Maybe if we all wore Char Custom masks, the pandemic would be over three times as quickly.

Over the last several months, the evolution of face masks has mirrored the development of human clothing in general. At the start, any sort of covering would do, but as time has gone on we’ve seen the development of designs that offer improved functionality or stylishness, similar to athleticwear or designer apparel.

So it was really a matter of time until we got the mask equivalent of anime T-shirts, like these cool Gundam face masks.

Online anime merchandiser Premium Bandai is offering two different Gundam chara-mask (character mask) sets, both taking their styling cues from the Zeon forces, who’ve always seemed to put more focus on aesthetics than their Earth Federation adversaries,

▼ Just the thing to wear if you’re going out to see Japan’s new moving life-size Gundam statue

The first two-mask set, the “Char Custom Version,” salutes ace mecha pilot Char Aznable, with one mask featuring the partial visage of the Red Comet’s specially modified Zaku mobile suit, and the other bearing his personal insignia and name in cursive script.

▼ Ironically, the mask that Char himself wears would be completely ineffective against the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the second set, “Purveyed to the House of Zabi,” is inspired by a pair of Zeon’s upper-echelon statemen/military commanders, brother Gihren and Garma Zabi, and bears their family crest set against the color of their respective dress uniforms.

The masks are designed with a contoured shape and wide ear straps for a fit that’s both secure and comfortable. An inner layer filter helps reduce odors during extended use, and the inner surface of the mask is 100-percent soft gauze cotton.

Each two-mask set is priced at 1,650 yen (US$15.70) and can be purchased online here through the Premium Bandai website, with delivery scheduled for February. Feel free to use your Gundam personal seal when signing for the package.

Source, images: Premium Bandai
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