Ranma ½ was one of Rumiko Takahashi's finest masterpieces in anime. It is my all-time favorite anime series. It is very funny along with some great fight scenes. Ranma ½ is also a great romantic anime series. This blog post is just a little look at this great series. Maybe after reading this post, you'll become a fan as well.
This blog label features topics or elements related to anime and/or manga. Such posts may include reviews of anime and manga series, shows, movies, characters, or some basic commentary on anime and manga.
--- Ranma ½ at a Glance ---
^ from: www.sweetslyrics.com - Various characters of Ranma ½.
The story of Ranma ½ is basically centered around a high schooler named Ranma Saotome. He and his father, Genma, were out martial arts training in China in an area full of many cursed springs. Falling into any of these springs turns you into whatever drowned into it. The curse takes form when splashed with cold water. When splashed with hot water, you return to your original form. Unfortunately, Ranma and Genma both fell into the springs. Genma turns into a giant panda when splashed with cold water. Ranma, however, becomes a girl when splashed with cold water.
Ranma Saotome is met by the Tendo sisters, as Ranma has to pick one to be his girlfriend- Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane. Kasumi is the eldest of the Tendo sisters and is very sweet-natured. Nabiki is the sly and sneaky sister always trying to make quick cash. Akane is gentle and sweet... until you get on her bad side or complain about her cooking skills. Ranma eventually chooses Akane Tendo. The two get along quite well... most of the time.
What I love most about the Ranma series are the fights. Most importantly, the battles between Ranma and Ryoga. Ryoga is my favorite character of all. He is a strong fighter, but he's... dumb. Ryoga is known as the "eternally lost boy" for a reason. What can be reached within walking distance takes him hours and weeks. He is an idiot... but, he can fight!
Various Characters.
There are also some other characters of note. I'll name a few of them. • Soun - the Tendo family father. • Ukyo - okonomiyaki chef. She's mistaken for a boy. • Shampoo - Shampoo is a super-cute character. She loves boy-type Ranma and detests girl-type Ranma. Shampoo turns into a cat when splashed with cold water. • Tatewaki Kuno - the "Blue Thunder" of Furinkan High is a rival of boy-type Ranma, but madly in love with girl-type Ranma. • Kodachi - Kodachi is Tatewaki Kuno's sister, and is known as the black rose. She's as big of a nut as as Kuno. • Happosai - a perverted and short old man notorious for stealing womens' panties.
In addition to the various TV episodes of Ranma ½, there have been countless other installments of Ranma that are all equally funny. Some of the other installments include Ryoga learning the Breaking Point technique- a technique where large rocks could be broken with a single point. There was also an episode where Ranma and company had to fight a legendary phoenix that was going haywire around Tokyo. Also unique were various martial arts competitions in unlikely situations, including martial arts figure skating (very funny episode!) and even a martial arts running race. There is NEVER a dull moment watching Ranma ½. It is a fantastic anime series and one of the true classic anime series.
I tried to find a brief video to showcase Ranma ½, but I was unable to find one for you. To see YouTube videos on the Ranma ½ series on your own time, click on the following link to see "Ranma 1/2" YouTube search results.
Play DVDs? Want to get into the Ranma ½ series? Check out these Amazon items and feel free to enjoy the Ranma ½ series:
THIS LINE (left to right): • Ranma 1/2: Season One: The Digital Dojo; TV Anime Season 1 DVD Box Set (2006) • Ranma 1/2, Season 2-Anything Goes Starring Ranma 1 and 2 (2007) • Ranma 1/2: Season Three - Hard Battle (2007) • Ranma 1/2 Season 4 - Outta Control Starring Ranma 1/2 (2007) • Ranma 1/2: Season 5 - Martial Mayhem Starring Ranma (2008)
I can't find any good Ranma videos to show on John's Blog Space. However, I do want to shout out to my tomodachi ("friend" in Japanese) Yuki singing two Ranma ½ songs. The first one was the first I had seen from roconamente, and another was a more recent Ranma cover done by roconamente:
Megumi Hayshibara is a true heavyweight of anime. Her resumé is a who's who of various anime series as well as a handful of great songs by her. It almost seems like she's been in everywhere in anime and elsewhere. The (born March 30, 1967)-year old native of Tokyo, Japan just makes you wonder- is there anything in anime or music you HAVEN'T done? This blog post is about anime staple and heavyweight... the one, the only, Megumi Hayashibara.
