gyaru infused styles (part 1)

I’ve never been a terribly big fan of gyaru. It’s not exactly that I hate it, but my tastes do lie more with the more outlandish. Though gyaru is a distinct style, it has influenced all corners of the sub-fashion style map. For those who want to begin inching into new territory, yet not give up former styles such as punk, gothic, lolita, or rocker, these are some style inspirations and icons who have successfully mixed sexy gyaru with other styles.

Model Sakurina

Are you a goth at heart? Not quite ready to give it up but want to try something a little different? Gyaru inspired goth model Nonoka Iwata blends the beauty and mysterious aesthetic of goth with the sexy overtones of gyaru.

close up on makeup and accessories

beautiful outfit!

Less gyaru influenced, yet still a lovely coordinate.

For aspiring goth gyarus, you can check out more outfit examples at her blog here: http://ameblo.jp/nonoka-iwata/

Another popular model who leans towards the edgy is model Rina Sakurai, AKA Sakurina.

Visit Sakurina’s blog: http://ameblo.jp/sakurina/

I’ve mentioned Rocker inspired gyaru MEGU before on my blog, but she is a great example for rock inspired gyaru. She also has her own brand ROCK PRINCESS, which mixes gyaru, rock, and himegyaru styles.

visit her shop here: http://www.rakuten.co.jp/rockprincess/

visit her blog here: http://ameblo.jp/rockprincess-megu

Those are some inspirations that edgy gyaru aspire-rs can begin with. I’ll update with more later! Bye bye for now dolls~

-13

LONG TIME, NO POST: New Years blues, fashion resolutions, Gosick (Gothic) anime predictions

Oh my goodness, she’s actually posting again. watch out cause god just might shit meteors or something  hahaha

Despite my promises to post more about a month ago, my plans were trumped once more by various reasons:  first and foremost, me being a lazy shit, school being an ass like usual and various familial/school related problems that came up. BUT NO MORE!! I have had enough of my own ineptitude! I have a serious backlog of entries that I have wanted to edit and post, so dear readers, there will be more posts in the future I swear! >:D Thanks to my friends and readers who have been patient with me til now~

Ritsuka being adorably androgynous like usual

So like some of you know, I have been spending the past few months in the United Kingdom, battling with bouts of homesickness, desires to be back in sunny and liberal-minded California and an all time low of productivity that has own filled me with self loathing.  I took a break and spent about two to three weeks with a few of my new friends traveling around Spain, Germany, and Belgium and during New Years, between bouts of drunken merrymaking and a laser/fireworks show that probably succeeded in burning holes into my eyesockets, I realized quite suddenly that another year had passed. I was seized at first with a sudden fear, which occurred very appropriately while me and my friends were riding a Ferris wheel which went far too fast to be romantic for anybody and which spun, making everything a wash of psychedelic colors. I realized, not for the first time, that time was passing very fast. If the cycle of my life was symbolized by a psychedelic colored, rapidly spinning ferris wheel, then in what position would I be in right now? Would I be dangling precariously at the top, right on my way down? Would I be still right near the beginning, gaining speed to rush my way to the top? Or perhaps somewhere in the middle, a little stuck and dizzy. Where would I be? Time is relentless and will not slow to my pleas or prayers. So within this very bright, very colorful and very beautiful New Years Eve evening, this uneasy thought resided quietly in a dark corner of my mind.

life is a Ferris wheel. Honey and Clover was all over that.

This is by no means, an original thread of thought on a drunken New Years Eve, and I take no credit for it by any means. But it was a moment in my life that felt particularly poignant. A small break from the mundane muddle of watered down emotions. It was beautiful. And despite the very particular kind of pain that it brought, I relished it. It must be the same kind of pain, trying very desperately to find the symbolic four leaf clover in your life, but not quite being able to yet. It’s excruciating. and it’s beautiful. Excruciatingly beautiful.

Anyways, moving on from all the cheeeeeese, I created a new list of resolutions that will make me more productive than ever! Which means more blog entries, more art, fashion, and all things kooky, kitschy and adorable!

Some of my less embarrassing new Years resolutions!~

1. Finish writing a novel. I’ve been at this forever! and it’s like a marathon. I’ll step mah game up this year and squeeze it out, even if I have to write with my blood!!! >:D

2. blog often! I promise to blog at least twice a week from now on! Blogging everyday like I did during my summers is a little intense with all the school going on, but I’ll do my best to pump out so more entries!

3. learn more Japanese. This is a given. I have big plans in the future and learning Japanese is integral.

4. Learn more about photography.

5. Learn more about make up art! This really is a new frontier for me and I’m so excited! I love wearing fun and dramatic make up and colors so I’m doing my best to study up~ All you make up gurus, please give me tips! I’m still an eagerly learning n00b. X3

6. Cosplay for the first time. I’ve never cosplayed before, but I would love to learn and cosplay properly. Which means getting fit! and This means learning how to sew! which I’m so excited for.<3

7. On the same note, I’d love to learn a new craft. I’m always trying new things. Perhaps I can cover this resolution with the cosplay one!

