Female representation is one of the most popular subjects in the anime world. In Japanese culture, females are usually, but not all the time, presented with specific standards.
These include beautiful faces, alluring bodies, white and fair skin, neat and presentable clothing styles, high levels of intelligence, conservative practices, and kind behaviors.
However, as time passes, these cultures have developed subcultures, to which some have crossed the line of the established female character standards. One of these is the “gyaru subculture.”
What is a Gyaru Girl Anime?
Gyaru is derived from the English term “gal,” which means girl.
This Japanese street fashion and gyaru fashion subculture is represented in female anime characters today and break the norms or the standards of Japanese street fashion style.
They are often described as females who dyed hair (bleached hair), tanned skin, and dramatic makeup. Basically, it’s similar to styles we see in western culture.
Typical gyaru style with haute couture brands, wear unique gyaru apparel, and short skirts. At first glance, for me, as a person raised in a western culture, a high school girl with blonde hair and modern styles, it seems normal.
But for the more conservative Japanese culture, highly decorated nails, heavy makeup, provocative outfits, and colorful hair are not the norm.
Gyaru girls fashion can be divided further into three subcultures: Ganguro, Kogyaru Fashion
(Kogal), and Manba Gyaru (Yanmanba).
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Ganguro represents the gyaru look of a female with tanned skin and heavily bleached blonde hair or orange hair.
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Kogyaru Fashion (Kogal) shows a female wearing an outfit derived from school uniforms that are often shorter than usual.
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Manba style (Yanmanba) features a dark-tanned girl who wears white lipstick and glitter or shiny makeup.
Here are the Top 11 Gyaru Anime that you can binge-watch:
11. More than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Author: Yūki Kanamaru
More than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers
Imagine being paired with someone you don’t really love. This anime talks about Jiro Yakuin who is paired with Akari Watanabe.
Their school has implemented a program that develops their social skills. This includes pairing two students as a couple who should act as if they are married.
Initially, the pairing did not work well. But eventually, they decided to have the ultimate goal of earning enough points to switch partners with the ones they truly like.
10. How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?
Genre: Comedy/Slice of Life/Sports
Author: Yabako Sandrovich
How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift
Being madly in love with someone can motivate us to be better versions of ourselves. This is the story of an overweight high school student and her vow to lose weight.
Hibiki Sakura has an insatiable appetite for food. This unhealthy habit of hers led her to become heavy.
Regardless of what people say about her weight, she still refuses to go to a gym. However, when she met Naruzo Machio, the man of her dreams, things turned upside down.
Editors choice: I really had fun watching how heavy are the dumbbells’ and loved the intro song.
9. Kandagawa Jet Girls
Genre: Sports
Author: Gō Zappa
Kandagawa Jet Girls
The influence of the parents on their child’s chosen sports is very evident. The plot of this anime revolves around a girl who aims to be a legendary jetter just like her Mom.
Rin Namiki is a jet racing athlete who left her hometown to pursue her dreams. Taking part in this water sport requires two people, so she formed a strong team with Misa Aoi.
Their partnership leveled up into a great friendship. The more races they participate in, the more their bond becomes stronger.
8. Miss Caretaker of Sunohara-sou
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Author: Nekoume
Miss Caretaker of Sunohara-sou
Have you ever been in a situation where you are mistaken for another gender because of your appearance? This series tells the story of Aki Shiina, who’s always mistaken as a girl.
Due to his feminine looks, he is often teased as a girl. When he had enough, he became so determined to prove his identity.
This led him to move to the lodging house Sunohara-sou in Tokyo, but his goal did not go easily. The house residents even make him wear female clothes, which worsens the scenario.
7. Citrus
Genre: Romance/Yuri
Author: Saburouta
Citrus anime
Perhaps, one of the most awkward things that may happen is falling in love with your stepsister. This anime follows the story of Yuzu Aihara, who’s having a roller coaster ride of emotion with her step-sis.
Yuzu is a typical city girl who loves shopping and boys. After her mom remarried, things changed, and they had to transfer to a new home.
In her new school, she will meet a cold student council president with whom she often disagrees. Only to find out this girl is her step-sis, and to make things worse, they even have to share the same room.
