[Cosplay] Kichiku Megane
Spring is here. But if you happen to be in Tokyo, you might think it is a bit odd because it is still very cold now. It should be warmer around this time, but why is it so chilly? I still turn on my air-conditioner when I get home. I hope it will be warmer soon because I haven’t seen the cherry blossom yet.
Speaking of Spring, most people start a new life. What about you? Start to work? Or a new semester begins? Me, go on working at the company. Nothing changes. By the way, I got a lot of mails from men’s shops. Most(?) young people would start to work so that they need a suit and tie. Well I felt like buying a new one so I went to the shop to do so. My suit seems to be a bit loose because I bought it when I enrolled the university. Don’t ask me how many years ago. 年は聞くなよ（笑）Anyway, when I dropped by the shop, I was a bit surprised because most suits seemed to be slim-fit. So I immediately bought one because I could use it to keep my physique. I am a cosplayer, so that I ought to care about that kind of thing. When I tried it out in front of the mirror, it showed my body’s shape clearly…こ、これは太れない! At any rate, I just thought of cosplaying someone in suit…Oh yes, there is him.
He is Saeki Katsuya[佐伯克也] in Kichiku Megane[鬼畜眼鏡]. Does anyone know this? Let’s abbreviate it as kichimega. Well, he is a salaryman who works for Kikuchi Marketing. Since he is such a wimp, he can’t work as he likes. When he feels disappointed at a lonely park, a mysterious man speaks to him. The man shows him a pair of glasses, and says,”This will change your life for sure.” Yes, the glasses change anybody into kichiku…that is kichiku megane!
I laughed a lot upon hearing this. Well, I like such a bit funny story. Since most of the characters in kichimega are salarymen, this BL game is classified as リーマンもの[reeman-mono]. I guess the reason why this kind of genre is popular among fangirls is リーマン is a men’s society where ladies can’t get in. Even though men and women are working together in the same office, there seems to be a invisible border between them. If there is a fujoshi in the office, how does she use her yaoi filter? In my division, there are only six people including me. And there is one lady. What if she is a fujoshi…? lol
What am I talking about!? Let me talk about this cosplay. In the hotel I had a photoshooting, I cosplayed Katsuya for the first time. This cosplay was so enjoyable because I acted two modes; normal and kichiku. That means I acted a masochist and a sadist, in other words, seme and uke.
In case you don’t know this game, I shall upload the OP here. Don’t worry, there is no BL scene. The cosplay photos, too.
[Cosplay] Hardest Task
As I have said before, my cosplay friend and I had a photoshooting of Durarara!! last Saturday. If you happen to follow this anime, you would know where we are in the photos. We actually tried to choose lonely spots where no people came, but as this place is well-known among Durarara!! fans, some of fujoshithe pedestrians watched us, saying like,”Omg, are they Shizuo x Izaya!? Kyaaa!!” “Can I take a picture!?” when they passed by. It was our first time cosplaying this seires together, but we found it so difficult because this story takes place at night most of the times. Besides, must-show spots such as Tokyu Hands or Sunshine are full of people so we had no chance to take. Of course we considered having a photoshooting at night, my camera doesn’t work with no light at all. I need a better lense, or someone who can handle this. I have lots of shots I really want, like a fighting scene by Izaya and Shizuo. Well, this is our task. Even though costume is so simple, it doesn’t mean that’s an easy cosplay. The more simple costume is, the more difficult cosplay would be. But believe me, we will cosplay this again. Yes, for sure. 「見栄っ張りだねぇ、シズちゃんは」「臨也ァ！黙れつってんのが分かんねぇのかァァ！？」 Read the rest of this entry »
[Cosplay] Without End
It is not uncommon that cosplayers have a digital single lense camera and other items like a reflection board. They try to make it gorgeous as much as possible so that it could be regarded as “art.” Camera work is important, and so is a filming place. When I join a cosplay event, I always get flyers that advertise some fabulous hotels where you can have a photoshooting. Those hotels are really awesome; Western, Chinese, and Japanese-style, even fantasy-like rooms are available. A hotel like a palace goes so well with Code Geass, and Chinese-style hotel is good for Fushigi Yugi or Saiunkoku monogatari, and so on. However, I couldn’t have a chance to join this kind of event because only a group is allowed to join(at least more than five people). I don’t have enough cosplay friends, so I had to give up.
But one day, a friend of mine decided to try this and started to get some people. A good chance is coming! I immediately asked her to add me, and I was allowed to go. Uwaaaah!!
So last Sunday, I went to the hotel in Kanagawa Prefecture. We(seven female cosplayers and me, like a harem!?) met up at the station and headed to the hotel. And as I saw the room on the website, the decoration was so awesome. There were a handsome stairway, two bedrooms, a gorgeous bathroom and so on. The girls cosplayed Lelouch and Suzaku from Code Geass, and I cosplayed him.
A bishounen on the left is Tsukimori.
