So you think you know seifuku

4Oct/0641

So you think you know seifuku

If someone told you Stripey was into 16 yr old Japanese schoolgirls, he lied. Now straight from the horse's mouth, I'm just into ~~17 yr old moelicious Japanese schoolgirls~~ elaborate (some say gaudy) seifuku. (As I am into meido costumes instead of meidos themselves.)

Seifuku design in anime play a critical role into bringing out the best of its bishoujos. The strategic placement of a girdle/ribbon can enhance curves or emphasize charm. Conversely, poorly contrasting seifuku shades that clash with the bishoujo's hair/eye colour can drastically reduce moe power. (Case in point: Wind ~A breath of heart) Truly, the importance of good seifuku design cannot be overstated.

Well, enough with my meandering pre-amble. An aim of this post is to showcase how 2D seifuku design was superbly transcribed to reality by very talented folks at cospa. Now, before you gleefully draw up plans for that seifuku cosplay cafe, do note that each seifuku ranges from 20000 - 50000 yen. (We are not even looking at licensing issues for such cosplay at your establishments.)

Now, going back to my point of fetishing over seifuku instead of schoolgirls, how do you separate the gentleman who appreciate seifuku as an art-form from that goatish fiend who lusts after the bishoujo under that uniform? You put him through Stripey's patented "So you think you know seifuku" test!

Below are 16 of my favourite seifukus. Name the series from which the seifuku originates from and check with your score at the end of the post.

Answers: ▼ Show

Results:

0-4 : The enjo kosai fiend

You need to be either be put away or put down. A public enemy for all fathers with teenaged daughters.

5-8 : The ephebophilia-inclined

You bears the seeds of Dark Side. Fight the attraction, focus on the seifuku....

9-12 : The pilgrim on a path to purity

Iluvatar be praised! Another on the shining path to seifuku salvation. Remember, stay on the ribbon and stray not to what lies beneath....

13-16 : The pure and honourable

Only Luthien is worthy of your hand! (Ok, if you are a straight 16 scorer like this tanuki, you got a shot at Kotori's hand! But just her hands... no more...)

What others say about this test:

Zyl: I used to think a good friend of mine was lolicon until I put him through this test and BAM! I found out he's so pure I'd put my 10 yr old daughter under his care anyday!

Yepirts: The only test for my daughter's potential suitors.

Filed under: Random Rants Leave a comment

Comments (41) Trackbacks (2) ( subscribe to comments on this post )

mikemil828
October 4th, 2006 - 11:57

Let’s see:

2. Air
3. Da Capo
5. Shuffle
6. Canvas
7. To Heart
8. Full Metal Panic
9. Operation Sanctuary
10. Melancholy of Haruhi
11. Kanon
12. School Rumble
13. Yoakemae yori Ruriiro na
15. Evangelion
16 Muv-Luv

….Not bad, but I need to train more……

( REPLY )
mikemil828
October 4th, 2006 - 11:59

Dangit, wordpress messed up the ordering of my numbers

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Crusader
October 4th, 2006 - 12:02

A1. Angelic Layer
A3. Da Capo
B2. Canvas 2
B3. To Heart
B4. Full Metal Panic
C2. Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu
C4. School Rumble
D1. Brighter than Dawning Blue
D2. Da Capo II
D3. Evangelion
D4. Kimi ga Nozomu Eien

I beg to differ in you line of reasoning, A3, C4, D2 require discretion when delivering justice form the end of a rifle. All personnel found in D3, and D4 are presumed hostile and are to be terminated with extreme prejudice along with their male comrades in which case “one shot one kill” is considered optional bonus points if death is over the course of one full minute or loss of target’s concioussness on the 10th shot. All personnell in C2 are considered blue and are to be assisted. Praise be to the M82 until the arrival or the TR-116.

Also as the creator of this test and hence created the answer key I do believe that your score of 16 is null and void. For this blatant attempt at cheating I say that you have scored -16 the title of which shall not be mentioned to preserve the dignity of this blogosphere, suffice to say all persons of dignity and righteoussness are to be wary when tanuki are within striking distance of 18 feet from children 0-17 in case of seifku increase area of needed response to 36′ as it can aggravate tanuki especially in the case of D2, expand to 100′ if potential target also has long red hair.

