Another month, another issue of MEN’S KNUCKLE! This issue, lots of new clothes from Deadly Jester, 26 Brands You Simply Must Buy this Autumn (which are the same brands featured every issue, ala Fuga, Vanquish, Buffalo Bobs, and my personal favorite Casva), the usual tips on how to look like a cross between Bon Jovi, Bad-era Michael Jackson, Jack Sparrow, and bits and pieces of all the Village People, and a smattering of movie, DVD, and music reviews….but never books, because you are only supposed to read Men’s Knuckle!
So what’s the difference between this gal-o fashion magazine and the similar-on-the-surface men’s egg magazine, both of which originate from the same publisher (Million Shuppan)?
Men’s Knuckle calls itself a “New Outlaw Fashion & Lifestyle Magazine” which means the readers are probably slightly older than the teenaged egg type, the clothes lean more towards basic black, and the models (typified by perennial cover boy Ryota, left) scowl and look contemptuous. They are bad boys!
Men’s Knuckle is also much less Shibuya-centric than men’s egg is, and readers are continually urged to scoop up the latest Jack Rose and Eight By creations at Marui stores in Shizuoka, Machida, and the Men’s Knuckle e-commerce site instead of just going to the men’s floor of the 109-2 like the usual Center Guy does. So maybe the Gal-o look is spreading out the Tokyo suburbs, or could it be that hicks from the sticks need to start buying these crazy clothes in order for the magazine-fashion machine to keep spinning? I dunno and can’t think straight anymore, probably because of this guy’s distressed jeans:
Also, men’s egg – to its everlasting credit - often reads like a Gal-o Users Manual on how to bag a club girl. The readers of Men’s Knuckle learned how to nampa ages ago in a previous issue . They’ve moved well beyond simply harassing girls on the street with bad pickup lines, to having to plan elaborate dates that inevitably lead to love hotels and having their backs walked on by a pair of pin heel shoes. This stuff really matters, which is why the new Men’s Knuckle devotes 5 color pages to a helpful strategy guide (taking her to a movie first is ok, but take her shopping if you *really* want to hedge your bets).
The best part of Men’s Knuckle are the ads in the back. You get the usual ones for penis enlargement and keitai dating sites, but no other men’s fashion magazine out there has anything like the “Super G’s Club Catalog” (note the fake Vuitton background) which is essentially 15 pages of We Want You style recruitment ads for Kabuki-cho host clubs.
You can work for Mr. MARIA at Club Kira (he’s 16 years old forever, by the way) who’s ad answers every question you might have about dropping out of school to make Mafia-wedding style champagne towers to woo female clients (Q: “Can I catch the last train home?” A: “Uh…Maybe.” Q: “Is It OK to drink on the job?” A: “Of course! Certainly!”)
Or you, yes you, can join up with the Air Group Entertainment, AKA A.G.E., who’ve teamed up with the Avex record label to present show biz spectaculars like Morning Musuko and Love&Peace, which seems to consist of guys dancing around naked except for fake swans erupting from their groins.
Read Men’s Knuckle religiously and this could be your new life: bad boy by day, King of Dandy by Night! And just think of all the great new friends you’ll meet…
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