November 2 is “Tights Day”.
Tights are made by first knitting one leg at a time and then sewing them together. Because of this, the shape resembles the number 11, and because they are two pairs, November 2 was chosen as the anniversary.
In anime and video games, there are characters who love to wear tights. There are many reasons for this, such as to make their legs look longer, to protect them from the cold, or for running and training.
So, Anime! Anime! conducted a reader survey titled “Which character do you think of when it comes to “tights”?” During the survey period from October 21 to October 28, we received 132 responses.
The ratio of male to female respondents was about 35% male and 65% female, with more females. About 55% of the respondents were under the age of 19, and about 25% were in their 20s, mostly in the younger age groups.
■High school girls were the most popular characters!
First place
The first place went to Shimizu Kiyoko from “Haikyu!” with 16% of the approval rate.
Shimizu Kiyoko is the manager of the Karasuno High School volleyball team. “She wears black tights all year round, but there is actually a reason why she wears black tights: … When it became clear that she was wearing black tights all year round, what her junior manager, Yachi-chan, said was nice, I think.”
Second place
Second place went to Nakano Miku of “The Quintessential Quintuplets”. The approval rating was about 13 %.
The third daughter of the Nakano family, Miku is the only one of the five sisters who wears tights. “She looks great wearing tights under her skirt” and “I had butterflies in my stomach when she took off her tights after playing chase in the second episode of the first season, even though Futaro was right in front of her”.
Third place
Third place went to Kasumigaoka Utaha from “How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend”. The approval rate was about 7 %.
Despite being a high school student, Kasumigaoka Utaha is a professional novelist. “She wears black tights both in her school uniform and in her casual clothes, which gives her adult-like vibes.”
The top three characters were all high school students.
■Here are some of the other comments!
For “Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler”, Jabami Yumeko is described as “a natural gambler who is usually soft-spoken and uses polite language, but has an uncommon talent for gambling and displays her outstanding abilities without regret. Black tights are too good on her.”
As for “Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle-” Kadenokouji Ichijiku, “I was shocked when I first saw the visual for the first time. She was full of coolness, just like the team she belongs to, and I long to be able to wear something like that myself.”
For Hirasawa Yui from “K-ON!,” “She has an easy-going personality, but she seems to be obsessed with black tights. The fact that there are many scenes showing her legs in the movie might be the reason why I think so.”
For Komi Shouko from “Komi Can’t Communicate,” “She is so beautiful that people around her have recognized her as the It girl since her first day in high school and her slender, tights-clad legs in her school uniform are a sight to behold.
There were some votes for main characters in the new TV anime in autumn, 2021.
In this year’s survey, high school girls dominated the top spots. While many of their classmates are barefoot, black tights seem to be an element that sets them apart from other characters.
■Top 10 ranking
[Which character do you think of when it comes to “tights”?]
No.1 Shimizu Kiyoko “Haikyu!”
No.2 Nakano Miku “The Quintessential Quintuplets”
No.3 Kasumigaoka Utaha “How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend”
No.4 Sakurajima Mai “Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai”
No.5 Koizumi Hanayo “Love Live!”
No.5 Hirasawa Yui “K-ON!”
No.7 Kugisaki Nobara “Jujutsu Kaisen”
No.8 Komi Shouko “Komi Can’t Communicate”
No.9 Jabami Yumeko “Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler”
No.9 Tights “Dragon Ball”
No.9 Maam “Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai”
(Survey period: October 21, 2021 – October 28, 2021)
*This questionnaire is part of a survey on readers’ attitudes toward current anime works and characters. This questionnaire is part of a survey of readers’ awareness of current anime works and characters, and is not intended to determine the superiority or inferiority of any one character or work. We hope that this article will provide you with an opportunity to learn about new works and characters, and deepen your understanding and interest in them.