Discussion The Most Beautiful Boy In The World - The Influential Real Life Sad Bishōnen Björn Andrésen

What is a Bishounen?
Bishounen (Hiragana: びしょうねん; Kanji: 美少年), sometimes written as Bishōnen, is a Japanese term that roughly translates into “Pretty Boy” or “Beautiful Youth.” This word is used a little differently between Japan and English speaking countries, but it is always used to describe a certain type of character in anime, manga, and video games.

In Japan, Bishounen are male characters under the age of 20. Older characters would use the term Bidanshi (Kanji: 美男子), which means Handsome/Pretty Man. These characters often have a feminine physical appearance, but may still have manly traits such as physical strength and superb athletic ability. Characteristics often include long hair, slender eyes, no facial hair, and a slender body.

BLOG
https://www.novelupdatesforum.com/blogs/history-of-bishōnen-美少年-beautiful-youth-pretty-boy-in-context-with-japanese-culture.7745/

Sources about The History of the Bishounen:
https://www.hxchector.com/what-is-bishounen/
https://immortalliumblog.com/the-history-of-bishonen-beautiful-men-in-anime-and-manga/
https://www.tofugu.com/japan/bishounen/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishōnen
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Bishonen

Björn Johan Andrésen (born 26 January 1955) as Tadzio in Death in Venice (1971)


Drawn by Riyoko Ikeda


Lady Oscar (The Roses of Versailles)

Gilbert Cocteau (Kaze to Ki no Uta)


Reinhard von Lohengramm (Legend of the Galactic Heroes)


Dio Brando (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)


Griffith (Berserk)


Johann Liebert (Monster)


Tennoh Haruka / Sailor Uranus


Tamaki Suoh (Ouran Host Club)


Howl Jenkins Pendragon - Howl's Moving Castle


Vampire Hunter D

Alcucard (Castlevania - Symphony of the Night)


As you can see, the unique out of this world beauty of Björn Andrésen as a child/preadolescence had so much an huge impact on the world of Manga, Anime and Video Games.
But there is a historical portrait about Lucifer becoming the Devil after his fall from heaven that predates The Most Beautiful Boy In The World:

Fallen Angel by French Artist Alexandre Cabanel (1987)

I can't stop looking at these fascinating teary eyes........................................................................

The Most Beautiful Boy in the World - Official Trailer


The Most Beautiful Boy In The World - The Face behind Japanese manga

@dominikatomaszuk2095
I've read so many manga and watched so many anime, but I've never really been interested in who could serve as a prototype or model for a particular character. The image of B. Andrésen really inspired many manga artists back then, and I'm not surprised at all. He looked like an Angel lost on Earth... It is so sad that he himself has not had the opportunity to appreciate his outer beauty

"The Most Beautiful Boy In The World," Bjorn Andresen looks back 50 years later.

@coco-yf9ck
Giving away all you had, your beauty, your youth and above all: your innocence. His casting as second main character has -in my eyes - been a subtle kind of child molestation. His innocence was taken away from him without his realization. To be aware - only years later - that he was a sex object still being a minor is nothing but child molestation - no matter if it was physical or not. No wonder he feels emasculated and bereft of his personal rights.
@canko15
A little back story: the words he's saying were actually his mom's last words, which she left written on a paper before leaving home and committing suicide in the woods. Bjorn's mom had depression, which lead her to end herself while Bjorn was a little kid, and naturally this got Bjorn traumatized for a long time. It's like he was always alone, like there was nobody there to protect him (he didn't know his father) when he needed it the most (when he fell in Visconti's hands). All of this lead him to drugs and alcohol, addictions which later would contribute smh to Bjorn's son's death. Bjorn's life was pretty sad for the most part, as he felt alone, and invisible, just like his mom did. I would really like to meet him and give him a hug.

