02x11 - I Didn't Think Anything Good Would Ever Happen to Me

[bunniefuu]

How pathetic.

You're in middle school now.

How long do you plan on
reading stuff like this?

That's enough.

Akira, you better not have
gotten more manga again.

I haven't.

Really?

I'd honestly be worried if you
were still watching anime.

I don't anymore.

Flower Princess Blaze!!

Hey, does someone want this?

It came with the drink that I bought.

Is that some anime thing?
I have no idea what it is.

Me neither.

I don't, either.

A few years later

Isn't that the secret one?

What? Really?

It is! I can't believe you pulled
it on a single try! That's amazing!

I don't really get it, but yay! Lucky me.

Our Shop's Recommendation
Flower Princess Blaze the Movie
The Mystery of the Dreamy Castle
The secret one is a limited-edition design!

It's super rare!

I'm going now...

Princess.

Episode 23
I Didn't Think Anything Good
Would Ever Happen to Me

Some sausages... Got them.

All we need now is cheese and mentaiko.

Okie!

Do you think Onee-chan and the
others are at the studio by now?

We now turn back the clock a bit.

What? Juju-chan doesn't cosplay
anything other than magical girls?

Yes...

My sister has mentioned
wanting to do other cosplays,

but she's afraid she'd ruin the characters'
images because of her height.

I personally think that my sister
would look amazing in anything!

I know, right?! Seriously!

I wasn't able to cosplay on my own...

and I'm not as knowledgeable as my sister...

so I'm sadly not very convincing.

No sweat! It'll be fine!

We'll sort through whatever
you're worried about.

So let's have Juju-chan
cosplay Black Lobelia!

Huh?!

Miya-chan, you have her outfit from
the theatrical version, right?

What?! The insanely cute one?!

I never ended up wearing it, though.

I bought a smaller size after reading
the reviews and it didn't fit.

The perils of online shopping! I get you!

And we already have the wig and contacts,
so if we pay for the studio,

we'll be able to see Juju-chan
as Black Lobelia for free?!

Sounds like it, yeah.

I'm so happy!

Onee-chan...

Do you think she'll show up to cosplay?

In that case...

We're going location hunting~

We'll have her come along for
the location hunt this Saturday.

Tup, tup.

Movie Lobelia Cosplay

But then tell her we actually wanted
to surprise her with this costume.

Surprise!

Yay, yay!

Oh, I am so hyped for this!

I'm so happy! You guys
are gonna make me cry!

When we did one for Rana-san's
birthday, she was super happy!

Rana-chan's Surprise Party

Yay!

A surprise is a sure bet!

You think so?

I bet Juju-sama's gonna be psyched.

No one told me about this.

Also, please don't assume that
everyone likes surprises.

We're sorry.

I love "Blaze!!" and Black Lobelia.
That's why I gave up on this.

I absolutely will not cosplay her.

Please excuse me.

Wait, Juju-chan!

The reason you won't cosplay her...

According to Shinju-chan,
it's because of your height, but...

It's also your chest
and babyface, isn't it?!

Wha—

I... can work with all of that.

Juju-chan.

If the feeling of wanting to try is stronger
than the satisfaction of just looking,

you may want to give it a shot,
so you don't look back later

and regret not trying at all.

You might look better than you think
if you actually give it a chance.

And if you don't like it, we'll apologize
to Shinju-chan and Marin-chan.

It's our fault for moving this along
without asking you, anyway.

When I saw your cosplay photos,
I just got so worked up...

I wasn't thinking straight.

You're always like that.

I'm really sorry.

I'm also sorry.

How...

How did you figure out the reasons besides
my height that I don't do certain cosplays?

Oh! I just had a hunch that
you and I might be in the same boat.

Though in my case, I don't have a babyface.

If... I'm not happy
with it, I'm going home.

Gojo Dolls

So I guess your place is a hina doll shop.

Yes.

That's nice.

Is there anyone else home?

I'll do my best not to make a mess,
but we need to tell them we'll be working.

Teach.... Er, yeah.

