Lovely Complex and Lovely Fashion

By Gianna Kim

Marketed towards teen girls and young women, shoujo manga depicts a melting pot of teen girl pop culture in Japan, marrying popular teen girl media, fashion, and the coming-of-age experience. As 2000s fashion and Asian media are becoming more prevalent in 2020s Western pop culture, 2000s shoujo manga is once again being looked towards for “style inspo” and simultaneously working as an archive of trends of the era. Manga like Nana, Beck, and Lovely Complex not only embodied the category taking on trendy fashion and fun storytelling, but in turn impacted the Japanese fashion scene in the 2000s, and also ours in the present day. 

Lovely Complex is a romcom shoujo manga by Aya Nakahara and was serialized from 2001 to 2006. In 2007, the series also had an anime adaptation due to its popularity becoming a staple in the shoujo manga category. The story follows a tall girl and short boy who bicker constantly as they begin to fall in love with each other. Although this dynamic makes the story more unique, the fresh and trendy styling of the characters makes the series so much more memorable as the aesthetics are to be aspired to. Especially with Otani, the male lead, and his styling inspirations being rooted in 2000s Japanese street fashion.

Otani is not the typical “ikemen” male lead, so his styling reflects that by having a boyish look with streetwear influences. Shorts and oversized clothing are common choices in his wardrobe, with the looser look giving a sporty feel. This perfectly aligns with Japanese fashion ethos of the early 2000s into the late 2000s as casual clothing and second-hand shopping grew in abundance.

Left: Otani in Vol. 1 Lovely Complex

Right: Select Shop (Edited Shop) Style, 2004, From the collection of: ACROSS

Another potent characteristic of 00s Japanese youth fashion was the dilution of gyaru styling, called Gal Mix trend. This took the feminine and tacky elements of 90s gyaru and applied it to a more unisex and casual look overall. Otani embodies Gal Mix, most notably on the volume covers of the series. It is interesting seeing these stylistic choices fairly early onto the series since archives of fashion photos from the 2000s tend to show Gal Mix in its more casual state to be from later in the decade, while Lovely Complex was being serialized through the first half of the 00s. This level of fashion forwardness in Lovely Complex is in due credit to Aya Nakahara with authentic and personal styling of her characters and not simply drawing them in only trendy styles of the time. 

Left: Otani on the Vol. 12 Lovely Complex cover

Right: Gal & gal o, 2007, From the collection of: ACROSS

While still being fashionable, the styling of Lovely Complex characters is reflective of their character and the time they are living in. With Risa, the female lead, a sportier style is worn, similar to Otani, but with more feminine and preppy touches that shows her wants to be seen as a girl despite her height and her relationship with school and being a decent student. Comparatively to her friends, she is shown to be more interested in mainstream fashion as well. This is especially noticeable when Risa is shown next to her friend that is styled a bit gaudier with more 90s gyaru elements being present.

This is an exciting detail in the costuming of these characters as Aya Nakahara brings a level of individuality to her characters and also carries and understanding of trend cycles. It is only natural for 90s fashion to have some prevalence in the early 00s as that clothing and media of the time is still cycling through pop culture of 00s japanese youth.

Risa and her friend in Vol. 1 Lovely Complex

Risa’s and Otani’s style are complimentary with each other, showing their compatibility, because of this sportier and casual style, but also due to both of them being presented as more into fashion based on their styling choices compared to the other characters in the series. Although their interests in fashion are rarely discussed, the harmonious styling between the two highlights this similar interest and visually pairs them together. The costuming is also fresh and bright which reflect the nature of the manga itself.

Risa and Otani on the Vol. 1 Lovely Complex cover

So far with 2020s fashion and media, the 2000s inspiration and Asian Wave (the rise in popularity of Asian media) has been bubbling up in the West. Manga has thus become a resource of the fashion in that time that young people today take inspiration from. With Lovely Complex, sporty and more mainstream fashion choices shine through. This is seen with the resurgence of popularity for Nike Air Rifts, which are depicted to be worn by Risa.

Interactions between media and fashion continue to influence and shape each other, especially when the design of characters are done skillfully and fun like Aya Nakahara has done. Although manga can be highly stylized, its ability to be an archival resource of its era is also one not to be overlooked. Fashion intertwines with various media and vice versa. It is able to be expressed beyond the actual article of clothing, making fashion a true cultural medium.

Risa in Vol. 2 of Lovely Complex wearing Nike Air Rifts