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2015 Los Angeles Anime Expo – Talking With Cosplay Fans (Day 2)

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2014 Comikaze Expo: Talking With Cosplay Fans (Day 2)

It’s been a pretty long time. I finally returned to Comikaze to talk with cosplay fans at the 2014 Comikaze Expo. If I had to sum up trending costumes, I’d say Marvel has really figured out how put obscure characters in the spotlight. I saw MANY people dressed up as characters from Guardians of the Galaxy. I probably should have talked with some…

Comikaze Expo Video Timeline Breakdown

00:00 A basketball showcase

00:39 I’ve never been more creeped out/impressed with a take on Bram Stoker’s Dracula than this. Check out her work here.

01:44 Wall-E and Eve wander the halls gather attention from many. It’s very impressive how Eve floats right next to him.

02:08 A fan favorite, R2D2 shows it’s inner child, literally

02:22 Aang is really a Jimmy John’s delivery guy from Wyoming. Who would have guessed?

03:37 El Chapulín Colorado is not very well known. That’s because he’s from Mexico. He’s a clumsy hero with a hammer

04:14 Uncle Fester is a regular at the conventions and I finally spoke to him about how he transformed into the lovable oddity. He assured me that he’s carrying real fat and actually more scary without the makeup.

06:03 Radioactive man is an original creation that shines bright. He works with electronics so the costume probably was a cinch to make.

07:38 It’s a guy with a small body or a puppet with a large head. This is a pretty fun costume and the guy pulls it off well. Check out his work at lincolnworld.com.

09:00 Zapp Brannigan and Leela tell us about their love for Futurama and energy efficiency.

Mark Interviewing Futurama

Interviewing Futurama’s Leela and Zapp Brannigan

11:17 fans try to break a world record of connected Tetris pieces.

11:44 a very impressive Slender Man cosplayer strides across the halls on tall stilts

11:52 Smoke (Mortal Kombat) loves every single Mortal Kombat and plays Diablo and hopes to get Dragon Age Inquisition. She shares her thoughts on gamergate. Oh yeah. She’s also vegan. Check her out on Facebook

14:05 Raiden was probably one of my favorite cosplay fans. It’s probably because I just like led lights. His hard work of constructing the outfit for 3 months definitely paid off. We get his thoughts on the future of Mortal Kombat on the big screen. When he’s not Raiden, he’s a longshoreman.

16:03 I’ve always heard how crazy Game of Thrones. I’ve only watched the first episode and was pretty shocked at not just the nudity but very carnal nature of the show. It seemed that I would find very young fans getting into the spirit of some characters from one of TV’s grittiest shows. I asked about the dragon and it turns out to be a creation of one’s mother who’s a big fan of the show.

18:38 Harley Quinn loves being fun and awesome while carrying a bat around. If there was another Batman movie with Harley Quinn, she’d want Sarah Michelle Gellar to play her because she loves Buffy. She’s a musical theater dancer that dreams of being on Broadway.

21:07 These two girls do Anna and Elsa from Frozen so naturally because they’re sisters! One is in marketing and one is a scientist.

22:52 I bumped into the Chicano Joker/Harley Quinn represent the Mexicans of Southern California.

Interviewing Chicano Joker

Interviewing Chicano Joker

24:14 I probably sound like the biggest ignoramus when it comes to Lord of the Rings. How crazy is the facial hair on Fili and Kili. They agree with me on the franchise being stretched out a bit thin. They’re no stranger to the cosplay scene.

28:00 Hellboy loves men with giant fists and wants to be a game artist.

30:26 Mystique is a model that’s been in makeup since 9am. This is her first Comikaze and she’s very impressed with the large robotic cosplayers. Check out EI School of Professional Makeup if you’re seriously into makeup.

32:28 The Pikmin do it all for the ladies.

33:40 A weeping angel from Dr. Who can send you back in time and tells us who her favorite Dr. Who is. She took a month and a half to make her costume. She wants to be a homicide detective.

The Dark Knight Rises

Just saw The Dark Knight Rises. It’s about Bruce Wayne and his one man war on crime. This time it’s eight years after the last movie, The Dark Knight, Bruce’s body is worn down (like an athlete) and so is his faith in people. There’s a plot to destroy Wayne Enterprises and Gotham, which bring both Bruce and Batman out of “retirement.”

The good; the movie is about three hours long, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. It had me pretty much on the seat of my pants the entire time, beautifully edited.