He is Tsukimori Len[月森 蓮] in Kin’iro no Corda-primo passo-. If you have followed my cosplay, you would know that I have cosplayed him for a couple of times. Why have I cosplayed him so much? Because I love him although he is not my No.1. My top 3 is Naoe Nobutsuna in Mirage of Blaze, Shironuma Tetsuo in sweet pool, and Nagisa Kaworu in Evangelion. Tsukimori is actually No. 4 or 5. But I am sure I have cosplayed him the most so far. I don’t know why. どうして好きなんだろう？
Anyway this time, I cosplayed three versions of him. Those are so simple, but I really wanted to do. And onece again, this hotel goes so well with Corda. I was so pleased to cosplay there. Read the rest of this entry »
[Cosplay] Once in a lifetime -一期一会-
What’s goin’ on? I mean, I am starting to be nervous because glad things have happened to me too much since this year. Last year I was in despair because of too much misfortune, but now my life has been recompensated. I am so happy now, and my heart is full of joy. Well, about a year ago I had a photoshooting with the professional photographer, Jun Takahashi who has taken some cerebrities such as Robert De Niro, Shidou Nakamura, Toshiaki Karasawa, or Yuko Takeuchi. I just thought such a wondeful meeting would never ever happen, but…it actually happened again. Last Saturday morning, I got an e-mail from him. He told me that there were still some rooms for models so that I could join the photo session on Sunday. Basically, he doesn’t take the same model more than twice, but…why? Why did he do such a glad thing? I am so honoured, there is nothing to wish for. Oh no, I could even cry! So I immediately grabbed the costume, and headed to a certain studio in Harajuku…The character I cosplayed was him.
He is Heiwajima Shizuo[平和島静雄] in Durarara!![デュラララ！！]. I think so many of you know him because this anime is still on the air. Also it is one of the most famous and popular anime this season. Actullay I didn’t follow this anime, but my cosplay buddies suggested that I cosplay him because they wanted to do this anime. Hey, he apparently looks like a shady guy. Like a host at the nightclub or a bartender. However, as I knew about him I started to like him. He is the scariest man in Ikebukuro so that most people are scared of him. Though he is gentle most of the times, he can’t control his temper when he gets upset. Even he pulls out a vending machine and throws at an enemy. I am not that powerful, though(笑). The reason why he always wears a bartender uniform is that…yes, I like him. Anyone has a story, of course such a scary gangster. Oh no, I love him now.
The session was so fabulous. Most of the staff in the studio still remembered me although a year passed. When I came in, they said, “Ah that cosplayer!” or something like that. The executive said, “I still remember you because your performance was interesting. And you are the first male cosplayer. We have taken a lot of cosplayers, but none of them did anime characters…so you are very first, even now.” Mr. Takahashi said, “I like how you are in the character when I see you through the lense.” The session had just fifteen minutes. Every time he took a shot, it made me feel alive. I burned my soul in the photos, really.
By the way, my cosplay buddy is going to do Orihara Izaya who Shizuo really hates. Please wait for a week. We are actually planning to do a photoshooting together. Now there is only my Shizuo, sorry! Read the rest of this entry »
[Intermission] Otaku and the City -オフ会にようこそ!-
Spring is here in Japan. It is becoming warmer and warmer, so I didn’t need to wear my coat. Oh no, it is March, isn’t it? Spring is a season when something ends and a new thing starts. You have to say good-bye to your friends, but new people are waiting for you…
Anyway, this Spring is going to be busy because I have some plans to meet up with guests from foreign countries. Today, I met up with the two guests from New York in Ikebukuro; Hinano and her husband, JP. And there was one more person who they brought, and he is from New Jerseyあ～お名前を忘れてしまった！ Omg, sounds sooo cool! I wish I could go. Can I sound like Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City?
Ikebukuro Station
The couple is staying in Tokyo for a week, and will leave soon. If my schedule had met, I could have gave them a tour in Akihabara or elsewhere. But now that they are in Tokyo, I should go and see them. So as soon as I finished the work, I did 5時ダッシュ in order to go to Ikebukuro. I haven’t seen them, but they have seen my cosplays so they could find me easily. It was around 19:30, so I took them to Japanese restaurant, 大戸屋[Ootoya]. It looks like a pub[izakaya], but not really. This is a resutaurant where not only salarymen but young girls go. And I think the quantity and the price are so reasonable. If you pay 700 yen or so, you can have a set(main dish, rice, and miso soup). They ordered chicken, I hope they liked it. I heard a lot about American otaku conventions from them and their stories, it was so interesting. Hinano follows seiyus and otome games; Daisuke Kishio, Daisuke Namikawa, Starry Sky, Miracle Train, Brothers-koi suru oniisama-, and so on. I know some anime fans are learning Japanese with anime or manga, and some of my friends can speak so fluently. So is Hinano. I really really respect them. 俺も見習わないとなぁ…
Ootoya
You can have a nice meal at 700 yen (6$) or so.
Utahiroba
If you want to enjoy all night long, here is the cheapest, I think.
これは英語で何て言いますか？
Do you have an idea which anime this is?