Something like that.

He's not here today, but I told
him about this yesterday.

Oho... So you're gonna have a teacher
show you how to make this, huh?

I see.

These tools... I've never seen them before.

Do you also make the dolls, Wakana?

I'm still in training.

Hm?

Isn't the tip of this brush rather thin?

It's called a kegaki brush, and it's an
ultra-fine brush we use for the dolls.

We trim the bristles ourselves and use them
once they're fine-tuned the way we want.

I see.

I guess you do draw on
these really small faces.

There's no way you'd be able to do
that without years of experience.

It's nice when something you've been doing
for a long time actually takes shape like this.

All right. Let's get to work.

This petticoat is so cute!

Right?

You always wanna be cute
even where people can't see.

Let's start by using this silicone bra.

Adds 5x more

Super thick

Don't worry. It's new.

Hold up your boobs as much as possible and
face the hook towards your bellybutton.

Ta-

da!

Yeah, good!

We also have a corset,
so that should about do it.

Is it uncomfortable at all?

No...

I've... never had cleavage before...

so I'm happy.

I totally feel that!

I'm an AA cup, so it's no
problem when I cosplay guys,

but this is how I make 'em
look a bit bigger when I wanna.

I've tried out a lot of things,
but I think this works best.

We'll tape the shape of your face and
eyes and add more white to your eyes.

Are you okay with using
hana putti nose inserts?

They're fine.

I'm going to put a wig cap on you,
so let's gather up your hair.

Okay.

I think it's fine to not want to cosplay
a character with a different body type.

But in the end,

most of us usually aren't the same shape
as the characters we want to cosplay.

That actually bugged me a lot in the past.

My fav's Tsukasa Rindo. He's almost


He's super hot, and has a really
defined nose and features.

But I'm the exact opposite. My face is plain,
and I'm 30 cm shorter than he is.

Oh, I'm not bashing myself.
I'm just stating the truth.

When I cosplayed him for the first
time, I was in total shock.

It was basically just me
wearing Tsukasa's tracksuit.

I saw just how much it didn't suit
me and was forced to face reality.

I was like, "I'm so sorry someone like me
cosplayed you," and got super depressed.

But even then, I really loved him.

I loved him so much, I didn't
know what to do with myself.

It's weird, but I also felt bad for Tsukasa,
for cosplaying him while I was depressed.

So in order to still enjoy this while
dealing with the reality I can't change,

I started to think about how I can at
least get closer to Tsukasa in photos

and really thought about how I can make up
for our differences and adjust things.

You always looked good as him, Miya-chan!

Well, I wasn't satisfied myself.

Miyako-san...

When did you start cosplaying?

I think around my first or
second year in middle school.

I've already been at it for ten years.

Ten years...

It all flew by before I knew it, though.

Now, we're gonna start your makeup.

I'll show you all the techniques I learned
over the past ten years for Tsukasa.

I've never even thought
about reusing contacts.

Wakana, you really are good at
things that require fine detail.

These look so realistic.

Huh? Th-Thank you very much.

This is my first time making actual props.

Previously, we used
pre-made horns and wings.

You can make horns, too.

Huh?!

Really?!

Yeah.

They're a lot of work,
but they're fun to make.

So I guess there were even more
things I could've made on my own.

I wish I had made them.

I'd like to try.

I'd like to make even more things.

That's great! And you should!

If you've got any interest,
you should give it a shot.

Right!

Now we just use the spatula
to even everything out...

And we're done.

Let's put them together once they're dry.

They look so real!

Akira-san, how long have
you been making props?

Not that long at all.

I only started cosplaying after meeting
Miyako and Suzuka at community college.

I see!

It started when they asked me
to join a cosplay group,

since they didn't have enough people.

I'd love to see a photo
of that! Do you have one?

Er... Well, I do have a photo
of one we did this year.

So excited

President Luna?! Wait,
that was you, Akira-san?!

Yup.

I thought it'd be a one-time thing,

but they kept asking me to cosplay with them,

and before I knew it,
I started making stuff, too.