Why Anime Men Look So Feminine | The Story Of Bjorn Anderson "Most Beautiful Boy In The World"

Ever noticed how the large majority of anime men are drawn femininely? This is by no coincidence, and the likeness of 70's child actor Bjorn Anderson, has had a huge influence in shaping anime aesthetics and how men are drawn.
@zitronentee
Please note than even before Bjorn Anderson, Japan has something that's called 'Wakashu'. This is what I found : "Four hundred years ago in Japan, male youths, called wakashu, were the objects of sexual desire for women and men. Creating a third gender, wakashu looked different from both women and adult men and played distinct social and sexual roles." There is a wikipedia article about it.
Life of a Wakashu, Japan’s Third Gender (Male-Male Romance in Edo Japan)

https://daily.jstor.org/the-disappearance-of-japans-third-gender/
https://kabukimask.com/origins-of-kabuki/

Spoiler: Other YouTube Comments about the Bishounen Type

@monotheist_
Tbh i feel bad for Bjorn Anderson when he was heavily objectified at such a young age. His case remind me of Brooke Shields as well. It's sad that child actors in risks of constant sexual pressure without having respect of them merely as individuals.
@hannahbull
I find androgyny so attractive in men and women. But especially in men, I think a man being comfortable in leaning into more ‘feminine’ traits or styles is just very appealing.
@sfilipee
In K-Dramas the male protagonist is usually very feminine as well, extremely noticeable when next to other male characters.
@illarionbykov7401
@CarolineNiggAyaLee-Janet they are feminine from a biological point of view. Testosterone causes faces to be wider, jaws to be heavier, more prominent brows, larger muscles, larger and more protruding genitalia, etc. And men have much higher testosterone levels than women in the vast majority of cases.. These are biological characteristics which show up in every cultural and ethnic group of humans, so the world over, people have similar views of what looks feminine and what looks masculine. It is true that in some cultures, usually among the upper class in very civilized cultures, various feminine traits become valued in men, even in ancient Greece and among western European aristocracies where small genitalia and delicate hands and facial features were considered beautiful on young men. But whatever the fashion of the day may be, feminine features remain feminine features. It's a question of biology, not the whims of fashion.
@harfir7169
I love the point made at the start that women value emotional intelligence etc so much more than men understand. My BFF is dating a guy that shows he cares and doesn't make it seem like a hassle to stay in touch and to be honest, calm and vulnerable: and she is falling so hard because it's so rare to find a man like that!
@capitanmarmota8562
You didn't touch the last part "while retaining masculine traits" I think that the great appeal these characters have is in the combination of the feminine and the masculine which makes them feel more complete, like the yin is not divorced from the yang in them.

