EDITOR’S NOTE — Gyaru Was Never Just a Phase Gyaru isn’t coming back... she never left. NHK’s Omusubi isn’t just tapping into nostalgia; it’s illuminating a truth many of us have always known. To be Gyaru is to resist conformity, to wear your heart in your hair, on your nails, and in every bold choice you make — even when the world says no. This issue unpacks the depth behind the characters, stories, and aesthetics of Omusubi, and what it means that Gyaru is being spotlighted by Japan’s most...