Original subtitles

This isn't good...

This photoshoot could be over at any time!

No!

If she does that, everyone will go home before we're ready!

Mayura vs. Nagomi!!

Hey, can I have a couple more minutes?

What?

Kai-sama's still not here.

I-I understand you want to see him, but you need to be a professional!

You're not a regular cosplayer anymore.

Sounds like Nagomi-chan's almost done.

Wanna check out the booths?

We could see what other cosplayers are here.

Nah, let's head out before the station gets crowded.

Oh, no! We can't let everyone go now!

But are we really gonna be able to stop them?

We have to try, or we're screwed!

Here she comes!

Oh my God!

Lustalotte?!

Mayura-sama?!

It's Mayura!

She's back!

She didn't even announce it!

Mayuri? How?!

Neighbors again, huh?

Yeah, small world.

Sorry, we're all sold out!

Mayura-sama's here!

Mayura-chan?! For real?!

Mayura!

I thought she ghosted everyone and retired... I'm not letting her steal my spotlight!

Fine, then, you're on!

Nagomi-chan's stripping down!

Her ass!

Nagomi-chan's still going!

There's space for Nagomi pics!

I'm not done yet!

What? Nagomi-san?!

Okay, Mayura...

It's you and me, just like old times!

I'll show you what a professional can do!

It's Mayura-sama!

And she's in the cosplay she teased!

Now's your chance to get pics of Icola!

Dammit, I don't know who to go to!

This is crazy!

I don't know where to start, it's all so crazy!

No, I've got to find the logic here. This might be the only time I see this happen.

What's so crazy about this?

The second they started snapping photos, the Mayuri-sensei I know just disappeared.

Her face, her expression, her posture... It's all different.

She's a different person. That's the best way I can put it.

It's like she's actually become her character.

This is how I pay back my debts.

To the world that supported me every step of the way...

To Lustalotte, too.

And...

To the next generation.

Not bad, Mayura.

You've changed... No, you haven't. This is what always happened.

It's just Lustalotte.

You outdid me again today...

I can't believe how popular you are, Mayura.

Lustalotte's popular, not me.

I'm just glad everyone can tell how much I love her.

She never made it about herself.

To her, cosplay was all about the character.

And she was always so confident, as if she was sure that was the right way to do it.

I know better than anyone that I've got tons of emotional baggage.

I think I'm the best, I only care about myself.

Yet I still I can't accept myself for who I am.

Do you have to love a character to cosplay them?

Ugh, if I wasn't cosplaying right now, I'd throw a tantrum and scream!

Mayura, you have no idea how lucky you are to be worshipped like this.

And that infuriates me!

Do you know how much skill it takes, how much luck you need,

to be able to pour so much love into something other than yourself?

I can't make myself become someone else.

I'm the one who loves Kai-sama.

I'm the pathetic otaku who wants his attention!

I'm the reason I want to be 2D.

I'm the reason I've put everything I have into cosplay.

The love I have for myself is more pure and powerful than anything else!

Am I wrong, Mayura?

Look at you. Stalwart as ever, Nagomi.

I can't believe it. It's really Mayuri-sama!

Two of the Heavenly Queens, side-by-side.

Somebody pinch me!

T-the crowd's not thinning... It just keeps growing!

Take a good look at this, milord Okumura.

See this rivalry?

This is where we want to take our cosplayers.

Right here!

Straight to the pinnacle!

My eyes are still red from crying.

My Liliel cosplay won't be perfect today.

But that's okay.

You're Ririsa Amano!

I love cosplay. I love Liliel!

And that's enough!

So smile!

I can't smile.

I might plaster one over my lips, but I'm never smiling inside.

I'm giving it my all, but...

But whenever Mayura's here, I get swallowed up by this frustration...

...that almost makes me want to quit altogether.

She keeps stealing more and more of my crowd.

I'm a professional.

I'm doing cosplays no one could even get close to doing.

So why am I still not number one?!

Am I doing something wrong?

I love cosplaying so much...

So why does it hurt so much?

Nagomi... I know you.

Street Cosplay Fair Registration

You're so cute!

Can we get a picture with you?

We cosplayed last year for Halloween and it was so much fun!

Woof, they obviously bought those

This is our first time coming to an event!

outfits at a discount shop...

This is our first time coming to an event!

outfits at a discount shop...

Better avoid eye contact.

Better avoid eye contact.

Yay!

We gotta be cosplay friends!

You didn't care if they were newbies in crap cosplay or influencers messing around.

You were just happy to see more people cosplaying.

You're going pro?!

Yeah, an agency reached out to me!

I'm gonna make a career out of cosplay.

I'll get to do the thing I love for ever and ever.

Do you want in?

No, I'm good...

I'm planning on quitting eventually...

I know you. I know how much you love cosplay.

I know how much you've put into cosplaying.

And yeah, I know how you feel about me, too.

But that's only because I'm your identical shadow.

I felt jealous of you, too.

Cosplay was always just a fun hobby for me.

So sometimes, I saw you, and felt sad.

Because I could tell...

...that you never gave yourself any credit for what you achieved.

Nagomi-san, what's got you so frantic?

You were so worried about your shadow, you couldn't see how brightly you shone.

You sold more than me, you drew bigger crowds than me...

Mayura's doing better than me... I have to be the best, but I'm losing!

You gave more of yourself to cosplay than anyone else ever could.

That's why every comment crushed you.

You had to steel your heart and fight back to protect yourself.

I understand. I did the same thing.

If we weren't rivals, I bet we'd be best friends.

We both worked so hard to get here.

