I'm RJ. This website is here to document my 3rd year design thesis/passion project. I created Mel, an unusual character, to combine my favourite parts of feminine anime character design & the real life experience of being gay and non-conforming.
What is ⌜美中年⌟ BICHUUNEN?
What is
⌜美中年⌟
BICHUUNEN?
In Japanese, the word Bishounen means Beautiful Young Man. It comes from the root 美 (Bi, meaning Beautiful) and 少年 (Shounen, meaning Boy). This word is colloquially used to describe young men with an androgynous beauty which "transcends the bounds of gender".
If you watch Japanese anime, the Bishounen is a popular character archetype. Bishoujo (Beautiful Girl) also exists, though used less among international fans. Even less so, Biseinen (Beautiful Adult Man) and Bichuunen (Beautiful Middle-Aged Man).
My philosophy is that since youthfulness is upheld so much in society, we don't see enough older characters that get to practice androgyny and alternative expressions of beauty. Therefore, it's my mission to create things that deviate from expectations in good faith. Like Bichuunen —The Beautiful Middle-Aged Man.
About Mel
Mel Breathsbrooke is a 45-year-old man living in the Canadian suburbs with his daughter, Deb.
He’s a charismatic presence around his area, and his neighbours can always count on him to fix their car or throw a bangin’ backyard party.
What they may not know is that he has the power to transform into a powerful, magical version of himself…!
My Inspirations
Geikomi & Boys Love
I grew up reading a lot of Boys Love, stories and manga centered around gay relationships. This was one of the first ways I was really introduced to the concept of non-heterosexual relationships, and opened my mind to alternative expressions of romance and gender. Gay-themed manga has influenced not only this project, but my life and expression as a whole.
Mahou Shoujo
Mahou Shoujo, or Magical Girls, is a genre of stories about young girls who live ordinary lives by day, but can transform into super-powered heroes. Many young people grow up watching Sailor Moon, or Pretty Cure, etc. Though there have been recent additions of "magical boy" characters into the genre, it's always been about finding empowerment in fanciful, "girly" things.
Idols
Pop idols are musical icons— All of East Asia has a rich history of singers performing onstage either solo or in coordinated groups, usually with recognizable matching outfits. I took a lot of inspiration from kpop and anime idol fashion— asymmetrical skirts, frills and bows, contrasting sharp lines with flowy fabric.
Real Life Guys
Dudes Rock! A primary demographic of gay men in Japan are bears— men who are full-figured, muscular, fat or hairy. Here in the west, we can also imagine the stere otype of the "barbecue dad", a big middle-aged guy who wears button-ups, sports a beard, and throws it down on the grill.
My Target Demographic
First and foremost, this project is for me.
I'm a gender non-conforming guy, and I like to explore unconventional masculinity.
I've realized that the more involved in my personal experience with gender I get, the more I notice how limited masculine character design can be. Not just in anime, but everywhere!
Being online a lot, me and my friends enjoy playing with male character design influenced by our gayness and transness. It almost makes me forget how homogenous male character design is outside of my circle—so far. That's where I hope to come in and change things up!
My target demographic is very niche and under-developed, but it's there, and I'm a part of it, so I know what I'm doing!
Practical Uses
This project's aim is very niche, and thus was not intended to be marketable.
However, the development of mascot characters and IPs has a place in the market. Multimedia/game companies like Nitroplus (and subsidiary Chiral) make use of cute mascot characters, notably the iconic Super Sonico, and the more niche Aoba Seragaki.
Hobby-related companies such as Good Smile Company also deal with the design and production of character figurines!
