J!-ENT | DECEMBER 06

Photography by NERGENE ARQUELADA

A MAN KNOWN NOT ONLY AS A BEST SELLING NOVELIST BUT ALSO HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO LOLITA FASHION IN JAPAN. J!-ENT INTERVIEWS “SHIMOTSUMA MONOGATARI” (KAMIKAZE GIRLS) CREATOR & LOLITA ICON - NOVALA TAKEMOTO.

BY WYNNE IP & DENNIS A. AMITH

DECEMBER 06 | J!-ENT

ello Kitty, Lolita, Vivienne Westwood, Baby, 1745, Kamikaze Girls, Un-birthday, Kyoto.

There is only one name that can be used to link all of these words together. Enter Novala Takemoto, a charis-matic novelist claiming to be born in the year 1745 in Kyoto, Japan, who is also a prominent Lolita lifestyle icon and fashion designer. While his novel debut did not come until 2000 with the book “Mishin”, Takemoto began his writing career in 1998 with a collection of essays called “Soleinuit: How to Become a Proper Maiden”. In 2004, Takemoto’s novel “Shimot-suma Monogatari” was adapted into a manga in Japan, and later an award-win-ning motion picture of the same title. In June 2005, the movie now known as “Kamikaze Girls” in the United States was premiered at the L.A. Film Festi-val, and was a smash hit among fans of Lolita fashion. Once labeled as “Lolita Bard” by an overseas newspaper, Takemoto searches for the ultimate beauty by embracing the lifestyle of a Lolita and supporting the Lolita fashion, which is often presented as Victorian and Edwardian style cloth-ing. He created the Pour Lolita clothing line in collaboration with “Baby, The Stars Shrine Bright”, as well as several Pour Lolita versions of Hello Kitty merchandise, such as Sweet Lolita, Punk Lolita, Gothic Lolita and more. On October 28-29, 2006, Novala Takemoto made his first appearance in America at Pacific Media Expo (PMX) as a Guest of Honor, with his featured film screening at the event. But he spent his first couple of hours of PMX at an Un-birthday Party, enjoying sandwiches, pastries, tea, and chatting with about fifty of his fans, all dressed in Lolita-style clothing. Shortly after the party, J!-ENT had the opportunity to conduct an exclusive interview with Novala Takemoto, who was dressed sharply in his favorite de-signers clothing and accessories, among which, his Vivienne Westwood rings, earrings, rockinghorse shoes, and many more.

* NOVALA TAKEMOTO. Photography by Nergene Arquelada

A LOLITA ICON: NOVALA TAKEMOTO

Wynne: With this being your first visit in America, is there anything you would like to do while stay-ing here?Takemoto: Before I got onto the plane, I had no idea what Los Angeles was and what there is to see. So I bought a tourist guide at the airport and found out that L.A. is where Disneyland is and where Hollywood is. Despite having a very short stay, I would like to go to Disneyland. I also took a trip myself to Melrose yesterday and I had a lot of fun.

Wynne: You just had the Un-birthday Party with a group of attendees from PMX. What do

you think of the fans in America, and how are they different from those in Japan?Takemoto: The overall feeling I get from the culture is similar to what I have imagined. If I have to find a difference, it would be the fact that Japanese fans are extremely shy, but on the other hand, while American fans are shy, they find a way to project their views openly.

Wynne: I read on the internet that you have an obsession with the Rococo era, and there

H

2

A LOLITA ICON: NOVALA TAKEMOTO

J!-ENT | DECEMBER 06 3

* NOVALA TAKEMOTO DURING THE J!-ENT INTERVIEW. Photography by Nergene Arquealada

is a significance to the year 1745. Could you explain that?Takemoto: (laugh) Since I’d like to hide my real age, when the need for a personal profile came up, basi-cally I just decided to use that year as a small joke. There isn’t really a specific reason why I chose that number. If there is a problem with it, I can change to a different year altogether.

Wynne: How do you feel about your novel “Shimotsuma Monoga-tari” being made into a manga and a movie?Takemoto: The overall work process was a very interesting experience for me. Especially with people shy-ing away from the novel industry nowadays, I have fans writing to me saying, “I picked up the novel because the movie was interesting, and so I wanted to know what the movie was based on. I also found

the novel interesting, but I had to admit it was the first novel I’ve ever read.” And I could feel that influ-ence.

