Line #405 Main/Bishonen


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5	[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shot285.png]]]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350:Tamaki Suoh: [[SoBeautifulItsACurse so pretty it hurts]].]]
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8	->''"What a pretty little girl! I do like 'em pretty! But look at this boy, he's even prettier!"''
9	-->-- '''Ultros''' (regarding Noel Kreiss), ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2''
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15	A popular Asian character type, the ''bishōnen'', or "[[PrettyBoy beautiful boy]]", is a male character that possesses [[AmbiguousGender androgynous]] or "feminine" physical traits. He is usually tall, slender with almost no fat and little to no muscle, and [[PermaShave no body or facial hair]]. Large, expressive eyes are almost a given, though TsurimeEyes are also common in more serious examples. In anime, many ''bishōnen'' have [[CrossDressingVoices female voice actors]], although those that don't will instead get [[VocalDissonance startlingly deep]], sexy voices. It is not uncommon for those at the more feminine end to [[DudeLooksLikeALady be mistaken for women by other characters]], or for savvier examples of the type to take advantage of such an assumption.
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17	''Bishōnen'' can be found equally distributed between heroes and villains; ''bishōnen'' villains often develop [[DracoInLeatherPants devoted followings]] among fans. ''Bishōnen'' with [[HairColors white hair]] are [[WhiteHairBlackHeart almost always villains]], no matter how they initially seem.
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19	The broader equivalent to this trope would be the PrettyBoy, which covers similar territory in terms of raw attractiveness but can be older and doesn't necessarily cross any androgynous line. Indeed, the PrettyBoy is often an accusation of being [[TheDandy too attentive to their own appearance]], whereas the Bishonen just rolls out of bed looking like they do.
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21	In the English fandom, the term ''bishōnen'' simply connotes "[[PrettyBoy a really, really attractive male]]", but in its original usage, it refers to a specific type of attractiveness that is found in adolescents. The cutoff for bishōnen in the strict sense is around 20 years old. Beyond this age, the Japanese describe male attractiveness through terms like ''biseinen'' or ''bidanshi'' ("beautiful man") or ''ikemen'' (roughly "good-looking guy"). [[FanNickname The affectionate English fandom shorthand]] "bishie" bypasses the lexical issues somewhat. Examples of both ''bishōnen'' and ''biseinen'' should be placed on PrettyBoy. Likely to have drawn on a {{moe}} aesthetic when they were younger.
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23	The comparable Korean concept is ''kkot-minam'' ("flower pretty boy").
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25	The appearance and behavior of the archetypal ''bishōnen'' is often used to explore sexuality and gender norms. Thus, guys in the YaoiGenre have a tendency to be this.
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27	Originally, ''bishōnen'' characters were the province of {{shoujo}} and {{Boys Love Genre}}s, but since [[BishonenJumpSyndrome the mid-90s]], it has become the default style for teenage boys in pretty much any work looking for a cross-demographic audience. Since more modern anime and manga are overwhelming geared towards appealing to both men and women in this respect, a large majority of virtually all mainstream works will feature at least one ''bishōnen'' character, if not more. Also, the farther ''bishōnen'' characters disseminate from their source genres, the less likely it becomes that there will be in-universe mention of their androgynous looks/attractiveness.
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29	OlderThanPrint, since ''Literature/TheTaleOfGenji'' frequently describes Genji himself as one. Often comes with the BishieSparkle. If all the guys are ''bishōnen'' without many women to balance them out, you've got yourself a CastFullOfPrettyBoys.
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31	[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Do not confuse with]] DudeLooksLikeALady; while some Bishōnen may be androgynous enough to look like ladies, not all Dude Looks Like a Lady count as Bishōnen. If the boy, in particular, is more girly cute than androgynously handsome, they probably don't count as Bishōnen.
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33	Related to RuleOfGlamorous. The LongHairedPrettyBoy is a standard ''bishōnen'' design.
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35	Contrast {{Gonk}}, TheGrotesque, and PuniPlush. Also, contrast {{Hunk}} which can nonetheless cross over with this trope, such as for Vega from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'', as well as {{Bara}} which is similar to {{Hunk}} but it has a good amount of [[BigBeautifulMan fat somewhere]]. Pretty girls are known as ''{{Bishoujo}}'' ("beautiful girl"), but the aesthetics of bishoujo are different, typically emphasizing cute, petite femininity rather than sleek androgyny. See {{Bifauxnen}} for ladies who conform a bit more closely to the ''bishōnen'' aesthetic. Not to be confused with the BishonenLine.
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37	See PrettyBoy for examples.
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40	!Please do not add examples to work pages ([[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1646922313052598000&page=4 anymore]]), this merely [[Administrivia/DefinitionOnlyPages defines the term]]. %%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1646922313052598000
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Context Main / Bishonen