6. Please tell me! Galko-chan
Genre: Comedy/Slice of Life
Author: Kenya Suzuki
Please tell me! Galko-chan
There’s a common saying that birds with the same feathers flock together, but this anime is the complete opposite. It talks about three high school girls with different interests in life.
Their group is made of a social butterfly, a sarcastic personality, and an absent-minded achiever. What is odd in their situation is they are best friends.
They enjoy discussing female myths and having candid conversations about them. The best part is they have no problem joking about anything at all.
5. My Dress-up Darling
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Author: Shinichi Fukuda
My Dress-up Darling
To be born as a boy with an interest in dolls is a great taboo in a gender-sensitive society. This is the life of Wakana Gojo, a high school student with intimate affection for hina dolls.
His life is not easy as he has to face discrimination for his passion. He even decided to isolate himself from the criticizing eyes of others.
However, things will change when his love interest, Marin Kitagawa asks him for help with her doll costume. Discovering how good he is, she decided to make him his cosplay costume maker.
4. My First Girlfriend Is A Gal
Genre: Harem/Romance/Comedy/Slice of Life
Author: Meguru Ueno
My First Girlfriend Is A Gal
The feeling of frustration of having no girlfriend caused by peer pressure is one of the worst feelings ever. This anime follows the story of a virgin high school named Junichi Hashiba.
He grumbles about the fact that he still doesn’t have a girlfriend. In their school, he is compelled to confess his love to a beautiful girl named Yukana Yame.
She agrees to be his girlfriend knowing that he is only doing it to lose his virginity. Eventually, they became the talk of the school and that changed everything.
3. Nyan Koi!
Genre: Harem/Romance/Comedy
Author: Sato Fujiwara
Nyan Koi!
What if you are allergic to cats, but your greatest crush loves them; what will you do? This is the dilemma of Junpei Kōsaka, a high school student who hates cats.
On his way home, he accidentally breaks the statue of Neko-Jizō-sama (cat deity). His reckless action gave him the ability to understand the cats.
To compensate for his unforgivable action, he must grant 100 wishes to cats. If he fails to do this, he will transform into a cat, and die from his own allergy.
Super GALS!
The career that runs in the family is often seen as a tradition that one should follow. This is the life of Ran Katuboki, who chose to be a gal instead of a police officer that her family wanted.
However, even though she is a gal, her family’s nature of helping people emanates from her naturally. This led her to keep Shibuya, her community, from any threats.
She’s not alone in this journey, as she is accompanied by her two best friends named Miyu and Aya. Together, they try to live the life they want for themselves.
Gal & Dino
Living in the same room with a dinosaur is the least that you could ever imagine for yourself. This anime tells the story of a gyaru girl named Kaede after she accidentally brought home a dino.
She is a young and inexperienced paleontologist. After getting wasted from their night out, she wakes up in so much surprise as there is a dino inside her room.
Though this is not the best pairing you could wish for, they have developed a great bond. Together, they enjoyed every adventure that life offers.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does Gyaru Culture Still Exist?
The gyaru culture still exists now. However, it’s not the same as before when it was first introduced.
Now the influence of the gyaru style trend is observed in some modern fashion industry. There are still a few who follow these trends, but mostly, the gyaru culture is just represented among cosplayers.
What is Gyaru Personality?
Gyaru characters are often described to have loud, bold yet funny personalities. They are brave as they keep themselves out of the usual traditions to live the life they want.
Gyaru culture is often compared to the American ditzy blonde stereotypes since they both represent the same perspective in life and of course the infamous blond hair.
The following are some of the stereotypes among these characters:
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airheaded and not interested in studying,
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flirt with different boys most of the time,
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and rely on the money of their sugar daddies.
What is Gyaru Inspired By?
The fashion trend called “aka-gyaru” spread in Japan around 1990. Japanese girl idols like Ayumi Hamasaki further boost the popularity of the gyaru culture across the whole country.
This culture is not accepted by everyone. This is due to the fact that this culture involves revealing clothes which are far from their traditional trend.
Jessa Marie Nerison 
Lovely Diana Rose Paglingayen
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