CATDOLL: A Japanese university professor wears a cute cosplay costume to teach about otaku higher education

At the 54th Japan SF Conference held last weekend (August 29-30), Associate Professor Kazutoku Sugiura from the Graduate School of Media Design at Keio University, a top university in Japan, gave a lecture on "Higher Education for Otakus (Overseas Edition)". Shockingly, the associate professor actually wore a COSPLAY costume to teach everyone.

When asked why he wears cosplay costumes to class, Associate Professor Kazunori Sugiura said, "Other higher education institutions also have many lectures on the theme of 'otaku culture.' For students who come to graduate school specifically to study, I don't want to use the content of the lectures as a selling point, because a lot of these things can be found on the Internet. I don't teach you from a 'looking down' perspective, but 'approach you from an upward perspective.' The so-called 'looking up' perspective means 'not the person who teaches you things', but 'the person who actually does it'. That's why I wear cosplay costumes to class." There was even a "photo session" at the end of the lecture.

It is worth mentioning that in 2011, Kazutoku Sugiura spent 366,000 yen (about 19,398 yuan) on his cosplay costumes for class, including dry cleaning fees, all of which he paid out of his own pocket. Realizing that he would go bankrupt if he continued like this, he suddenly had an idea and decided to start making his own costumes. Now he has mastered the DIY skills and no longer has to worry about not being able to make enough money to wear cosplay costumes to class.

Note: The Japan SF Conference is a national exhibition founded in 1962. It can be said that this time of year is a grand event for science fiction, cartoon, and comics industries and fans from all over Japan to showcase their achievements and provide a platform for communication.