How can I begin to describe Hanakengo? They’re white, and lumpy, and have turds on their heads, and bounce about in a coked-up dance.

And did I mention that they’re wicked awesome? The Japanese duo (made up of female Hana and male Kengo) recently performed at the Montreal Fringe Festival… and utterly baffled the French-Canadians. Hanakengo’s moves are an interplanetary spin on para para, avantgarde, and childish glee. No wonder they often headline at Tokyo Decadance, the club night that draws in many Goth Lolis.

As if these two aren’t bizarre enough on their own… Hanakengo has acquired partners in crime, two clown-faced meidos known as Shoshinz. (The photo above made me spit out my drink – can you imagine coming across these four sipping cappuccinos? ) According to their MySpace, “Shoshinz” is anglicized Japanese for “shy, timid people” – “but Shoshinz are maids who are subservient to nothing and no-one.” Their exaggerated song/dance/stage antics are cheeky and quite original.

Surrealist comedy – a genre that tickles me to no end. I leave you with Hanakengo’s hilarious e-mail interview with the Montreal Mirror:

My latest fixation (and you know how I get obsessed with things) is Steampunk – especially since it’s a kindred spirit to Miss Gothic Lolita. Both are neo-Victorian aesthetics, although Steampunk has Western origins and is mainly inspired by a genre of science fiction. These novels usually take place in a futuristic 19th century England, in which steam-powered inventions that would have been impossible at the time are found to exist. Think computers and time machines, clumsily built from valves, clockwork, and bulging brass pipes set to explode any second.

The image above shows that Steampunk fashion has much in common with Gothic Lolita, minus the polish and kawaii (cuteness) of the Japanese style. A Steampunk outfit “tends to synthesize punk, goth and rivet styles as filtered through the Victorian era.” A lady might wear a tattered corset and bustle skirt in drab colors, such as black, olive green, or dark pinstripes. Hair tends to be swept up in two knobs or a messy up-do, as if she had just emerged from an explosion.

Men often channel the Gentleman Inventor of Jules Verne’s tales. Like Japan’s Kodonas, they wear vests, waistcoats, slacks, top hats, cravats, and carry a pocketwatch. A Sky Pirate outfit incorporates a sash and leather aviator cap.

For both sexes, big stompy boots with buckles are a must. And we mustn’t forget the Steampunk signature: round brass goggles, usually worn on the forehead.

Steampunk and Lolita fashion come together in Katsuhiro Otomo’s animated film, Steamboy. The story centers on Ray, born to a family of inventors in an alt-19th century England. A package from his grandfather arrives, containing a Steam Ball that he must protect at all costs… and that’s where the fun begins. Poor Ray has to fend off attacks by fabulously cumbersome machines: an automotive, a giant zeppelin with a mechanical claw, “steam troopers” wielding guns, barely-steerable gliders…

Ray befriends a not-so-sweet Lolita named Scarlett O’Hara. The 14-year-old heiress looks like an innocent doll in fluffy pink and white dresses, which resemble Metamorphose and Baby’s. But boy, is she ever a pain! Scarlett whines and complains and abuses her little Chihuahua. Happily, she matures by the stunning end scene, and the credits show that she later becomes an aviator. (If only Paris Hilton would do the same…)