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Naru-Sama
October 4th, 2006 - 12:25

Umm….the results are based on how many you get wrong…..right!?

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mikemil828
October 4th, 2006 - 12:31

Nope, if you are able to get 13 or more right (like me) you are the pinnacle of non-pedoness

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NegativeZero
October 4th, 2006 - 12:41

Angelic Layer, Air, Da Capo, Tsukihime,
Shuffle, Canvas 2, To Heart, Full Metal Panic
Hanihani, Haruhi, Kanon, School Rumble
Yoakemae, Da Capo II, Evangelion, KGNE

I don’t know if I should feel good about knowing them all or not. Didn’t recognise Tsukihime at first.

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SomeGuy
October 4th, 2006 - 12:45

Umm need one clarification. Seifuku refers to sailor suits uniforms specifically right and not school uniforms in general? If that is the case then not all those uniforms are really seifuku. For example the FMP! and the School Rumble ones.

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mikemil828
October 4th, 2006 - 12:57

>>I don

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wontaek
October 4th, 2006 - 13:21

Are we sure that C1 is not a female mecha pilot suit?

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Zyl
October 4th, 2006 - 15:03

Wait until u got ur own daughter that time then u know! There’s such a thing as retribution u noe.

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Adun
October 4th, 2006 - 15:34

Ok from left to right, top down here we go:

Angelic Layer
Air
Da Capo
??
Shuffle
Azumanga Daioh
To Heart 2
Full Metal Panic
Hani Hani Operation Sanctuary
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu
Kanon
School Rumble
Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro Na
Da Capo Second Season
Evangelion
Muv Luv

I remember visiting the COSPA store in Akihabara and to see all the costumes available to buy, not to mention the price tag. Funnily enough since I am a Da Capo fan, my friend kept bugging me to buy the Da Capo uniform, lol. I may be a BIG fan but I do have my limits.

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Tess
October 4th, 2006 - 15:43

I got 13, yay. Seifuku are great, but you already know that. Funny though, two of the one’s I didn’t like are one’s I don’t know.

And I’ve always wanted the AIR uniform. If not for my pure love towards Misuzu, but because it’s really nice and simple. It’d be easy to wear other than some sort of cosplay event, seeing as I don’t go to those thigns.

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Eleutheria
October 4th, 2006 - 15:43

I hate my memory sometimes. 12/16

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kablaq
October 4th, 2006 - 16:57

i kinda wonder if the fact that i was unsure on only 2-3 of them is a good thing or a distinct reminder of how far i have strayed down this dark and lonely path…

;_;

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Pete Zaitcev
October 4th, 2006 - 18:36

Since we have so much knowledge concentrated here, would someone be so kind to identify this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zaitcev/147121697/

It also has Azumanga’s own (winter) uniform, to demonstrate how Adun made a mistake here.

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Skane
October 4th, 2006 - 18:49

Where are the correct answers?

I think I only got 8 right, and ARGH! Can’t believe I forgot the FMP one… that particularly uniform was so aggravating, because I KNEW the answer at the back of my mind, but the answer failed to materialise.

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Stripey
October 4th, 2006 - 19:06

Thanks all for your contributions. Very many good attempts indeed! In fact, NegativeZero got it all right. As for the last uniform, I actually got it off the Kiminozo collection from cospa… I think it’s the same at Muv Luv? After all it’s the same campus

Crusader: If you ever discover a Kotori-esque RL bishoujo, she’s in EXTREME peril. Stripey Security Service (SSS) can help. Yes, only us. But don’t send us your address first, send her picture first for us to assess the direness of the situation. XD

Naru-sama: hehe, that depends on where you want to be on the results, we can make it happen

mikemil828: “pinnacle of non-pedoness”… I like that!

SomeGuy: ’seifuku’ just means school uniform so it embraces sailor type school-U and more

wontaek: haha, no but that’d be convenient indeed!

