Modern Love: Ero-Guro Art at the Honolulu Museum of Art

Good evening, Darlings!

Today I ventured out to the Honolulu Museum of Art, to check out their new exhibit "Modern Love", featuring several ero and ero-guro artists. The exhibit runs until March 2015.

I have been waiting for months for this exhibit to open, since I found out they'd be featuring one of my favourite manga-ka, Suehiro Maruo.

With my copy of Shoujo Tsubaki, a Maruo cult classic.

My first exposure to Suehiro Maruo was on Tumblr about five years ago. Though I was initially repelled by the gruesome art style and scenes it depicted, it slowly entranced me. Shoujo Tsubaki became my personal favourite, and I have even cosplayed the main character, Midori.

As Midori, at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii.

After my obsession with Maruo, my curiosity for guro manga led me to the cult classic "Litchi Hikari Club", theatre productions from Tokyo Grand Guignol, and various other 'grotesque' artists.

Without further ado, let me tell you a bit about the exhibit at HMA.

The exhibit is closed off by a rolling red screen door, since it is an 18+ exhibit. The walls are decorated with life-size prints from shunga paintings, with framed works by individual artists, and sometimes, related manga books in shadow boxes on display. On the walls, there are iPads loaded with the manga translated in English, so you can read the chapters.

A wall featuring the manga "Sakuran", a popular erotic manga that is also a successful film starring Anna Tsuchiya.

Aside from the Maruo collection, one of my favourite installments was this shadowbox featuring candid snapshots of girls, called "Tokyo Amour".

The artist, Yonehara Yasumasa was apparently a longtime resident of the Harajuku district of Tokyo, and has been actively involved in promoting Japanese street fashion and Harajuku culture. Some of his work will be featured in the upcoming exhibit Harajuku: Tokyo Street Fashion (November 2015-April 2016). This exhibit will also feature an original piece from the shironuri artist Minori. I can hardly wait until it finally opens! 

Yonehara Yasumasa's Tokyo Amour.

The Maruo collection left me speechless. There were eight frames of raw manga pages by the artist, mistakes, rough speech bubbles, and all.

There was also an iPad loaded with an explanation of the story, and some of the repeated symbolism in Maruo's works. It was very interesting to listen to, even as a fan familiar with his work.

After I walked around the rest of the museum, I popped into the gift shop to see if there were any Maruo goodies for sale. Though they only stocked basic books on Shunga and Ukiyo-e, I did find an interesting assortment of books on Japanese Street Fashion and Kawaii culture. I bet they're preparing for their upcoming J-fashion exhibit next year.

I picked up this one, which included a spread on the Harajuku Fashion Walks, as well as the history of Kawaii Culture.

And speaking of J-fashion, here was my outfit of the day. I decided to go casual Loli, since it was just my husband and I.

I really love my dot shantung Innocent World JSK.

Afterwards, my husband and I were really hungry, so we went to our favourite Hot Pot place on this island: Sweet Home Cafe. One of the best parts of eating at Sweet Home Cafe, is that when you're finished they treat you to a complimentary shaved ice dessert.

Yay, coffee jelly!

On the way home from our adventure, we saw a double rainbow cross right over us on the highway, and it was very bright! What better way to wrap up the day?

It's days like this that I believe the phrase, "Lucky We Live Hawaii".

Xoxo, your Kawaii in Hawaii Lolita Cherie. 

Manga Swap Meet at JCC

Good... well, morning darlings! It's 12:51 am on a sleepless Saturday in Hawaii. I've been up since about 6 am, when I rose to start applying makeup and getting dressed for a Manga Swap at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i.

The event started as a Courtyard Bazaar, and this year was taken over by anime, manga, video game goods and cosplayers. Animaid Cafe Hawaii was also there advertising for HEXXP, and they had a very exciting announcement.

Seiyuu (voice actor) Yao Kazuki, voice of Franky and others in the runaway hit anime Onepiece, will be a special guest at Animaid Cafe's One Piece Event on Friday October 19th. 

Its an event with a limited number of seats and tickets are going fast, but you can buy them online through Eventbrite, with the option to pay up-front or at the door. A light meal will be served with your choice of dessert- either parfait or fruit salad. There'll be Onepiece themed games and us Animaid workers will all be dressed in Onepiece cosplay or a special uniform. Very rarely do we get to put on this sort of theme, and we have the perfect location for this in Hawaii, right on the water at Aloha Tower! And with an amazing veteran voice actor, what more could you ask for?

