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Nobody combines classic monsters and knee-high socks like Japan.

Earlier this year we were introduced to the world of “Sui-chu Niso” (“Underwater Knee-Socks”), which showcased a line of waterproof over-the-knee socks created by swimwear design brand Poolsider, all modelled at the bottom of a pool. The photographer behind the project, Manabu Koga, has a glowing resume, which includes work on several movies, like the 2012 horror flick Helter Skelter, and an underwater video shoot for Japanese band Urbangarde. Now, with more than a decade of experience at capturing girls in underwater scenes, Koga will be capturing models dressed as kaiju monsters from the classic series Ultraman.

▼ A sneak peek of the exhibition photos shows a girl in a pair of knee-highs adorned with the black-and-white stripes of Dada, one of Ultraman’s many nemeses.

Knee hi

The exhibition, featuring Poolsider’s socks, will be held in collaboration with Japanese anime and game journal, Dengeki G’s magazine, and Tsuburaya Productions, the Japanese special effects studio which produced the original Ultraman TV series after its founding in 1963.

▼ To see Dada in action, check out the short clip below.

While the rest of the exhibition photos are being kept under wraps until the August 5 opening in Harajuku, we can get an idea of what to expect from the ethereal images he’s been sharing in monthly photo book magazines.

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While the underwater scenes showcase girls wearing over-the-knee socks, they also highlight one of their most appealing design features: the section of exposed skin on the thigh above the fabric, known in Japan as zettai ryouiki, or absolute territory. Usually located between sock and mini skirt, the “absolute territory” pictured in these photos goes several inches further, all the way up to the model’s bathers.

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With an ever-growing fanbase dedicated to Koga’s Underwater Knee High Girls, we can’t wait to see what he has in store for the public in the Ultra Monster Underwater Niso Project Exhibition!

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Exhibition Information
Ultra Monster Underwater Niso Project Exhibition /「ウルトラ怪獣水中ニーソ化計画」展
Address: PATER’S Shop and Gallery, Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 2-31-18
東京都渋谷区神宮前2-31-18
Hours: 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. August 5-17  (closed 11 August)
Admission: Free
Website

Reference: Net Lab
Images: Pepper Shop, sprite
[ Read in Japanese ]