--- Megumi Hayashibara ---
This was the best I could find to introduce you to Megumi-san:
^ from: www.askactor.com - Megumi Hayashibara basically ruled the '90s (and even the 2000s) in anime and anime music- she was seemingly EVERYWHERE!
Megumi Hayshibara has lent her voice to many songs and media. That even includes her work in the Ranma 1/2 series (which is my all-time favorite anime) among MANY other roles. I have even heard a lot of Megumi's musical work as well. A number of songs compliment some of the many different anime and video game series she's involved in. When away from her many singing and voice acting roles, she's a fully-registered nurse. According to what I read, she was never hired as a nurse for any position. Megumi also used to be a DJ while in nursing school. However, her career didn't last very long as a DJ despite having her own radio show. She's even authored a manga biography called "Megumi-Toons," but the artwork was done by someone else. To all the petite ladies who may be reading this- she's one of yours! Megumi Hayashibara stands all of 5'1"!
Megumi Hayashibara: Voice Overs.
Megumi has taken on many roles. I will name only so many of them because she has taken on so many roles, so here are some of the different roles and characters she has lent voices to:
[Some of] Megumi's many voice roles (sources: Anime News Network, IMDb, and Wikipedia) * Ranma Saotome in "Ranma 1/2"(when Ranma is a girl) * Rei Ayanami of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" * Momoko Sakurayama of "Patlabor: The TV Series" * Musashi/Jessie (of Team Rocket) in the "Pokémon series ("Team Rocket's blasting off again!" *ding* ^_^) * Faye Valentine of Cowboy Bebop (LOVE Cowboy Bebop!) * Haruka Urashima in "Love Hina" * Diddy Kong in the Japanese version of "Donkey Kong Country" (I didn't know that) * Fukumen, Genkai (young) from "YuYu Hakusho" * Lina Inverse from "Slayers" * Hello Kitty in "Hello Kitty Ringo no Mori no Fantasy" * Latias, Gardevoir in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl"
Most of her work in voice-overs has landed her with some of the biggest roles in some of the biggest series. This alone is proof that people have (1) given her a chance, (2) become so well-liked that she took on so many roles, and (3) has really established herself as a heavyweight in the industry.
Megumi Hayashibara: Music.
When she debuted in music in 1990, she made a single called "Pulse." Her first album was released a year later called "Half and Half." The following YouTube videos demonstrate Megumi Hayashibara and her singing:
^ "Give me a Reason" (1996, "Slayers Next")
^ "Sakura Saku" (2000, "Love Hina")
^ "Oversoul" (Opening to Shaman King)
Megumi Hayashibara supplements her voice to this lovely remix of "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" from Neon Genesis Evangelion:
I don't watch as much anime as I would like to. However, Cruel Angel Thesis looks very cool from another video I saw when preparing this blog post. Two of my all-time favorite series in sci-fi robotic fighting are Mobile Suit Gundam and Macross Plus.
This is Hayashibara Megumi rocking out live with "Northern Lights" below:
Again- Megumi Hayashibara has seemingly been everywhere. Her music is as popular as many of her voice over roles.
--- What I Would Tell Megumi Hayashibara (if she read this) ---
Megumi Hayashibara, you have basically defined excellence in music and in your many voiceover roles. All kinds of roles and all kinds of success. You HAVE to be in some sort of Hall of Fame or have some sort of lifetime acheivement award or something for your work. I think even anyone who is even remotely fond of anime has to appreciate your work and all the various roles you've taken throughout your career. You have my full respect for your amazing work throughout your entire career.
Would I Want to Meet Megumi Hayashibara (if given the chance)?
Megumi is Japanese media royalty to me, so absolutely!
Anywhere. Everywhere. There seemed like nothing Megumi Hayashibara couldn't do. I have so much respect for her and all of her work. You know you want more Megumi! :) Here are some more links to help you to learn more about Megumi Hayashibara. Feel free to help yourself here:
Androgynous people combine male and female properties with little or no compromise. It is a best-of-both-worlds style that is both artistic and unique. The ones who demonstrate androgyny the best are the ones who blur the lines between male and female with incredible ease. In fashion, dressing up in and sharing cues from the opposite gender helps make the whole androgynous experience even more unique. Certain fashion models do a great job at males offering feminine charm and females offering masculine charm. It is not about females looking masculine. It is not about males looking feminine. It certainly is NOT crossdressing or transgenderism. It is about combining cues from both genders into one unrealistically artistic package.
