While fans were anticipating an uncensored anime adaptation of the popular ecchi cosplay manga, studio JC Staff has instead chosen to subvert expectations with their approach to 2.5 Dimensional Seduction by toning down its fan service and covering up the series’ lead protagonist.
RELATED: ‘One Piece’ Anime Censors Eiichiro Oda’s Original Design For Stussy’s Vegapunk Outfit
For those unaware of the series, the best way to describe 2.5 Dimensional Seduction is ‘My Dress-Up Darling with more fanservice’.
Created by mangaka Yu Hashimoto, the series follows high school club president Masamune Okumura (CV: Junya Enoki – Yuji Itadori in Jujutsu Kaisen), a hardcore otaku with a fear of 3D girls, as he assists new club member Lilysa Amano (CV: Kaori Maeda – Haruka Hanabishi/Magia Magenta in Gushing over Magical Girls) with her dream of making the ultimate cosplay of Liliel, an in-universe fictional character.
Throughout the series, Hashimoto depicts how cosplaying can create friendships, reunite familie, and even help overcome self body image issues.
Sadly, it seems that more than few creative adjustments have been made to the anime adaptation.
As seen in the series’ thus-far-released two episodes, JC Staff’ take on the 2.5 Dimensional Seduction‘s not only minimizes the series’ signature fan service, but outright covers up the costumed and everyday appearances of the naturally voluptuous Lilysa.
In terms of its general fan service, the 2.5 Dimensional Seduction anime goes out of its way to cover up the series’ abundance of panty shots, taking care to block said shots in a way that removes any visual hint of a given character’s underwear.
As for Lilysa herself, JC staff essentially removed all traces of her ‘womanly curves’.
While this flattening is generally noticeable whenever she dons her school uniform, it is particularly apparent in the series’ second episode, ‘Cosplay Group Potential?‘, when she starts taking off her uniform in front of Okumura in anticipation of changing into her costume.
As a result of removing her chest, thighs and hips, JC Staff’s depiction is drastically thinner in comparison to Lilysa’s manga counterpart.
And though her curves magically return whenever she dresses up as Liliel, the costume itself is censored compared to its manga counterpart, its zipper pulled down in order to cover up Lilysa’s exposed chest.
Notably, prior to the anime’s premiere, Hashimoto himself had cheekily warned readers there was a good chance its contents would be censored.
In chapter 123 of the manga, Lilysa and her friend Nonoa can be seen discussing how, when it comes to adapting “the early chapters with heavy fan service”, the anime will likely make use of the ‘mysterious light’ method of censorship to help the series reach “a wider audience”.
To this end, in an author’s page on the following page, Hashimoto informed readers, “There will not be any mysterious lights in the anime adaptation for 2.5 Dimensional Seduction (they won’t directly depict explicit scenes). It seems some creative adjustments have been made.”
At current, it’s unknown just how much further censorship, if any, will be implemented across the 2.5 Dimensional Seduction‘s 24 episode season.
However, if any more arises, you can be sure that Bounding into Comics will cover it!.