#i can't draw Goemon's hair

[morporkian-cryptid]

Also can we PLEASE talk about the COSTUME DESIGNS in this because HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!

Costume analysis under the cut!

Warning: intense nerdery ahead

Disclaimer: This play takes place in the Azuchi-Momoyama period, the one right before Edo, and I don't know enough about the history of Japanese fashion to judge whether it is historically accurate - I mostly know about Edo-era fashion trends.

Lupin

Lupin. Lupin's outfit holy shit. I did not think it was possible to so accurately transcribe his modern outfit into a kimono but THEY FUCKING DID IT. Look at the kimono's collar!!! IT'S HIS TIE!!! He has a yellow tie!!

His coat isn't a traditional Japanese haori vest, it has a western-style collar. And he's wearing a rapier whereas all the other sword-wearing characters have katanas. The rapier has a ROSE sculpted on the pommel because he is a GENTLEMAN and from the COUNTRY OF ROMANCE do you get it?????? They did NOT have to go to that amount of detail but THEY FUCKING DID!!

I am 90% sure that the plant depicted on his coat has some sort of significance, but I can't identify it. The pattern on his obi belt is tortoise shells, which symbolize longevity and are often associated with pine trees (see Goemon's costume analysis).

He even has his fucking white-and-blue striped underwear in the waterfall scene like are you KIDDING ME.

Sir. Sir why are you so dramatic. Sir please CHILL.

Goemon

Honestly they did Goemon dirty, especially considering the attention to detail that went into all the other characters' costumes. He looks like a bad L'Oréal commercial and his kimono looks like it's synthetic. Like, come on!! He's a main character on Lupin's level in this play!

Although thankfully his hair is only Like That in the promo pictures; in the play it's actually way fluffier, and he's honestly pretty damn cute. Look at this lad.

The drawings on his kimono are, I believe, pine needles (or at least they look like the stylized pine needles from the game of hanafuda). Pine trees symbolize eternity, longevity, and have a connection to godliness (in Buddhism I believe). They're also almost always a part of the decor in No theatre.

Fujiko

Unfortunately I don't have much to say about her costume other than "she's fucking gorgeous". I am certain that the plants adorning her kimono have been chosen with a certain meaning in mind, but again I cannot identify them (and I left my book on hanafuda flower symbolism at my parents' place).

Her complex obi knot tied on the front of the kimono, and her low-dropping collar exposing her back, were high-class fashion statements back in the Edo period. (The back-exposing collar is the kimono equivalent of our decolletage/low neckline.) Basically, she's being super fashionable and sexy. Also look at that hairpiece!! It's so pretty!! And the thick hem at the bottom of her kimono is also traditional of that period, it was to keep the kimono in shape as you walked.

Fujiko is, of course, played by a male actor, as are all female characters in kabuki - you can read more about why here; it involves a shogun's ill-advised attempt at limiting prostitution and is one of my favourite bits of Japanese history.

Jigen

Okay so, I am a bit confused about the choice of a green lining for his cape, considering that's not a color he's ever worn, but it looks good. Overall his costume is pretty neat, and SO DAMN DETAILED. Like they did not have to embroider his cape or give him such a pretty cloak tie or a thick-ass decorated collar. WHAT.

While he does have a hat (he's holding it in his hand on the promo pic), he doesn't actually wear it during the play. Kabuki heavily relies on actors' facial expressions, so I guess they decided adhering to the og chara-designs wasn't worth hiding the actor's face. Instead, HIS HAIRCUT LOOKS LIKE A HAT ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME THIS IS AMAZING!!!!!! XD Kudos to the fucking genius in the costume department who decided to do that.

His matchlock looks like a tanegashima, although I am not nearly knowledgeable enough in firearms to tell the difference between a Japanese matchlock and a European one. In any case it looks pretty damn cool.

I think his pipe may be a reference to the giant silver kiseru pipe that the OG Goemon Ishikawa has in the opening scene of the play Sanmon Gosan No Kiri. However I've never seen one made entirely of metal with a swirly design like this.

I think he has a ponytail - it seems this way on the poster? but it's not visible in the promo pics.

Zenigata

I AM GOING INSANE about Zenigata's costume. I mean LOOK AT IT!!!! His kimono's got ZENIS drawn on it!!!!

A zeni is (or was? I'm not sure) a 1 cent coin with a hole in the middle. They gave their name to Heiji Zenigata, Koichi Zenigata's fictional ancestor from a 20th century series of novels and movies. Heiji was famous for using zeni coins as a throwing weapon, a move which inspired Inspector Zenigata's handcuff-throwing move.

Kabuki Zenigata's hat is the one that policemen in the Edo era wore, according to Aime - although I couldn't find any confirmation on Google in under 5 min. Personally it reminds me of the shape of the hat Modern Zenigata wears in the anime, so it checks out.

His baton is a jitte, a weapon that was indeed used by the police during the Edo era (so I'm going to assume it was the case also in Azuchi-Momoyama).