This massive blog entry is about androgyny, both as art and as fashion. I want to thank everyone whom have helped to make this blog post popular since its initial posting.
WARNING: Some of the content in this blog entry may not be suitable for all audiences. A Jump Break will be provided to keep this blog post friendly for all (or almost all) audiences. Therefore, you will need to read the fully blog entry to see the entirety of what I have to offer here.
LATEST UPDATE(s):
APR 5 2011 - updated post
--- Androgyny at a Glance ---
Androgyny, in its simplest sense, is a where a person of a certain birth gender bears strong visual qualities of his/her opposite gender. An androgynous male bears beautiful and feminine features. An androgynous female bears boyish and masculine qualities in her looks. I think a big note in all of this is that androgyny does not involve having any sort of surgery or hormone usage. The whole deal here is about natural genderless beauty, not having surgery to permanently be the opposite sex.
Some are able to perfectly transition or dress up as his/her opposite seamlessly. If any bunch of people are pretty good at being androgynous, it's mostly emo people. Some emo boys can be greatly androgynous and do very well at feminine-style or feminine-inspired looks. In no way am I influenced or indulged with any rock-influenced culture, but it is one thing I wanted to point out on the topic of androgynous people. The androgynous influence also goes into things like males who are involved in visual kei.
On the androgynous female side, the ones I usually know as being androgynous are usually butch lesbians. There are, however, females who have very boyish looks. Some can seamlessly wear either masculine clothing cut for a feminine body or wear male clothing while providing a feminine twist. The idea goes beyond clothing. In fact, you also need a good hairstyle to complete the boyish touch.
The most disliked aspect of androgynous dress is also what gives androgyny its character:
Trap Factor.
The thing that brings most people to disappointment is in finding out what one things is a beautiful woman... all to find out that beautiful woman is actually a man. This is the element of androgyny that makes most people cringe. However, it is also the touch of a trap to provide that element of surprise.
--- The Most Attractive Aspect of Androgyny ---
What speaks the highest volumes in regards to androgynous people (especially androgynous males) is the amount of confidence in an androgynous male's style of dress. It takes a great deal of bravery and confidence to wear some feminine garments while also looking fabulous in such clothes. Think about it for a moment- it takes confidence for a girl to wear a mini skirt or a short dress. It is not like any female can show off her legs in a cute skirt or dress, and the same applies for wearing a chic pair of shoes or sandals.
Even more of a wow factor is envisioning a MALE wearing feminine garments while looking almost every bit as fabulous as a girl would. Some males can pull it off, though. As much as a girl is confident in her style of dress, a guy confident in his style of dress is just as hot. A good sense of style (and perhaps even things like exercise to help shape your body) can also go a long way to being confident as an androgynous beauty.
You will see later in this blog post the beauty of androgyny once I introduce you to some androgynous people.
--- The Seductive Appeal of Androgyny ---
As much as illusion is the beauty of fashion, it also applies to seeing androgynous people. In the case of a male having feminine beauty, we are often times drawn to elements that make most females beautiful. Us [heterosexual] males are often naturally turned on by the image of a female with a luscious body- smooth legs, voluptuous belly, lovely face, flowing hair... the like. Some of these androgynous males sometimes wear feminine fashions to express their inner goddess or princess a bit more. They may wear feminine footwear or even mini dresses. These androgynous males who sometimes wear feminine clothes are not exactly transvestites or anything. They sometimes would dress up in feminine clothes while not wanting to be a full-time female. But in the case of a male that looks too feminine, most of us males quickly become disgusted finding out that the beautiful lady we thought we were looking at... is actually a male with a deliciously feminine body. Some feminine-looking males are so attractive you almost WISH they were real genetic females. :)
The seductive appeal of androgyny can also happen involving boyish females. Of course, the instant appeal of a boyish female isn't as apparent as a feminine-looking male. Some females are able to take elements of male fashion and male fashion cues while giving them a very feminine touch.