Aside from that exciting announcement, there were a few contests going on at JCC today. First was a hall-style cosplay contest, which had so many talented entries, from Connor (Assassin's Creed) to Vocaloid to a big Inu x Boku SS group.

As for myself, I finally got to break out my cosplay of Midori, from "Shojou Tsubaki" / "Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freakshow". 

There was also a drawing contest, called "Draw your favourite character eating pizza". I entered on a whim, or more as a joke... but I ended up winning! I scored a nice set of drawing pens, with my scribble of Kotetsu from "Tiger and Bunny".

School has kept me very busy, especially since these courses are all heavy on reading... but today was a great day, and a great chance to unwind. I loved hanging out with my old friends, meeting up with some I haven't seen in over a year.

Other than that, I'm still getting ready for Miss Vamp Hawaii next month! My friend helped me take some photos to keep handy. 

Not too shabby huh? 

Well, until next time!

xoxo, Cherie

Opportunity knocking!

Hello darlings, and welcome to the end of Summer. Maybe some of you are Summer people, but personally I love Fall and everything about it. As I'm sure you know, my family is huge into Halloween and we've all ready begun preparations for our favourite holiday. Of course once again, I'll be away from home this Halloween, but it's fun to help my mom plan and stowe away decorations.

My mom got me a bunch of dahlias at the Farmer's Market in Poulsbo last weekend. I love dahlias, because they look like smiling faces to me. It made me think, I'd like to incorporate them into my next tattoo, which will either be on my arm and upper shoulder or maybe on my upper thigh. I haven't picked a place yet, but I want to add to my canvas... especially since in two days, I'll be home in Hawaii, and can visit my favourite studio in Waikiki.

I probably won't have time to get new ink for a while, because I have so much on my schedule! In addition to a five-course full-time college schedule, here are some other things I'm doing my first two months back at home.

August 30th- HPU Study Abroad Q&A Panel.

I'll be answering questions about HPU's Study Abroad program August 30th, at the downtown campus 11-11:45, UB 214. My friend Yasu will be there with me. So if there's any local students who would like to hear about HPU's Study Abroad Opportunities, come on down! I'd also love to answer any questions about Japan, the program, or just talk about my time in Nagoya at NUFS.

September-

1st and 2nd- Okinawan Festival, Honolulu. I'll be meeting up with a lot of my old friends there and hanging out in yukata. I can hardly wait to see everyone!

4th- First Day of classes at HPU!

22nd- This is a bit of a secret, but I'll be doing some Pin-Up modeling for a charity calendar. I'm very excited!

October 12th- Miss Vamp Hawaii at the Hawaii Theatre

This year I'll be running for Miss Vamp Hawaii, Hawaii's first and only Vampire Beauty Pageant. Held every year in October, this is the pageant's third year, growing bigger and better every year! There is a traditional pageant, Talent Competition, and "Moon Bathing" pageant. Normally that would be the swimwear segment, but since we vampires can't go out in the sunlight, we will be modeling our elegant lingerie.

Please come on out and support me! I'll be making all my own outfits and will try to bring something new and creative to the competition. You can buy tickets at the Historic Hawaii Theatre Box Office. There are still good seats left, but they are going fast! Please mention my name, Erica A. to support me in running for Miss Congeniality.

The Miss Vamp Hawaii pageant will be held on October 12th at 7 PM.

October 19th-21st- HEXXP
The following weekend, October 19th-21st, is HEXXP-con at the beautiful Aloha Tower Marketplace. This is the second year running for the convention, and I'll be volunteering at the maid cafe, Animaid Hawaii all weekend. My maid name, naturally, is Cherie. ;D You can add me on Facebook on my maid page, here. /end plug

On opening night there will be a party with a special theme, and all of us maids and hosts will be wearing special outfits. The rest of the weekend will include regular cafe service and high tea events.

Saturday the 20th at 12 PM, I'll be running the Japanese Street Fashion fashion show. More details to come.

Atelier Pierrot's designer will also be present with a fashion show!!

I don't have much information, but it also appears that a Japanese V-kei band called NSDP will also be performing.

And those are just a few of the exciting events at HEXXP! If you're on Oahu that weekend I highly recommend checking it out!

Of course, at the end of October is the best holiday of all, Halloween! I think I'll spend it with friends in Waikiki this year, since for some reason or another, I was never able to go before. I haven't decided yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll wear my cosplay of Ruki from the GazettE, from their "Taion" music video.

