Cosplay Background Knowledge – Page 8 – The Cosplay Blog

Hetalia x Nyotalia Pairing — Special Couple Cosplay of Genderbend

May 21, 2014July 9, 2014 Crystal

Nyotalia refers to the genderbent versions of the Axis Powers Hetalia (APH) characters.
It has become common to depict characters as the opposite gender in either fanart or fanfiction, which is also very popular among cosplayers.
Isn’t that a great cosplay idea? You can cosplay as someone who is both male and female. And you can also do hetalia cosplay with two of them together.

If you want to know the names and personalities of both male and female characters from APH or looking for pictures of them, you may find this article useful.

Check to see which pair is your favorite. (Please note that there may be several names called by fandom for genderbent characters.)

Germany: Ludwig vs Monica/Louise

Male: A tall, muscular man, with sleek blond hair and blue eyes. He is a tough, too-serious, and efficient man
Female: She does not wear her hair slicked back. She is reserved, serious like her male counterpart, and has large breasts. She’s tall and gives off a cool feeling.

North Italy: Feliciano Vargas vs Alice/Felicia

Male: He has short brown hair and brown eyes, with a curl on the left side of his head, which acts as his erogenous zone when stroked or pulled. He is an energetic and friendly yet clumsy young man
Female: She has her hair tied back into a ponytail, and has a wild curl of hair dangling down at the side of her head. Her eyes are depicted in a more amber color than her male counterpart’s. Her hair is also curlier and a lighter shade of brown. She is a rather emotional, strong-willed, and cheerful big sister-type.

Japan: Honda Kiku vs Honda Sakura

Male: He is a short, slim man with black hair, dark brown eyes. A shy, quiet, and hard-working man.
Female: A short girl with a bob hairstyle, and has shine to her eyes unlike her male counterpart (her eyes are also more amber in color). She seems to always have a shy expression, befitting of one with a Yamato personality.

America: Alfred F. Jones vs Emily/Amelia

Male: He has short blond hair with an ahoge, representing Nantucket, sticking up and blue eyes. He is a cheerful, energetic, yet somewhat conceited young man who is obsessed with heroes, justice, and freedom.
Female: She has blue eyes and wavy, amber-colored hair that comes to her shoulders, with two star-shaped barrettes holding her bangs out of her face.

France: Francis Bonnefoy vs Francoise/Francine

Male: He has shoulder-length blond hair and blue eyes, and has a slight amount of facial hair. He often seems infatuated with most of the nations and is very affectionate.
Female: She is an elegantly-dressed woman with her hair tied back into a french knot, usually held back by a crown or something similar. Her hair is dark brown (or alternatively a dirty blonde) and her eyes are violet. A snobby woman, and she is much more argumentative than her male counterpart.

England: Arthur Kirkland vs Rosa

Male: He has messy, short blond hair and green eyes. He is cynical, sharp-tongued, prone to rough speech and yearns for the golden years.
Female: She no longer has the signature thick eyebrows, and wears her hair in long pigtails that are either slightly curled or completely straight. She is trying to behave elegantly, but being quite punk.

China: Wang Yao vs Wang Chun-Yan

Male: He has dark hair tied back into a ponytail. He happens to be extremely superstitious, but not at all religious.
Female: She has her deep auburn hair tied up in a set of buns. She is a type of girl whose emotions cannot be read easily, but is most often depicted with a very similar personality as her male counterpart.
Russia: Anya Braginskaya vs Anya Braginskaya

Russia_Chibi

Male: The tallest guy. He has a round, childish face with a more prominent nose. His hair is a light beige-blond, and his eyes are violet (purple). A large young man who is seemingly bighearted and innocent, but is in reality childishly cruel often coming off as villainous to those who fear him.
Female: A modestly-dressed woman with long beige-blonde hair. her personality is akin to a wearied mother figure who is emotionally unstable rather than childishly cruel.

Vote: Who’s your favorite Nyotalia character?

Vote: What is your favourite Nyotalia pairing?

Taglist: Axis Powers Hetalia Blog featuring works that have Hetalia characters with the Nyotalia counterparts

Zentai Suit is King — Special Anime Battle Suit Appreciation (Japanese Anime Heros Part 2)

May 20, 2014May 21, 2014 Crystal 1 Comment

Here we continue to appreciate the Anime zentai cosplay suits. (Click here to read Part 1 about the American comic heroes wearing zentai )

Part 2 Battle suits in Japanese Anime

Unlike American heroes, in the world of Japanese battle suits, to be thin is essential. It seems that it is a competition of slimness rather than power.