The acting is great. Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, love me some Anne Hathaway. Much like Charlize Theron in Prometheus, Anne Hathaway’s in that catsuit most of the time, no complaints there.
Gary Oldman as the ever faithful Gordon.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Blake.  Tom Hardy as Bane.  Michael Caine as Alfred the father-figure.  Everyone delivers a wonderful performance.

The Bat, flying thing, what’s great about these movies is the science and logic behind the technology, they make it believable. From the movie physics of the Bat-Pod to the Bat vehicle, I just love it all cause when you watch it move on screen you think, “yeah, that’s how that would move.”

The bad; oddly enough, I do have some complaints. There wasn’t enough Batman, when you’re watching the movie you don’t really notice this, but thinking back, Bruce Wayne is Batman in the end of the first act, and then at the of the third act, I kinda wanted more Batman-time… on screen that is.
Bane’s voice – in the comic books he’s supposed to be Latin-American, I don’t know what accent he has in the movie, but it’s obviously dubbed and very stage present-ish.  In a shot where he’s in the far background of the scene his voice is still coming in very present at the center channel, that bugged me.

*SPOLIER* When Bane breaks Batman’s back, it doesn’t take him long to recover, there could’ve been more passage of time at this point. His back goes from a vertebrae protrusion to doing push ups and scaling the wall to freedom.

*SPOILER* The ending, very easy, almost too easy, and predictable. Much like Nolan’s previous movie Inception, this one ends in a montage and we’re given information visually. Alfred is away on holiday and sees Bruce just like he’d imagined years and years before Batman showed up, he’s sitting at a table with Selina. I wonder how it would’ve been if they’d taken the ambiguity of Inception’s ending and applied it to The Dark Knight? Leaving us with Alfred’s forming smile instead of cutting to Bruce at the table? And then to have Blake’s character’s real name be Robin? That almost felt like the studio pushed that onto the movie. Don’t get me wrong, I liked that the cowl and mantle would be passed along, but why dumb it down?

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, despite the criticisms I state above. I guess I’m so critical of this new film because I extremely enjoyed the previous films
Definitely worth watching on the big screen, and what a way to end a trilogy.

2012 Los Angeles Anime Expo: Talking with Cosplay Fans (Day 3)

This sure is taking a long time to get posted!

00:00 – SF-A2 Miki (Vocaloid) is known for having a voice similar to Miku.

01:34 – Kaito (Vocaloid) is known for singing and being a computer person tells us how her aunt played a big role in her cosplay efforts

03:13 – Derpy Hooves (My Little Pony) is known for derping and works for a moving company

05:32 – Sister Tender Shall is nice and white but a very evil person. She also cosplays Zombie Miku

08:10 – James (Team Rocket) is missing a wig. He chose this character because it’s fun playing a bad guy. He’s seen many boobs over the weekend and even had some hands-on time. He server for the marines and now works for the cable company

10:04 – Frank West from Dead Rising has a great vented mask. His costume is very impressive for a first time and it’s good to know he’s a caregiver

12:38 – At first, I thought I was dealing with a girl… because of the outfit… then I realized this fellow had just put in lots of time to perfect this look of a death knight night elf from World of Warcraft. He shares the agony of focusing on building his costume

16:27 – Battle Bunny Riven (League of Legends) likes cosplaying different video game characters and beating a game a week

18:59 – John Egbert (Homestuck) is known for being silly and aloof and talks about his first experience with anime

21:25 – Fans of the japanese harajuku talk about crazy fans asking for too many pictures and wanting to be a sex slave

23:36 – Sheryl Nome (Macross Frontier) has been working on her outfit for a year and it really shows. She gets energy from anime and explains she can learn so much from anime. She even did her thesis on cosplay

28:03 – Censorship is a group of guys capitalizing on fans trying to see some skin

30:20 – Some Avatar cosplay fans discuss his method to maintaining his fit body

31:58 – Once again, the Pokemen put on a show

33:34 – Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin (Ouran High School Host Club) are known for the twincest. They talk about the anime scene in Chicago being much smaller. They mention running into some wild fans with interesting requests

37:08 – Gingerbread man doesn’t want anyone seeing his face38:50 – Some swimmer guy is known for swimming and catches me off guard with questions of his own. We discuss Ninja Scroll

 

00:00 – Pinkie Pie (My Little Pony) is known for parties and ball-breaking and discusses the challenges of standing out as in the overly saturated vlog world. Check out his youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/RandomEncountersEnt

