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some info about bishounens...
A popular anime character type is the Bishonen, or "beautiful boy", affectionately called "bishies" by fans who are particularly into the type. He is typically tall, slender with almost no fat and little to no muscle, androgynously beautiful, and no body or facial hair. Some bishonen, like Hotohori from Fushigi Yuugi, can be mistaken for women; others are clearly males, but often have 'feminine' or androgenous physical traits, such as long hair. Bishonen can be found equally distributed between heroes and villains; bishonen villains often develop devoted followings among fans. Adult Bishonen are more appropriately called Biseinen (or Bidanshi), "beautiful man", although the term carries different connotations. *
The bishounen is by definition an adolescent, and thus permitted to be carefree and spontaneous, and is at a stage in his life where romantic flings are appropriate. The biseinen, as the embodiment of adult male perfection, is expected to be married (preferably with children), a respected member of the community, and dedicated to his job.
Originally, bishounen characters showed up mostly in shoujo and Boys Love, but since about the mid-90s it has become the default style for teenage boys and young men (especially protagonists) in pretty much any work looking for a cross-demographic audience.
There are generally two camps regarding these characters. One, mostly male but with many females, thinks that they look like women. The other, almost exclusively female, thinks that they are hot, and that to insinuate otherwise is a capital offense.
Bishonen with white hair are almost always villains, no matter how they initially seem.
Some female characters who crossdress as male — such as Ukyou from Ranma 1/2, Oscar from Rose Of Versailles, or Tenou Haruka/Sailor Uranus from Sailor Moon — are frequently mistaken for bishonen males and take advantage of it.
Bishonen are sometimes Yaoi Guys, but not always. And sometimes they are crossdressers, but again, not always.
Often comes with the Bishie Sparkle. Loads of bishonen in one show indicates a Blue Bishonen Ghetto.
Note that On This Very Wiki, Tropers often misuse the term Bishonen to mean "a really really attractive male", but it actually refers to only one specific type of attractiveness. The more general form is Estrogen Brigade Bait.
Subtrope of The Beautiful People. May be So Beautiful Its A Curse. See also Bishoujo, the Distaff Counterpart in appeal if not style, and Bifauxnen for ladies who conform a bit more closely to the bishounen esthetic. This trope in glasses is Stoic Spectacles.
The rough Western equivalent is the Metrosexual. Unless he's gay, then he's just a Twink.
Attempts to Wiki Word this will likely end poorly, so please remember that curly brackets are your friends. |
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Post time 30-3-2010 02:11 PM
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