Kimoicore

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The following article contains and discusses content that may be distressing to some readers.
Reason for Warning: This article discusses gore and contains imagery that may be disturbing to some readers.

Kimoicore, with kimoi (キモい) translating to "gross" or "disgusting", is an aesthetic revolving around often gorey or unsettling media that contains surrealism, anime-like styles, horror, and technology. This aesthetic often brings either a sense of comfort or disgust, as most images depict a crossover of Ghibli fantasy, and Silent Hill-inspired nightmares.

It is commonly confused with Weirdcore and Gurokawa, the latter being based around cute horror themes. Kimoicore is often gore oriented with common themes of monsters, glitches/static, and emotional distress or comfort (i.e. paranoia, mania, bliss).

Visuals[]

Kimoicore visuals often create a disturbed, or grossed out feeling, hence why the name was chosen. This aesthetic often takes on the color palette of Vaporwave or Vintage aesthetics, the imagery associated with Anime aesthetics, then utilizes horror situations and themes to create a sense of unease. Colors that typically appear are vivid with high contrast, or are desaturated with a black and white or faded appearance. While easily confused with Weirdcore, there are several key differences between the two. Weirdcore has fairly random imagery with a collage-like style, often taking place in liminal spaces, however, Kimoicore is a more gore/horror oriented aesthetic with more specific visuals, mainly drawn in anime-like styles, and the focus is often story-based instead of situational.

Anime-like or Anime influenced style
Horror elements such as monsters, gore, body parts, etc.
Glitches, static, and scribbled out things
The use of Japanese culture and language
Emotional distress and symbolism of mental illness
Surreal and foreign, like a strange dream
Either tons or little contrast
Black, white, pink, yellow, red, purple, and teal colors
Technology/internet themes such as TVs, game over screens, errors, etc.

Notable Motifs[]

Eyes

Eyes are one of the common motifs, filling the scene with a sense of paranoia, anxiety, or helplessness. These days people are under constant surveillance, whether it be social media, the government, and/or the public eye, this being the biggest contribution to an anxious and paranoid society. People living in constant fear, watching and being watched. Another example of this is You, the Spectator, observing, analyzing, and judging the media before you.

Hollow, static, & scribbled out faces

These motifs are also common, they often symbolize apathy, dissociation, and corrupt state of mind. They can be paired together or on their own, much like the first example in the gallery. Hollow representing apathy or feeling "empty", while static and scribbles represent a mental fog or being checkout of reality.