Volume 1 (in English, anyway)

If you know anything about me, you know I'm not a frilly guy. Nothing I own is pink, cute or fluffy. Nor am I a goth, dressed in black with Xmal Deutschland's "Incubus Succubus" on endless repeat. I'm just a regular guy trying to make ends meet. To quote They Might Be Giants, "alienation's for the rich, and I'm feeling poorer every day." But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a unique and coherent style. For a few years now, I've been noticing Gothic & Lolita Bible at Kinokuniya bookstore. I've never bought one, since it's in Japanese and it would be little more than a picture book to me. Granted, I do buy Japanese car and motorcycle magazines, but I drive cars and ride motorcycles. I don't dress like a gothloli. But when an English-language version of the magazine was finally brought to the US by Tokyopop, any remaining reservations about buying it were finally removed.

Volume 2

First up, for the 3 or 4 people reading this who don't have a basic knowledge of Japanese pop culture, just what is gothic lolita? It's a clothing style that combines the ornateness of Victorian England with gothic European style and Japanese sensibilities. The word lolita comes from Vladimir Nabokov's novel of the same name, but has little to do with precocious sexuality. Instead, the gothic lolita wants to look cute and perhaps a bit sinister. It's a fashion style for men as well, although, unless they are cross-dressing, they would usually be called gothic aristocrats. Many people make the mistake of assuming gothic lolitas are cosplaying, that is, dressing up as their favorite characters from anime, manga or video games. Not at all. Gothloli is a fashion statement, no different from dressing punk or as a cowboy or a biker or any other subculture.

Volume 3

Gothic lolita is still mostly confined to Japan, but its influence is being felt on Japanese pop culture, and by extension, the pop culture of the rest of the world. It helps that it coincides with the current fashion for vampires in Western fiction, as the two share a common sensibility. In my anime collection, I have three titles which are heavily influenced by gothic lolita: Paradise Kiss, Gankutsuou, and Moon Phase. All three of them use the style to impart a beautiful, dreamlike feel to the show, even though each is quite different. Paraside Kiss takes place in the modern, real world; Gankutsuou is a sci-fi retelling of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo; and Moon Phase is a comedic romance about a vampire. Even stories that aren't overtly gothic lolita often have characters that exemplify the style, such as Evangeline from Negima!.

Volume 4

Tokyopop's version of Gothic & Lolita Bible takes translated articles from the original Japanese books and combines them with new articles written exclusively for the English version. It's edited by Jenna Winterberg who is a very good editor and writer, as well as a big fan and practitioner of the style. There are full page ads for the many Japanese brands that specialize in gothic lolita fashion. Articles showcase different trends in the style, help beginners find the look they want, and showcase different artists who live the gothloli lifestyle. Patterns are often included, as otherwise gothic lolita clothing is either non-existent in the US or must be imported at great cost from Japan. A manga is always included as well, not surprising considering that Tokyopop is one of the leading manga publishers in the US. They also have several features on US gothloli fans, showing how they get their clothes and how they live their lives.

Volume 5

Reading the books, I was surprised to learn about all the various sub-styles within gothic lolita. The Sweet Lolita favors pink and white and emphasizes cute. Punk Lolis incorporates punk fashion into the style, using ripped clothing, plaid and other punk elements. Waloli is a melding of Japanese and Victorian styles, combining kimonos with petticoats or hakama with frilled blouses. Black Lolitas are probably what most people thing of when they imagine the style, dressing all in black. Gothic lolita is a style which is still young and vibrant, and the originality and resourcefulness of the people who follow it is truly inspiring. New fashion houses have stepped up to fill the needs of the gothic lolita lifestyle such as Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, Juliette et Justine, Innocent World, Victorian Maiden, Manifesteange Metamorphose temps de fille, Angelic Pretty and Mary Magdalene. While this isn't my usual taste, I find the books and the look at the subculture of Gothic Lolita fascinating, and I'm glad it's finally available in English. It's been quite a while since the last issue came out, but hopefully the current depression recession hasn't claimed yet another victim in the publishing world.