2.5 Dimensional Seduction First Cour Review: This Is Cosplay
2.5 Dimensional Seductionwhich began airing at the start of the summer anime season, has now completed its first cour consisting of 12 episodes. Based on the popular manga by Yu Hashimoto, the anime drew in watchers with its beautiful girls and otaku themes. The second half of the anime is set to air throughout the fall season and end with the 24th episode.
I immediately added 2.5 Dimensional Seduction, directed by Hideki Okamoto, to my summer watchlist the moment I read the synopsis. Anime with otaku themes such as Oreimo, Comic Partyand My Dress-up Darling have always interested me, so it was a no-brainer to pick this series up. I knew many people would compare it to My Dress-up Darling from 2022, an anime also about a newbie getting into cosplay that has impressive animation, fun characters, and is well-paced and well-directed. I also wondered how 2.5 would compare to the popular and beloved anime that came before it.
I felt that the first few episodes of 2.5 Dimensional Seduction were not quite as strong as My Dress-up Darlingbut by the end of the cour, I enjoyed the tough conversations the series tackles in the cosplay community such as jealousy, shame, and professionalism.
Masamune Okumura and Ririsa Amano are fun to follow as the series’ main characters, but I found myself mostly interested in one of the side characters: their teacher and former cosplayer, Mayuri Hanyu. Mayuri is a 22-year-old (super young if you ask me) woman who decides to put her cosplay career behind her to pursue her teaching career. A few episodes look into her past and how shame affects her decision to quit cosplay. In Japan, models and idols are often deemed “too old” to continue their careers as soon as their early 20s, so the series uses Mayuri to represent the stresses of aging in these kinds of industries.
In my experience cosplaying in Japan, I’ve met many people in their late 20s and late 30s still cosplaying, but the general shame from the world outside of cosplay is quite apparent. I appreciated 2.5 Dimensional Seduction for exploring this shame as it is often looked down upon by regular people in Japan. Cosplayers in Japan aren’t allowed to be in public areas, such as on subways or in restaurants, while dressed up. Most cosplay events have a designated space where cosplay is allowed, and you must change out of cosplay if you leave these areas. You can easily notice that the characters in the anime use the changing rooms at every event, which is the standard procedure in Japan.
On to the characters: each character in 2.5 Dimensional Seduction serves a purpose. Nagomi (pictured above) is a professional cosplayer who must learn how to balance cosplay as not only a hobby but as a job where certain levels of expertise and finesse are needed. The main character Ririsa, explores cosplay as a newbie and must overcome the insecurity that can come with diving into a new hobby. Masamune, while not a cosplayer, learns about the wonders of cosplay photography and how it has a huge impact on the hobby.
The anime series is animated by Studio J.C Staff, and voices are performed by Kaori Maeda, Akari Kito, Sayumi Suzushiro, Sayumi Watabe, and Junya Enoki. The animation may not be groundbreaking, but it is appropriate for what is essentially a slice-of-life anime, and the voice actors perfectly capture each character’s personality, which is important for 2.5 as one of its main draws is its characters and their experiences and feelings.
I’m excited and relieved that 2.5 Dimensional Seduction’s first season consists of 24 episodes as I feel that stuffing all of these characters and their important roles would be too much for a 12-episode season. The anime will air its second cour until the end of the Fall 2024 season, and seeing as we will officially be introduced to a new character in episode 13, I’m excited to see what aspect of cosplay is explored next.
HIDIVE describes the plot as:
Okumura, the otaku president of his school’s manga club, has absolutely no interest in real girls and prefers the sexy fictional 2D manga character, Liliel. However, when the new school year begins, he discovers the club has a new member: Ririsa. She not only has a passion for cosplay but considers Lilliel her favorite character. They quickly bond and when Ririsa convinces Okumura to be her photographer, the line between 2D and 3D blurs.
Watch the episode on HIDIVE
© Yu Hashimoto / Shueisha, Lilysa Production Committee
