Touken Ranbu cosplayers reveal the real-life embarrassments of their glamorous costumes
Like many other things in life, the challenges in cosplay can never be fully understood until you’ve experienced it first hand. As we’ve previously seen, there is much more than meets the eye when cosplayers and photographers are striving to get the perfect shot. Sometimes it can even be a chore just to put on the costume and keep it from falling apart, as some Touken Ranbu cosplayers have realized.
If you or your friends are planning to cosplay as Touken Ranbu characters, these tweets from Japanese cosplayers who have been there and done that could probably give you a heads up on what to expect!
Touken Ranbu is an online game that revolves around historical swords personified into handsome young men. Developed and published by Nitro Plus and DMM, the game has been a tremendous hit since its release in January this year, especially among katana joshi (young women who are sword fanatics).
As the game involves historical swords in battle, many of the characters are dressed in traditional clothing and/or have detailed pieces of armor incorporated into their character design. As it turns out, some of these costumes were more difficult to manage than cosplayers had expected.
▼ Sometimes, when it’s windy, this happens.
たまに風でこうなる
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#刀剣男士を実際着てみたらわかったこと http://t.co/W2XmrlAvWh
ある (@al06110) July 07, 2015
▼ Can’t sit in this costume [of character Ookurikara]
座れない( ˙-˙ ):大倶利伽羅
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#刀剣男士を実際着てみたらわかったこと http://t.co/xkYygFstxx
ズミ (@xxxzumiiixxx) July 07, 2015
▼ The liquor pot crashes into the crotch with every move.
#刀剣男士を実際着てみたらわかったこと
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動くたびに高確率で股間に酒壺がガスガス当たる。 http://t.co/zqVrMm3ID5
霜月紫 (@yukarishimotuki) July 08, 2015
▼ Nakigitsune can’t eat anything and can barely drink from a bottle.
なにも食べられない。ペットボトルはギリいける。
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#刀剣男士を実際着てみたらわかったこと http://t.co/0gXlPO8yHl
原稿するかに (@the_kanichan) July 07, 2015
▼ The hair and sleeves get in the way of sheathing the sword.
袖と髪が邪魔で納刀できない。
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#刀剣男士を実際着てみたらわかったこと http://t.co/qvGDeULfcB
桐原アキラ (@KRHRAKR) July 09, 2015
▼ We can’t tie the tasuki (a sash used to tuck up the sleeves of a kimono) properly without each other’s help.
タスキは結び合いっこしないとうまく結べない、互いの必要性が改めて分かる
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#刀剣男士を実際着てみたらわかったこと http://t.co/seYQznXVXI
りさめ@26百刀浦島 (@aoba_08) July 07, 2015
▼ Tsurumaru reflects more light than the reflective board.
レフ板より発光する #刀剣男士を実際着てみたらわかったこと http://t.co/gv2KK1azjA
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しゅり (@favoreye) July 07, 2015
▼ Hotarumaru (left) can’t unsheath his sword.
おほたの刀は抜けない
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#刀剣男士を実際着てみたらわかったこと http://t.co/2MqRTgxKcl
まその＠ほたぁ (@maso136) July 07, 2015
▼ Can’t put on the costume without help.
1人じゃ着れない
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#刀剣男士を実際着てみたらわかったこと http://t.co/Ijdo3L1XAx
緋方は三日月の袴を捲りたい (@hikata0413) July 07, 2015
▼ Only the wrists get stung by mosquitoes.
手首だけ蚊にくわれる。
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#刀剣男士を実際着てみたらわかったこと http://t.co/pZixxMx8FQ
憂馬ゆえは恋然る (@yue_film) July 07, 2015
▼ 1. It’s absolutely no easy feat to jump and hop around. You’ll fall 80% of the time.
2. The ankle accessory gets caught between the geta (wooden clogs) and foot, causing you to fall.
3. The red string around the legs get in the way of movement and you can’t open your stance much unless you want to get tangled up in it and fall over.
①飛んだり跳ねたり、実際は全然お手の物じゃない。80％転ぶ。
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②足輪が下駄と足の裏の間に来て転びそうになる、いや転ぶ。
③足に周ってる赤い紐が邪魔をして足を一定以上開けない。紐に絡まって転ぶ。
#刀剣男士を実際着てみたらわかったこと http://t.co/pcr4vcO81g
ICO(いこ) (@risutotoro) July 08, 2015
▼ Mikazuki Munechika can hide an onigiri in his obi belt.
おにぎり隠し持てる #刀剣男士を実際着てみたらわかったこと http://t.co/6DIImYKYhf
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首落ちて死ぬ瑞貴 (@mi88326zk) July 09, 2015
So it seems like many of these Touken Ranbu characters are dressed in elaborate costumes and equipped with battle gear, but many of their accessories seem to serve nothing more than decorative purposes. Even though the armor and swords used in cosplay are props, it still is no easy feat being a handsome personified sword. If these characters existed in real life, we can’t imagine how much of a hindrance their equipment might be in battle!
Source: Twitter via Zhaizhai News
Top image: Twitter/@al06110
