The History of Bishonen: Beautiful Men in Anime and Manga — Immortallium’s Blog

There are many reasons for the increasing popularity of anime and manga worldwide but an often overlooked cause for the rapid growth is the female market which is prominent in many countries and continuing to grow overall. Interestingly, one of the aspects that appeals to many women is “Bishonen”. Given this fact, I thought it might be interesting to look at the history of bishonen in anime and manga, the art-style of drawing beautiful men.

The concept of beautiful men is not a recent one and can be found throughout the history of East Asia. One of the most famous examples would be the wakashū, adolescent males who were “ sexually available to both men and women” who wore kimonos and were associated with many aspects of femininity such as flower arranging and makeup. Another aspect of Japanese culture that fed into what would become bishonen were Onnagata, male actors who would play female roles in kabuki theater. These actors were often young with feminine qualities who carefully studied female mannerisms and were also considered desirable by both men and women.

By the 1970s, mangaka began to be influenced by international male icons with feminine qualities such as glam rock legend David Bowie and Swedish actor Björn Andrésen. Andrésen’s appearance in particular was noted as being influential on bishonen artwork with a notable example being the characters of Year 24 Group member Keiko Takemiya.

Justin Sevakis argues that the popularity of bishonen in Japan has roots in various aspects of Japanese society. He notes that Japanese diet and etiquette results in many Japanese, particularly teenagers, being very skinny by Western standards with little to no fat. He also points out that Asians in general have less body and facial hair which results in Asians taking better care of their skin. This means that many ideal Japanese males feature many of the beauty tropes that Westerners associate with women.

While typically associated with series aimed predominantly at women such as shojo, yaoi and, to a lesser extent, josei, the bishonen art-style has spread throughout the mediums of anime and manga and it’s not uncommon to find many characters in shonen manga designed in this manner, partially to appeal to a female audience. It’s still quite uncommon to find bishonen in seinen and are more likely have attention drawn to them as a gag or a plot point when they do appear.

There is also a lot of discussion surrounding bishonen and issues with regards to gender and sexuality. While it’s true that bishonen in yaoi works are more likely to adopt feminine qualities and act submissively in homosexual relationships, many bishonen in typical manga unquestionably identify as males and retain their masculine identity.

The concept of bishonen is quite interesting and I’ve found it fascinating to examine the history and societal norms that have led to bishonen being so commonplace within the worlds of anime and manga. Let me know your thoughts on the history of bishonen and beautiful men in anime and manga in general, your thoughts on the concept of bishonen and any additional information you might have on the topic.

Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!

Originally published at https://immortalliumblog.com on January 25, 2021.