♥ Lolita Fashion in Media: Live Action ♥

It's time for part two on Lolita Fashion in media! In my first article on lolita in the media I discussed lolita fashion examples in anime and video games, their often terrible executions of the style and their few golden examples.  In this article, I'm going to focus on live action depictions of lolita fashion, in all kinds of genres and examples.

As for live action examples, surely everyone involved in the style is familiar with Kamikaze Girls (Shimotsuma Monogatari) with it's immense popularity. Novala Takemoto can be a little bit eccentric, so it's no surprise that Kamikaze Girls is a little strange as well. Though Momoko can be a little sociopathic, I believe it was a very good depiction of the style at time. I'm very happy that it has gained the popularity it has over the past ten years!

No need to talk too in depth about something so well-known to the lolita community though, what of the other depictions that we as a community may have missed?

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The most recent example of lolita in live action form, as far as I know, is Nuiguruma Z! Nuiguruma Z, or 'Gothic Lolita Battle Bear' as it's known internationally, is a tokusatsu film starring Shoko Nakagawa.  In this film Shoko is a lolita named Yumeko, who along with her teddy bear, battle an army of undead by transforming into the hero Nuiguruma Z!

This film features Baby the Star Shine Bright in a collaborative effort. All of her clothes, when she isn't in her skin-tight super hero outfit, are supplied by BTSSB. The featured dress in the title is Baby's Princess Liddell’s Ice Cream Cake OP. The original dress was released in 2012, but there was a re-release of the set in early 2014 to coincide with the movie's release.

The film is on par with the director, Noboru Iguchi's usual fare. It's super violent, extra bloody and not for the faint of heart. However, it's funny, clever and entertaining still! Despite the strong ties to BTSSB, the film does unfortunately refer to her style incorrectly as "gothic lolita" throughout the movie. It's not the best movie ever made, and definitely not the best to represent lolita, but it's a good watch nonetheless.

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It seems like lolita fashion in tokusatsu  is a popular trend! The ever popular Super Sentai megaseries has a  television show, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, which also features a character that wears lolita!

The show features Yui Koike who plays Ahim de Famille. Ahim is the pink ranger of the team, Gokai Pink. When she's not in her sentai form, she wears lolita from many different brands! Much of her wardrobe consists of items from Metamorphose, Atelier Perriot and Victorian Maiden!

Despite being the pink ranger, she is often seen wearing many cream and brown outfits. She does often accessorize with pink items, however, and usually has a pink jacket worn overtop her lolita outfits! I think she is honestly one of the best examples of lolita fashion in live action form, despite often wearing non-lolita-style boots for running around in.

Another example of lolitas in the Super Sentai universe are Nai & Mea! Nai & Mea are henchmen featured in Mahou Sentai Magiranger. Magiranger ran from 2005 to 2006, so their style is a little outdated and costumey, but it's still a fairly good example for its time.

They dress in a strange gothic/punk blend but it really works for their playful and imp-like behavior! Mea is more accurate in depicting lolita fashion with her full skirt and princess sleeves, but Nai still shows a lolita-style influence in her clothing! While their style is really different, I really love their dark, but cute, look!

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Kamen Rider Wizard is another tokusatsu show that features lolita fashion, but not nearly at the same extent as Gokaiger.

One of the characters, Koyomi, wears a unique and comfortable style. While she does wear lolita items, both brand and otherwise, they usually aren't worn in the 'normal' lolita way. Most of her outfits are reminiscent of "old fashion" English clothing, dolly kei and cult party kei with their lack of petticoats and often short skirts. They all share a strong earthy and old fashion feel to them, featuring many browns, greens and other neutral tones.

 It wasn't until the movie, 'Kamen Rider Wizard in Magic Land' that there was a lolita outfit proper, worn in the traditional lolita style, in the series! The film actually features a collaboration set by Metamorphose as a tie-in. The collaboration set, which included the Gold Braid Tuck Pinafore Dress,  had incredible popularity and it is surprisingly cute too!

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The last live action example I'm going to share is one of my favourites, Deka Wanko. If you want to see something that isn't tokusatsu, this is a great one for you! No transforming sequences or aliens here, just a lifestyle lolita doing her job!

Deka Wanko is a tv drama, based on a manga by the same name. The show features Mikako Tabe as Ichiko Hanamori, or "Wanko" as she's called by her colleagues. Wanko is a young woman who is a homicide detective for the Tokyo Police. In her day to day, at work or at home, she is always seen wearing lolita fashion! Even her pajamas and loungewear have a cute, lolita-inspired look! Sometimes her clothing leads her into dangerous or embarassing situations, but Wanko is a character that sticks to her morals and won't change for anyone, clothing or otherwise!