I think when someone looks so much his/her opposite gender or bears beauty characteristics of one's opposite gender, it's a real testament to how beautiful someone really is. A term I will use often is "genderless beauty" to describe those who have that middle ground of beauty- neither a beautiful male or a beautiful female, but masculine and feminine beauty with little or no compromise.
--- My Inspiration for This Blog Post ---
In about 2004, I was an Art History 1 student. We once did a section on ancient Greek sculptures of humans. The way that male sculptures were portrayed and illustrated got to me in a way that I grown to appreciate the beauty of the male form. This would begin myself looking at things in different ways. After all, art has the tendency to change your perception of the world and of others.
This new sense of art I've absorbed has gotten me to appreciate the human body a bit more, especially of the male body. With the right touch, the male body can be just as beautiful as even the most attractive of women. The average heterosexual male would cringe at the notion of calling another male handsome or attractive. However, I have learned to find beauty in all people. There is at least one aspect about all of us that makes us beautiful and unique.
--- Various Androgynes: Androgynous Males ---
QUICK NOTE: Images from Flickr may be used. I am looking for newer ways to properly credit any Flickr images I use. So click on any image from Flickr to be able to properly view the original images.
I want to begin with a young man that has really shown me that androgynous males can be just as beautiful as almost any female. An androgynous gay model from Australia blurs the lines between masculine and feminine beauty. Photos of him showcase his genderless beauty. His name is...
(mouse over both images for additional credits; click on any image to view on Flickr) ^ from: flickr.com; courtesy of David Paris - Australian androgynous model David Paris.
^ from: flickr.com; courtesy of David Paris - an old, yet beautiful picture of David Paris, with a lovely hairstyle.
David Paris is incredibly handsome, but he also has feminine-beautiful pictures and qualities in his pictures. Some of the pictures you see of him will make you appreciate the genderless beauty he possesses. The Australian (who is also half-Swedish) is someone who is artistically beautiful in almost every sense of the word. His beauty often times blurs the line between masculine and feminine beauty. David Paris has a heavenly and divine body. The amount of charm he possesses in his looks are nothing short of amazing. Therefore, I commonly use "genderless beauty" to describe his looks.
In addition to being a beautiful fellow himself, he is also quite fond of vintage babes.
Here are some other male models that blur the lines between masculine and feminine. To avoid getting into any sort of copyright violations, I will mostly just share links. I will describe the models in question. If I can find a way to show pictures of these Model Mayhem models, I will show pictures. But for now, visit these Model Mayhem links to see their Model Mayhem profiles and their many pictures. Here are more androgynous boys to spur your interest...
Young Paris Volsch is an androgynous male model with feminine curves and a unique hairstyle. Paris is male, but his dimensions and figure make him irresistibly feminine. His hairstyle is very much feminine while also having a boyish touch. Paris Volsch has a fairly feminine physique, allowing some of his more feminine images to be really outstanding. I would likely say Paris Volsch is quite passable. Passable is a common term in the transgender realm meaning that you look so much like your opposite gender that hardly anyone notices. See his pictures by visiting his Model Mayhem profile page (a link to it is provided to the heading of this section).
R'ryan (pronounced ar-ee-on) is English-Thai from California. Images of this young androgynous model feature him with lovely hair. He is fairly as passable as Paris Volsch. Click on the heading to this area to see R'ryan Garavani and his pictures.
^ from: katalepsja.tumblr.com/ (best I could find) - Nagel Lanväettir is a male with feminine-like curves. His beauty is really a best-of-both-worlds package.
Nagel Lanväettir is someone who I just came across recently on Flickr preparing this blog post. Nagel is a young German male with a delightfully and deliciously feminine body. He has flowing long hair that extends down to about the middle of his back. The picture I have provided is a friendly picture of him that I am showing you for this portion. In fact (and this may gross out some of my readers), some of pictures of him are so artistic and beautiful that you almost want to imagine he is a real girl and not an androgynous male. I was not sure what picture to post as an example of his androgynous beauty because the majority of his pictures are artistic nude pictures. You will need to view Nagel's Flickr photostream to see him in all of his androgynous beauty. Or, you may read later in this blog entry to see another picture of him.
There isn't a girl out there would swoon to a handsome male like Adam Lundberg. The young man from Hawaii has both a deliciously feminine upper body along with feminine-like hair. According to his Myspace profile, he's not gay, and pink is his favorite color. Unusual that a straight male loves pink.
