in east asian tradition: on toku wardrobe

I watch a lot of tokusatsu (Kamen Rider, Super Sentai - Japanese super heroes on early Sunday mornings, Japan time). Like, a lot. I think I might have established that in some of my previous posts. I'm admittedly a Japanophile but no so much an aniota/otaku or worse, a weabo. I'm already done with that phase of my life. I guess I just have a healthy appreciation for the Japanese nation, culture and general lifestyle. If you followed my occasional public posts on LiveJournal, you'd know. Going back to the topic of tokusatsu: sometimes, I wonder if I just watch tokusatsu to look into their casual wardrobes...Super Sentai has really good wardrobes per main ranger/sentai character as they are often designated their own colors when the transform and de-transform in the show these days. Some Kamen Rider shows have really good wardrobes as well---Kamen Rider OOO comes to mind.

Ressha Sentai Toqger casual, un-transformed wardrobe is currently what I'm obsessing on. Plus, the series has a pretty solid plot although the last few episodes seem so rushed to complete the whole series. It has a kiddy/childish premise but in true tokusatsu tradition, there's also something intangibly grown up about it. I'd like to think it's because it's always been the way Kobayashi, Toqger's head writer, structured this and every other work she does for the sake of Toei's toku arm...Kamen Rider OOO has a pretty similar philosophical theme to this one. They share the same head writer after all. This deeply philosophical theme (although one that isn't so difficult to comprehend even for those slow on the uptake) is something you have to look deeper into while watching every toku series she makes, whether it's Kamen Rider or Super Sentai.

Toger's Red, Right (played by actor Shison Jun---obligatory: he's so adorable, right?! /cries) in this collage makes me want to own a varsity jacket in the same color, predominantly red and also with an R in it. The color-blocked sweater on the last picture to the right and the, what seems to be a knitted color-blocked jacket/sweater hybrid on the opposite end are also pretty covet-able. As for the printed shirts with hoods in here...yeah, I'd go for them. The prints aren't too overwhelming plus I love hoods just about everywhere including regular t-shirts. I live in an eternally summer region of Asia, however, this fully loaded wardrobe isn't really something conducive here. It's more appropriate in the areas of the world that experience 4 seasons or those where it's cold...eternally (*shudder* I wouldn't live in a place like that...I thrive in the heat, I won't survive extreme and even the mild cold) I can dream... 

As to Right's defacto regular wear in the series: the varsity jacket with the R monogram, I like it so much but personally, I prefer Goseiger's Alata's Skyick jacket. I remember obsessing on it so much once but I had no idea to what occasion and where I would wear it and even if it would fit in my all too casual and dull, mostly casual wear wardrobe. I'd probably wear it out for cosplay but I don't cosplay, so... I also remember, at one time, really wanting Alata's dainty-ish wing earring. I tried sourcing something similar as it doesn't seem to be so difficult to look for online but most of the ones I found were pretty medium-sized to gigantic. They aren't fitting enough to be worn casually on a daily basis. Something microscopic and light would be more apt for everyday wear. Bonus points if the wing design is on a light, medium-sized chain and dangling.

 

I like red, don't get me wrong. I wear the color on some days in sparse amounts because being decked in color isn't something I'm known for but blue---coincidentally, also Toqger Tokacchi's color---is my color. Rather, it is my favorite right up there with the white shade and the black shade. Also, shirt (and the more feminine alternative, a dress or even just a white or black t-shirt) + vest? Count me in! I don't think I'd wear patterned vests like the ones on Tokacchi, though. The ones I keep staring at but never really ended up buying because none of them felt me at that time at a thrift store in Dumaguete City now makes me feel regretful why I never tried actually acquiring one of them for realsies. One of them would have been great to use to emulate an Olsen twin's (Ashley, if I recall correctly) street style. I'll look for a decent one next time. My trip to the US, specifically in Long Beach, California, to spend time with the maternal side of the family I've been missing so much might just yield me a decent vest for street wear on some days.

I'm more of a Mio-girl than a Kagura-dainty-type-girl but I can take cute and dainty in small doses. I tend to fixate on feminine Ginza street styling on females (see Tokyo Street Style's site for it, their Shibuya healthily edgy ones are to die for as well). Something tells me it's time to invest on a blush jacket or coat of some sort...along with a pair of over-the-knee stockings in several plain black, semi-transparent pairs that Kagura sports so well in the rightmost snap of this collage. The latter continues to elude me although I found some of it in olx.ph somewhere then lost it again. Yep, back to olx.ph it is to search for something similar and ebay.ph as well. 

