Bishounens

Bishōnen (美少年, Bishōnen? also transliterated bishounen (help·info)), is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth." It describes an aesthetic widely shared in Asia—a young man whose beauty (and sexual appeal) transcends the boundary of sex. Recently, it has shown strongest manifestation in Japanese pop culture, but it has roots in ancient Japanese literature, the homosocial and homoerotic ideals of the medieval Chinese imperial court and intellectuals, and Indian aesthetic concepts carried over from Hinduism, imported with Buddhism to China.

Today, bishōnen are very popular among girls in Japan. Reasons for this social phenomenon may include the unique male and female social relationships found within the genre. Some have theorized that bishōnen provides a non-traditional outlet for gender relations. Moreover, it breaks down stereotypes surrounding effeminate male characters. These are often depicted with very strong martial arts abilities, sports talent, high intelligence, or comedic flair, traits that are usually assigned to the hero/protagonist. Typically, bishōnen are depicted with either outright homosexual content or some level of sexual ambiguity in their relationships and sexual identity, though in increasing instances in anime and manga, such as Fruits Basket, o Trinity Blood, Weiss Kreuz, Slam Dunk, Fuushigi Yuugi, Angel Sacntuary, Hana Kimi, Gensomaden Saiyuki, Hana Yori Dango, Tennis no Ohjisama, etc. bishōnen are completely heterosexual .