Steven Lai is an androgynous male with a (if I may) very cute face. With some of his pictures, it can be a bit tough to tell if he is a boy or a girl. He has a great balance of male and female beauty, especially with his hair and face.
A baby face and cute hair makes this young Filipino irresistibly eye-catching. The young man from the Philippines could almost easily pass for a girl with some lipstick and a girly outfit.
Miles Devin is a young male with some feminine beauty. He has a Goth/alternative style appearance, but also a very feminine upper body. He has a very feminine-style belly to compliment his androgynous appearance.
If you prefer a sexy androgynous male with a feminine body, a feminine face, and feminine hair; Issac Mascote will not disappoint you. The young Mexican from California does both modeling and various applications of makeup and beauty. Issac is as sexy of an androgynous male as almost any hot Latina. You need only see his Model Mayhem profile or Isaac's Myspace profile to see his pictures.
"I feel that as a male, I need to show that male models are not just the buff, musclehead types, but can be the smaller types as well. In essence, I want to model to show that I can do this and it is not just for the stereotypical bodybuilder types that can succeed in modeling."
-Maelstrom
Having said this, the young model from North Carolina is an androgynous male with a very good sense of style. Any male reluctant to express male beauty without being some hard-bodied hunk chiseled from stone is worthy of respect to me.
That's it for the Model Mayhem androgynous models. Now, meet some more androgynous males here...
Onch Movement is a colorful person. Considered initially (by me) to be a girl with a boyish side, Onch is a colorful guy who just wants to spread the world with cuteness and coolness. This fellow found fame in taking part in the first season of "Paris Hilton's My New BFF" reality TV tournament. Onch specializes in making creative fashion accessories. In his words, Onch wants to spread the world with cuteness.
^ from: blogcu.com - Izzy Hilton bears masculine and feminine beauty with a heavy doasge of emo.
Izzy Hilton's looks are very feminine, though not as beautiful as David Paris. Piercings anywhere besides the ears or on the navel personally freak me out. So therefore, I get freaked out seeing his piercings on his nose and below his lower lip. Izzy Hilton is someone very much part of the androgynous male crowd. He is a gay male who has a serious kick of feminine style and charm.
Izzy Hilton has a YouTube channel. Here is one of his videos:
NOTE: I noted in a past post that Izzy Hilton was the lead singer of Tokio Hotel. Well, he isn't. Then again, I'm not a rock music person anyways, so I apologize for screwing this up for you rock fans.
^ from: chasemebaby.com - "LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!", says one young Chris Crocker.
Whether you love or loathe him, Chris Crocker is an Internet celebrity who rose to fame with his "Leave Britney Alone!" video in the midst of issues involving Britney Spears. He and his videos can be annoying. However, the (born December 7, 1987)-year old from Tennessee earns my respect (to an extent) because he's not afraid to express himself however he pleases. This is someone almost totally unapologetic and fearless in making the points and comments he does.
^ from: imageshack.us - Gackt often times blurs male and female beauty especially with his more artistic and dramatic photos.
Never been a fan of Gackt, but his looks (especially in some of his more artistic photoshoots) really blur the lines of masculine beauty and feminine beauty.
From his androgynous dress to sporting some cute (and even sexy) high heels, Gregory Gorgeous is one 18-year old (as of the date of this edit (Dec. 2, 2010) fellow not afraid to rock some high heels along with some feminine fashions. He has some very handsome short hair along with a nice sense of fashion. He even has somewhat of a feminine voice. Gregory will wear some skinny pants or leggings along with some fierce pumps or high-heel shoes. The fellow from Toronto, Ontario, Canada is more like a cute girl than a very handsome male to me. Gregory Gorgeous' YouTube channel has over 80,000 subscribers. Here is a quick video showcasing his style (and a special message):
This is one delicious androgynous diva. You might agree if you see this video below:
I don't know enough about David Bowie or know of any of his songs. All I know is that he is an androgynous icon, and two of my favorite songs of his are "Dead Man Walking" from "The Saint" soundtrack and "I'm Afraid of Americans."
^ from: hotmusicbeat.com - '80s androgynous icon, Boy George.