Zyl: LOL no worries, I will guard her well and be very wary of red Zakus. XD

Adun: Wow! You’ve been to holy ground! Yeah, myself, I would LOVE to get DC and DCSS’s seifuku but I realised the price of the 2 seifuku equals that of a wedding gown in my country

Tess: I like AIR’s seifuku too. Something about full pinafores that brings out elegance. Maybe I’m just bewitched by the AIR girls too XD

Eleutheria: Actually I already have difficulty remembering names from series much less ID the seifukus. Crusader was right, I cheated… but of course 12/16 is very commendable.

kablaq: You are not alone…. *trudges quietly besides Kablaq toward seifuku rakuen*

Pete Zaitcev: You mean the dark sailor-fuku in the foreground… hmmm Ichigo 100%? Not sure actually….

Skane: NegativeZero has got the model answer.

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burrowowl
October 4th, 2006 - 19:15

Wow, I’m pretty lousy at this; I can only put a name to six of them, though most look familiar.

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mikemil828
October 4th, 2006 - 19:24

Kimi Noso Uniform:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/Kiminozo_coverart.jpg

Muv-Luv Uniform:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/54/Muvluvextra_screenshot_sumika2.png

Beyond the purple/white motif, they are quite different

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Adun
October 4th, 2006 - 19:41

Well 13 out of 16 isn’t so bad.

>> Stripey

Oh trust me, I had more than enough money to buy the Da Capo uniform. But I think people would be more freaked to see me buy one. But like I said, I have my limits. Also on the same day we went to the COSPA store, a friend of mine spotted the Shinku dress from Rozen Maiden and he was so tempted to buy it since it came as a full set excluding shoes. What’s even more funny is that it was his exact size.

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Skane
October 4th, 2006 - 19:47

Hmm… using NegativeZero’s answers, I got 8 right. Although in my defence, I never watched 4(5) of the listed shows. Still kicking myself for not recognising the FMP one immediately.

The 8 I got right were,

DaCapo, Shuffle, Canvas2, SHnY, Kanon, SRumble, Crescent Love, and NGE.

And I only got the CLove one because of the blogging over it. Air was only recognisable after I read the answers, and I think that is because they hardly spend any time in the school in the anime series, so it did not get a chance to really imprint into my mind.

Cheers.

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Crusader
October 4th, 2006 - 21:32

I got nine perhaps ten if the Muv Luv disput is resolved, not that I care much for either.

As for contacting the SS das Stripey, errrm excuse me…..SSS about long haried red heads sporting D2 class fatigues, I will gladly do so. After contacting Nauzron that I can get her a coon skin cap. At the very least I have the opportunity to know when you are coming.

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dkellis
October 4th, 2006 - 21:36

The only one I didn’t get correct was the one from Da Capo II. Although I was THIS close to guessing incorrectly on the Canvas 2 one (I thought it was AzuDai, wondered why the skirt seemed off) and the only reason I know about Yoake’s was because I just watched the raw.

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skyplate
October 5th, 2006 - 00:42

Regarding the Muv-luv/Kiminozo uniform:

http://img90.imageshack.us/my.php?image=statsyc2.jpg

It’s the winter uniform for Hakuryo which only showed up in the bookstore flashback early on in the anime.

I got 15/16 (missed A4). Frankly I’m surprised at myself…

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Atashi
October 5th, 2006 - 02:07

Angelic Layer, ???, D.C. ~Da Capo~, ???
Shuffle!, Canvas 2 ~Niji-iro no Sketch~, To Heart, ???
???, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Kanon, School Rumble
Yoake Mae Yori Ruri-iro na -Crescent Love-, ???, Neon Genesis Evangelion, ???

…What does this make you if you’re female? Anti-shotacon?

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wontaek
October 5th, 2006 - 02:23

Here is a flame. My wife thinks her sister’s Junior High School Uniform beats all the above. Sadly, that school recently changed the uniform for better deal. Here is that school’s website, but it doesn’t have the picture of old uniform in any of its pages. http://www.kds-g.ms.kr/

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Ohkramon
October 5th, 2006 - 03:49

I like those uniforms! Worn from my favorite charas (most of them).

As for an artist like me, seifuku designs are challenging to draw, hehe.

