Japan’s top cosplayer dresses as sub-characters from Inuyasha, Maison Ikkoku.

Last month, Enako, Japan’s number one-cosplayer, announced that she’s partnering with legendary manga creator Rumiko Takahashi for a cosplay photo album in which she’ll be dressing as a selection of memorable characters from the artist’s illustrious career. The book won’t be hitting store shelves until several weeks from now, but thanks to some preview photos shared by Enako herself, we can enjoy a sneak peek.

We already knew that Enako would be cosplaying as Urusei Yatsura’s Lum, since the cosplayer appeared as the alien princess, dressed in her Earth school uniform, in the initial promotional image for the book. Now that the cover image has been revealed, we know that Enako will also be donning Lum’s iconic tiger-stripe outfit. The cover also contains the book’s complete title: Enako x Rumiko Takahashi Collaboration Cosplay Photo Album: Cosmic World, a play on words between “cosplay” and “Rumic World,” a name sometimes used for Takahashi’s collected works.

While Urusei Yatsura is Takahashi’s most enduringly famous hit in Japan, her biggest global hit is Inuyasha. Enako’s preview for that section of the book, though, doesn’t have her cosplaying as female lead Kagome, but instead as demon hunter/gigantic boomerang thrower Sango.

For fans of a certain age, though, their introduction to the Rumic World wasn’t Inuysha or Urusei Yatsura, but martial arts comedy Ranma 1/2. Enako is indeed going to appear as the titular protagonist’s female form, as shown in this photo that’s steeped in the series’ charming atmosphere of good-natured destruction.

And finally, it’s back to a member of the supporting cast for Enako’s cosplay for Maison Ikkoku, as she steps into the role of Akemi, main character Yusaku’s next-door neighbor whose fondness for alcohol is rivaled only by her aversion to opaque clothing when relaxing at home.

In addition to a new character/costume that Takahashi is designing specifically for the book, Enako will be cosplaying as 10 pre-existing Takahashi characters, so there’s still a pretty good chance she’ll be cosplaying in Kagome’s uniform and the iconic apron of Maison Ikkoku’s Kyoko. We’ll know for sure when Cosmic World goes on sale September 6, but for those who are already convinced they want to add it to their bookshelf, it can be preordered here from Amazon Japan for 2,970 yen (US$21.50), which will probably also mean you can have it in your hand by the time the new Urusei Yatsura TV anime series begins airing in October.

Source: Oricon News via Otakomu
Images: Amazon Japan
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