One reason I find Gothic Lolita so compelling is that it brings what we hide or deny – mortality, morbidity – right to the surface. And Yuki does that to the furthest extent. Her tortured protagonists have closets full of skeletons; Cain Hargreaves (Count Cain, Godchild) is the son of incest, Ian (Fairy Cube) can see fairies and ends up trapped in their world, Setsuna (Angel Sanctuary) commits incest with his sister.

It’s easy to write off her shocking storylines – along with the graphic sadism and heresy – as gratuitous. In fact, Yuki has great empathy and humanity for her characters. She probes our darkest impulses, inviting us to question our prejudices and contradictions.

And in her Gothic art, Kaori Yuki turns this frightening psychological journey into something beautiful. Many of her female characters wear Victorian-era dresses, hats, and bonnets; she has a knack for capturing the intricate details of their clothing. I love the expression in the couple’s eyes above. So much meaning can be read into that single frame – the chains, the black roses, the way they grasp at each other (is she struggling or swooning? )