Why isn't it enough just to love what we do?

Why can't it be enough?

I ask because I finally remembered...

...how I used to feel...

I'm a cosplayer!

When I first started cosplaying.

Wait, Mayura-sama's done?

No way! I was just gonna head over!

Aw, man!

Mayura's leaving?!

Why?! Does she feel bad for me or something? I don't need her pity!

That's all from me.

You'll probably be upset with me, but I didn't ever want to pick a fight with you.

And you know, Nagomi... I don't think you did, either.

There's someone I want you to meet.

And something I want you to remember.

You see, her cosplay's nothing like yours. You've got a brand-new character...

...but everyone will know hers the second they see her.

She picked her character because she loves her.

She's an old character you don't see at cosplay events anymore...

But I'll bet that everyone here, at one time, had a crush...

...on this angel!

Liliel!

Huh?

Egads! That's Liliel's Chaos Form!

Yes, that's the form she obtained when she went in pursuit of power,

got sucked into the darkness, then learned how to control it!

Liliel!

You showed up after all.

I thought I'd scared you, so how are you out here like it's nothing at all?

Are you stupid, or ignorant?!

No!

If she was, she wouldn't intentionally come straight towards my spot!

And I can see her eyes are still red from crying!

She was hurt, but she stood right back up!

Then she came straight for me to pick a fight!

Mayura-sama!

She's so cool...

HURRY HURRY HURRY

She's so cute!

I gotta get changed so I can get pics!

Liliel...

It's Liliel!

That takes me back.

Who's she?

Don't know.

She's pretty cute though.

Is she here for pictures?

We've gotta go help her!

Yeah!

I'm ready for pictures, please!

Ririsa!

T-thank you...

Should we?

Liliel? Who's the cosplayer? Is she cute?

I can't see her from here.

Mayura-sama left.

I didn't expect them to crowd around,

We might as well do the same.

but I expected more...

I'll wait for Nagomi-chan to finish.

Guess it's because she's new.

An old character's not gonna get much buzz, but might as well get a picture...

Hurry up, man.

What's the right reason to cosplay?

There IS no right reason. Mayura-sama and Senpai taught me that.

I keep thinking about it.

I still don't know if that's true.

Maybe there IS a reason, and no one's stumbled upon it yet.

But I don't need to find the answer right away.

I can keep looking, keep thinking, and keep cosplaying all the while!

No more hesitating!

I love Liliel!

I love cosplay!

She is truly one of a kind.

I know Ririsa's not stuck in her head anymore...

...because right now, she gets to be her darling Liliel!

Whoa, that Liliel is super cute!

Huh?! You're right! Where'd she come from?!

Hey, let's go check her out!

Excuse me, could we form a crowd instead?

If that's okay!

Um, uh...

Where did all these guys come from?!

Y-yes, go ahead!

Is that what you call a crowd?! Don't make me laugh!

Mine is exponentially bigger!

I'm the best in the world, and I love cosplay more than anyone out there!

I'm better!

So why... Why?!

Why do you look like...

you're still having so much fun?!

Nagomi... You'll know it soon.

No, I think you already know.

She didn't come here to fight.

None of us did when we started.

She came here to cosplay.

Oh. That's right.

Liliel?

Yeah. I saw her at the event the other day. Look how cute she is!

The first time I saw her picture, I hated her.

I knew I shouldn't.

I love cosplay.

I should love every cosplayer.

But now that you're here in front of me, I finally understand why I reacted that way.

Because I had that same smile on my face a long time ago.

Tohka, I'm in love with you.

Oh, Kai-sama...

My battery died!

That's what I look like?

I hate it. That's why I threw out all my mirrors!

I know it's all fiction. Kai-sama would never fall in love with someone like me.

But I can't just give up on him like that...

I can't find my coat!

I'll just be like her.

I'll make fiction my reality.

My first mirror in three years...

This is me?

You're so cute!

You look just like Fuyu-chan!

I'm cute?

That's right! I just wanted to look cute!

I didn't want to be better than anyone.

I was just so happy someone thought I was cute.

I started to like myself more.

That had never happened before, not in my whole life.

Cosplaying was fun. When I was in cosplay, I was happy.

I wanted to be able to cosplay forever.

But if I wanted to enjoy those happy hours forever...

...I'd need to fight through hardship, conflict, and malice to get them.

Eventually, I had to wall off my heart just to protect myself.

I just wanted to do what I loved as long as I could.

Long ago,

I really believed that every cosplayer was my friend.

I loved them all.

But now, cosplay hurts,

and no matter how much I said I loved everyone...

...I hated seeing people just having fun.

Where did I go wrong? What was it?

No. I think I just forgot something.

The most important thing of all.

Nagomi-san?

Nagomi...

If there is a god of cosplay, who would she smile upon: me, or Liliel?

I already know the answer.

Is Nagomi-chan done?!

Awww!

Is she not feeling good?

I wasn't in the zone at all.

And I went over the cut-off time. I'm no professional.

Nagomi-san...

I hope my little stunt didn't hurt her...

It's okay! We can make it if we hurry back!

Sorry.

I'm not done. I need a little more time!

What?!

If there is a god of cosplay...

...I'm going to make her...

...smile upon me!

I'm not going down like this!

Not when I finally get it!

Do you see me, Kai-sama? Look how cute I am now!

Everyone, look at me! Look at how cute I am now!

I knew you were tough, Nagomi.

You're going down, Liliel.

I'm gonna have way more fun than you.

I'm a professional. I'll cry on the inside.

Thank you.

I remember now.

Cosplay...

is fun!

My Enchanted Armor