1. Lancer from Fate series

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne

What do CuChulainn from Fate/Stay night and Diarmuid Ua Duibhne from Fate/Zero have in common? Spear? Of course, that’s why they’re called lancer. But I was gonna say zentai suit. Their perfect sculptural muscle are covered with zentai, they are wielding their spears in the night as their hair flying. Their charm is in harmony with the darkness, so to speak, the zentai suit accounts for half of their fascination.

2. EVA pilots from Neon Genesis Evangelion

“How can we sell the figurines if the battle suits are ugly!” Based on such a principle, the battle suits in EVA is a feast to the eyes. But for cosplayers it is more of a challenge since it emphasizes the body curve. White zentai suit represents Rei Ayanami’s cool, silent and emotionally-stunted personality; red zentai suit shows how outgoing and passionate Asuka is; pink zentai suit increases Makinami’s feminity while her glasses indicates intellectuality. The zentai suits speak for each person and bring out their characteristics. No wonder EVA figurines of battle suits are always selling good.

3. Gundam pilots from MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM

The story follows the lives of four Gundam pilots: Lockon Stratus, Setsuna F Seiei, Alleulujah Haptism and Tieria Erde. Their battle suits are of the same design except the color. Lockon wears army green which stands for calm and dignified, and he is gentle and considerate; Setsuna is blue which is free spirited; Alleulujah’s thick orange shows how he grows out of his painful past; Tieria’s zentai suit is mystic and fascinating purple, just like his charming appearance and mysterious origin. To some extent, the characters and their emotions are fitted into the zentai suits with different color.

4. Vegeta from Dragon Ball

Vegeta is the prince of the fallen Saiyan race and arch-rival to Goku. No matter what armor Vegeta wears, underneath it is always a zentai suit. Regal, egotistical and full of pride, Vegeta was all the while striving to become the universe’s most powerful warrior, specifically with the mission to defeat and surpass Goku in power.

Awaken Your Sins – Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Homunculus Cosplay

May 16, 2014May 16, 2014 Crystal 1 Comment

Homunculus refers to the mythological concept of an artificially created human, presumably brought into existence by certain means of alchemy. In Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (FAB) they’re the villain and they’re named for the seven deadly sins. Get to know them and choose the character you would like to cosplay.

#1 Pride

I suppose Pride is the strongest Homunculus. His attack is useful in battle as long as it’s in darkness. Pride’s personality is just like his sin, he believes all humans are beneath him, not even worthy of his time or attention,. He views humans as slaves and he’s extremely arrogant when he fights. I guess I’m not the only one hates his attitude. He quickly resorts to petty taunts and insults against opponents he finds beneath him. His figure is a boy so I guess it is more suitable for little guys to cosplay.

#2 Lust
Lust is named “The Ultimate Spear”, for she can extend her fingertips into long, flexible, thin blades sharp enough to cut through just about anything with ease. But I think her greatest weapon is her intelligence, she easily and effectively plays the role of a manipulator within the Homunculus ranks. Lust does not appear to be lascivious herself, but functions rather as an object of lust for others. So definitely this is the choice of sexy cosplayers.

#3 Greed

Greed is called the “The Ultimate Shield” because he can rearrange the carbon in his body to make his skin as hard as diamond, thus making himself almost impossible to injure by normal means. And he is also good at fight. True to his sin, he is a very avaricious character, who likes living in luxury, surrounded by powerful minions and beautiful women. Wow, isn’t that a life all men dream of? Handsome cosplayers, don’t you want to be him?

#4 Envy
Envy has a unique ability of shape-shifting, well, of course that’s nothing to be surprised if it is in a science-fiction movie, but in FAB he’s the only one able to do so. Is it because he envies others and wants to become them? At least he envies Maes Hughes, a happy guy in FAB, so he killed him. And I guess he envies the peaceful world so he is responsible for starting a war. His ability is overshadowed by his cockiness and bad temper. Are you a flexible guy and maybe sometimes annoying? Then cosplay as Envy.

