Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential: How Teenage Girls Made a Nation Cool

Description

Cover; Copyright; Contents; Introduction; Chapter One: Uniforms Sailor girls; Chapter Two: Music Idol worship; Chapter Three: Movies Girls on film; Chapter Four: Shopping Material girls; Chapter Five: Kogals, magazines & books Cover girls; Chapter Six: Art Artists' muse; Chapter Seven: Games Play girls; Chapter Eight: Manga & anime Comic icons; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index; Acknowledgments; Back Cover.;Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential takes you beyond the realm of everyday girls to the world of the iconic Japanese schoolgirl craze that is sweeping the globe. For years, Japanese schoolgirls have appeared in hugely-popular anime and manga series such as Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Blood: The Last Vampire. These girls are literally showing up everywhere-in movies, magazines, video games, advertising, and music. WIRED Magazine has kept an eye on the trends emerging from these stylish teens, following kick-ass schoolgirl characters in videogames like Street Fighter and assassin schoolgirls in movies like Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. By talking to Japanese women, including former and current J-Pop idols, well-known actresses, models, writers, and artists-along with famous Japanese film directors, historians and marketers-authors Brian Ashcraft and Shoko Ueda (who have both contributed to WIRED's "Japanese Schoolgirl Watch" columns) reveal the true story behind Japan's schoolgirl obsessions. You'll learn the origins of the schoolgirls' unusual attire, and how they are becoming a global brand used to sell everything from kimchi to insurance. In Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential, you'll discover: - Sailor-suited pop-idols - Cult movie vixens - Schoolgirl shopping power - The latest uniform fashions. Cover Copyright Contents Introduction Chapter One: Uniforms Sailor girls Chapter Two: Music Idol worship Chapter Three: Movies Girls on film Chapter Four: Shopping Material girls Chapter Five: Kogals, magazines & books Cover girls Chapter Six: Art Artists' muse Chapter Seven: Games Play girls Chapter Eight: Manga & anime Comic icons Conclusion Bibliography Index Acknowledgments Back Cover.