Says that next time she’ll be dealing out swift kicks to wielders of cameras that are getting too close to her legs.

The twice-a-year Comiket otaku gathering started off a marketplace for buyers and sellers of independently produced dojinshi manga (“Comiket” is a mash-up of the event’s official name, “Comic Market,” after all). In recent years, though, it’s also become the more prominent cosplay event in Japan, with attendees just as excited about heading home with one-of-a-kind snapshots as limited-edition artwork.

Generally, the situation is a win-win for cosplayers and cosplay fans. Cosplayers get a major stage in which to show off their talents and help build a name for themselves, and fans can whip out their cameras at informal photo shoots that go on throughout the day. However, things got ugly for one Chinese cosplayer who found herself at the center of a continually tightening circle of cameras, some of which were pointed up her skirt.

As seen in the video from Comket attendee and Twitter user @rubi0921, the cosplayer, who’s dressed in a cheongsam, was in one of the outdoor cosplay areas where a crowd gathered around her. However, she became uncomfortable with the close proximity of the amateur photographers around her, and can be heard crying while trying to walk away. Even as event staff shout that the photo shoot is being cancelled (“Shuryo!” and ”Chushi!”), a man in a blue shirt with white dots and a brown cap can be seen crouching down in an attempt to get an up-skirt photo.

▼ At one point, the cosplayer resorted to sitting on the ground and covering the area under her legs with a notebook to prevent prying camera lenses.

The cosplayer herself, who goes by the name All (@All1108allAll on Twitter), tweeted in response to @rubi0921’s video, saying:

“That’s me in the video. I told the people, many times, ‘You’re too close. Please step away,’ but nobody listened. I’m thankful to the event staff for coming to my aid. If something like this happens again, I’m going to kick the people taking photos (I’m taking boxing lessons).”

Other Twitter users were similarly angry at the poor manners on display in the video, leaving comments like:

“Aren’t they embarrassed, going so far just so they can get off on the inappropriate photos they took later?”
“This is why people keep saying ‘otaku are creepy.’”
“Isn’t it an act of voyeurism to take upskirt photos without someone’s permission? Can’t they arrest them for that?”
“When did things get so bad at Comiket? The last time I went was 10 years ago, and I seem to remember almost everyone being polite and well-behaved.”

As disturbing as the video is, however, the incident doesn’t seem to have spoiled Comiket in its entirety for All, as she also tweeted out some photos taken at the event from her personal Twitter account.

Still, it’s a shame that the cosplayer, who’s currently in Japan as a student, had to put up with such behavior at her last Comiket before her scheduled return to China next month.

Source: Twitter/@rubi0921 via Jin
Featured image: Twitter/@rubi0921
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