The show is officially sponsored by Angelic Pretty, so most of the clothing in the show is by them. Quite often you'll also see Wanko wearing Meta and Maxicimam as well. Sometimes Bodyline is featured worn by secondary and background characters, oddly enough. Their outfits are usually worn in a more traditional lolita style, and very simply at that.

Wanko has a very original sense of style, and though they do fit the lolita aesthetic, she often pairs lolita in an unusual and unique way. The show is filmed in the fall or winter, so she often wears sweaters and cardigans under her JSKs. Personally I love the way she wears her clothing, but others may disagree and consider it too different and gaudy.

Her outfits may be a little strange, but I think the show is a fantastic example of the fashion as it shows the lolita style in a good light and also shows the "lolita lifestyle" with a really positive outlook towards it! Unfortunately the show is only 10 episodes long, but it received enough popularity to later release two television specials!

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There are a plethora of lolita characters in live action media, I could not have listed all the examples of lolita fashion. There are so many characers who dress in lolita inspired styles and items borrowed directly from lolita brands! Despite the large amount of these characters in popular live action media today, I find there still isn't a modern-day representation as accurate as Kamikaze Girls yet.

I'm very happy with the few characters that are visibly wearing lolita fashion, but I'd love to have a Kamikaze Girls for the mordern day lolita. Wanko is a good example, but I find it isn't as directly relateable or influencal as Kamikaze Girls.

What do you think - Do we have a modern day Kamikaze Girls-like live action representation of lolita? What do you think about the listed examples above?

Thanks for reading!

♥ Lolita Fashion in Media: Anime & Video Games ♥

Since lolita has been a part of Japanese culture for well over 20 years now, it's not surprising to hear that it has influenced creators of anime, videogames, and other forms of media. These designs can range anywhere from amazing to down-right terrible. Today I'd like to show you a few of my favourites, a few funny designs, and a few that are confusing.

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With anime, for the most part, it's a minefield filled with awful 'lolita' inspired outfits. Certain series do try fairly hard to get it right, like Rozen Maiden, Paradise Kiss, or Black Butler (with kodona, anyway), but quite often it's a miss rather than a hit. I'd rather not spend a lot of time displaying the endless "meh" designs, but you can see quite a few of them on the Anime Character Database here.

A few designs that I think have great potential are from the series Fantasista Doll. They can be a little bit out there, as it is anime, but for the most part I find them close to recent lolita trends! Other characters from the series are influenced by japanese trends and tropes like other jfashion styles, maids, military outfits, schoolgirls, and more.

Another character I really like is Ruri, from Oreimo. Her outfit is very reminiscent of old school gothic lolita but steers very far from most 'old school' inspired anime outfits! It's actually fairly on par! I wouldn't be surprised if a lolita brand have or will make a collab with this anime in mind.

It's nice to see that not all Lolita fashion in anime is terrible or innacurate. I do hope to see more accurate outfits and current lolita trends in anime in the future!

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One of my favourite lolita-inspired outfits in videogames is worn by the character, Cordelia from Shadow Hearts: Covenant. Cordelia is a ball-jointed doll controlled by her master Gheppeto, for use in battles. Cordelia is a magic-type character, and equips different outfits to use different elements and powers. Most of Cordelia's outfits are fairly normal and cute outfits, but one of her outfits, Dark Beauty,  looks like something straight from Moi Meme Moitie! The game was released in 2004, so it's a little surprising they got it so accurate for the styles of the time!

Shadow Hearts isn't perfect however, and they can get things very, very wrong. While still one of my favourite characters, Hildagard Valentine, or Hilda, has an outfit that isn't the best representation of the fashion. Hilda is a vampire, who's believes she's an amazingly strong superheroine. Her combat revolves around 'Calories'. (It's very tongue in cheek, don't worry!) When she is thin, her abilities are magic-based, whereas when she is chubby, her moves are melee-based. She can also transform into a pink bat.

As a character, she is great and her outfit suits her for her personality for sure, but it still isn't a very good representation of the fashion. I do think with some modifications, it does have great potential though!

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RPGs aren't the only games with lolitas in them, as fighting games also have a few frilly ladies! On the right, is Ninon from the King of Fighters series. While some of her outfits can be a little bit strange, they definitely put  the effort into making her outfit reflect the fashion it is inspired by. Granted, the spikes on the headdress, the roses on her tights, and the corset are a bit out there, but it looks like an outfit a lolita would wear. It's a little dated, as the game was released in 2006, but I think she's still a good representation of lolita fashion.

Ninon

Lili

However, with every great Ninon, there is a confusing Lili. Emilie De Rochefort, also known as Lili, is a characer from the Tekken fighting game series. In designing Lili, the creators explicitely said they were influenced by lolita fashion. I can understand they have to design the outfit with the mechanics and keep in mind the full-body movement there characters have, but I wish they could have done a little bit more research before slapping the 'lolita fashion' tag on the character.

