Category: Cosplayer Interviews

Cosplayer Interview – Celine

Kevin

Today, Celine joins in our interview section. She is a cosplayer from Malaysia. Just starting cosplay for a short time, she has already shown us lots of excellent performances. As a cosplay newbie, she deserves applauding actually, XD. Now, let’s share her story.

1. Please Introduce yourself first
Hajimemashite, minna-san!! I’m Celine, or also known as Ayami in Deviantart. I’m 17 years old going on 18 in two months and i’m from Malaysia. Whenever photographers or others come up to me to ask for a photo and my name, they would start recognizing me more when i mention my surname *laughs* it’s a little unique. And also because i look different in different cosplays, i tend to be in character when i cosplay, just for the fun of it (excluding when my friends are around. impossible to be in character with them around).

2. What does cosplay mean to you?
What does it mean to me? Hmmm, well. For starters, cosplay actually opened me up. Unusual, but true. I used to be shy, REALLY shy and had low confidence level, but ever since i started cosplaying, i’ve been more daring, more friendly and i never had any problem in my oral tests/presentations! *embarrassed laugh* Cosplaying also means bringing life to 2D characters. I love the feeling of seeing my favorite anime character coming to life, especially when that certain cosplayer manage to portrait them perfectly!

3. What was your first cosplay?
Kuran Yuuki (note ‘Kuran’. Her vampire version :D) !! I absolutely LOVE her. I couldn’t let the opportunity past when i first met my cosplay partner and she introduced me into the world of cosplaying. I had her costume commissioned from China, a little difficult though, because i had to convince my mom to let me.

4. Does your family support your cosplay?
They do! I remember coming home from a cosplay convention in full costume, unaware that my aunties and uncles were visiting, and instead of showing negative attitude, they were in complete awe and kept praising me! Even my dad was genuinely smiling ear to ear.

5. What is your most memorable cosplay experience?
There’s too many to decide! But I have to say it was during 2010’s Comic Fiesta, the biggest event of the year in Malaysia. I was cosplaying as Hatsune Miku, Sandplay of the Singing Dragon version and was walking around looking for my groupmate (i lost them when i stopped to chat with my friends, the event was fully packed! @_@) when i was approached by this famous Singaporean cosplayer, Kaika, for a photo!! I was absolutely stunned!

That event was of 2 days, Saturday and Sunday. And i was a little disappointed that it was scheduled in the middle of the most important exam for every 17 year old Malaysian student. My parents forbid me to go! But i just couldn’t pass this event, so i did a little sweet talking and manage to convince them to let me go :’D Me and my other friends cramped into one of their houses, and while they were all fixing wigs, last minute changes to costumes, playing my friend’s piano in a ridiculously annoying way, i was sitting on her bed cramming for my Monday paper *sigh* (i was in a different class from them, so while they finished theirs on friday, i had my last one on monday D: evil school.)

6. What are your 2011 cosplay plans?
Plenty, sad to say for my wallet. I’m already planning for characters such as Kagamine Len, C.C, Miki (vocaloid) and some others. Let’s just keep it a surprise and wait for them pictures to come out. *winks*

7. Do you make your costumes yourself or buy them?
I usually buy them from online China. Sad to say, but i suck at sewing! *pouts* But i’m ready to try it for my Miki cosplay. Her costume is simple, so it shouldn’t do much damage to my mental health. I really hope i succeed!! Now, i just have to find those cloths store…

8. Any other cosplayers you like?
To many to choose from!! From Japan’s Saya, Touya Hibiki, Kaname, Kipi, Arisa Mizuhara to Philippines’ Alodia, China’s Kucos and Korea’s Tasha. I just learn alot from looking at their cosplays!

9. Do some changes happen to you after cosplay?
Of course it does. I’ve made more friends that i usually did in school! *sheepish smile* I’ve started to sew (i’m actually making Cheese-kun -Code Geass- now), alter those loose costumes (never done it before) and it just gives me this challenge that others can’t give.

10. Any advices you wanna share with cosplay newbies?
Don’t be afraid to flaunt your costume to others. If you’re a first timer and am afraid to do it alone, grab a friend and ask a senpai! What about those people who talks and point fingers at you? Who cares ; you’re having FUN! Besides, you will be entertaining little kids *laugh* A little warning though, once you cosplay, you never stop.