After the dinner, we went to karaoke. To my surprise, they already knew how to use the device to find a song you want to sing. How do you call this? They were singing as they wanted. Needless to say, they can read Japanese lyrics. JP was singing Sen no kaze ni natte[千の風になって], and trying to copy the original, I mean, it was like an opera singer. I have never seen a non-Japanese singing this song in this way, and I don’t think I will be able to see in the future. Just this once. This is the legend for sure.
Time flies. I really wanted to have fun with them more, but I had fun so much. Please enjoy the rest of your days, and I hope you guys would come again! 楽しかった、また来てね！＾＾
You can read their travel diary here.
オナニー[onanie]
Viewer Discretion is Advised – Contains pornography context. Read the rest of this entry »
ダメな俺を丸ごと受け止めてくれ症候群[dame na ore wo marugoto uketometekure syndrome]
Suppose here is a very evil-hearted guy. He uses people, cheats everybody else in order to get promoted. There seems to be no good things inside him, but…one day you happen to know what happend to him before, and why he has changed. Under the mask, he is suffering from the pain everytime he hurts people. And you are the only one who knows about it, so you feel you would like to ease his pain…We call this 母性本能[bosei honnou] or mother instinct that any women have. Like mothers protect kids, women have instinct to protect what they take care of. However, because he is such an evil guy most of the times, you would find your 母性本能 in such a weakness, wouldn’t you? What if he is always so negative? What if he shows his weakness all the time? Would you think you can follow him?
Now, I shall introduce a bit funny trend which origins from a certain blog. The blogger is a single woman who is over 30 and has almost no experience of men. She is also an otaku who loves anime, manga, or otome games. The entry is about her otaku friend who asked her to go out. He has almost no experience of women even though he is over 30, too. Also, he loves anime, manga, and bishoujo games. It seems like they could get along together. But when she was having dinner with him, he kept talking about his past, and how pathetic he and his whole life was. I am an otaku, not good at making friends, and income is not good, blah blah blah…After he finished his long speech, he asked her to go out. Needless to say, she turned him down. Because he just talked about his pathetic side, and he didn’t say any postive words at all. No wonder she thought she couldn’t have a happy ending with such a wimp. There is a genre of moe called 弱気ヒーロー[yowaki hero], but it is ※ただし2次元(イケメン)に限る[tadashi nijigen(ikemen) ni kagiru].
The point is, that you wouldn’t love his weakness unless you love him in the first place. In other words, you can accept his weakness because you love him. She was not ready to hear such a pathetic story from him as they weren’t dating. After all, she concludes that I am not his mother.
This is ダメな俺を丸ごと受け止めてくれ症候群[dame na ore wo marugoto uketometekre syndrome]. It is too long to put it in English. Well, please-accept-the-pathetic-me syndrome…こんなんで正しいんだろうか（苦笑）. At any rate, it is a way for a guy to approach a girl, which means to explain how pathetic you are and ask her to accept you. Or such a thought or behavior. More or less, anyone would feel comfortable when they are speaking honestly rather than lying. Holding your worrys inside you is not so good that you feel like telling somebody. Want someone to listen. Once you start to talk, you can’t stop. And you would see you are speaking too much, but it is too late…
Meanwhile, there are people who love to talk about who they used to be. This could imply how great they are now although they used to be pathetic. In other words, they might be proud of themselves now and try to tell about it. Young ladies, which guy would you prefer? Anyway, I think it is not bad to be honest, but not always. Sometimes it is better to shut your mouth up. It wouldn’t even count a lie just because you didn’t say. Having said that, to cover everything with good stories is not always good. Sounds complicated? Yes, it is.
When you have an interview for a job, you would be asked what your good point and bad one are. It is easier to come up your weak points rather than good ones, but just telling your weakness is not good. The important thing is how you overcome the weakness. If you are always late for something, you would have to set up your alarm at the right time. If you are stubborn, you had better try to listen to others. It’s so simple, isn’t it? People would think you are doing your best to surpass your weakness.
I just said such a wimp can be accepted in 2D above, but I shall take it back. We can see Ikari Shinji getting stronger than the beginning as the story goes on. Because he has someone to protect, it’s Ayanami Rei. Kyon is a laid-back student, but actually he ends up striving to protect the world and Suzumiya Haruhi. Sato-kun in Welcome to NHK! is a good-for-nothing, but decides to get a steady life for the sake of Misaki-chan. Train Man[densha otoko] tries to change his geeky looking and follow current fashion to date the young lady. We are not that strong, but we can try to be. No one is perfect. Before you get in despair, you can do something so that she will accept you.
I have something I have been aware of; some otaku guys keep talking for their own with no break. In tonari no yaoi-chan, yaoi’s friend says,”They just keep talking about what they love, and never listen to me!(自分の萌え話ばっかりでこっちの話全然聞かないんだもん).” She could be right. そういう人、何人か知ってるから。Even if she is an otaku, don’t forget she is a lady. Most ladies want guys to listen, so just because she is an otaku, it doesn’t mean it is okay to talk about your moe stuff all the time.
Open your eyes, and broaden your world. Stay humble, but don’t be shy, that’s my motto.
Japanese words of anime fans, by anime fans, for anime fans 