5 Movies for Lolitas (Lolita 52 Challenge)

I wanted to share films that feature Lolitas specifically, rather than just films that fit the aesthetic! This was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be; not because there aren't films featuring Lolitas out there--but because they often don't get much recognition in the West, which can make them difficult to track down. So, here we have it: a post containing my top five films featuring Lolitas!

Kamikaze Girls

Ah, yes--Kamikaze Girls (or, if you rather, Shimotsuma Monogatari). No "Lolita Movie" list is truly complete without this Novala Takemoto classic. And here's the thing: I'm actually not the greatest fan of Takemoto. I personally felt that the Kamikaze Girls novel was somewhat lacking, and never cared much for the writing style (or at least the translation). Despite this, the Kamikaze Girls film is one of my favorite Lolita-related films.

Why, you might ask? Because, unlike the novel (which seemed to try to take itself seriously despite the complete ludicrous nature of its protagonist), the film throws any sense of trying to seem like a realistic portrayal of lifeto the wind, and instead revels in what it is: a completely off-the-wall comedy about a Lolita and a Yankee becoming best friends. Momoko is a thousand times more likable in the film than she is in the novel, in my opinion. So even if you didn't enjoy Takemoto's novel--it's definitely worth giving the film a shot, given the fact that it presented itself in a vastly different light.

Bara no Konrei ~Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku~

This movie is the only "serious" film on the list. Trust me. Lolita aesthetics, for some reason, doesn't seem to lend to anything other than comedies, for some reason. Enter Bara no Konrei--a film recorded pre-hiatus by Malice Mizer, and featuring their last recorded album for a soundtrack. Bara no Konrei is a tribute to both vampire and silent films, and is honestly a rather impressive project for a Visual Kei band, if  you ask me.

Instead of a short film, which I would find more plausible, Mana-sama and Company decided that simply wasn't good enough, and instead chose to do a feature-length silent film. The plot, while nothing new, exactly (given it's more or less your standard retelling of Dracula with a few other tidbits tossed in), Bara no Konrei makes up for what it lacks in originality with style. The costuming, as expected, is gorgeous to look at, and the eye candy of the Malice Mizer members is enough to keep any fan satisfied. (I'm particularly fond of Klaha in this film, but that's just me.) If your tastes tend towards the Gothic side and you haven't checked this out yet, this is a travesty that must be corrected--go and check this out! (To make your life easier, it's even available on YouTube.)

Mister Rococo

Mister Rococo is a short film about a high school girl and her first love. And that's where any semblance to your typical cutesy-cute shoujo manga end. Mister Rococo is what I would consider, by and large, a comedy, built off of over-the-top weirdness that seems to be dominating most of this list. Your boyfriend breaks up with you because he likes strong women? What is a Lolita to do?

Apparently, become a lacey, frill-covered pro wrestler. With a soundtrack in part performed by Anna Tsuchiya (who also played our Yankee friend Ichigo in Kamikaze Girls), Mister Rococo is a quick, fun romp into Lolita-related films.

Nuigulumar Z

Like the next entry on the list, this is one of those movies that either is or isn't for you. It's something of a strange niche film--the kind of film that reinforces the stereotype of Japanese films being off-the-wall. How does a Sweet Lolita powering up with her teddy bear to fight zombies in a cat suit sound to you?

For a while, Baby was even carrying the movie's soundtrack in their stores! Definitely a walk outside of the typical, Nuigulumar Z might not be for everyone, but it could definitely be a movie to watch with some friends when you just want to laugh at something crazy.

Gothic & Lolita Psycho

And now, we have Gothic & Lolita Psycho -- Or, as its US refers to it, Psycho Gothic Lolita. If you asked me to describe just what this film is, I would have quite a bit of trouble doing it concisely--because the plot gets rather convoluted relatively quickly. Our main protagonist, a Gothic Lolita named Yuki, is essentially chasing down five assassins in order to get revenge for the death of her mother. Simple enough, right? Well... Kind of. At first.

It's quite a bit of fun to watch Yuki kick major ass while wearing Putumayo-esque clothes, and using her modified parasol as a weapon. She gains several different parasols over the course of the film--a parasol with a blade in the tip, and one with a machine gun, to name a couple. And it definitely has a very odd plot twist that I won't spoil here. If you like cheesy horror/action films, this might be right up your alley! Particularly when you have an awesome fight between a deco-den obsessed "genki girl", Lady Elle, and our Gothic Lolita "heroine", Yuki.

As a fair warning, the film can get a little gorey in places--though its very much the "ketchup and pasta" type gore where you can tell it's fake. But if that sort of thing bothers you, this movie probably isn't for you. I wouldn't recommend this film if you're looking for anything that's genuinely a great film, because it really isn't even a "good" film. But if you're like me and have a love for watching bad movies, this one will probably be great for a night in.

The post above was a response to the Lolita 52 Week Challenge made by the ever so delightful Caro over at FYeahLolita.