03:34 – Moka Akashiya (Rosario + Vampire) is sweet and has a split personality and is slightly crazy like most women. She’s going to school to become a veterinarian and is big fan of venomous reptiles. She traveled all the way from Utah to be at the convention and is also going to the San Diego Comic Convention. Stick around and watch her get proposed to by a horse head fan

08:06 – A group of cosplayers show off their very well crafted Alice in Wonderland costumes and talk about their first experience with anime. Their name is The Antics, but I can’t seem to find them on Facebook

10:28 – Seong Mi-na (Soul Calibur) shares a great story about how she got into playing the game (hint: it all started at a laundromat). She’s a Japanese tutor and shares her experience of being around during the earthquake. She also talks about a hidden ninja village

14:47 Harley Quinn (Batman) gives an intimate explanation of why she likes her character and why she chose her major in college

17:25 – Panty (Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt) is known for being an angel that uses her panties to fend off bad guys. She loves cosplaying and hopes to travel around the globe

19:37 – Sally (Nightmare Before Christmas) isn’t much of a chatter but I definitely recognize the group from other conventions

20:57 – Harle (Chrono Cross) is one of the bad characters of the game. Her costume is amazing and she traveled all the way from Quebec and decided to pack costume for her vacation. Her red eyes scare me.

23:12 – Samus (Metroid) loves the complexity of her costume. I don’t remember the character having a Monroe piercing though. She’s a big fan of the red power ranger because he embodies the spirit of the conventions

25:29 – The anime expo dancer shares some time telling us how she got into anime.

26:54 – the infamous red ranger tangos with another cosplayer. Watch out for the bulge

28:38 – Hurcule (Dragon Ball) embraces his character. Once I find out he’s a chef, we talk about his experience with strange orders and the beauty of food trucks

31:15 – Frederic Chopin (Eternal Sonata) loves cosplaying Mega Man and plans to watch a soccer match for the 4th. He really wants to cosplay Voldo from Soul Calibur

34:09 – Katrina (League of Legends) plays a lot and discusses her gaming tactics. She dualed with the Fiddlesticks. She is studying pharmacy because she loves health care but hates dealing with blood

38:15 – Asagi (D) finds the vocalist to be creative. She is studying costume design and wants to create her own fashion brand

39:47 – Facebook profile is funny and getting lots of laughs. You can even place your face in his window and be his friend. I ask him about his history with anime and he discusses the joys of fansubbing. He prefers old anime.

2012 Los Angeles Anime Expo: Talking with Cosplay Fans (Day 2)

Did you like what we did last year? Here we go again! Check out what this years anime fans.


00:00 – Pink castle crasher is known for throwing rainbows everywhere.

00:53 – this guy is a nameless character from the Monster Hunter series gets his armor from a slain Congalala. He took 3 months making his costume and hasn’t slept in 2 days.

03:18 – LeBlanc from League of Legends has definitely put some time into her costume and has plans to design them for a living.

04:40 – Porco Rosso was a flying ace but avoids planes himself. He’s a video editor that shares his thoughts on 3D.

05:49 – An announcer from an upcoming steampunk webseries, Tinker, is out trying to promote their work. Check them out at on facebook. Their gear was provided by Wonderland Studios (Anaheim)

07:12 – I catch a special rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody performed by some guys and Master Chief.

08:19 – Static Shock is known for putting a shock to your system and shares his suggestion to story tellers of ending things on a high note rather than dragging them out.

10:20 – Gender bender Ran Yakumo from Touhou has a very complicated background as being a boss. She’s a middle child of the Yakumo family. His outfit has amazing stitchwork. You definitely want to go full screen HD for this guy. He also talks about the difference between the Los Angeles convention versus Sakuracon.

13:24 – My Neighbor Totoro is one of Miyazuki’s most noteable works. Her mom helped her with this costume and also helps a lot for Halloween. I express some concern and she tells me she feels like she’s in a sauna but about to take a break. She mentions getting very excited over seeing some no-faces.

15:37 – Madame Red from Kuroshitsuji is known for killing whores and loves her character’s depth and awesomeness.

17:13 – Lulu from Final Fantasy X loves her character’s costume and is seriously warm in her costume.

19:17 – Rikku from Final Fantasy X has taken years to create her outfit.

20:55 – One of the most talked about costumes, Fiddlesticks from League of Legends, bouts with another champion.

21:29 – Morgana from League of Legends isn’t a big gamer because she’s busy studying nutrition. She hasn’t heard about the proposed big soda ban in New York but thinks it’s a good idea. Check her out on facebook

22:54 – Rinoa Heartilly from Final Fantasy VIII is known for looking cute and being the main character’s lover. She talks about the logistic challenges of living far away from a convention.