It's strange, right?

It's not like I even had
any interest in cosplay.

If you weren't interested...

Why did you keep agreeing to their requests?

Our Shop's Recommendation
Flower Princess Blaze the Movie
The Mystery of the Dreamy Castle
The secret one is a limited-edition design!

Our Shop's Recommendation
Flower Princess Blaze the Movie
The Mystery of the Dreamy Castle
The secret one is a limited-edition design!

Our Shop's Recommendation
Flower Princess Blaze the Movie
The Mystery of the Dreamy Castle
The secret one is a limited-edition design!

Our Shop's Recommendation
Flower Princess Blaze the Movie
The Mystery of the Dreamy Castle
The secret one is a limited-edition design!

Our Shop's Recommendation
Flower Princess Blaze the Movie
The Mystery of the Dreamy Castle
The secret one is a limited-edition design!

Just one time...

Black Lily

Princess Lily

Neon

Secret

Huh? Ogata-san?

They're in my seminar.

It's all over—

Ogata-san, you like "Blaze!!" too?!

I mean, everyone loves "Blaze!!"

And you did the movie gacha!
Black Lobelia's outfit in that movie is so cute!

Guess we're cosplaying again!

I wanna see you cosplay
a girl this time, Miya-chan!

I... I didn't think anything
good would ever happen to me.

But after meeting those two in
college, for the first time...

I realized that I'm fine as I am.

That I don't need to lie anymore.

That's why... I want to do whatever
Miyako and Suzuka ask me to do,

and make sure I see their requests through.

That's really all there is to it.

Sorry we're late!

We bought the ingredients
for the takoyaki party—

Shinju...

Miyako-san did my makeup.

Do you think... it looks good on me?

I really don't think I...

Wow... You look so cute!

So cute!

You look so good!

I knew it! You really do look
good in anything, Onee-chan!

I never cared about what
other people thought.

Back then, Shinju must've
been this anxious, too.

Thanks. It really makes me
happy to hear you say that.

Hey, now. What's wrong, Marin-chan?

I mean... she jush wooks sho perfwect.

The movie costume alone
is so effin' adorable.

But Juju-sama wearing it is literally
bringing tears to my eyes.

It's so good I could die.
Your whole existence is fan service!

Oh, jeez. You look like a mess.

Also, the costume size is perfect!

How friggin' amazing is
that?! It's a miracle!

No miracles here. We just stapled
some things together.

Miya-chan, everyone's here, so...

Fidget

Fidget

Yeah.

Let's start taking photos!

If you're worried about your height...

take portraits, or photos from the chest up!

Basically, just no full body shots!

And if do you want full body...

Take the photo from below!

And do your best not to include a background!

As long as nothing in-frame
hints at your height...

It solves everything!

You really are amazing, Miyako-san!

Also, if you're tall, all you have to do is take
photos sitting down or from overhead.

So for our Coffin group tomorrow,

just worry about having
tons of fun, Shinju-chan!

Right!

But, you know...

I'm so grateful that it's adding years
to my life. Thank you, world.

You look so cute, Onee-chan!
You're the cutest in the whole wide world!
Oh! Just now! Ah, that one, too!
You're just cute forever!
Juju-sama! Look this way, please!
This is the best! Nothing can beat this! Juju-sama!
Please look this way one more time!
I'm so grateful that it's adding years to my life...
Thank you, world. Ah...
I can live the rest of my life with just white rice and this.
Actually, I may never have to eat again.

Juju-sama! Look this way, please!

You look so cute, Onee-chan!

Yeah, this looks super sketch.

You're the cutest in the whole wide world!

Tenkasu made with Canola Oil[/b]

Healthy tenkasu fried with fresh oil.

Shinju-chan! Your Soma-kun
cosplay looks so good!

Your face is literally winning!

Miyako-san's just so good at makeup.

You're cosplaying Soma-kun again,

but it's way different from
when Gojo-kun did your makeup!

They both look so good!

Wait, Shinju-chan!
You're using your allowance, right?

Did you have enough?!