#5 Sloth
He is a Homunculus of the largest size. He digged a gigantic transmutation circle beneath Amestris. Just as his sin implies, Sloth always wants to rest and finish his job so he can stop working. Sloth fights with his fists, just like Armstrong. And he can even rock into a steel with his bare hands. I don’t know much more about him because he doesn’t talk much. This is what a strong man of few words should cosplay.

#6 Gluttony
This Homunculus uncontrollably tries to eat whatever crosses his path and he even asks this question to the people he is fighting at that moment. Really faithful to his sin, huh? Despite his hunger-fueled moments of frenzy, Gluttony is very childlike and is surprisingly kindly. He seems to share a close bond with his older sibling Lust whom he, prior to her death, was frequently partnered with. So a big belly is necessary and better cosplay him together with Lust.

#7 Wrath
Wrath is a human-based Homunculus. He is the secret identity of King Bradley, Führer of Amestris. I think he was born a leader. Despite the violent nature of the sin he embodies, Wrath is actually one of the calmer of the Homunculi and rarely bickers with them, but when he is angered he unleashes his sin’s full power. He has remarkably high strength, speed, and agility. If you’re looking for someone with masculine feature to cosplay, Wrath is the one.

Couple Cosplay Ideas of Soul Eater – Miesters and Their Demon Weapons

May 14, 2014May 20, 2014 Crystal

Like doing couple cosplay and looking for some ideas? Check this article and you’ll be happy that you can do Soul Eater cosplay together with your BF/GF, your friends, your bothers/sisters. Plenty to choose from!

Find the pair similar to your situation and cosplay as them!

Soul_Eater_poster

Demon Weapons are human beings who have the ability to transform into a weapon. At the Death Weapon Meister Academy(DWMA), they are paired up with Meisters, humans who are able to wield them in their Weapon forms. Together, they can achieve a greater amount of power than they would on their own.

Today we’ll have a look at several pairs of Soul Eater Miesters and their Demon Weapons. (We have a little quiz at the end to help you find out you are a Miester or a Weapon.)

Pair 1. Maka Albarn & Soul Eater Evans

Of all the main characters, Maka Albarn seems to be the most normal and civilized one. She frequently studies to remain as a model student.
Maka used to show quick irritation at other characters when they do things that annoy her. Later she became more patient and relaxed.
Maka is very brave, and willing to throw herself at any enemy no matter how strong they are. She is very determined in battle, never giving up fighting even when the chances of her victory look grim.
Maka is enthusiastic, but sometimes takes her enthusiasm too far and can be bossy at times. She is kind and caring to her friends, and even willing to show help towards her enemies.

Evans is Maka Albarn’s Demon Weapon “Death Scythe”.
In contrast with Maka, Soul is very laid-back, impulsive, and nonchalant, as he tries to mold himself to his expectations of how someone ‘cool’ would act.
Later Soul’s personality greatly matures, and his stubborn and headstrong demeanor is replaced by a more cool-headed and serious one. He always tends to think things through before doing certain actions.
Deep down, he is always looking out for his friends, and is even willing to sacrifice himself in order to protect his partner, Maka, showing his bravery and dedication.

Despite their squabbles, Maka and Sould are always able to maintain a solid friend-partner relationship.

No doubt this is the best choice for lovers and friends.
Pair 2. Black☆Star & Tsubaki Nakatsukasa

Black Star is a Shadow Weapon Meister, but unlike most of them, he is rather arrogant, loud immature and egotistic. Although he fights as an assassin, he prefers to forget the Way of Assassination by shouting and making his presence known, the reason being that he is a massive attention-seeker.
His arrogance can also hinder him as he is short-tempered and uncooperative when it comes to team battles, as he always tries to take the lead when the most important thing is to cooperate with each other.

Tsubaki is one of the most mature characters. She is very patient and forgiving.
She has a very magnanimous, polite and gentle personality and always tries to help or comfort her friends.
She prefers to avoid unnecessary conflict, usually being the one who diffuses any arguments between people, making her a dependable and trustworthy friend.

Tsubaki has five Weapon forms: Chain Scythe, Ninja Sword, Shuriken, Smoke bomb, and Dummy Star. Later she inherited Uncanny Sword.

Got an elder sister just like her? Now you’ve found a suitable couple cosplay to do.
Pair 3. Death the Kid & Thompson Sisters

Death the Kid is a funny character due to his obsessive-compulsive personality disorder(OCPD), which psychologically tortures him as well as physically handicapping him on occasions. Objects and surroundings that are symmetrical can distract him from missions, and will usually start to break down and have fits if he notices asymmetrical objects around him.
Kid is naturally calm and collected. However, there are times when his obsession with symmetry can greatly affect his usually calm personality and cause him to break down into childish fits.
He doesn’t appear to have any problem socializing and genuinely cares for his friends.

