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The life of the anime fan is a strange one.

While many times I’ve advocated being proud of one’s fandom and not hiding your otaku secret from the public like it’s a badge of shame (unless, of course, you are a cute Mamiko Noto-voiced girl in an average-ish romance show), the way in which one goes around doing brings a little more into question.

There is a difference between being proud and being pompous, for one, as sporting a shirt that shouts in large, gangster-shirt font, “NAGATO IS MAI WAIFU” might be a bit too much. Likewise is a shirt that pictures your favorite anime girl in your favorite state of undress; and as much as you think The Anime Is For Porn Hentai, I personally don’t like embracing such traits.

Therefore, like the suave agent I am, I prefer the slightly undercover, low-key apparel that quite often, is lacking in official merchandise. And like the cheap person I also am, I found iron-on T-shirts to be a nice way to create my own niche and style for anime-flavored clothing.

I’ve also found T-shirts tend to go well with short-sleeve dress shirts, for the impression you care at least a little about your appearance.

Now unfortunately the deep analytical discussion about otaku nature and whether we should be repressing ourselves or not, is for another time (although I feel I’ve probably covered it at least once already), so let’s move on to the objects of attention for today:

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Eight T-shirts, produced at one time or another between Fanime ‘08 and now, each with its own level of stealthiness, humor, and, as you might tell, usability. Some of them were made with the intent of showing off my fanboyism of Series X, others because it sounded cool, and others because I couldn’t resist the idea.

Unsurprisingly the last category is the one I’ve been less than enthusiastic in wearing; the Clannad shirt is one born from the “heh heh, it’s like Dr. Seuss” concept, but then again, I don’t see people wearing Dr. Seuss shirts around. Maybe for a convention.

Also in this column is the second shirt on the top row, which, if you don’t get, I advise you to look closer. It’s a great idea, and frankly one that cracks me up … but the problem is that eventually I will have to explain it. And since I am not WAH (warning: vaguely NSFW) and thus little kids are not my forte, this one backs up the closet.

The ef shirt doesn’t get used much either, perhaps because it’s not cool enough to have massive referential value, or any point. Just a little image of a girl. I wondered if it looked too much like it said ‘I am depressed.’

The rest however, get good use, and I will leave the explaining to your own minds. Also, TheBigN, you can punch me in the face now.

-CCY