At the same time, the manga ver-sion is probably the most circulated version of the three. It was a good overall experience for me, because I was able to approach the people who don’t pick up novels and whom I normally wouldn’t have been able to relay my ideas to.

I realized that there isn’t an anime version yet, and that the manga audience is different than the anime audience. So since there is already a live action movie and a manga, what I would like to wish for next is an anime.

Wynne: Are you aware that some of the hardcore fans of the movie “Shimotsuma Monogatari” really

don’t seem to like the title “Ka-mikaze Girls”? Did you have any say to this title, and what are your feelings about the title?Takemoto: Let me first say that there are a lot of secrets behind the English title (laugh). But just to let some cats out of the bag, I have no direct involvement in the decision of the English title.

When it was decided to release the movie overseas, the produc-tion committee thought that “Shimotsuma Story” wouldn’t have much impact to the overseas viewers. They wanted a more ap-pealing title for people to accept it as a foreign Japanese film. They needed something that sounded more Japanese. And with Japa-nese stereotypes being Mount Fuji, kamikaze, geisha, etc., the team decided they wanted to call it “Kamikaze Girls.”

I didn’t expect it to be a smash hit title overseas, and so without giving much thought to it, I agreed on the title. To be honest, I’m not completely happy with the title myself, but considering how many people might have watched the movie because of the title, it might not have been too bad of a choice. At the same time, I can understand why a lot of hardcore fans are dissatisfied with the choice of the English title. Thinking on their behalf, I slightly regret not put-ting more thoughts into it. But in the end, the title was the only thing that was changed. The story itself remained the same. So to me, it was an accept-able change that was made.

Wynne: Moving on to the topic of fashion, a lot of people with casual knowledge of Japanese culture might associate the word Lolita with flashy

clothing, sexy little girls outfit, or Japanese rock musicians. What does the word Lolita mean to you?Takemoto: My way of showing my style is my belief that beauty is supreme in life. The outlook on how I view beauty is the biggest virtue. While the biggest aspect of beauty for me is being cute, life in all aspect for me is the pursuit of the ultimate cuteness, and the form that is taking place to solidify this pursuit is where Lolita is heading.

Wynne: Recently, Japanese rock artists such as Mana and Nana Kitade, who are known for their Gothic Lolita fashion, have ap-peared in American conventions. What are your thoughts about their style?

Takemoto: First I want to say: send more of them out to the world. Mana is a long-time friend of mine, and I am very good friends with Nana Kitade, so it’s really good to see positive reviews of artists who have a common directionality with me. It feels like I myself am being accepted when I see artists with similar values being accepted. I’m very happy about that. But I don’t feel that I need to match paces with them, and neither do they, and so it’s more like supporting each other to improve the industry.

Wynne: As you saw, a lot of peo-ple who were dressed in Lolita fashion today were inspired by your style and designs, and a lot of the same people do listen to Japanese rock music. What kind of music do you listen to?

* A LOOK AT NOVALA’S RINGS. Photography by Nergene Arquealada

DECEMBER 06 | J!-ENT 4

A LOLITA ICON: NOVALA TAKEMOTO

J!-ENT | DECEMBER 06 5

* THE ORIGINAL POSTER PRINT FOR “SHIMOTSUMA MONOGATARI” STARRING KYOKO FUKADA AND ANNA TSUCHIYA. THE MOVIE WAS DISTRIBUTED IN THE UNITED STATES AS “KAMIKAZE GIRLS”

DECEMBER 06 | J!-ENT 6

A LOLITA ICON: NOVALA TAKEMOTOTakemoto: I listen to all kinds of mu-sic, including classical, house, punk rock, alternative rock, etc. There is no particular genre, but I do have an idea as to what kind of sound I prefer.

Wynne: About your clothing collab-oration with “Baby, The Stars Shine Bright”, is that an on-going project or just a one-time deal? Will those clothes be available in the U.S.?Takemoto: I have no set rules for collaboration and there is no spe-cific contract of a business deal with them. We are just playing around with each other’s ideas, and there was no specific requirement to de-sign a certain number of pieces for a given season. If I feel like designing something, I just do it and present it to them, and I would like to keep it that way. Most likely the collabora-tion will continue to exist, but there is no definite answer because it is not certain.

As for the retail outlets, there were many questions at the Un-birthday Party today. We’re considering a direct retail outlet store in the U.S., but it is not yet certain because we’re still in negotiation stage. If things go smoothly, there might be a store opening by spring of 2007. If it happens, there will be collaboration items on sale as part of the opening.

