Nihongo: Japanese word for Japanese
Nihongo-nitis: A mental disorder discovered in the late spring of 2009 which a person of non-Japanese descent exhibiting such a passion for Oriental tastes, styles, and fads (usually Japanese) that he/she rejects their heritage/affiliation with their native country's society in favor of a more Oriental (usually Japanese) culture.

Symptoms include: Watching numerous amounts of anime for repeated prolonged periods of time; exhibiting the desire to create real-life versions of clothing/objects portrayed in said anime/manga (more severe cases include the actual creation of said items); beginning to use Japanese or other Oriental words in everyday life which would never have been learned under regular circumstances; tends to reject/avoid any and all social activities unless it is specifically Oriental/Japanese/cosplay (anime, manga, and video games only), in which case the subject will attempt to attend the gathering at any cost.

Currently known cases of Nihongo-nitis: 1 (ME)

Known treatments to neutralize Nihongo-nitis: Continuious bombardment of external stimulai from non-Oriental areas, especially "American Idol", the Disney Channel, and American sport shows. This treatment has a 98.911% rate of either killing or destroying the infected person's mind as well as the Nihongo-nitis. Some cases of Nihongo-nitis have resistance to this treatment.

Currently known "safe" cures/treatments for patients of Nihongo-nitis: NONE


It's official, folks. I have finally past the point of no return. Or I might have passed it long ago, but didn't realize it until now. Either way, the "symptoms" perfectly describe me, and the "treatment" is more or less my only weakness. Basically, I'm an American (God, I hate that word) otaku.

I might have realized this when I heard myself proposing the idea of creating a set of samurai armor for my final project, made either out of sintra (a PVC thermoplastic) or leather/pleather (fake leather). (Anyone know where I can get a 4 foot by 8 foot piece of sintra for LESS than 100 bucks?). The sad thing is, both of my teachers thought it was an excellent idea, except for the $600 cost of the sintra I need (then again, it was on a site for buisnesses and other things).

Despite all of this, I'm really happy with what I got right now. I started this year with the idea of using fashion only to learn how to draw better, and then bail out of it. Now, I've made an (almost) complete Shinigami outfit that looks remarkable for someone who has only been in fashion for less than a year. Yeah, I might get the odd look from people (for both being in fashion and walking around school looking like a captain-level Death God), but I actually feel proud.

Normally, I would fear rejection from my American peers, despite the fact that although I have spent two years in the same school, I don't know any of them. I would never have mustered the pride/courage/stubborness to walk around in any cos-play outfit. However, this one is different. When I wear this, I feel a sense of pride and joy. I think it's because I actually made the entire thing (so far) by hand, and the experiances from the start of the year to the end were all stiched into the garments as well as the thread that binds them.

Crap, I'm turning all sappy again. Anyway, since my outfit is almost done, I was thinking of finishing up my Japanese wardrobe with a set of armor. I mean, how cool would that be? Sadly, I know that there's no possible way to make a set before school ends, so I'm alone on materials (which fashion normally supplies). Thankfully, I have the instructions from online, but it was made for sintra in mind, and I don't have a few hundred dollars in my pocket. I might have to modify/reinforce the pattern/pieces to use with leather or pleather, which would more closely replicate an authentic set of samurai armor (the materials that they used were strictly either leather and/or steel, never wood or bamboo). However, I would still require a good amount of financial support just to acquire the materials. Still, it would make a great summer project.

Keeping this in mind, I'm going to make a list of both the parts of the Shingami outfit and samurai armor and try to keep them updated as I make/buy each one.

[ ] Shinigami Outfit (currently in progress, mostly done)
[X] Black Kimono
[X] Black Hakama
[X] Captain's Haori (in progress, still needs squad#)
[ ] Geta/Shinigami sandles (forgot what the straw ones are called)
[ ] Tabi (socks)
[X] Zanpakutou (I might want another sword for it since my shinai is in crappy condition, and I'll probably make a backstory for both the sword and the character I'll be if I decide to be unique during cosplay)

[ ] Samurai Armor (color currently undecided)
[ ] Do (chest and back armor)
[ ] Sode (shoulder armor, also known as pauldrons)
[ ] Kusazuri (upper leg/groin armor. The "skirt" like part)
[ ] Kabuto (helmet. I'm deciding if I want this or not)
[ ] Watagami (shoulder straps)
[ ] Kote (arm armor/bracers)
[ ] Suneate (lower leg armor)
[ ] Haidate (lower thigh armor. I might not want this either)
[ ] Menpo (face armor. I MIGHT make this if I decide I want the helmet. Otherwise it's an absoulte no.)

So there you have it, my proverbial "to-do" list over the summer. Hopefully I can do this unless my family has other plans (which would suck). And I'm still waiting on my computer to get fixed, otherwise it'll mean a four mile walk every time I decide to update my profile/journal.

On a side note, is it okay to make an OC for cosplaying purposes? I mean, there's only 13 captain-level Shinigami, and I don't want to be a copycat. On the other hand, I don't know if this is acceptable or if it's a really weird and nerdy form of fanfiction. Do any of you guys have advice on this?

Thanks for reading guys. Special thanks to and for giving me such props on my first outfit/cosplay attempt.