these narratives represent a form of "lesbian panic", where the character – and by extension, the author – refuses their own lesbian feelings and desires. Verena Maser suggests that the decline of Class S removed the only context in which intimate relationships between women were possible, while Yukari Fujimoto suggests that patriarchal forces were responsible for tragic endings in "Crimson Rose and Candy" stories.