And look at the makeup on that guy!!! The eyelashes!!! The cleft chin!!! This is fucking awesome!! They put in so much effort to transcribe the anime character designs into the kabuki costume designs, it's really impressive and you can tell this kabuki play was made by people with a lot of love and respect for this franchise.

Misc

Also can we talk about THE FUCKING EMBROIDERY??????? I am going INSANE I mean LOOK AT IT!!!! LOOK AT THEIR FUCKING CLOTHES!!!!! There is no way you could see that level of detail from the audience, yet they still put in the effort to create FUCKING EMBROIDERED COSTUMES. I am this close to zooming in on all the photos and trying to identify every symbol and visual and research what they mean in traditional Japanese visual arts. Like SERIOUSLY. These embroidery were obviously designed as a conscious choice, not just for the aesthetics. I think it's tiny dragons on Zenigata's clothes, but I'm not sure. And Lupin's got a bunch of tiny kamons on his coat.

Also, same-color embroidery (I mean, embroidering something in the same color as the fabric so that it only shows through light reflection) is a technique that was especially developed in the Edo era because of sumptuary laws. Japan had a strict caste system, but like in a lot of caste societies, people of the lower castes were often richer than the higher ones. The shogunate passed laws to forbid lower-ranking citizens from dressing above their station, like enforcing plain colored kimonos, which rich artisans and merchants worked around by developing single-colored embroidery as an extra-subtle law-compliant Fuck You.

Man, I fucking love Japanese history 😁

The book seems to at least somewhat describe the costume designs (there's one page specifically about the "kabuki introduction scene" costumes), so I'll try to translate it through OCR and I'll report back when I do.

Bonus: secondary characters' costumes!

HAVE I MENTIONNED RECENTLY THAT MY SISTER IS THE MOST AMAZING PERSON ON THE FUCKING PLANET?????? 😭💕

She went to see the new Lupin III kabuki play on my behalf, called me on the phone for an entire hour to give me a detailed report and listen to me nerd out about the anime references, and then she sent me official merch of the play for Christmas all the way from friggin' Japan. She is amazing, I do not deserve her 😭

[m-u-n-c-h-y]

The thrilling sequel~

[jigenshat]

hc that lupin and jigen both get super cuddly when theyre sleepy

in jigen's case, hed slowly start to lean on lupin until hes eventually lounging in his lap, half awake. lupin would play with his hair while they both traded compliments and praise, until they both eventually fall asleep

and i feel like in lupin's case he will go to jigen when hes tired just to cuddle, no matter what jigen is doing at the time JHJGHF

just lounging around? lupin lays on him walking around the hideout? hes probably clinging to him cleaning his guns? you bet your ass lupin is there and trying to cuddle

i think he does this bc he feels safest around jigen, his presence is one of the few things that calms him, which is one of many reasons why he loves him (bless jigen for putting up with this monkey man <3)

- jiglup smooch anon

both lupin and jigen crave domestic intimacy more than anything. it's so rare for them that they grasp the opportunity whenever they see it with both hands and try to never let go. but they're both idiots so they never just say it – suggest a day off together where they both cuddle up on the couch, watch tv, and cover each other in lazy kisses.

lupin at least isn't afraid to squeeze out every moment of domesticity from his time with jigen. even when his partner is busying himself with job preparations such as cleaning his gun or planning things out, lupin always ends up by his side. he'll come up behind jigen, throw his arms loosely over his shoulders and kiss his cheeks and neck. he stands there for a while playing with his hair, and tying it away from his face.

jigen always enjoys these moments. they speak for themselves and he doesn't feel the need to say anything. he simply smiles and carries on with his tasks, sometimes letting out a breathy laugh as his partner's touch hits a ticklish or sensitive spot. if lupin begins to walk away, jigen will grab his hand, pulling him closer and feather light kisses across it. this always keeps him close by, even trying to shuffle closer and sit on the gunman's lap and rest his head on his chest.

jigen isn't as spontaneous as lupin. he's always admiring him from afar around the safehouse but still maintains some reservation particularly if goemon and fujiko are around. but when night draws in and he sees his partner's energy dwindle, he can't help but to care for him, taking as much stress away as possible. he'll make sure to prepare a hearty and healthy dinner for him, taking as much time as needed with preparations. in between preparing ingredients, jigen heads over to where lupin is working away, asking him if he needs anything. he'll return again with drinks and pillows and blankets to make him more comfortable at work. each time he drops something off, he'll plant a soft kiss on lupin's cheek, sometimes grabbing his face and reaching over for a peck on the lips. lupin will tell him to stop being such a tease, at least until he's finished with what he's doing.

jigen will try to make the meal he prepared as romantic as possible, holding on to every moment the pair have together. maybe lighting a few candles and placing a few flowers in a jar or glass in the absence of a vase. he'll insist lupin eats as much as he can, and stop working for the night after. even when he puts up a fight, he'll sling him over his shoulder and carry him to the bedroom scattering kisses across his lower back in the process. a warm bath will already be running. sometimes the two will relax together, melting in each other's arms as the warm water washes away the strains of the day. they're always drowsy after this. the only energy remaining used to pour each other a strong drink before heading into bed and burrowing into the other's arms, pecks fluttered across each other's skin until they doze off into the night.

