>>3222469Her design takes inspiration from 1960s japanese youth counterculture- the single glove, rolled skirt, and sweatshirt are all callbacks to japanese street culture of the era. I think people forget that that was just 20 years after thr US blasted the living shit out of the country. Youth of this era had parents who raised them on stories of WWII; they grew up in a nation whose closest ally was a bitter enemy just 20 years prior- a bitter ally who was inches from wiping them off the face of the planet entirely. I think this context is rather interesting, as it plants an understanding of the kind of dissatisfaction japanese youth had with their rapidly-changing country.
'60s Japan was home to a little-discussed japanese flavor of the punk movement that would rise in the US and UK in the mid 70's. The communist movement was in full force in japan at the time. The cultural avant-garde flourished under the banner of backlash. Take a look at japanese noise band Les Rallizes Denudes as a great example of this era's art, aesthetic, and rebellious inclinations.
Not much of this directly relates back to Ryuko, except for her rebellious attitude. However, it's rare to see such powerful callbacks to such a fascinating piece of history in any form of media, anime included. That's part of what makes ryuko unique to me.