True!

I'm fine!

I worked really hard on all the subjects
I'm bad at during my second term,

so I as given a bunch of allowance.

What a good girl!

Jeez... look at this middle school girl.

You look amazing, too, Marine-san!
Please take a picture with me!

Yeah, of course!

Let's take a pic together upstairs!

The movie version is about the past

and you get to see everything
about how Black Lobelia grew up.

You just want her to be surrounded by love, {kokoro kara ai...}

but at the same time, {soretowa betsu de}

Soma and Sakuya look so sexy in their
middle school uniforms, I was like,

"Are they supposed to be this hot?"
And got super confused back then,

but I still feel the same now.

Miyako-san, Suzuka-san.

If I hadn't watched this series,
I'd be missing out so much in life—

Thank you very much.

I actually cosplayed Black Lobelia...
and I'm grateful that I did.

No, thank you! Thanks for accepting
our slightly selfish request.

Seriously, we should be thanking you!

I... was actually planning
on giving up cosplay.

Even if I wanted to continue,
I figured I'd have to quit someday.

Did your parents say something?

No. It's not like anyone
actually said something to me.

Cosplay has let me become the characters
I've admired since I was a child.

I'm truly happy right now.

And yet, there's always something
in the back of my mind...

I'll let you in on a little secret.

Happiness doesn't last forever!

I'd wonder how long
I'd be allowed to continue...

I don't go to cosplay events, and I've
been cosplaying alone this whole time,

so I never had the chance
to talk to older cosplayers.

But after meeting you, Miyako-san,

I've finally realized that it's okay
to continue this as an adult.

Seriously, why are you stating the obvious?

There's plenty of people
way older than us, too!

Yup, yup!

There are?

There's this mom around forty who loves
cosplaying as idol anime characters.

May I get a picture?

It's so nice to have a young
person compliment me!

It's so nice to have a young
person compliment me!

Cosplayer
for life

There was also this older gentleman

in his fifties or so that loves
to cosplay hero stuff.

He said he's loved heroes
ever since he was a kid.

Also, people say you can only
do this when you're young,

but you clearly live most
of your life as an adult,

and it'd be such a waste to give
up everything you love doing!

If you love it, you can keep
doing it as long as you want.

You can even start whenever, too.

You don't have to worry about a damn
thing to continue your hobbies.

It's absolutely necessary for survival.

Yup!

Like, how could I give up something this fun?

I'll let you in on one
more secret, Juju-chan.

Being an adult is so much fun!

'Cause you can spend way more cash
than when you were in school!

Yup, yup.

You definitely have less free time,

but you have so many more things
you can do with the power of money.

But I can't hold back at all,
so I just keep spending.

There were times I thought someone illegally
used my card, but it was just my past self.

That happens all the time.

I mean, we are basically
working for our hobbies.

You're both adults, so please
grow up at least a little.

Yeah, we suck as adults.

Right? We totally do.

Akira-san, the way you feel towards
Miyako-san and Suzuka-san...

I totally understand.

I feel the same way, too.

I've decided to do everything I can

to make all of Kitagawa-san's
requests come true.

Yeah.

So yummy!

Good for you, Marine-chan.

Oh, it's Mom.

Everyone loves the al ajillo takoyaki!

Oh, yeah. I guess Akira-san
didn't come today.

Gulp!

A-Aki-chan's making the props for
tomorrow's group cosplay, so...

Actually, does Akira-san not like me?

Huh?! No! That's not it! Um...

When I came back from
the bathroom at karaoke...

I saw her talking normally after not
talking at all while I was there,

so does she just not like it when I'm around?

Um, Marine-chan! Um, the thing is...

Someone hates you?

I mean, you can't help your personality,
so there's nothing you can do.

There's nothing funny about that![/b]

There's nothing funny about that!

I don't have much I actively dislike,
so I'm totally fine. Really.

We're so sorry, Marine-chan.

Crab

Almost there

Here!

I'm here!

Okay! Be right there

pic to celebrate the
surprise going well

Episode 24

Next time.