So remember how I mentioned in the main Itachi costume notes that I did a "stripper" variation? Here it is as used for the poolside shoot at Animazement 2007, and by virtue of that, as it was supposed to be used at Anime Boston 2007 (before having to default to boxer shorts for some modesty because of group-related complaints).

The concept for the portion I had originally submitted for the Anime Boston '07 Masq. Intermission (the Akatsuki Dance Brigade) was essentially this: a dancing skit which embodied every dancing skit I've done in the past three years while going one step beyond the standard "sexy torso power", yet still keeping a sense of taste and decency...all the while taking a page out of the concept of the film "The Full Monty" because of what was set up during the Dating Game segment. XD Note that the Speedo used was the one I've been using to do swim training on top of the gruelling martial arts routine I did for the months leading up to Anime Boston to get in better-than-Shuyin shape to pull this off, so I had become quite comfortable in that thing by the time AZ rolled around. ^_^

This costume easily joins Shirtless Ein as one of the only purely fanservice costumes I've ever really done...not counting every stripping skit I've ever done since 2004, of course. :-P

Though if you ask me...that's what made it all the more fun to do. ^_~