Looking to keep your cosplay TV-broadcast compliant?

Anime characters generally don’t bat an eye when one of their cohorts shows up in a revealing outfit. Whether that’s a case of the artists strictly adhering to the norms of the world they’ve created (if everyone in the setting dresses that way, why would it be an issue?) or simply an excuse to provide viewers with some sexy eye candy, skimpy fashions are par for the 2-D course.

That can present a bit of a problem for cosplayers, though, since oftentimes anime characters’ personalities aren’t as sexualized as their costumes. As such, even if you don’t have any particularly exhibitionist leanings, you may find yourself feeling an affinity for, and wanting to cosplay as, a character whose most recognizable ensemble features a skirt with, by real-world standards, a scandalously short hemline.

You could simply make the skirt longer, but that won’t do if you’re going for maximum accuracy in recreating the costume. So if you’re a panty-flashing penchantless purist, Japanese Twitter user @torikara_no_su proposes the following solution.

His clever idea: a pair of beige tights, which make a quick transition to black before reaching the hips. The two-tone effect, in theory, would give the impression of bare legs below, and above them one of the infamous “black hole” censor marks used to keep anime fit for television broadcast/encourage fans to buy the uncensored Blu-ray release.

BT 1

However, @torikara_no_su’s forte seems to be coming up with innovative cosplay solutions, not sewing. As such, he’s merely floating the concept of censored tights, not actually selling them. However, his sketch is already attracting attention from others who are interested in producing the tights.

@tomochi555: “This sounds like a good idea. I’m thinking of producing a small lot of them and seeing what kind of reaction they get.”

@torikara_no_su: “By all means, feel free to use this idea in any way you’d like.”

Who knows? Maybe if these take off, we’ll eventually see the lineup expanded to include a white-hipped version to simulate the “shine” censor that’s also used in TV versions of anime.

Source: IT Media, Twitter/@torikara_no_su
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