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How many times can a man be fooled by amazing cosplay photography? The answer, my friend, is quite literally blowing in the wind.

Last year, we had plenty of laughs while taking a behind-the-scenes peek at some of the not-so-flattering poses that cosplayers had to endure in order to take the best possible photos. There was plenty of slouching along with hidden ladders and even imaginary bicycles involved in the process.

This year, we’re back with some of the most recent posts exploring this same concept which are currently trending under #レイヤーの理想と現実 (“cosplayer ideals and reality”) on Japanese Twitter. Can you spot which element in each photo is not as it seems?

First, let’s start off with a classic height disparity shot!

https://twitter.com/philiaxoxo/status/696251236727652353

Want to get a dramatic group silhouette pose with falling flower petals? Well, you’re gonna need someone to throw them:

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How do you get a luminous glow on your face? Why, by carrying around a massive reflective surface, of course!

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https://twitter.com/portgus_d_rouge/status/698259922375413760

So stylish! So fantastical! So…much blowing in the wind?

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https://twitter.com/naoto_cos/status/697706159617261568

We’re a bit saddened to suddenly learn that pigtails don’t naturally curve upwards, like Ranma’s always used to.

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Looks like he’s tangled up in a massive spiderweb…oh, it’s just a darn fan again.

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GAH, his head came clean off!!

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https://twitter.com/kouya_senpei/status/698475086362206208

Wow, their hands are exactly the same size! …Oh.

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https://twitter.com/aabbccdd_a/status/696323199785525248

Lovely flowers in the foreground, thanks to some dexterous toes:

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Finally, here’s some upside down flying magic on a magic stool!

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Give it up for the ingenuity of cosplayers everywhere!

Source: Twitter/#レイヤーの理想と現実
Top image: Twitter/@yuri3453
Insert images: Twitter/@hamburg_meister, Twitter/@portgus_d_rouge, Twitter/@naoto_cos, Twitter/@yuri3453, Twitter/@hummel827, Twitter/@kouya_senpai, Twitter/@aabbccdd_a, Twitter/@jack69jack, Twitter/@ei_mgr