A craftsman's plastic processing business in western Japan has finally begun to take off as the exquisite toy weapons he produces become popular with the legion of costume-wearing manga fans known as "cosplayers."
Takumi Orii, an enthusiast of the "Gundam" animation series about giant robots, began making items like plastic swords for cosplay fans several years after establishing his Takumi Kogei workshop in Takasago, Hyogo Prefecture, in 2008.
After the business struggled to win publicity, Orii, a 37-year-old Hyogo native, began visiting cosplay events to find out what he could do to link his business with young people.