Talk:Koori Ui/@comment-36.84.1.83-20180523132600/@comment-10733658-20180526224419

^ I wouldn't say that this is a case of toying with gender. Ui is simply an example of the Bishonen aesthetic in Japanese media and culture. That sort of physical appearance has long been considered a high ideal to the Japanese (and most of East Asian cultures), with evidence of this aesthetic dating back to over a thousand years ago. It particularly has ties to young men of high birth, which fits Ui since he comes from a prominent and wealthy family.

It does have some roots in what we'd call homosexuality, because the Japanese had traditions (particularly among the upper class) of men taking a younger male lover. But those traditions don't line up perfectly with Western ideas of sexuality.