Which is finally finished!

Please look forward to future photo shoots, hopefully!

And well, I have to pull myself away from the computer for a while, to spend time with my mom and brother and finish packing. I just went shopping for some back-to-school things, inspired by my last Reita post.

Distressed jeans, a cool graphic tee with butterflies and skulls, a motorcycle jacket and a purse, all for under $100. And lord knows I have enough boots to outfit an army, so this outfit is d-o-n-e! The best part about these pieces is they can mix and match with so much. I'm glad I finally got some new casual clothes haha~

Till we meet again, darlings~ Next time I see you I should be home in Hawaii! So, Aloha!

xoxo, Cherie

Added as an after thought...

I think the point of this post, was not just to tell you about all the exciting and fun things we have in Hawaii, but to prove a point... my adventure, growth and opportunity did not end with my study abroad. Going to Japan was a dream come true and I will certainly return for work and travel some day. But I see so many young people saying "It's my dream to go to Japan!" As if that is the be-all end-all to their wants and wishes. I was there too. 

But I've learned that's not what it's about. Everything I learned while I was there has prepared me for where I am now, and made me even more able to take on challenges. For example, at HEXXP we are expecting over 200 guests from Japan, and I'll be one of the few maids/hosts in the cafe who can talk with them. Even now, friends and acquaintances are contacting me with opportunities in the future, in the field of Japanese fashion. It's all so exciting! Even with the Miss Vamp pageant, I remember my experience volunteering with teaching English, and helping at the local orphanage in Japan, and that help keeps me humble. 

It makes me thankful for all of these opportunities. I'm not scared to take chances. That makes a world of difference... literally. The world feels open to me after this study abroad. Before, it was just the great unknown. 

(Overdue) Outfit Post~!

Hey Darlings!

I can't believe that my study abroad ends in one week. It feels like it can't really end... I can't wrap my mind around going home! But I still have to scrub my apartment floor to ceiling for inspection this weekend. I wanted a break from that nonsense, so started to go through my photos again.

Then I realised, even though this is sort of my "Lolita" blog, I never post my outfits. The truth is, I'm really shy and hate taking photos. I never post to communities and try to avoid the spotlight... ^^;

But, I just got some Purikura scans from my friend, so what the heck? Here are a few of my favourite outfits from the past year, some from really fun outings. 

This was around the start of Spring semester, and Nagoya was still freezing! My friend and I braved the frigid wind to twin in Angelic Pretty's Honey Cake series. This was the day we visited the "Kuma Cafe", a cafe all about Teddy Bears.

This is from around last Christmas. NUFS organised a field trip to the Linear Motor Museum, a museum all about trains. We got to explore old rail cars, play with displays, and eat eki bento.

Naturally, I wore Metamorphose's "Romantica Train" JSK. Unfortunately I forgot my camera on that day, so these were taken with my cellphone!

These are some of my favourites. My friend and I dressed in old-school/aristocratic outfits, sticking to a black and white colour scheme. I wore an older Metamorphose Jsk I found at a second-hand shoppe.

I also wore this butterfly, cross and chain ring by Ozz-On. It's so ridiculous and lovely, but it's kind of impractical, so I rarely get to show it off. 

About our hair... My friend loves Miku from Vocaloid, and I love Luka... we were both excited for an upcoming cosplay event, so decided to try out our Vocaloid wigs!

(Ironically, our plan was to visit a Butler Cafe called "Imperial Rose" that day, but it was closed for a different cosplay event.) 

... I'm not sure when this was. But I'm glad I didn't get a full outfit shot, I have no idea WHY I was wearing so many bright colours! xD

I don't think this is the most flattering picture, but I love this new Putumayo JSK. I just got it at the shop, and wore it to class one day...

(Can you tell, I really love those red Metamorphose shoes.)

And my most recent outing was yesterday! My friend and I were choco-twins, both wearing the Chocolate Chess bustier JSK in mint. 

As you can see we wear lolita together often, but yesterday people wouldn't stop ogling us! People even kept walking into things! xD Lots of people took their picture with us too, which I don't mind... but it's the weirdos video taping us on their phones as they walk by that bother me. :"| You really have to watch out. 

And afterwards, we got matching chocolate pancakes at one of our favourite cafes.

And well, now you can't say I never post outfits. xD Maybe I'll do this once a year or something. 

Hope you are all doing well! And don't forget, there are three days left on the Taiyaki Maker give away! Good look to everyone who has entered, and if you haven't, there's still time! 