God forbid that I'm sick of '80s fandom, but I have to include Boy George for relevance and for my audience. Besides his music, Boy George's androgynous looks make him iconic and very much a part of the discussion of androgynous celebrities.
Tait Hughes Geijer.
(ADDED: October 7, 2011) This short-haired fellow is someone you might initially think is a short-haired girl. Maybe you take this person to be a boyish-looking girl. This person is all-male. Tait Geijer is a model (born either in 1992 or 1993) from San Clemente, California, USA. He is of Swedish, German, and Welsh descent. Here is a Flickr gallery of some of his older pictures: Flickr gallery of Tait Hughes Gaiter.
^ from: www.refinery29.com - Andrej Pejic... the guy you thought was a girl.
This specimen of androgynous goodness is Andrej Pejic. The Bosnian model is one of the most beautiful androgynous males anywhere in the world. Nobody walks the tightrope of androgynous males quite like Andrej. He is also quite young, too. Andrej Pejic is only (born August 28, 1991) 19-years old (as of April 5, 2011). His beauty will astound you as much as David Paris. Perhaps even more so th Got Facebook? Become a Fan/Like Andrej Pejic!
That covers androgynous males. If there are any androgynous males you want to bring to my attention and want to see in this blog post, feel free to contact me! I may feature more androgynous males in future posts with your help.
--- A Few Famous Androgynes: Androgynous Females ---
We've seen males with feminine looks; now, let's go over to females with boyish looks!
^ from: autostraddle.com - the funny daytime talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres.
Metairie, Louisiana-born Ellen DeGeneres is perhaps the most recognizable faces in American media. While I don't regularly watch her daytime talk show, Ellen DeGeneres is very funny and entertaining.
^ from: musictory.com (best I could find) - Tanya Manibusan (or "Teeh") is a girl, but looks nothing like a girl.
Tanya (or nicknamed as "Teeh") is a musical phenom from Guam. She does, however, look very boyish. I even had to look up online if Tanya is really a boy or a girl, and Tanya's 100% girl. Just looks very boyish. I think in a video interview, she said something along the lines of not liking boys. She does make some good music. You could think of her in this way- she is someone who prefers making great music while not making herself look super girly or super sexy. Tanya is more of someone who lets her music do the talking rather than looking overly sexy to grab attention. You can also "like" her on Facebook by visiting Teeh's Facebook Fan Page.
Tilda Swinton.
^ from: comicbookmovie.com - Tilda Swinton.
Tilda Swindon appears very boyish in many of her pictures. However, she does wear lovely dresses for special occasions. So it isn't like she is very anti-girly or anti-feminine all the time. Her face and hair are boyish in nature regardless.
These are some of the big ones to me. If there are any androgynous females you want to bring to my attention and want to see in this blog post, feel free to contact me! I may feature more androgynous females in future posts with your help.
--- Androgynous Bloggers ---
(added: September 14, 2011) So are you okay checking out androgynous bloggers? If so, here are some blogs for you to check out featuring androgynous males or androgynous females. Click on the hyperlinked text in each heading to visit that person's blog. I do recommend you read the description on each blog before doing so, though.
Eli Alcaraz is an androgynous fellow who has very nice fashion style. His fashion blog features many different fashion styles as well as fashion inspiration. You will be surprised by some of the many androgynous looks he pulls off in his outfit posts. You will be impressed by his sense of style when you visit. From dresses and skirts to a bevy of feminine heels, Eli's style is absolutely left of the mainstream.
This blog features a Spanish fellow with an eye for feminine style. Among his many posts, he wears a variety of mostly casual fashions. Some of his many posts feature many different outfits that would make any girl's style shine. However, his special touch makes each look come alive in his own unique way. You can see more of this androgynous male's style in his blog or by checking out Androgyn's Chictopia page.
You bet I will edit this post if I find any other blogs to spur your interest.
More to come! The remaining material may not be for all audiences, so I'm providing a Jump Break to keep this blog post friendly. Click on "Read More" to read the full blog entry (or disregard this paragraph if you're reading the full blog post)!
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--- Androgyny as Art ---
Art tends to make you look at things differently. So is the case for androgyny. The reason why I'm fascinated about androgyny from an artistic standpoint is because of the beauty it provides. It's not just about a male with feminine beauty or a female with masculine beauty, but just seeing someone with genderless beauty- neither masculine nor feminine beauty, but genderless beauty.
