Point - Matt

To be fair, bishounen are not your average nancy boys. Some of them are wimpy, piano-playing sensitive types, sure, but other bishounen are certifiable ass-kicking machines able to wield both a sword and a can of mousse with equal aplomb. The bishounen label has nothing to do with personality or sexual orientation - it simply describes a physical type. In fact, most bishounen are represented as virile heterosexuals, the objects of female lust. Think animated Leonardo DiCaprios. Bishounen characters could just as easily have been drawn as hairy, hulky, Magnum P.I. types - their feminine looks have nothing to do with their sometimes studly personalities.

Which brings us to the question of the week: What are these freaks doing on my TV screen? If bishounen could have been drawn with more masculine, less annoying and far less confusing features, why weren't they? If this were Naomi Wolf's column, she might tell you that bishounen are an expression of a feminist ideology. If a boy can be tough, smart and have a flawless complexion, then the same can be true for girls (and often is in the world of anime). And by representing womanly body types as sexually appealing to women, bishounen encourage girls to have a positive image of their own female sexuality. You know, latent lesbianism, etc. That is what Naomi Wolf might say.

But that would be a mountain of bullshit. Bishounen are in these movies because some people actually want to see them. Like who, you say? Well, certainly not me. Not all bishounen are gay, but any guy who wants to watch bishounen probably is ( a butchy kind of gay, to be sure, but gay nonetheless). No, the presence of bishounen on my TV can be attributed to a single, tsunami-sized source of bad taste: adolescent girls. Yes, the same people who gave us pager codes and boy bands also have an unquenchable thirst for big-haired bishounen. Think about it: bishounen sightings are concentrated in movies and series aimed at a young, stupid, female demographic. And when you see bishounen in a more intelligent, adult, man-type movie, it's probably just a concession to the same young, stupid, female demographic.

Why do young girls love bishounen? Two part answer: First, they're cute. And we all know what happens when thirteen-year-olds get around some Sanrio. Second, biology. Bishounen are like training bras. They help ease the awkward transition from childhood into full fledged sexual stupor. Adolescent girls are beginning to become attracted to men, but they are too young and inexperienced to enjoy the raging testosterone of a genuine silverback - someone like, oh, me for instance. So they cut their teeth on a non-threatening version of male sexuality, something strong and manly but gentle and more familiar...bishounen. It's the natural order of things. Granted, some adult women still dig the bishounen, but they are in a state of arrested erotic development and may also have severe penis envy. Bottom line, ladies: pin up your posters of bishounen if you must, but when you're ready to step up to the plate and take a swing in the big leagues...I'll be waiting... (Matt Yamashita)

Counterpoint - E.W.C.

That's what I would like to say and have the whole thing been done with, but my editors want me to make some kind of point. Truth is, it really bothers me that the very first topic to blast off the he said/she said column (…rather point-counterpoint because we don't want this to be sexist, now) has to deal with gender roles and sexuality. Bishounen-how original. It doesn't take a genius to figure out where this one's going? The guy is going to dismiss bishounen as a batch of pretty boys and the girl is going to say how sweet and sensitive and sexy bishounen can be. Ho-hum. Riveting literature triumphs again!

It is not my intention for this piece to venture into a battle between the sexes, but I cannot help but take Matt's column as a personal attack. What should have been a simple commentary on bishounen characters on his end has turned into an unsubstantiated conjecture on the female sexual appetite. As a woman and bishounen lover (not to mention an avid collector of shounen ai material) I could not help but notice that once again my gender's sexual tastes are put under speculation. Women cannot have carnal instincts without being categorized as virgins, whores, or frigid lesbians. And of course, those of us post-adolescent women who get flushed in the cheeks when watching a Touga from "Shoujo Kakumei Utena" or a Nuriko from "Fushugi Yûgi" must suffer from some stunted or dysfunctional sexuality.

Okay, I admit it. I was one of those annoying teenage girls who taped every episode of General Hospital just to catch a glimpse of John Stamos; who screamed when she saw her favorite boy band on television; who bought all of Michael Jackson's records. And when I finally realized I didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of wooing the members of New Kids on the Block, I opted for the next best thing-the boys at school. Corny, you say? Hell, yes, but such is the life of a teenage girl. And like all little girls…I grew up. My taste in music may have changed, but I will always gravitate towards "pretty boy" men.

You're right, Matt: bishounen characters exist because women want to see them. You're damn right I want to see them! But I want to see cute anime boys because I am a hormonally charged romantic. Japanese female artists have translated the fantasies of girls' blossoming sexuality into pop culture's updated depiction of youth, vigor and manliness-the bishounen. And I can say, as the only woman in this column, my attraction to bishounen stems more from nostalgia from days of budding, young love. I identify with the youthful sensibilities of the heroine and relate to her blossoming sexuality. The "guy of her dreams," with long, lithe muscles, baby face features and flowing, unruly hair, is a vision of youth on the verge of manhood. The softness of his features is a consequence of his youth with which she identifies, and the combination of youth and beauty and dynamic personality is a seductive lure for any starry-eyed girl. Certainly nothing emotionally askew about that! Therefore, I have every right to see these beautiful men as any man has the right to see teenage girls' underwear-a notorious anime and manga signature--or any bimbo that's ever graced Top Cow's comic book titles. But, if we have to make a point of the immature lust of adolescent girls, then let us not exclude the immature lust of adolescent boys which remains the immature lust of grown men.

Now I could say that men's attraction to large breasts is a regression to their days of infancy. Yes, I could say that, but without any extensive research in human sexual development I would just be talking out of my hairy, over-inflated ass.

So, let us focus solely on Matt's problem with bishounen. They scare him, as I suspect they would scare any macho bolstering heterosexual male. They don't look manly enough he says. And though Matt and I both agree that the physical traits of bishounen do not in any way denote effeminate tendencies, they confuse him by blurring the lines of male and female representation. Perhaps Matt and his brethren who share his opinion should re-evaluate their own sexual inhibitions, lest they beat themselves up for focusing on those tight trousers too intently.

I, on the other hand, can assure you that I don't suffer from fear of the almighty penis and my sex drive is purring quite nicely, thank you very much. I can appreciate all men from the small and meek to those basked in beer guzzling, furry-knuckled glory. So, allow me to let you in on a little secret, my friend. No woman in her right mind is holding her breath for Kurama, or Tamahome. Then again no one's holding her breath for a chest-pounding, ass-scratching primate either. In case you haven't noticed, Tarzan, we're not in the jungle anymore. And as for your offer… (E.W.C.)