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crimson
October 5th, 2006 - 05:58

when I saw the uniform with a hat (jpg f13), I tot of Higurashi no Naku’s Rena.

anyway, I cant tell exactly where those uniforms are from except that some of them seem familiar and one even link me to mai otome. Suzumiya’s is quite noticeable too though it took me a while to notice the banner on her left arm since my automated scanner passed it off as a arm ribbon the first time.
Uniform f02 and f04 are quite different from the rest. I would probably know if I watched the relevant anime b4.

I guess my specialty remains along the line of putting the bishoujos into those uniforms so I can tell you the ABCD, lolol.

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Kabitzin
October 5th, 2006 - 08:54

Thanks to this post, I now realize I prefer more shapely uniforms to boxy ones. I liked f01.jpg the most. Very informative!

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cyw1988
October 5th, 2006 - 09:59

I thought Hani hani had the best looking schl uniform and the one in the pic is one of 1st year students…. Matsuri and garderner girl wear it… i remember year 2s like honami and mikoto have red ribbons… Red FTW~

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Stripey
October 8th, 2006 - 11:09

mikemil828: Thanks for pointing it out. I checked on cospa and indeed, as Skyplate mentioned (thanks btw, Skyplate!) it’s the winter wear.

Adun: LOL! Your friend’s da man! But frankly, if I had the dough, I’d go for Sugintou’s outfit. Of course with Yoake, Feena’s hime garb tops my to-get costume list. XD

wontaek: I clicked on the link and ogled at RL seifuku…. I’m feel so low now… XD

Atashi: Oh oops, I probably need to design another set of results for ladies. Either that I need a male seifuku version of this quiz. XD

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greyscalefuzz
October 8th, 2006 - 15:56

Shucks, I could only get the ones that I actually saw, which was for Canvas 2, Suzumiya Haruhi, Kanon, Evangelion, Angelic Layer and FMP.

Incidentally, the Kanon remake’s out and it is gorgeous. And the little KyoAni nuances just make it a whole lot better of an experience. Seen it yet?

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Skane
October 9th, 2006 - 00:51

What I am wondering is why Stripey hasn’t made a post about Crescent Love yet. ^,^; It seems kind of ironic that the animeblog that promoted it the most prior to its’ debut has not commented on the first episode yet.

Snarf!

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panzerfan
October 9th, 2006 - 03:36

I can’t believe that I would know 10 of them… oy, that’s no good.

I like Kanon’s design most actually. Don’t ask me why.

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Stripey
October 9th, 2006 - 11:29

greyscalefuzz: Yo bro, sorry for the delay reply but seeing your comment on my latest post, I supposed you know I’ve seen Kanon already and loving it.

Skane: ahaha my bad my bad… I’ve seen if already of course. Still gathering my thoughts about the debut. I enjoyed it no doubt but am wondering about the tone/direction of the series. I think it tends more to the romance component rather than its humourous aspects. A post on it real soon. Tanuki’s honour. (not worth much now though XD)

panzerfan: hehe, no need to deny your true inclinations. We welcome you with open arms at The brotherhood of seifuku XD

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Tess
October 10th, 2006 - 15:58

HAHA. I just realized that the fourth one was from Tsukihime. Wow. *shoots self*

I guess that’s what happens when you watch the whole series in a day… Not to mention I just don’t like how the cosplay version you posted looks.

I also forgot to ask, but is it good or bad that I have watched every series these seifuku are from? XD

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velocity7
October 11th, 2006 - 08:48

Damn it. I already know 11 of these uniforms and exactly where they come from. ^^;

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Sana Jisushi
October 27th, 2006 - 20:04

I only got 5… is that good or bad?

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sagematt
November 29th, 2006 - 20:01

Wow, I got 11/16. Fluked on the FMP one because it’s been such a long time since I watched it. The ones I missed were Canvas, Hani Hani, Yoakena, and Da Capo SS. All of those series I have not watched, otherwise I might have gotten a perfect score… No, I’m not proud of that at all

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Rayven
September 7th, 2008 - 07:27

I haven’t seen anyone mention Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha…

But f04 doesn’t really count as a seifuku either right? Since only the titular character of that series ever wears it. It’s a Barrier Jacket (the series form of magical armor), not a school uniform.

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Vin-nii
September 7th, 2008 - 14:41

A 7…

It’s not like I’m a ephebophilia

It’s just that half of them I’ve never watched

Then again, I’m just 17

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