Often times, we are romanticized with the image of handsome men or beautiful women. We know a handsome man or a beautiful woman when we see them, and as we envision what qualifies as beautiful for a man or a woman. What happens, then, when what you think is a beautiful woman is really a man or if what you think is a handsome male is really a woman? Please note that transgenderism has NOTHING to do with this topic.
Here are some pictures to fantasize the sensual element of androgyny...
^ from: pansexualsodomite.com - An interesting case- a male with feminine beauty.
In the case of the picture above, this demonstrates a real best-of-both-worlds approach. This is clearly a man with the physique he possesses. However, his face and hair are very feminine and actually appealing. You can probably also argue this man's arms are a bit feminine.
^ from: rcrdlbl.com - This is Lissy Trullie, exhibiting an example of boy tough, girl cute.
This picture is an example of being a girl while having some boyish charm. The whole craze of the boyfriend look plays a big role in making this look come alive. You can take a look at this picture and possibly imagine a boy with long bangs. By the way, the girl in this image is Lissy Trullie, and you can hear her music here: Lissy Trullie on Myspace Music.
^ from: ??? - Nagel Lanväettir is a male with feminine-like curves. His beauty is really a best-of-both-worlds package.
As demonstrated in the above picture, Nagel Lanväettir has tasteful androgynous beauty. His beauty is a harmony of masculine and feminine beauty. I can not show you some of his other pictures because they are a bit too racy for my blog. Nothing hardcore, but mostly just some artistic nude pictures and a few romantic nude pictures. You can see more of his artistic photoshoots by visiting Nagel's Flickr photostream.
Video Game Influences.
Here are just some random comments from random games...
• For many people, there are those who dislike feminine-looking male characters in games. One of the most notorious is the Final Fantasy series. Though I've never played it, Final Fantasy IX had two MALE characters that were both very feminine in appearance- hero Zidane and villain Kuja. Kuja is especially more feminine in appearance than Zidane. In fact, Kuja bears his belly, hips, and parts of his upper legs. All of which offer up an extremely feminine image.
^ from: www.cosplayhouse.com - Perhaps the most famous character in Guilty Gear, Bridget- the boy you thought was a girl.
• Bridget from the Guilty Gear series is more notorious on the androgynous front than the ones I've mentioned in the previous paragraph. Bridget is a boy, but according to the storyline, he was born in a village where twins of the same gender brought about bad luck. Bridget is dressed more like a nun. He wears this blue and white veil and short tunic (I wanted to say mini dress) outfit. His weapon of choice is a yo-yo as well as his teddy bear. He wears black shorts underneath his tunic/dress, so don't feel squeamish at the image of seeing Bridget wear panties underneath his tunic. However, there are a number of perverted folk (mostly hentai artists) who would portray Bridget with panties underneath his tunic. On games.net, Bridget was rated as one of the most androgynous video game characters of all time. Where does Bridget rank? Find out by reading games.net's Top 16 Androgynous Game Characters of All-Time!
• In the game "Magna Carta: Tears of Blood," the main character, Calintz Jerevinan, appears feminine with his physique and his outfit.
• Code Name: Raiden from Metal Gear Solid 2 is seen as an androgynous figure as well. Though I've never personally played though "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty," I do remember watching my brother play. Maybe one of the most embarrassing moments of the game is having to play as CN: Raiden in the buff.
• Maybe one of the most famous aspects is seeing someone who you think is a man... until that man exposes HER identity. That's the feeling many got when people played Metroid back in the 1980s to discover Samus Aran is a female.
• You wouldn't think someone named King would be a girl. However, King is very much a woman with a masculine image. She is a tough fighter to use if you're a fan of the Art of Fighting or King of Fighters series.
There are likely many more notorious androgynous characters I haven't mentioned. I just named a few here that stick out for me.
Anime Influences.
Now, some random chatter on anime influences on androgyny...
^ from: photobucket.com - One of the craziest characters from Cowboy Bebop is Edward. SHE is a very silly character on Cowboy Bebop despite her masculine name of Edward. She wears a cropped T-shirt and some bike shorts.
