As someone who used to own several anime T-shirts, I can see the appeal of clothing yourself in images of your favorite series. Some might argue it’s silly to turn yourself into a walking billboard for any product or organization, but if the art is part of what attracted you to the show, wanting to wear a piece of it doesn’t necessarily brand you as some sort of mindless slave to consumerism.
If nothing else, it’s a way to communicate your passion for your hobby to those around you, and can occasionally serve as an ice breaker for meeting like-minded individuals. In a sense, anime clothing is the uniform of an anime fan.
Although, in the case of this incredibly dedicated otaku, it’s more like his armor.
While each new TV season brings a new bevy of anime beauties for male fans to obsess over, the popularity of high-school idol singer story Love Live! is proving to have some pretty deep roots. Six months after the anime’s last episode aired, fans are still clamoring for more merchandise (not to mention reruns).
But if you’re looking to score some of whatever the next batch of Love Live! goodies are, you’re going to have to act fast when they’re released, lest the guy pictured below buy all of them.
いまお祭りになっているこのラブライバー。
— sea-KM NSA学園会長6周年 (@umigame2D) December 22, 2014
愛だと肯定するかキモいと否定するかあなたはどっちですか? pic.twitter.com/SWnWk3lSgk
Twitter user Umigame 2D recently shared a series of photos of a Love Live! devotee, or Love Liver, as the Japanese otaku community has taken to calling them, dressed up for a fan event. Highlights of the intricately arranged outfit include the Love Live! shoulder bag at the small of the back, plush toys clipped to the hips, and the two custom Love Live! laptop cases serving as gloves. There also appears to be some sort of hood apparatus the wearer can flip up to cover his head while outdoors.
But by far the craziest points of all are the literally dozens of pins and key chains, overlapping like plates of protective armoring. There’s a common stereotype that otaku, by nature of all the time spent sitting in front of a TV or computer monitor their hobbies necessitate, aren’t very physically fit. Since Umigame 2D’s photos don’t show the wearer himself, we can’t directly comment on his build. Considering how much this getup must weigh, though, and at least while he’s inside it, this Love Liver is getting a pretty decent workout.
Plus, should he happen to run into any time-travelling samurai, they’re sure to be impressed by his lamellar-crafting skills.

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