Japan’s number-one cosplayer is ready for hundreds of close-ups as she summons huge Comiket crowd

Fans get out their zoom lenses as Enako’s outdoor photo session salutes one of anime’s most beloved magical girls.

If you were going to use two words to describe Comiket, they’d be “busy” and “crowded.” As the biggest event for fan-produced anime and manga art, many of the items on sale are only available in extremely limited quantities, and since shoppers are competing with so many other hard-core otaku, the typical attendee experience is hurriedly rushing from one jam-packed booth to another before the stuff you want is sold out.

And yet, a huge number of fans carved out a block of time in their schedules during the Winter 2018 Comiket and gathered in a spot where one person had a vast amount of space all to herself.

Standing in the center of that ring of appreciative camera lenses is Enako, commonly referred to as “Japan’s number-one cosplayer” for her unparalleled ability to draw crowds wherever she appears in costume.

▼ Enako’s next-level cosplay skills seem to have evolved to the point where she can summon dramatic winds to make her outfit look even cooler, if this video is anything to judge by.

While Comiket has an official cosplay area just outside the exhibit halls of its Tokyo Big Sight venue, Enako’s audiences are so large that she holds for-fans photos sessions in the middle of a grassy field. For this Comieket iteration, that took place on Day 2 of the event, when Enako stepped out into the sunshine wearing the Ultimate Madoka costume of Puella Magi Madoka Magica’s heroine, Madoka.

▼ The character design itself may be several years old at this point, but Enako’s take on it is every bit as enchanting as the awesome life-sized Ultimate Madoka statue.

▼ A studio shot of Enako’s Ultimate Madoka outfit

While Enko’s meticulous makeup and expertly crafted wig had plenty of cameras focused on her face, there’s some astonishing detail to be found if you take a closer look at her costume, including an incredible set of angelic winged shoes and high socks with a color rivaling the digitally pained animation cels of their anime inspiration.

Pro that she is, Enako patiently rotated about in the center of the circle of attention, making sure that fans could photograph her smile regardless of which of the 360 degrees they were standing at.

This wasn’t even Enako’s only cosplay project for the day, either. On Day 2 of the convention, she also appeared at the booth for Tamagawa Boat Race speedboat gambling organization.

And the previous day, she’d been dressed up in some Santacos for her time at her personal Comiket booth, where she rakes in an astounding amount of revenue selling self-produced merch.

Still, for her most passionate fans, there’s nothing quite like getting the change to photograph their idol themselves…

…even if they’re doing so from pretty far away.

Featured image: Twitter/@qWP8Yga4XTuay8j



Credit:
at 23:44

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