Now, back to cleaning for me... I don't really like Cinderella, but I feel her pain now.

Till next time,

Cherie

Cosplay in Japan

Hello Darlings! 

Long time no post, but as usual, things have been busy. It's all ready mid-term, I can't believe it! My class had a huge speaking/video project, essay exam, and a 22-chapter long grammar exam all in the same week.

However, I've had plenty of opportunities to unwind and hang out with my friends in Japan. I've met a wide variety of people here, all with different interests and the same hobbies as me. One of my hobbies I'm really into is cosplay, but until recently I was too embarrassed to bring it up in front of people. By chance, I met a friend at karaoke one night who also happened to be a cosplayer, and last week, she took me to my first cosplay event in Japan!

Compared to western anime conventions, which can run $30-60 for admission, the cost of admission was cheap. 900 yen for a program, which was stuffed with ads for upcoming events, fan drawings, and cosplay shops.

That 900 yen cover got you into the arena, where vendors sold primarily hand-made goods, such as doujinshi (fan comics), fan art, handmade clothing and accessories, stickers and more. (Anime cons in the US usually have a section like this called the "Artist Alley", where only original hand-made goods can be sold.)

500 yen bought you a badge for admission into what I'd like to call the "Cosplay Pit"; the half of the arena roped off exclusively for cosplayers, photographers, and these babies:

Cars of all makes and models with custom made anime designs. I usually see these driving around Oosu or near Nagoya station, but had never seen so many in one place! I was floored by the detail! 

Trophies were awarded for the best designs. Many had displays inside the car windows or around the car, to keep with the theme. Even if you aren't an auto enthusiast, you would have enjoyed this part of the event. 

Back to the Cosplay Pit. As a cosplayer, you had to do little more than walk in and people would queue to snap your photo. Photographers of all ages and skill levels were there, some with cellphone cameras, others with arsenals of professional gear. 

After photos were taken, there was the exchange of meishi, business cards. This was something I had never seen before. Each cosplayer carried a mini portfolio of meishi, usually of different cosplays they had done. Usually they will let you pick the card you want, they're pretty friendly people. :) The cards may have a box you can scan with your cellphone to view their page online, or it may have their profile number for sites such as Archive or Cure. Photographers also carried meishi to keep in touch with the people they shot. 

In the US, I usually cosplay outfits from Visual Kei PVs such as The GazettE and Dir en grey. I hadn't gotten around to making an online profile yet. After this event, I made an Archive profile to keep in touch with my new friends. Archive's free cosplayer profile has an online meishi maker installed, which is easy and fun to work with. 

I'm starting to really get back into this hobby! And that's probably a really good thing, since starting this year, my home state of Hawaii will be included in preliminaries for the World Cosplay Summit. 

I know I'll have to leave Japan soon when this school year ends, but the World Cosplay Summit is actually hosted here in Nagoya every year! How awesome would it be if I could come back here to compete?

Till next time,

Cherie

PS- ALMOST 100 FOLLOWERS, wow, thank you so much! I will have to do something special for my readers if I break 100!

Things to Come

Hello Darlings!

In February, I returned home to visit my family for Spring break.

Before I left home, I got to celebrate my 21st birthday with my family. My present was to come home and see them. My last night home, we had a spread of all my favourite foods, and my mom let me pick out bouquets of pink, magenta and purple gerber daises. I put them in a vase with a huge purple bow around the neck.

I spent most of Spring break behind the pedal of my sewing machine, and managed to knock out a lot of cosplays!  I'll have to dedicate a future post to solely cosplay, I don't think I can tie it into this entry.

 I returned to Japan last month, and dove into a spiral of Placement Tests, studying... and a whole bunch of adventures!  From the "Bear Cafe"in Sakae, to seeing the land where "Dreams Come True", to seeing one of my favourite J-rock groups.

This is a sampling post! In the next week or two I want to write proper articles, so I can explain these things and maybe you can go and see them yourself! In the meantime, let's see what's in store. 

Upon returning to Japan, I proceeded to eat far too many sweets. My Japanese friend graduated from college, so we had a party at Sweets Paradise in Nagoya.

Not long after, my lolita friend invited me out to twin our AP Honey Picnic sets, and ate lunch at a "Bear Cafe".

Not long after that, rain started falling, cherry blossoms started budding, and it was time for Hanami (flower viewing).

This weekend, we went to Disney Sea, to celebrate my friend's graduation again...

