The "cuteness" can never hurt you!
I love illustrations of Yoshitomo Nara. I've loved his works for years since my friend showed them to me during high school. The evil-looking but still cute expression on a character's face seems to point out that people carry out criminal minds in their normal, pure hearts.
Cute-wannabes is different from all kinds of wannabes such as sexy- or pretty-wannabes in that cuteness could be a universal characteristic for any women, or men too, in any age range to hope for. "Cute mode" is connected to not only a childish manner but also a nostalgic retro to childhood full of hazy, good memories.
I say...His illustrations carry me back to childhood when malevolent thoughts and actions were anyhow forgiven under the cover of purity or innocence of a child. I didn't do many bad things that much, though!
>Yoshitomo Nara, 'The Little Star Dweller' (2006). This one above rather reminds me of an angel-like innocent kid than an evil-looking rascal.
*Sources from Google images
**Alert!
Cute could mean a lot of different things, though. In Korea, if you say to a girl (especially in case you're a guy) that she's so cute, then you might imply she's anything but pretty, just a lip-service compliment when you have nothing to compliment on.
