Onedari sharemate bishounen series#

His appearance in the 1971 film Death in Venice as an adolescent boy inspired shoujo artists like Takemiya Keiko of Hana no Nijūyo-nen Gumi (花の24年組). Others believe that the Swedish actor Bjørn Andresen influenced contemporary bishounen aesthetics. Some speculate that the glam rock genre in the 1970s inspired androgyny. There were also non-Japanese influences that could have affected the bishounen aesthetics. During the Meiji Period in 1867, the word wakashuu was replaced with shounen due to its perverse connotation. The ban against female kabuki actresses eventually failed to prevent social degradation. This was done to prevent prostitution and quarrels for the actresses’ affection. Wakashuu (若衆) or adolescent boys who portrayed women in kabuki are called onnagata (女形) or oyama. The cultural concept of bishounen appeared during the 17th Century. Some of the occurring themes of Chigo Monogatari were tragic endings and forever youthful lads. Chigo monogatari would either depict erotica or incite enlightenment under the guidance of Buddhism. Those proses depicted a pederastic romance between a Buddhist monk and his youthful attendant. One of the earliest Japanese literary genres about bishounen was Chigo Monogatari (稚児物語) or Tales of Acolyte Children during the Muromachi Period around 1336. The poem (飮中八仙歌) Inchuuhassenka or Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup by Du Fu included bishounen in one of its lines (宗之瀟灑美少年) or roughly translated as “Zong Zhi is a dashing and beautiful young man.” There are also words associated with bishounen, except each of them are categorized by age: 美正太 ( bishouta) or beautiful pre-pubescent boy, 美青年 ( biseinen) or beautiful man, and 美中年 ( bichuunen) or beautiful middle-aged man.Īccording to Web Kanbun Taikei (Web漢文大系) or Web Chinese Literature, bishounen existed during the Tang Dynasty around 618 A.D. The original Japanese meaning of bishounen was “beautiful child” for both genders.

Onedari sharemate bishounen series#

Some examples of series with bishounen characters are Fushigi Yuugi, Saint Seiya, Saiyuki, The Prince of Tennis, Vampire Knight, and Uta no Prince-sama.īishounen (美少年) comprises of two kanji: 美人 ( bijin) or beautiful person, and 少年 ( shounen) or young man. Japanese media and popular culture over the decades are filled with bishounen characters. Older bishounen characters have narrow eyes with long eyelashes, as well as tall and slender bodies. Younger bishounen characters tend to have wider eyes and a child-like appearance. They also relate to bishounen characters because of their sense of feminine aesthetics. Female fans are enamored by their ambiguity and beauty regardless of their roles. He can be assigned as the main protagonist, supporting character, rival, or antagonist. A bishounen can either assume or reject gender roles. Unlike the Western ideal of masculinity, bishounen is more feminine, youthful, and angelic. Bishounen is a Japanese word referring to a young man possessing androgynous beauty.