And tonight, I just got back from seeing Alice Nine in Nagoya.

Tomorrow... I think I can actually take a breather!!

Time has been soaring by. Coming back to Japan for a second semester has been the best decision... I'm more comfortable with the language, I know what to expect from my courses and teachers, and the best part is, I came back to a bunch of friends waiting to see me. That makes all the difference. 

Without my friends, I'd be nothing! Not just the fellow riyuugakusei who speak English; but the Japanese ones who live here too. I am so grateful and lucky that they'd invite me into their busy lives, to invite me to things like going to Disney Sea. 

Not to mention we speak only Japanese while we're out, which is amazing practice! You learn expressions and develop a natural style, which I may argue, is impossible to master in a classroom alone. 

Thank you for sticking with Darkly Darling, even with stretches of inactivity. I really hope you continue to follow me on my adventures, and it inspires you to set out on an adventure of your own.

Till next time! 

Cherie

Butler Cafe: Imperial Rose

Photo courtesy of Meieki Keizai Shimbun, 2010.

The Imperial Rose sits on the fourth floor of a building, just a moment's walk from the hustle and bustle of Nagoya Station. Imagine, entering an elevator like any other, pressing the singular violet button that carries you to the top floor.

The elevator opens, and you find yourself faced with a set of heavy black doors. Roses and ivy curl around the black iron clock, ticking away despite the timeless scene.

It's hard to believe that you're still in Japan, and not a scene from a fairytale. 

Like a magic spell at midnight, the cafe comes to life at noon. The lights on the clock ignite like fireflies.

 Rap the heavy iron knocker, and the bolt behind the doors is undone. A dashing butler greets you with a bow and a cordial smile... welcome to The Imperial Rose. 

This butler-kei cafe prides itself on handcrafted sweets, a profound and creative atmosphere, and signature teas arranged by the owner. The workers are all female, dressed in gothic boy style and visual kei fashion. The cafe caters to Gothic Lolita and cosplaying customers, with several special events throughout the year.

The inside of the cafe was all violet, from the chairs to the chandeliers and velvet tablecloths. Ball-jointed dolls  sat perched on the counters. There was a bookshelf packed with gothic lolita art books to admire during your stay, and if you'd prefer to watch something, each table had a television with a selection of dvds about tea. 

Photo courtesy of Meieki Keizai Shimbun, 2010.

When I went this weekend, we ordered the Deluxe Tea set, which serves two for 2,500 yen. We got our choice of tea, which the butler let us sniff for aroma and flavor before brewing. We went with the house specialty, IR tea, which had a gorgeous rose scent.

We were served with a four-tier dessert tray, with crystals dangling from the sides, butterflies arranged in clotted cream, the cakes adorned with bat-shaped cookies. The top tier was scones with our choice of jam and clotted cream (we opted for blueberry); the second tier was cheesecake and strawberry short cake; the third was a berry tart; and last but not least was a delicate chiffon cake served with cream. 

Each guest was served with a different teacup and saucer. The teapot cozies were hand stitched with the cafe name and a lavender rose bud. 

On the way out, you can purchase post cards, stickers, second-hand lolita, cosplay and j-rock goods, as well as handmade accessories from LoveReplica. 

This was my very first time at a cafe like this! It was like a dream. All of the handmade elements, like the menus and decorations were so impressive and unique. I was so sad that photos were forbidden, because everything was beautiful and ethereal. 

It has always been a dream of mine to open my own Lolita cafe someday, and after visiting the Imperial Rose I am even more determined.

It sounds silly, but it's things like this that remind me why I got into lolita, why I still wear it and love it. 

Kawaiikon 2011

カワイイ☆コン　’１１

Kawaiikon 2011, Photo Recap!

土曜日 / Saturday

(I was Ruki, vocalist of The GazettE.)

日曜日 / Sunday

(Went more natural, in Vampire Forest)

Honestly I wish I switched my coordinates. The Cosplay Masquerade was hardly worth the effort. The judges were rude and the event was mismanaged. If I could re-do the weekend, I would have modeled in the Lolita Fashion Show instead of cosplaying, on Saturday.

I changed my mind at the last minute, because it was too hard to enter the Masquerade in Ruki, and model for the fashion show... Ruki's vkei makeup did not wash off until I took a hot shower, and the Sharpie from dying my wig turned the sides of my face and the back of my neck red.

I didn't spend enough time with all my friends either... I want a re-do, please.