Here’s another reminder of the huge fandom culture difference between Japan and the rest of the world: collaborative underwear. Evangelion isn’t the only pop culture icon that has lent its designs to men’s underwear. Joining this unlikely, only you and your partner will see collaborative apparel is the Hipshop Ultraman Series Underwear.
If you are thinking what I was thinking that the Hipshop Ultraman Series Men’s Underwear would be red, tight-fitting, long boxer, well, you are wrong. On the side note, I can’t be only one who thought Ultraman red hip part of the suit is a representative an underwear, much like Superman’s.
Anyways, it is not (the red, tight-fitting red boxer). Instead, you get Ultraman graphics with six designs to choose from. While there are six designs, only one design actually features the alien superhero of gigantic proportion. The rest are monsters that Ultraman has fought before.
Whichever design you choose, you’d be seeing the same design concept. The front has the Ultraman name in Japanese on the waist, an image of Ultraman or one of the monsters and the respective bio – in Japanese, of course, as well as a basic data.
Around the back would be a close up image of the hero or the monster. It is actually pretty nice.
The Ultraman theme is not limited to the underwear. Each piece of underpants comes with a matching retro package with the image of the respective hero/monsters.
Plus, every purchase will bag you, like literally, a retro-style Ultraman-themed shopper bag. Obviously, the latter is an in-store thing and so, anyone outside of Japan is out of luck. But I am sure it pop up in eBay soon.
The Hipshop Ultraman Series Men’s Underwear will be available in stores as well as online starting July 10 for 2,500 yen (about US$23) each.
Images: Hipshop [JP].