Double Team Demon Guns / Twin Pistols — Liz & Patty

Definitely a good choice of cosplay for sisters and besties.

Patricia Thompson (Patty) – younger sister
Patty is very naive and simple-minded and doesn’t seem to take anything in a serious manner, but she sometimes can be aggressive. When she loses her temper, her childlike personality is replaced by a somewhat psychotic-seeming anger.

Elizabeth Thompson (Liz) – elder sister
While Patti is very child-like, Liz is more like a teenage girl. She is shown to be extremely afraid of paranormal things. She can also be a little cynical and shallow, and sometimes takes advantage of other people for her own gains. She can be flirtatious and can also be charming to men, mostly in order to deceive them.

One girl is not enough? Got two sisters? I bet this is exactly the couple cosplay you need!
A funny quiz for fans of soul eater: Are You A Weapon Or A Miester?
http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=are-you-weapon–miester-soul-eater

A little suggestions on other cosplay ideas for soul eater:

Medusa + Chrona (mother and child)

Medusa + Eruka (master and servant)

Marie Mjolnir + Franken Stein (teachers of DWMA, group cosplay)

Zentai Suit is King — Special Anime Battle Suit Appreciation (Part 1 American Comic Heroes)

May 13, 2014May 21, 2014 Crystal 3 Comments

We can discover beauty in everything, even battle has its own aesthetics, and battle suit is an aspect of showing it. Undoubtedly, the most typical one is zentai suit among all battle suits. Under its tight covering, each and every move would show strength and beauty of the human body curve. In anime world, there’re all kinds of zentai suits in diversity of form and function. Some may be even more impressive than their wearers. Now let’s have a look and appreciate them.

Part 1 :Battle suits of American Comic Heroes

In American comics, ever since superman puts on his blue zentai and red cloak (oh, don’t forget to wear a red underwear outside) in times of crisis, and saves the world as a hero, “zentai + super hero” is a normal attribute for American comic heroes. Can’t you see that even steel armor in Avengers is tight and showing the curve of strength? What these heroes in zentai suits have in common is that they are powerfully built.

1). Captain America

Imagine Captain America wear a zentai suit on his former small sized body, that would look like a young ballet dancer, right? By the gods of Marvel, this slim guy who was chosen for his uprightness became a muscular man after injecting super warrior serum. He is not born as a hero, he is not immortal, he is just tougher, braver and smarter than ordinary people.
Captain America is regarded as an emblem of America’s spirit. Not only his name included the country’s name, but also his zentai suit is featured with national flags as well as his shield.
Old-fashioned is never out of date, Captain America will always fight for humanity with his spirit of freedom.

2). Spiderman

Spiderman has a keen perception — “spider sense”, and he can shoot very strong spider-web strings from wrists via web-shooters. He is agile and vigorous. He sews his own costume to conceal his identity, which is a zentai suit. The zentai suit includes a red top with araignee lace and dark blue tights, covering him from top of the head to the toes. Do not worry whether he will feel suffocated, after all spiderman is a superhero turned by spider genes. This zentai suit doesn’t hamper his movements at all. Spiderman is one of Marvel’s flagship characters.

3). Batman

Among so many heroes, batman must be most famous tuhao. He spends much money to build himself a combat gear with the world’s advanced technology. The batman costume is fireproof, bulletproof, anti-shock and anti-explosion. The gloves and boots are also strengthened to protect him. The material of the costume even has attemperation capability. He seems always so cool in his zentai suit.

Just to mention a few other heroes: The Flash, red zentai suit with a golden lightning logo on the chest; Green Lantern, green zentai suit and green sunglasses (thank god no green hat); Martian Manhunter, green zentai suit, red cross straps, blue shorts, blue cloak and blue boots (all I can say is this outfit definitely comes from Mars).

Thus it can be seen, to be a superhero, besides owning special powers, you also need to have a nice body that underneath a zentai suit. Justice League? Maybe we can call them Zentai Suit League. (Forgive me for saying that)

Next post , we will discuss the Battle suits of Japanese Anime Manga Heroes .