8. try new fashions and styles. Lately, I’ve been infatuated with 2ne1’s unique street style! and of course develop the styles i already am in love with.

Dara and CL of 2ne1 <3

That’s certainly enough to keep me busy for a year. and those are just some of my goals that aren’t too embarrassing! What are your New Years resolutions?

A new wave of anime have been coming out and I’ve found a few that I’m actually interested in watching. Please look forward to reviews and analyses of Level E, Horou Musuko, Beelzebub, and much more~!

A new gothic lolita anime debuted this season, named (predictably and unoriginally) Gothic. Stylistically, it is reminiscent of Rozen Maiden. A blend of Victorique’s moe pandering and elegant Victorian-inspired style setting reaches out to a large crowd, though its strength in storytelling has yet to prove itself.

Predictably, the doll-like, lolita-inspired Victorique, spends her time isolated, solving slightly gory mysteries with dubious logical reasoning. The boy, Kazuya Kujo, meets this Victorique and quite unreasonably becomes her partner in crime in solving mysteries. It’s too early to say anything conclusive about the series, but so far, it’s rather entertaining. However, potential-wise, it doesn’t seem to be the strongest this season for sure, with series like Level E and Hourou Musuko. It probably will not be a top player this season and definitely not a particularly remarkable or memorable series, but for viewers who just wish to alleviate casual boredom, it might be effective. For fans of mystery and gothic Victorian settings, check it out here: http://www.goodanime.net/category/gosick

Sorry if this entry seemed a bit dull and meandering. I’m still getting into the swing of writing entries regularly again after such a long break. Thanks for being patient with me guys…

-13

Shop spotlight: Baby Burlesque

While perusing through my normal round of Japanese fashion sites and blogs, I fell upon an adorable new shop that is beginning to develop called Baby Burlesque.

I found this store absolutely adorable. It’s a mix of Dolly with a more princessy twist. The colors are quite dolly-kei-inspired.

A little peek into their workshop/store. How amazing is that corseted outfit?

The style manages to be very doll-like and delicate, but sexy at the same time. A bit of a pin-up girl feel to it. A feat that the lolita style has not managed to accomplish yet.

The newest Angelic Pretty model Rinrin/Lailah models for this brand.

It’s not exactly Dolly-kei. Not exactly mori, and definitely not hime, though there is a very otome/hime inspired ambiance about it. Could Baby Burlesque be the store that will push a new style tribe into the spotlight? I certainly hope so, because it’s freaking adorable.

-13

For more info, visit: http://www.babyburlesque.jp/

Millennium Actress

I jumped rather late on the band wagon to watch the movie Millennium Actress, created by the late Satoshi Kon. Well, I’ve finally watched it, and for what it’s worth, I feel a bit ambivalent after all the rave reviews that I’ve seen this movie get.

Stylistically, the movie’s storytelling is quite fascinating. It has a bit of a Titanic like feel to it, where the movies scenes and reality blend together, more or less seamlessly, to portray the female protagonist’s life. The one scene with the constant changing scenes was particularly striking with its Ukiyo-e influences. Within the artificial movie backdrop, there is the brutal reality of the war, and through it all, actress Chiyoko attempts to chase her love down. And while I do believe that artistically, this movie is quite a feat, I had a difficult time swallowing the circumstance in which the entire story was derived. Namely, the nature of Chiyoko’s love for an artist that she knew for a total of perhaps two days. Max.

Perhaps it’s the fact that she was an actress for a living, but the love that was portrayed felt incredibly artificial at times. It was all I could do to not roll my eyes when Chiyoko was given the stereotypically symbolic key necklace as the symbol of her love and slim chance of his return. Perhaps it was because after all the rave reviews, I was expecting something of the finesse that Miyazaki exercised when crafting Chihiro and Haku’s relationship in Spirited Away. There was something so beautiful and subtle in what Miyazaki created that didn’t feel artificial. Sweet, yet not saccharine. Meaningful, without the sense of bloated angst. Caring, without the sense of desperate obsession. Striking the balance of mutual aid towards one another and a gradual development of love. Not something that blooms suddenly and then stays stagnant for the rest of the movie.

But wait, you might say, “you have never experienced “true love” before. It’s ROMANTIC to chase the one you love all your life!”  Well, in all honesty, near the middle of the movie, the line between “true love” (whatever that may be) and brain damage became a little blurred. I had no idea what fueled the love this woman felt for the painter. I couldn’t understand why she would go through such lengths to reach out to this man that she knew for perhaps three days maximum. Where was the connecting thread? “Women’s emotions?” (bullshit) Hormonal imbalance? Estrogen? Seeing her so desperate for his presence seemed sweet only at first. Then it turned sour and a little further on, distasteful. It was very Memoirs of a Geisha-esque to pursue her career so far for a man, and I can appreciate that without throwing up a little in my mouth. Yet, the protagonist of Memoirs eventually transcended that reason, while Chiyoko honestly only advances in her career solely for her love of the painter. Love? Perhaps. But it doesn’t chase the taste of bile bubbling up my throat when I see this representation of romance. (Apparently, the type that makes most people cry.)