Cosplayer Interviews-Emily

Sherry

This is Emily, also known as Kitara88 or Alias Takashi. Starting her cosplay journey in 2003, she won the very first award in 2006! In her deviantart gallery, fabulous cosplay pictures can be found. I was surprised by her “Hachune Miku harasses” cosplay the most. Ok, let’s welcome Emily and share her cosplay story together!

1. Please introduce yourself first?

Hi, I’m Emily but I usually go by my user name of either Kitara88 or Alias Takashi. I started cosplaying since 2003 and still counting!

2. What does cosplay mean to you?

It’s something special to me because it helps me break away from reality. Also it’s fun being someone else for the day ^w^;

3. What was your first cosplay?

My first official cosplay was Lulu from Final Fantasy X. It turned out alright and I had some help from my aunt. I didn’t own a sewing machine at the time so I had to sew everything. Bad idea for a newbie to start off with a complicated cosplay. During the convention, my cosplay started falling apart X___X;

4. Does your family support your cosplay?

One of my sisters supports my hobby because she says it allows me to be creative …. But my mother believes it’s a waste of time, space and money.

5. What is your most memorable cosplay experience?

Hard to say because I have lots of memorable cosplay experiences. I guess the most memorable would be winning my very first cosplay award in 2006.

6. What are your 2011 cosplay plans?

My plans are/were Hachune Miku from Vocaloid and Stocking from Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. For Halloween, I am going to cosplay as Fear Garden Rin from Vocaloid.

7. I really like your “Hachune Miku harasses” Cosplay,could you tell me more about it especially the huge miku costume,it’s really funny~

I chose Hachune Miku because she is rarely done and I fell in love with her hilarious expression. Mascots usually receive the most attention and they are usually popular during conventions. I tried to make my cosplay to resemble a giant plushie doll to make it adorable. It took a lot of time to make and it was really hard to move in but seeing/hearing people reaction was worth enduring that sauna suit.

8. Do you make your costumes yourself or buy them?

I make them myself. I buy certain parts if they are available like pants or bracelets. No necessary to make pants if it’s available. Unless it’s not sold in stores, I will make them from scratch.

9. Any other cosplayers you like?

I have several cosplayers that I like. I admire PikminLink and Lord Masamune, their cosplays are absolutely amazing. I also admire my friends and their cosplays but there are too many to name ^^;

10. Do some changes happen to you after cosplay?

Thanks to cosplay/cosplaying at events, I got to meet many wonderful people and became friends with them. I also tend to feel more outgoing and happier when I’m cosplaying.

11. Any advices you wanna share with cosplay newbies?

I say start off with a simple cosplay first. Don’t dive into a complicated cosplay at the start (like I did). Do lots of research on the outfit and character. Remember to have fun! 🙂

Guest post – Michelle’s Cosplay World

Kevin

Hello, my name is Michelle! Born and raised in California, I started really getting into anime and manga when I was about 14 years old. I didn’t actually start cosplaying until last year. I love it so much, and I’m glad that I had the time to do it with my close friends.

I’ve only been to Anime Expo, not that I’m complaining. I love Anime Expo, I’ve gone for the past three years, and this year will be my fourth! Hopefully, I’ll be able to attend some other cons. I hate waiting for a whole year to cosplay at just one convention. Every time I go to Anime Expo, I have a blast. The people there are amazing and I have fun just walking around and taking pictures. I met some new people that I still keep in touch with! The expo is one of the things that I really look forward to, especially since my summer is usually packed with school work.

Last year was my first time staying at a hotel next to the con. I live really close, so I would just drive back and fourth each day. But being with my friends and people who were similar to me was just nice. It was almost like a new adventure, seeing that I was in high school last year. It was a completely new experience of the con. I got to fully experience the con, and I loved it. The events at night was fun, ans so was walking around the lobby in my pajamas and fuzzy slippers with my friends.

