![1boy artist_name ass astolfo_(fate) back bishounen black_bow black_ribbon bow boxers braid buttoning copyright_name fang fate/apocrypha fate_(series) from_behind hair_intakes hair_ribbon holding_shirt leopardtiger long_braid long_hair male_focus motion_lines multicolored_hair no_pants numbered pink_hair purple_eyes ribbon school_uniform shirtless simple_background single_braid skin_fang solo streaked_hair toned toned_male underwear underwear_only white_background rating:s score:5 post #3487187](/cdn_image/preview/82/72/8272cd2cf768fe206fc5d80e59a76bc7.jpg)
Bishōnen (美少年, also transliterated bishounen), is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth (boy)". The equivalent English concept is "pretty boy".
The term describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in Asia: a young man whose beauty (and sexual appeal) transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation.
Bishōnen are usually drawn delicately, with long limbs, silky or flowing hair, and slender eyes with long eyelashes that can sometimes extend beyond the face. The character's "sex appeal" is highlighted through introducing the character by using an "eroticized" full page spread.
Bishōnen characters are fairly common in manga and anime; a heavy number of male characters show subtle signs of the bishōnen style, such as slender eyes or a feminine face.
There also exists an older variant: ''biseinen'', who have the same pseudo androgynous beauty, but are older than the "shonen" category (that is, older than 18).
The following tags are aliased to this tag: bishounens and bishonen (learn more).