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There are many, many more characters out there that I would love to write about but I don't want to get too carried away! If you enjoyed this article, please let me know! I can definitely make a more in-depth part 2!

♥ Music for Lolitas of Every Style ♥

I'm one of those people that likes to have music to fit everything about their day. I like to listen to fast paced songs when I'm driving, cutesy songs when I'm going for walks, and videogame music when I'm working out. (It keeps me pumped up, haha.) This makes me think though, could I have different music for when I'm wearing different styles of lolita?

When I think lolita bands, I think of the obvious. Moon Kana has modeled for the GLB multiple times, and sports lolita fashion regularly. Though her music can be very eclectic, she is indeed a representation of lolita fashion. Akira Takarano of ALI Project has made lolita part of her artistic style from the beginnings from the sweet, cute music the band started with  to their more recent darker, operatic works. But aside from those two, who else could represent our fashion suitably? 

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Music for A Sweet Lolita

Kanon Wakeshima - Known for [Skip Turn Step] [Still Doll] [Marmalade Sky]
In her music videos and albums Kanon usually wears lolita fashion or historically inspired frocks, so in that alone she's already great for fans of lolita. Her music is centered around the beautiful sounds of her cello playing, with peppy and cheerful (for the most part) lyrics. Her music is often lively and cute, though sometimes her music can be slow and serene. I think her music would also be suitable for classic lolita, but ultimately fits best with the styles of sweet.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Known for [Pon Pon Pon] [Invader Invader] [Furisodation]
For fans of 'kawaii', OTT, or all things creepy cute, Kyary is the best possible music to compliment your style. Kyary started as a fashion blogger, who wore various harajuku kei styles, including lolita fashion! With her cheerful lyrics and incredibly catchy tunes, it's hard not to sing along and dance along. Her creative and bizarre fashion and music videos are also a neat plus! 

YaoYao - Known for [Honey] [Tell The Love] [Free Love]
I first noticed Yao Yao for her adorable cover of KARA's song Honey, and her adorable use of Bodyline's lolita items in the music video. While her sexy look can be a bit off putting for some, her music is cute and sweet!

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Music for A Gothic Lolita

Kalafina - Known for [Red Moon] [Magia] [Lacrimosa]
With their powerful voices and beautiful melodies, these women are one of my favourite bands to listen to. Their musical has a classical instrument flair similar to Kanon Wakeshima, but their music has a much darker, gothic tone. Their music varies from loud rock to melancholic balads, and it's all enjoyable. These talented women are a must-listen, in my opinion.

Buck-Tick - Known for [Dress] [Romance] [Gessekai]
Now the hunky looks and smooth voice of the lead singer should be good enough of a reason to listen to this amazing jrock band their dark, gothic music is perfect for the gothic lolita. Buck Tick have been active for three decades, and are often credited as some of  the 'fathers of visual kei'. Over the years they have experimented with many different musical styles, including gothic, punk, darkwave and other music styles. This band is a real treat for those who are fans of gothic music, visual kei and anything in between.

Rasputina - Known for [1816, The Year Without Summer] [Gingerbread Coffin] [In Old Yellowcake]
This band is incredibly popular is gothic fashion circles, and there is no suprise why. Their music is gloomy, creepy, and thoroughly enjoyable. Their music is a interesting mix of classic instruments, modern electronic, and dark lyrics, but it comes together to make such an interesting and rich sound.

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Music for A Classic Lolita

Kokusyoku Sumire - Known for [Le Poison] [The Secret Tea Party] [Gekko Renka]
While they do often wear gothic lolita, their style is not explicitly lolita. Their big skirts, lace and frills combined with their unique style makes an interesting 'old country style' sister to lolita. Their music is so incredibly unique, mixing operatic singing, classic instruments (including an accordian) and their own sense of style. Their calming, and at times funny, music is wonderful to listen to, and flatters the classic lolita lifestyle very well.

Sucrette - Known for [Love Prologue] [Whistle and Love] [My Brilliant Summer]

Though I personally don't know much about the history of the artist, Sucrette has a sweet, lovely voice that is a joy to listen to. Her soft singing isn't overly sweet, and her musical style has a really nice, calm sound. It's the perfect music for laying in a bed of grass, staring at clouds.

Fleet Foxes - Known for [Montezuma] [Blue Ridge Mountains] [Mykonos]
These 'mountain men' are famous for their soothing indie folk sounds. They came to be known worldwide in 2008, and ever since they've been releasing their relaxing melodies worldwide. Their music may not stray from their slow pace and soft voices, but despite this it ranges from catchy upbeat tunes to slow and sad stories. Their lyrics are a blessing to listen to, with a poetic nature that is very enjoyable.

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I hope you all enjoyed my musical choices! Do you have any musicians that you think fit perfectly with lolita?
If you do, please leave a comment below!