I’ve never done any professional photo shoots, but I really hope that I can one day! Me and some of my friends are trying to arrange it, but who knows how that’ll turn out. Posing in front of the camera is always so much fun. Well, until you start shaking in your spot from posing too long. I’m sure many cosplayers can relate to this. :]

My first cosplay was Alice from Pandora Hearts. I love Pandora Hearts, the anime is just amazing. When I found out an Anime came out for it I was so excited! I know Pandora isn’t the most popular thing out there, but I don’t mind at all. My friend and I worked on my cosplay together. Shes amazing at sewing. She made majority of my cosplay, I just helped cut and fix up a few things here and there. The picture below is from the Pandora Hearts meetup at Anime Expo. It was lots of fun!

I loved being Alice. Part of the reason was because everyone who walked up to me and my friends (our little pandora group! My best friend, Jan, is Abyss and my other friend, Kim, is cheshire) they were excited and loved our cosplay. It made me really happy that they thought we looked good. Hard work payed off! I remember one person ran up to me and asked for a hug. It was adorable! And I loved it, haha. It made pretty happy and giddy feeling. It’s always fun meeting people who love a manga or anime as much as you do.

That year, I also did a pikachu ginka. It was a kind of last minute thing, so it wasn’t all that impressive. I dressed up with my friend who was sandshrew. It was so funny walking around with her. Everywhere we went, I heard “Look a sandshrew!” and “I’ve never seen one before!” We were all cracking up. It was just hilarious to me. The funniest thing that happened to me when I was dressed as pikachu was that someone dressed as Brock proposed to me with flowers. It was way too funny.

This year me and my friend and doing a Vocaloid cosplay! Magnet! Miku and Luka. I’ll be going as Luka. I made the headphones myself (after a lot of painful cutting), and I’m working on fixing up out dresses too. I can’t wait for Anime Expo this year. We haven’t taken any good pictures about it yet, but heres a work in progress.

I’m also doing a squirtle squad ginka with my friends. I’m so excited for this year. I’ve been trying to stay indoors so I don’t get any darker since the university I go to is way too sunny everywhere. I’ve been working with my makeup though. When I use my foundation, I use just a shade lighter. It makes a pretty big difference. Other than that, I don’t really have any other makeup tips. I just…do it.

I’m really looking forward to doing more cosplays. I love doing it, but I don’t always have the time. It’s tons of fun, that’s for sure. Cosplay is all for fun for me. My friends enjoy it and we have a blast doing it together. I hope everyone who wishes to cosplay will have as much fun as I do! :]

Author Bio: Michelle is a 19 years old girl from United States. She is fresh in college and loves food, Kpop, Jpop, just about everything disney, cute animals, anime, manga, glee, and cosplay. Visit her at deviantart.com.

Cosplayer Interview – Blackro

Kevin

This is RoMy, also known as blackro in Deviantart. She is an amazing cosplayer from Argentina. You can find many wonderful cosplay artworks in her Deviantart or Blogger account. Let’s share his cosplay experience together!

1 What does cosplay mean to you?
Cosplay is the chance of being the character you love, it´s a hobby that involves making cloth and accessories that you always wanted to have. It´s something that makes me happy.

2. What’s your first cosplay?
My first cosplay was Sakura card Captor a cover form the manga

3. Your family support your cosplay?
At first they don´t, but later they get used to it..

4. What is your most memorable cosplay experience?
When I used my Suiseiseki cosplay, everybody loves the character, they all greet me and loved my cosplays.

5. What’s your 2011 cosplay plan?
I have plans to make Sylvanas windrunner from the online rpg Worlds of Warcraft, and a lot of Final fantasy

6. If possible, which anime you wanna cosplay most?
Mnmm Sakura and Tomoyo from Tsubasa.

7. Do you make cosplay your own costumes or buy?
I make all of my cosplays by myself, I make everything even all the props.

8. Any other cosplayers you like?
I love Yaya and Kamui, I think they are great.

9. Do some changes happen on you after joining in cosplay?
No, I think I’m the same as always.

10. Any advices you wanna share with cosplay newbies?
Yes, just have fun don´t look at others just try to make your best and have fun.

