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It’s no secret that some of the most obsessive anime fans develop, oh, let’s call them “intense feelings” for certain animated characters. Peer deep enough into their psyches, and you’ll find a (dirty) laundry list of things they’d like to do to, or have done to them by, their favorite anime heroes and heroines.

Usually, these desires are kept private, but when a special even at the recently held anime convention Anime Japan offered an opportunity to make one of these fantasies come true, some fans couldn’t resist the chance to be stepped on by frilly-costumed anime girls.

The anime in question is Phantom Thief Twin Angel, which began as a series of video clips for pachinko machines which spawned a 2008 direct-to-video series and a 2011 TV follow-up, which was Internet streamed in English-speaking countries as Twin Angel: Twinkle Paradise. The story was initially centered on Catholic school girls Haruka and Aoi, who transform into magical girls when duty calls and go treasure hunting to find enchanted artifacts before they’re snatched up by the forces of evil.

Haruka and Aoi’s team would eventually be joined by a third member, Kurumi, but whether because reprinting their official stationary would be too much of a name or because the English word “triple” isn’t as well known in Japan as “twin,” the franchise has retained the title Twin Angel.

Fun fact: Phantom Thief Twin Angel has nothing to do with the similarly named 1994 anime Lascivious Beast Holy War Twin Angel, despite the newer franchise being able to inspire plenty of lasciviousness itself.

Phantom Thief Twin Angel’s producers had a booth at Anime Japan, with a special participatory treat for fans in the form of a rock-paper-scissors tournament. So what was the prize for the lucky winner of each round? A poster? An autograph from one of the voice actresses?

No, silly! He got to be stepped on by a performer wearing a costume of one of Twin Angel’s magical girls, of course!

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Let us repeat that, this was the reward for the winner, not the punishment for the loser.

▼ Apparently pictured: The thrill of victory

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There are a couple of strange things about this situation (also, grass is green and water is wet). We understand sometimes there’s no accounting for fetishes, so we’re not going to try to delve into just what pleasure these guys derive from being stepped on, and instead are going to move onto two other puzzling points.

First, this may just be a dark reflection of the lack of trustworthiness that lies in our own hearts, but we’ve always figured that with these anime-head costumes, there’s the possibility that there’s actually a dude in there.

▼ Could these masks be concealing a mustache, goatee, and full beard?

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Also, while your desire to be stomped on by anime girls is between you and whatever god you worship/embarrass, how powerful does your passion for pastel boots have to be that you don’t mind that other people are openly photographing the event, and Twin Angel’s producers are actively sharing them through their official Twitter account?

▼ “Say cheese!”

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One man couldn’t even say no to the chance to face up at his candy-colored dominatrix, although his excitement at least left him the mental capacity to realize that using a mask and flyer to obscure his face was a good idea when he noticed all the cameras about.

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Honestly, we’ve just got one question. If this was the prize for the winners at the event, what happened to the losers?

Source: Hachima Kiko
Top image: Kaito Tenshi Twin Angel Official Twitter Account
Insert images: Kaito Tenshi Twin Angel Official Twitter Account