Where the (pretty) boys are ...

The Malaysian Star looks at the wild popularity of those tall, slender bishonen ("beautiful boy") characters in manga and anime:

Although bishonen are objects of fangirls’ obsession everywhere, some have even gained a loyal following among guys for being macho and wielding kick-a** weapons.

Some bishonen are adorable in their naiveté and child-like behaviour. Many are simply charming – perfect gentlemen with shy smiles and quiet intelligence. Most are mysterious, powerful and sexy, with dark pasts.

The part they play is crucial; many mangaka try to include at least one bishonen in their work to rope in female readers. Bishonen are not just eye candy; they are characters that provide necessary conflict, mystery and intrigue. (Oh, who am I kidding, one of their main goals is to just look great!)

The writer, Pauline Wong, then goes on to detail some of her favorite bishie, from warrior/heroes like Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children (pictured) and Kenshin Himura of Rurouni Kenshin to anti-heroes like Genjo Sanzo of Saiyuki and Shinomori Aoshi, also of Rurouni Kenshin.

Wong also tosses in a few bishie villains, such as Sephiroth of Final Fantasy 7 and Ichimaru Gin of Bleach.