Like the sailor seifuku, the gakuran has been around for more than a century. But while the sailor uniforms took obvious inspiration from naval clothing, the gakuran was create… See more

Western otaku are familiar with kawaii culture, and the "cuteness" that outsiders interpret as a fundamental quirk of Japanese pop culture draws many newcomer… See more

The mystery of the bunny girl isn't as mysterious as one might think. The impression that Japanese bunny girl outfits were adopted in the wake of Playboy is more or les… See more

There's something slightly sinister about the cat-ear trope in anime, although the origins are less than mysterious. Japan as a whole has always been extremely fond and even reverent of … See more