Maybe what’s ultimately missing in the story is the character development part. And I mean of the character that’s actually there:Chiyoko. The only thing that changes about her is her AGE. Development-wise, she’s stagnant. What exactly is the difference between the grandma we see dying in the bed at the end from the girl who chased down the train at the beginning? Nothing. You could argue that she has dropped her sense of fantasy, but seeing her reactions, it is obvious that she has not. In fact, whether she has dropped the fantasy or not is not the question at all. The problem is that whether she did or not, I couldn’t see a difference THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MOVIE.

Perhaps it’s just a difference in opinion. Some would find her unwavering and stagnant character beautiful, while people like me find it unrealistic and a little sickening at times. There are ways that characters can change that wouldn’t negate the fact that this is “true love…” even the slightly bloated aspect of it portrayed in the movie. It was probably my mistake for expecting Spirited Away from this movie. Yet, the relationship that is portrayed in Millennium Actress didn’t draw tears or make me think reminiscently of past loves or even potential ones. It just made me feel rather unmoved. Because after all, what would one find more beautiful? A woman who chases an ILLUSION of a man til death? Or an image of willingly parted hands at the end of a movie with the words, “don’t look back,” whispered firmly? I don’t know what you would choose, but for me, the answer is pretty obvious.

-13 

Togainu no Chi

Togainu no Chi is definitely an interesting mix of…stuff. Since I haven’t played the game yet, I can’t give much insight to how accurately it follows a storyline or whether it may even be better. But just from watching the show as a show and as a pair of fresh eyes who had no preconceived notions of who the characters were, I’ve already got a pretty solid idea of what role each character plays.

The things that this series does right:

1. Mood and setting. Right off the bat, you get this amazing post-apocalyptic Tokyo feeling. Everything is done just right. The light falls of rain, tons of gray tones in the scenery, graffiti-ridden walls, down to their street worn, sometimes rocker-influenced clothes. The striking red of the character’s blood. Really, the ambiance is such a treat.

2. The fighting. I love the fight scenes, especially with Rin. His agility and grace and mix of parkour skills makes me double turn and watch the fight scenes again.

3. I feel like this series has lots of potential. Though it’s not living up to it at the moment…

……well. that’s about it. Now time to get to the negatives, which makes this series a little unbearable frankly speaking, despite its good points. 

…They’re trying too hard.

And I don’t mean just the forced dialogue, bad acting, and general collapse to “tried and true” character archetypes. I mean its fanservice as well. Boys watch this series for the fight most of the time. Girls are interested in the fight, but also for the sho-ai pandering. Even within every fan-service infused show, there is good, believable acting and bad acting. Characters like Rin, as adorable as he is, and the *fabulous* bling~ Arbitro try too hard at the whole being gay aspect of the series. Sometimes I want to slap them and point to the genre label. It is yaoi for Christ sakes. It is already established that every two legged male, and in this case, even four legged male is as straight as a circle. Females are just there for the sake of being there. Therefore, you don’t need to try so hard to act gay. Yes, I’m talking to you Rin and Arbitro. It’s forced and comes off as rather distasteful at times.

This isn’t to say that the cute archetype of character is always forced. Don’t get me wrong. I adore that archetype. The cute facade, with a dark secret: we’ve all seen that kind of character. As a matter of fact, the only bearable character right now is Rin and the older man he hangs out with, whose name escapes me at the moment. Yet, there are tons of series which portray this archetype so much better. I hate to reduce Loveless to a series like this, but Ritsuka, Yoji, and Natsuo can all loosely fit into this category. Let me clarify that I believe Loveless is far more than just a shounen ai pandering series. There is so much analysis that can be done in that series that it’s ridiculous. It is a physical pain for me to actually try to compare Loveless to Togainu no Chi (because let’s face it. There’s no comparison to be made. Loveless is just amazing, dialogue-wise, character devo, etc. And in reality, there is no archetype in Loveless. The characters are incredibly complex.) So please just see it as an example.

While the Loveless characters portray anxiety, fear, sorrow, joy, and real life emotions within their complex relationships, while still managing to be cute, all I see from most of the Togainu no Chi cast is a sign that says “I’m a flaming homosexual. Let me show you how much.”

I feel like Togainu no Chi has so much potential. It can seriously go places. The background and setting in itself is interesting and the set of characters can be developed to create a captivating story. While it can’t be a masterpiece, it CAN be seen as a series that hasn’t just been reduced to yaoi pandering. I really hope that the creators grasp this chance. Or it will truly be a waste of a good backdrop.

-13

*edit: after seeing the fifth episode, I’m very tempted to drop this series. Depending on how the sixth episode pans out, I’ll see whether I should drop it or not.