9 Essential Gyaru Magazines

As with any fashion culture, gyaru have their very own magazines to follow. Whilst some magazines try to cover as much of gyaru culture as they can there are some which cater to particular sub-styles. Magazines contain tutorials, tips and tricks and the latest fashion trends. Lots of magazines also use the same models issue after issue which can propel some of the models into the spotlight across Japan!

Edge Style

Edge Style is almost a one-of-a-kind magazine when it comes to gyaru. The target audience is the onee-gyaru; or to be more specific older gyaru. Girls younger than 25 need not apply. Whilst it does focus on the fashion side of gyaru it also highlights gyaru who have started their own business. It's a really positive thing to see! Unfortunately because of this it does make it quite wordy so if you're using gyaru magazines for inspiration I wouldn't recommmend this.

The magazine contains street snaps of gyaru, snaps of shop staff and even a gyaru-mama section! It focuses less on fashion and make-up than other gyaru magazines which it makes it quite unique.



Egg

Egg (egg) is one of the most notorious gyaru magazines. After propelling Buriteri into the spotlight the magazine left the shelves for awhile only to later return bigger and better than ever. This magazine has stood the test of time and been on the shelves in Japan for ten years now. It tends to focus on the most popular styles of gyaru; when ganguro was at the height of popularity it followed that style but now it has adjusted to suit the current market of gyaru.

The magazine contains street snaps of gyaru on the street and tutorials for both make-up and hair. The magazine also looks into the latest gyaru trends that are hitting the streets. The magazine also almost exclusively uses their own models; some of these models have been with Egg for years now whereas some of them are new. Eventually the older models will leave to make room for new models; some of the current Egg models include Kanako Kawabata and Manami Suzuki.

Interestingly this is one of the only gyaru magazines which has a sister magazine of sorts for gyaru-o; MensEGG.



Happie Nuts

Happie Nuts focuses on onee-gyaru and those gyaru who adore tanning their skin. It focuses on the sexier side of gyaru rather than the 'cute' image most younger gyaru aim for. This magazine is slightly overshadowed by it's wildly popular sister magazine, Koakuma Ageha which is another magazine targeting gyaru.

The magazine contains the standard fare of gyaru magazines; tutorials for both makeup and hair and the latest trends. Of course, this magazine focuses on the trends that will most interest onee-gyaru! Like Egg, this magazine uses it's own models, who are required to be tanned, which are affectionately nicknamed 'Nuts Mates'. Ema Matsumoto (see: Emoda) actually used to model for this magazine!



Jelly

Jelly is the younger sister of Ranzuki and was created after the success of a Ranzuki spin-off magazine. The magazine targets the onee-gyaru and of course, any other gyaru who want to pick it up although it does tend to lean towards older gyaru. One of the main styles it focuses on it mode! Like Popteen this magazine also attracts celebrities to do features: celebrities such as Namie Amuro, Ayumi Hamasaki and Korean girlband KARA have all graced the pages of the magazine. Despite being classed as a 'gyaru' magazine it is also accessible to other fashionable girls who may simply not be interested in the 'gyaru' culture.

As well as including celebrities among it's pages the magazine also has it's own models such as Yuuki Yamamoto. The magazine also features fashion editorials, interviews and how to recreate outfits that the models have worn.



Koakuma Ageha

Koakuma Ageha is the sister magazine of Happie Nuts. First starting as a spin off magazine under the name of Koakuma & Nuts it changed it's name to Koakuma Ageha and began it's own monthly release. This magazine is practically a textbook on how to be a hostess and the agejo sub-style actually claims it's name from this magazine! It's one of the most popular gyaru magazines currently in circulation.

If you're wondering what the name means, it literally stands for Little Devil Swallowtail. It's primary audience is the onee-gyaru but this was picked up by hostesses. The magazine contains street snaps, tutorials and once again this has it's own models; although it does feature some models which appear irregularly. The magazine also has adverts that reach right for the audience.

The magazine has also collaborated with it's sister magazines to produce volumes such as Oneesan Ni Natta.



Popteen

Popteen is one of the most prolific magazines out there in Japan, so prolific it has made it's way onto the shores of other countries. Whilst it may not be a strictly gyaru magazine it does cover a lot of the current gyaru trends so it's definitely worth checking out. Unlike the other magazines I have mentioned so far, the target audience isn't onee-gyaru but actually teenage girls!

As it isn't strictly a gyaru magazine as well as the usual features found in gyaru magazines, it also has a celebrity interviews. Japanese celebrities such as Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi and Namie Amuro (who was credited with starting the very first wave of gyaru!) have all made appearances in the magazine. The magazine has also launched the careers of some of the best known gyaru models such as Tsubasa Masuwaka and Kumicky.

This magazine used to have a sister magazine called PopSister which targeted an older audience. The magazine ended in 2011 after the departure of Tsubasa Masuwaka.



Ranzuki

Ranzuki is a gyaru magazine which targets teenage girls. This magazine is particularly famous as being the older sister to Jelly which is another magazine dedicated to following the gyaru style. The magazine itself is fairly popular among the gyaru of Japan. It's a fairly colourful magazine!

As with all gyaru magazines this contains tutorials for hair and make-up. The magazine also has it's own group of models whom grace it's pages. It focuses on the current trends in gyaru fashion and attempts to predict what trend is up and coming.



Scawaii

Scawaii is one of the only gyaru magazines that makes attempts to branch out into other sub-styles. Onee-gyaru get their features, Mode gyaru get their features and the general trends in gyaru-kei are picked up upon. It's the sister of Cawaii, another magazine which has since ceased publication in Japan although it does remain active in other Asian countries!

Scawaii is unique as it doesn't stick to only one sub-style but it attempts to branch out into all of them. Tutorials are featured in the magazine, as well as sstreet snaps and co-ordinates. Sometimes the magazine will choose to focus on one brand and select their picks for the season. Other times it may highlight the upcoming key trends in gyaru fashion. Whilst it may not quite compete in popular with Ageha, it's still a magazine you should watch out for!

The magazine also sometimes has famous celebrities on the front cover and sometimes an interview may be conducted.



Soul Sister

Soul Sister is a gyaru magazine that is significantly different from the others as it focuses on OraOra Kei. For more information regarding this, please see Universal Doll's post about it by clicking here. As this sub-style is fairly different from other sub-styles you can expect a gyaru magazine with a harder image than your usual gyaru.

The magazine itself is fairly new, having only come into publication in 2009. It features PuriKura snaps and street snaps; it doesn't quite feature tutorials as heavily as other magazines It also follows th latest happenings within OraOra Kei and any significant trend changes.



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Are there any other magazines you consider gyaru? Or do any of these strike you as being non-gyaru? Let me know in the comments!

Other Posts In 'February Gyaru Month'

❥ Let's Talk About Gyaru
❥ Gyaru Sub-Styles
❥ 15 Popular Gyaru Brands