Dennis: Novala, you are very styl-ish. Do you choose your own style based on your mood that day? What inspires you to choose what you want to wear?Takemoto: First and foremost, I think of a theme for the day. Based on the theme, my mood, and whom I’m seeing, I make minor adjustment and customization to my outfit accord-ingly. I’m a pretty whimsical person, so the mood I’m in when I get up in the morning is probably the biggest factor. I would put my outfit on and then look at myself in the mirror. But then usually there’d be something wrong with it and I wouldn’t look cool, and so I’d go back and change over and over until I see fit. I don’t

really know what it is but I just know that there is a perfect outfit for a particular day. It’s all about how to find the right answer for that day.

Dennis: If you could use one word to describe yourself, what would that be?Takemoto: (long pause) Punk. Dennis: And why is that?Takemoto: I’m a novelist, and obvi-ously I’m a guy, and I’m not as young as many people think. With the events such as today, many people might think that I’m playing as Mas-ter of Lolita too much. Looking back in history, it’s probably impossible to find any other novelist like me in the world. It might not be comprehend-ible to most people why I would get invited to an event such as PMX as

a novelist, when in fact it was more because of my being the Master of Lolita. The invitation itself was very punk.

Dennis: Many people were very ex-cited that you have come to PMX in Los Angeles, and they wanted you to go to their events. What final words do you have for your fans?

Takemoto: I will go anywhere you wish me to go, but you have to wait for me, so please be patient.

WYNNE IP is an entertainment writer-at-large for J!-ENT.

DENNIS A. AMITH is the founder/owner of J!-ENT and is an entertainment-writer-at-large for J!-ENT.

* NOVALA TAKEMOTO’S “KAMIKAZE GIRLS” MANGA AVAILABLE IN THE US FOR SHOJO

BEAT MANGA. DISTRIBUTED BY VIZ MEDIA. ARTWORK COURTESY OF VIZ MEDIA.

“I’m a novelist, and obviously I’m a guy, and I’m not as young as many people think. With the events such as today, many people might think that I’m playing as Master of Lolita too much. Looking back in history, it’s probably impossible to find any other novelist like me in the world.”

* NOVALA TAKEMOTO.

Photography by Nergene Arquealada

8

WHAT IS KAMIKAZE GIRLS ABOUT?

KAMIKAZE GIRLS depicts the seemingly odd friendship between a frustrated and bored country girl fixated on the lifestyle of 18th Century France inclusive of frilly dresses and parasols, and a spunky member of an all female biker gang. Inspired by the novel Shimotsuma Story by popular Japanese author Novala Takemoto, KAMIKAZE GIRLS takes plenty of influences from iconic examples of pop culture cinema ranging from Tank Girl and the Outsiders to Kill Bill, combines it with some homegrown Japanese eccentricities, and presents a film that gets inside the heart of any dedicated indie film lover.

“KAMIKAZE GIRLS is a riveting film that is sure to delight fans of Asian and action cinema, and we are pleased to bring the film to North American shores,” states Seiji Horibuchi, co-chairman of VIZ Media. “It is a film followed by many awards and ac-colades in Japan and we look forward to its continued success here in the United States.”

DECEMBER 06 | J!-ENT

9

AWARD WINNING FILM (2004)

YOKOHAMA FILM FESTIVAL (JAPAN): • Best Movie: SHIMOTSUMA STORY (KAMIKAZE GIRLS) • Best Director: Naka-jima Tetsuya, SHIMOTSUMA STORY (KAMIKAZE GIRLS) • Best Actress: Kyoko Fukada, SHIMOTSUMA STORY (KAMIKAZE GIRLS) • Best Supporting Actress: Kirin Kiki, SHIMOTSUMA STORY (KAMIKAZE GIRLS)• Best New Actress: Anna Tsuchiya, SHIMOTSUMA STORY (KAMIKAZE GIRLS)

MAINICHI FILM AWARD (JAPAN): • Best Actress: Kyoko Fukada, SHIMOTSUMA STORY (KAMIKAZE GIRLS)• Best New Actress: Anna Tsuchiya, SHIMOTSUMA STORY (KAMIKAZE GIRLS)

HOUCHI FILM AWARD (JAPAN: • Best New Actress: Anna Tsuchiya, SHIMOTSUMA STORY (KAMIKAZE GIRLS)

J!-ENT | DECEMBER 06

Photos courtesy of Viz Media