@princesseville6889
How did you forget to add that women see bishonen as less of a threat than Hypemasculine men? I mean, its nobodys fault, but some guys just naturally look meaner and more aggressive than others - which makes feminine men seem a safer option.
@Swagdonalds
Can you talk about the appeal of “tomboys” and why many people are attracted to women with masculine traits?
@matheussanthiago9685
I'd presume that one's simple to explain some hetero men love the idea of having a fun bro in a body they feel attraction towards
@MV-zp8yk
I think regardless of the actual gender both men and women have a certain percentage of feminine and masculine traits. It's an individual thing. Some men have higher percentage of masculine than the feminine traits. Some men have higher percentage of feminine traits. And some have it balanced somewhat 50% feminine , 50% masculine . The same thing applies to women. We all have it to some degree. But most people suppress it to fit society expectations. We all have the mix of both feminine and masculine traits, it just varies from person to person. The society wants us to show only one either masculine if you are a man or feminine if you are a woman. And its stressful for both genders to meet these unrealistic expectations. It's about setting yourself free, finding and embracing both sides of you. The most attractive people are the ones who know and who are according to this.
@wowwie6485
I'm from Asia, and although I'm not an East Asian, I can still kinda explain the reason why these "bishounen" men are often drawn with white, porcelain skin. First, in feudalism times, a farmer who had to work hard outside will have dark skin while the nobles, who could sit inside all day, will have lighter skin. This led to classism based on skin tones, and we're still affected by it. Second, it is also the effects of colonization from Western countries, plus Japan's homogeneity. As long as you're a foreigner, you can experience racism no matter your race, but POCs still suffer the most.
@SvenMarcusBjorklund
Same pale vs tanned skin classism existed in Europe, from feudal times to 19th/20th century. The term "blue blood" originated from aristocrats and royalties having so pale skin one could see their veins and arteries, which look blue rather than red. This started to change with industrialization, when workers were inside factories and offices, while the upper classes started to get outside to do amateur sports, travel, and be outside in general. When workers started to get paid vacations (at least in Europe) and even more so when air travel became affordable even to workers and lower middle class during the 1950s and 1960s, everybody in Europe suddenly wanted to get tanned. Then we discovered the ozone hole and skin cancer...
@dearrationals
Maybe masculinity and the "perfect man" is just viewed differently in different places and cultures. I read about the Wodaabe tribe where men wear make and adorn themselves to attract women. Some women prefer big beard Jason Mamoa types and some prefer more pretty boys like Kpop/K drama leads, or even a combination. People should just accept that humans are different and like different things. The in-depth analysis over stuff this is a bit weird to me.
@riorio9595
Kdrama and anime male leads usually have this dynamic character which makes them attractive and it's even more attractive because men like this don't exist in the real world lol. Combine all the positive aspects of both masculinity and femininity (and remove the negative ones) and boom! You've your ultra perfect male lead. The perfect male lead is usually ambitious, protective, dominant in his relationship and at work, but he's also gentle, respectful, understanding and empathetic. If women could create their perfect boyfriend at a laboratory, the result would resemble to a Kdrama/anime male lead lol.

What attracts me the most to these Bishounen Characters are their deep expressive mysterious sad eyes (eyeshadow).
There is somethig really authentically tragic about them.....
And not like these crazy psycho RoFan MLs with a typical sad backstory.
I personally feel more comfortable around fictional characters who are not typically agressive hypermasculine and visually overly muscular like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, Jason Momoa or any Marvel Superheroes.

QUESTIONS
What do you think about the Androgynous Bishōnen Archetype?
Do they appeal to you because they are more in touch with their feelings + feminine side and of their unconventional attractiveness & manhood?
Would you consider them as "Soft Boys", "Metrosexuals" or "Genderfluid"?
And is there such a thing as TRUE MASCULINITY?

 

these questions are not really good, honestly, because when we talk about other cultures and gender roles in them, we cannot measure them in terms of what gender roles exist in our society.

 

Very informative *nods*

 

Thanks!
Do you have any opinions on the Bishounen Archetype?

 

I want to capture all of them

 

To add to this.



It's diabolical. I don't want to say more on the topic. I know I'll get angry and ruin my mood for the rest of the day.

 

The Complex History of Pretty Boys in Anime (Bishōnen)

@MrQuantumIncvor
In the USA there are tons of men who insist women want hyper-masculine men; meanwhile the relatively androgynous Bishonen seem to be gaining in popularity. I have to wonder if the sudden popularity of K-pop is at least partly driven by a rejection of hyper-masculinity. While there is some home grown androgynous heart throbs it is often Japanese and Korean pop stars sporting Bishonen based looks; which is turn is apparently also traced to a situation where people, particularly women, suddenly became obsessed with the looks of a foreigner. It is almost as if the idea of an extremely attractive but androgynous man can only start with a foreigner.
@Chiibiavor
Its so fascinating to me how so many manga characters look like Bjorn Andersen. I was reading Mars by Fuyumi Soryo and the male lead, Rei, looks EXACTLY like Bjorn Andersen. This was a good twenty years after in the 90s. The idea that the looks of one person could influence a WHOLE GENRE'S male leads is insane to me.

Rei Kashino (MARS)

 

The Art of Ayami Kojima

 

Amon Saga


Howl Jenkins Pendragon - Howl's Moving Castle

 

Rei Asaka / Saint-Juste (Oniisama e.../Dear Brother) + Lady Oscar

 

Calla - The Dark Lord's Confession / The Demon King's Confession

 

Lady Oscar