[myworldmyimagination23]

Hello readers! This profile page is shared by myself,MyWorldMyImagination(MWMI)! , and my friend,MyHeartBeating. We recently changed our profile name to MyWorldHeartBeating! Here is a link to our fanfiction page if you would like to check it out.

Introductions of ourselves:

MyWorldMyImagination(MWMI):

Hi my name is MyWorldMyImagination, I have come here to tell you a little about myself. First off, I am in my twenties as well, and I have dark brown hair that stops at my upper back. I temporarily give foster homes to stray animals, and I currently have adopted two dogs and one guinea pig named Aron. I also work for a pharmacy, eight hours every day; this is mainly the reason why it takes some time to update our stories since we both work long hours during the day.

When it comes to fanfictions, I believe there is no limit to where your imagination can take you, hence the reason for my user name of course. My imagination tends to run wild, all the time. xD I love reading fanfictions that involve Inuyasha crossovers, Naruto crossovers, Bleach, TMNT, and so many more. For me, a crossover has to have good dialogue and a decent story line.

Like my friend said, I like good stories that focus on good romantic development between two people. There is nothing worse than reading a fanfiction where the main character, he or she, falls in love by the end of the first chapter, unless the character already had a significant other whose feelings were reciprocated.

My hobbies include: Drawing, painting, playing video games such as The Sims and making YouTube Videos. If you are interested in my Youtube Videos that focus on Dragon Ball Z, Sonic the Hedgehog and more. Here is a link to it below.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6X-ikl-IRoOSM2sGWMoLww?view_as=subscriber

I also have my own fanfiction page, but I haven't updated it in a while, but it won't matter since I only have three stories on there. In time, they will be rewritten and posted on here. Well I guess that's about it; I don't have much else to say about myself. lol I hope this gives you all a good idea of who I am. :)

MyHeartBeating(MHB):

Between me and my friend, MyWorldMyImagionation, I'm the main writer, though she often shares her brilliant ideas and dialogue that I'm otherwise clueless with. xD Without her help, I might have stopped writing fanfiction years ago.

I'm mainly an avid reader in the fanfiction community, reading many anime/manga fanfics, including crossovers: My favorite and still currently: Inuyasha (Secret of the Divine Jewel, Secret of the Cursed Mask), Zelda (Ocarina of Time, Majoras Mask, Twilight Princess, Oracle of Season, Oracle of Ages, A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, A Link Between Worlds), Harvest Moon (MfOmT, A New Beginning, Another Wonderful Life, Magical Melody, Hero of Leaf Valley, Sunshine Islands, Island of Happiness, DS Cute), Fushigi Yuugi (Genbu Kaiden, Byakko Senki), Red River (Anatolia Story), YuYu Hakusho, Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (1,Frontier, 2,3,4, 5), Mario (Paper Mario, Super Paper Mario, Super Mario RPG, Mario and Luigi Super Star Saga), Animal Crossing, Mischief Makers, Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, The Twelve Kingdoms, Escaflowne, and the list goes on.

I enjoy reading good fanfictions with proper grammar and punctuation. As long as the stories have interesting plots with minimal cliches, I'm all for it, just so long as they build on intimate and friendly relationships. Anything rushed in a story I generally feel disappointment.

Regarding my own writing, I tend to recreate plot lines, some with similar aspects pertaining to animes/mangas/dramas and so on. I'd rather not completely copy and paste a manga's, game, book or tv series word for word. Rather than have it be predictable, I like to change it up, leave the readers wondering what will happen next. Sometimes I like cliche encounters, and sometimes I dont.

Genre: (Mature/Fantasy/Adventure)

When it comes to writing genres, I tend to gravitate more towards writing Mature themes, such as Intimacy, Strong Language, Graphic Violence and the appalling Rape. (As a victim who was once sexually abused as a child, I suppose I've become indifferent to it, to a point that when I write it, it comes across morbidly descriptive and has negatively affected and put off certain readers who were more sensitive towards it. I completely understand why they felt this way, but I don't feel I should have to shelter this from my writing; after all, Rape happens every day, and sadly, it's become something out of our control. I'm not saying I write it for enjoyment, but I'm writing it because it does happen. For me, I can't simply write about beautiful sunsets, rainbows and unicorns. I want to write in a realistic fashion. I want to write what's true, but also keep true to my other favorite genre, Fantasy. A little bit of fantasy mixed with the real world.)

Links to our other web pages:

https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2767541/MyWorldHeartBeating

https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyWorldHeartBeating

https://www.wattpad.com/user/MyHeartBeatingMWMI

https://www.deviantart.com/leonio