11. When will you stop cosplay ?
I think when i turn 32 years old. Thats the stop for me.

Other cosplay works by Blackro:


Cosplayer Interviews – Lionofdemise

Sherry

This is Lionofdemise, an American boy, who is interested in art, music, drawing, games, etc. In his words, Super Mario, Dead or Alive, Street Fighter, Dragonball Z, Halo and many more are his favorite games. Today, Lionofdemise accepted our interview. Welcome Lionofdemise and many thanks, XD. Now, let’s focus on his interview content.

1. Please Introduce yourself first?

Moshi Moshi. Wait I’m not on the phone lol.

Hello there, I am Lionofdemise. Or you can call me Q, XD.

2. What does cosplay mean to you?

Cosplay means to me, roleplaying, dressing up, acting like, anyone in the world, Dead or Alive, To me, it doesn’t just mean costume playing. It’s a way of people interact with each other, or even love. Yeah I said it, love.

3. What was your first cosplay?

It was Mario back in high school. I didn’t know it was cosplay back then. It was Spirit Week and it was, dress up as someone, like a Hero or someone fake. I honestly can’t remember. I showed up in overalls, a red shirt, and a hat. Ever since then, I love my Mario cosplay.

4. Does your family support your cosplay?

They have no idea what cosplay is. They just see it as dressing up. But they have no problem with it. It always makes them laugh when I randomly show up in my Mario Gear. And saying the same damn thing, It’s creepy how much you do look like him.

5. What is your most memorable cosplay experience?

Halloween (2010), I went to school in my Mario Raccoon Costume. I had the red ears, the tail, and just going around. Everyone fucking loved it! To this day, people still call me Mario. It was such a great day. I promised my school to return (i graduated) as Mario for Halloween.

6. What are your 2011 cosplay plans?

I wanted to do a cosplay that I haven’t seen yet. Super Mario Sunshine. I haven’t seen or know of people as Mario, with the FLUDD. So I decided to be the different Mario.

7. I noticed you shot a lot of cosplay as well, could you share some tips about cosplay photography?

Photography, nothing is wrong if you could take more than 1. What people forget, you need to take pictures of their feet, their shoes. They spend as much time on cosplaying their outfits with their feet and legs. And half the time, the lower body isn’t shown. Then you have an inch of gap on top of the person’s head compare to the frame. But there’s nothing wrong taking a close up picture as well. It’s about how you going to present the picture is more important. That why for me, photography is more than, click got it!

8. Do you make your costumes yourself or buy them?

Nowhere in the world, would you be able to buy a FLUDD. If there was, I would’ve so brought one ages ago lol. So I end up making the costume with a friend of mine, legatoblue4. He had no idea who or what the FLUDD was. Then I shown him an image of the FLUDD and what I wanted it to do. He stares at the picture then started calling me crazy, a loony, and a twat for wanting something so difficult to make. Then he smiles saying he is down for making it with me. So me and my best friend, worked together making the FLUDD for months before Acen 2011. But after the convention, I sent him a message of how thankful I was for his help. And I can’t wait for my next Mario Costume Crazy Ideas. And we already know what to do lol.

9. Any other cosplayers you like?

I enjoy a lot of cosplayers. And due to my Mario costumes, I have actually gotten to meet them at Acen. I met jmo1link, whose a pretty good Luigi. But the person I’m actually happy to have met is a guy inkylink, who is the best Dark Link I have ever seen on the internet. There is plenty of cosplayers I like I have seen on the internet. And yes, I do have a Luigi. A friend of mine from school. He’s a pretty good Luigi. Actually we are making a side project together about Mario and Luigi. All I can say is…Sequel to Luigi’s Mansion.

10. Do some changes happen to you after cosplay?

Changes maybe not as much. Like my FLUDD, me and my friend: legatoblue4: have decided to make the FLUDD out of Metal. Because during the convention, it got damaged. So it would be best to find a way to make it out of metal next time.

But changes to me? Not really. Just made me realize how much of an attention whore I’m really am. And I love it.

11. Any advices you wanna share with cosplay newbies?

You are going to fail once, twice, 3 times…50 times. But at the end of it all, it’s really worth it. Here’s an example:

I am happy the most when I see a small child, looks at me, looks at their parent and say, Mommy look. There’s a Mario! And if they asked for a Hug, it just melt my heart away to know. I’m bringing happiness to children. That make my trouble, my knowing how much money I had spent, all go away.