A Bishi is…
Well, that depends, really.
A bishi in general is a pretty boy, a male character with huge amounts of fangirl appeal. The appeal comes from their their prettiness, mostly – they’re usually drawn with effeminate features and pretty hair, and their effeminacy can surpass that of the female characters, but they’re still physically male. The appeal also comes from their personality, their role in the story, and their past. They tend to be emotional, often with angsty pasts. Often they’re mentally and emotionally complicated.
I say ‘often’ and ‘tend to’ because it’s impossible to find a set of attributes and say “this makes a bishounen”. In a broad fangirl sense, any male character you like is your bishounen. He can be simply drawn, with a simple past and personality, and utterly masculine, but if you like him, there’s no rule saying you can’t claim him as one of your bishi.
As far as actually designations go, however, bishi fall into a few categories.
Biseinen – pretty adult boys, college age or higher.
Bishounen – pretty middle and high school boys.
“Bishounen” is the catch-all term usually used, the one with which most people are familiar. A lot of amine, especially ones imported to and broadcast in Ebglish speaking countries, star middle or high schoolers, and so it’s usually the most applicable term. It isn’t always technically correct, but no one is likely to start a fight if it’s used to describe all pretty boys.
Bishota – pretty younger boys, primary school or lower.
Tags: yaoi resources