There's no Hikari here because for some reason, I can't connect with his style. I do like some of his sweaters and shirts. The cargo pants...hmn...I used to sport something similar and even more baggy when I was in 4th or 5th grade...they used to be the rage. I'd consider that an embarrassing phase of my fashionable (?) childhood life growing up. Yeah, I grew up a tomboy and less feminine in terms of dress. I'm still often garbed in everything tomboy-ish. There's a reason why I put up even Right and Tokacchi in here... (I tend to wonder if I should have been a boy in this lifetime because I'd dress like Right or Tokacchi if that were the case...maybe in the next life...)

More than the plot of the story, it was the wardrobe of Kamen Rider OOO cast that really drew me in to watching and finishing the series. Especially the show's designated heroine, Hina's. Eiji's bohemian-eternal wanderer style was arresting, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that here, but it's always been Hina's I'd been crazy about as the series went on.

Lots of pretty dainty florals; dainty, airy dresses; healthy amounts of denim; rad wide belts; and gladiator flats and heels to complete the look and some occasional oxford flats. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. This might have been the thing that pushed me to purchase two denim and floral mixed material airy dresses in Bangkok on one trip there with an aunt... I'm still searching for a decent wide belt somehow. I'll find one, one day, even if its the type with the garter at the back or something.

Satonaka's varied white or cream blazers---want. You can never have too much of it. Satonaka's edgy, bad ass all-black look with the right leather jacket---want. I have a somewhat similar cream bordering on white blazer I thrifted in Dumaguete City before going home this year that I've just as much worn to death everywhere. It's taken quite the beating if it's never taken any before. It's also become defunct airport wear recently on top of white ts and black skinny jeans with zippers on the ankles. I'll experiment some more with it.

And a bonus...

....random thing. 

I won't be caught dead channeling gothic lolita like Satonaka in the left here but I'd sport a random neko-mimi (cat ears) headband occasionally. Only very rarely, when I'm feeling playful, most likely. I was able to nab a decent sized cat ears headband that's also pretty fluffy when touched from a 20 (vente)-peso store in Robinson's Place Dumaguete a year ago or so I sometimes just wear around the house as a headband to keep my hair in place. These things are a fun thing to play with. For those like me here in Cagayan de Oro, I've seen similar, so much more cuter ones in Comic Alley in Ayala Centrio. I just liked the plush Mokona (from Rayearth and xxxHolic if anyone watches or watched those animes and read the mangas---I'm looking at you, Clamp fans because I went there one time although I already outgrew my Clamp obsession/fixation) figures in Comic Alley along with a few anime novelties that can be incorporated to some daily wear and activities and not so much the cosplay costumes. The only time I'd probably cosplay or go out as someone else is during Halloween. Note that I don't join anime/Japan-related events and conventions here in the Philippines. There are some in my locality but having had minimized my anime-watching and manga-reading---I only follow Hunter x Hunter now both in anime form and manga form---I don't see the point of me going to the conventions... 

Right now? I'm currently working my way to finishing Kamen Rider Drive two to three episodes, one night a week until I finally get to rewatch the first three Kamen Rider Ghost episodes and catch up with the rest of the series. Waiting for the release of one Kamen Rider Ghost episode a week, subbed by wonderful people online in English then resumes. This is me, rewatching Kamen Rider Drive but it's only because I felt I didn't pay a lot of attention to it on the first, while I was watching it per week, per episode the time it was airing. Kamen Rider Ghost is the rider series that's currently airing at this time. Shuriken Sentai Ninninger---a ninja-themed super sentai---also isn't finished yet (it replaced Toqger when the latter ended). Regarding this one, Ninninger's story development has got me lost recently and I just find it boring and dull now that I've altogether stopped following it. No idea when I'll pick it up again or if I ever will. I'm this close to deleting the whole series in my hard drive.

I'm also looking forward to watching about three currently airing Jdramas, two of which do not have English subs yet but stars Takeuchi Ryoma (Kamen Rider Drive's Tomari Shinnosuke, titular kamen rider/main rider/hero) and Kiriyama Renn (Kamen Rider W's Hidari Shotaro, the Joker half of W). Oh and also, catching up to the funny livaction manga adaptation that stars the guy who played Kaito in Kamen Rider Gaim (the rider series that preceded Kamen Rider Drive). It's a fun high-school set jdrama that's still pretty relate-able whatever age the viewer may be.  

all collages are mine, made via ailis on ipad/apple os but photos/screenshots are from all over the net (googled)