^ from: www.doushi-sumeragi.net - While "The Candidate for Goddess" (or "Pilot Candidate" in North America) was no "Mobile Suit Gundam," the five men all wore these sleeveless shirts along with shorts. They are a bit feminine for some guys like in this anime.
^ from: www.dvdtimes.co.uk - My all-time favorite anime series is Ranma 1/2. Early on, there were those who questioned if Ukyo Kuonji was a boy.
• The biggest androgynous influence in anime is in bishounen. Bishounen (or "pretty boy" in Japanese) are men who are immensely beautiful, sometimes even as beautiful as any genetic female. Some bishounen are sometimes portrayed in romantic ways. As much as bishoujo ("pretty girl" in Japanese) are portrayed in romantic settings or with romantic images, bishounen are portrayed in almost the same way. Bishounen are mostly as discouraged as almost any other androgynous males by most people. The most extreme cases of bishounen artwork (or other male and media can be seen in yaoi (or "Boys Love"), which is a homoerotic portrayal of two males engaged in a relationship that involves either seductive kissing or any other seductive activity.
I know there are a lot more notorious androgynous characters in Anime, but these are some of the few that immediately come to mind for me.
Final Thoughts on This Section.
Some people just think every male should be masculine and every female should be feminine. However, part of the magic of media such as games and movies is to create certain illusions and fantasies that make them unique. That even includes coming along with androgynous characters. One of the reasons why some people like hating on the Final Fantasy series is because of certain male characters that look too feminine. Cloud. Sephiroth. Squall. Tidus. Zell. You go from there.
What about other titles? Some people just feel like any Japanese game couldn't be complete without some sort of feminine male character. Basically saying it like it's a disgrace. I'm not saying that feminine males in games and cartoons is bad, but just that this is the certain character of certain Japanese media.
--- Androgyny in Fashion ---
Let's discuss masculine fashion with feminine cues and feminine fashion with masculine cues.
Androgynous Feminine Influences.
Here is a look at female fashion with a boyish touch. Menswear has been a recent trend in giving a feminine touch to masculine fashions. The
^ from: rewaj.com - Boy tough, girl sexy! Arshiya Fakih is in this picture wearing a blazer with a vest, a tie, and a shirt.
The lady in this picture is Arshiya Fakih. She's wearing masculine pieces put together with feminine flair.
~~~ image to come in a future edit... ~~~ ^ from: ???
I've always liked a pair of wide-leg dress pants paired with a feminine or boyish shirt or blouse. The pinstripe vest adds some extra classy charm to this look.
from: fashiontribes.typepad.com - Two Ralph Lauren menswear looks.
(LEFT) While purely feminine with the oxford pumps and the skirt, the looks here have a boyish touch. The look is purely feminine while having a boyish charm. (RIGHT) I personally love this combination. The wide-leg dress slacks are very much masculine along with the suspenders. The shoes compliment the whole look nicely.
A future blog entry on menswear for women may be considered in the future. I had a past blog entry available, but never created such a blog post. This section will be replaced with a link to the future blog entry if the blog entry is ever published.
Androgynous Masculine Influences.
This area focuses on men's fashion with some feminine hints. Most of what I have mentioned on men wearing girly clothes can be found in my blog entry called "Males Wearing Feminine Fashions."
I have honestly had a tough time trying to find certain androgynous feminine influences for men's fashion. To me, fashion is much more versatile for females than it is for males. Plus, there aren't as many fashion items or fashionable men trying to blur the lines of masculine and feminine beauty.
Having said all of this, though, there are still some males who wear feminine clothing to add a touch of androgynous dress and fashion freedom. Men wear skinny jeans and even tights as much as any female. Some males even wear girly skinny jeans since there aren't any jeans that fit most male bodies to where skinny jeans provide the best fit for them. The problem with males attempting some sort of androgynous dress, however, is the fact that most males just appear completely awkward.
Again... credit to you males if you can pull off any androgynous dress successfully, but it's too challenging to pull a semi-decent androgynous look if you are a male. If you want an idea of androgynous males wearing feminine fashions and in some high-heeled footwear, visit the Blogger/Blogspot blog entitled high heels for men.
UPDATE (Nov. 30, 2010) Femboy Magazine has a new blog! Unfortunately, it's not a Blogspot blog. :( You can check out the magazine's new blog by clicking on Femboy Magazine's blog (Wordpress).
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