Lolita Style
Just as in North America, music and subculture are largely intertwined. Therefore, it’s only natural that the characters portrayed in an anime series would share that same fate with their own music. There are many different varieties of music-based subcultures in Japan, but a few in particular tend to show up more often than others.
Zoku means tribe in Japanese, and the word is often used as the suffix for the names of various subcultures. One group that is still seen to affect anime in today’s world is known as the Karasu-zoku. Literally meaning Crow Tribe, the subculture was closely tied to the punk rock movement in the 1970s and refers to the black clothing very often associated with Punks and Goths. With bands like the Stance Punks, this connection is pretty clear.
The Stance Punks are known for the song “No Boy No Cry,” which was used as a Naruto opening, and “I Wanna Be” which was used for the ending theme of Soul Eater. Some might also place the FLOW in this category, who did the song Colors for the first opening of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. “Go!!!” and “Re:member” are also FLOW songs which a connection to anime; both were used as opening Naruto themes.
The Lolita subculture is difficult to define exactly. Often fashion based, Lolita is a Japanese subculture that is influenced by Victorian European as well as the punk, goth, and Visual Kei movements. Misa Amane of Death Note fame is probably the quintessential example of such a style of dress, though there are countless other examples. Cirucci Sanderwicci, an arrancar in Bleach, has short purple hair, a frilled dress, teardrop facepaint and tall boots. Each of these elements lends a bit to her individual Lolita style.
Bosozoku, or “violent running tribes,” also appear quite often in anime and manga. These are the Japanese equivalent of biker gangs, and are known for their colorful uniforms, hachimaki headbands, and stereotyped pompadour haircuts. Some behaviors of bosozoku members are in common with Western biker gangs, like thrill seeking and street racing. However, they are also known for some decidedly odd activities like randomly waving the national flag.
There are many other Japanese subcultures, and sometimes they don’t necessarily match to the series they’re connected with. For instance, L’Arc-en-Ciel preformed the song “Ready Steady Go” as the second opening to FullMetal Alchemist. The alternative rock piece may seem a bit out of place with the series’ otherworldly time period, but it certainly meshes well with the attitude of the main character. In other series though, the connection is more concrete, and the membership of different groups may become a major plot point.
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