Samurai Girl

Francesco, and editor for Hobby Media in Italy, sends me word of a new book he’s co-edited for an art book publisher there (Drago) called SAMURAI GIRL, covering the photography of Julie Watai, who you might have seen as an idol in the group Pikapika or in the pages of SMARTGIRL.

S-Style strikes again! S as in Style, Symbol, Street, Speed, Sex, Super Star. S like SAMURAI GIRL. Hello Kitty meets Cat Woman. SAMURAI GIRL is the Japanese Lolita for the new millennium, the girlie face of a new Japanese underground that will style the world. SAMURAI GIRL is a psychedelic collection of images by Tokyo-based fashion photographer and Asia’s former teenage Pop Idol, Julie. A 25 year old descendent of an ancient samurai family, Julie re-mixes Japanese (sub)cultural photos with manga and video game graphics. Collaborating with some of the most influential style leaders of the Otaku Scene, Julie’s photos and designs have gained cult status in Tokyo. The ‘Samurai’ girls in Julie’s photography capture the contemporary aesthetic for real-life Barbie dolls, cosmic superstars, video game superheroes, super sexy pop idols, and Godzilla school girls. SAMURAI GIRL combines Japanese youth fashion fantasy with radical trends, club culture chic and Manga design. Over 100 photos and graphics re-interpret the Kawaii (cute) wave.