25:01 – Mumbo Jumbo from Banjo-Kazooie is a magical character.

26:26 – The Green Ranger from the Power Rangers loves that his character took on all of the rangers and the ability to summon his monster on his own. He shares his thoughts on rebooting the series and the joy he had living in Japan.

28:40 – I can’t make out who this character is. She’s known for being pretty and also cosplays Black Rock Shooter. She loves anime because it’s fun to watch.

00:00 – Jinbei (One Piece) spent 3 months working on his outfit because he has no sewing skills.

01:08 – Genderbender Marissa (Tohou) is a jerk and has me looking at myself through his glasses. He notes the weekend is super packed since the X Games were going on at the same time. I ask him how he’s celebrating the 4th of July and without missing a beat he shows me his patriotic undergarments. He’s a civil servant.

02:14 – Dr. Kawashima from Brain Age has plenty to say and is very passionate about the game.

04:14 – Hetalia: Axis Powers represented by Italy, Prussia, Germany, America, England, and Hungary. They say the worst thing they’ve seen is ugly naked people.

07:28 – This version of the Cheshire Cat has a few tattoos recently graduated with a drawing and painting degree that she thinks is useless. Check her out anyway: facebook / jentakeda.com

09:29 – Majora’s Mask (Legend of Zelda) is Japanese and feels a strong connection with Anime. I ask her where the best place to get ramen and she says there’s a great place in Fullerton

12:29 – Axe Cop is a web comic that Fox recently picked up and talks about a few people mixing him up with real security. He’s an actor that’s done some commercials in Miami

14:19 – Who says Twilight Sparkle My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic can’t have a goatee? He loves seeking out knowledge.

16:47 – A steampunk couple explain why they love the genre.

18:32 – Rick Grimes loves killing zombies and cosplaying other zombie killers like Chris Redfield

20:02 – Tony Tony Chopper (One Piece) and Splicer (Bioshock). Tony Tony Chopper is holding cotton that she wishes was cotton candy

22:00 – Batman (cubecrafting edition) is a bit of a mashup and likes everything about anime and is studying criminal justice

23:20 – Reggie “My body is ready” Fils-Aime is a meme that has trouble seeing

24:54 – Thor finished her costume in 3 months because she got lazy. She explains that she likes gender bending because she’s not a big giant strong man but still loves the characters

26:36 – Pico (Boku no Pico) / Yuki (Tsuritama) are having a dangerous amount of fun and probably scaring children away. His water gun is definitely rated mature

28:20 – Jenova (Final Fantasy 7) definitely recognizes me. She talks about the challenges of making a costume being in your head and where she buys her materials. Check her group, SAUCEtown Cosplay. They are one of the best cosplayers out there drawing cameras towards them constantly at conventions. And how does one from SAUCEtown cosplay celebrate the 4th? Eating a trifle, of course!

WonderCon: Talking with Cosplay Fans (Day 2)

00:01 – Rocketeer talks about loving jet packs as a kid and who he thinks would make a great Rocketeer if the franchise was rebooted
01:28 – Bad Girl (No More Heroes) likes that her character is a psycho despite her cute dress and mentions getting photobombed by Big Bird
04:12 – Knights Who Say Ni (Monty Python and the Holy Grail) sends a special St. Patrick’s Day message to all
05:35 – Zombie Snow wants to do special effects makeup and shares her influences
07:30 – Vulcan Zombie Red Shirt is another fun mashup and introduces a term to me: “bi-fi” (Stars Wars AND Star Trek fan)
09:29 – Chowder is known for eating and talks about running in the rain to avoid messing up his makeup is a big fan of Guillermo Del Toro
11:30 – Joker would actually prefer to be Flash
13:05 – A steampunk fan caught my attention with a creature on her shoulder and talks about the convention scene in her neck of the woods.
15:03 – Spade Slick is much less known figure but still shows up at WonderCon
16:51 – Soranik Natu (Green Lantern) would love to see more of the Green Lantern Corps talks about meeting a man with a green lantern wedding band
19:25 – The Mad Masker and Samara (Mass Effect) are very impressive. The Mad Masker talks about the most complicated mask she’s made
23:03 – Batman likes his character because he is relate-able and is trying his hardest to stay away from trailers. Batgirl talks about photobombing and tackling someone, on accident of course. Check out his site: http://batmandeathwish.com/
25:13 – I try to get find gold every day and this was probably it for day 2. A gender bender Batgirl gets lots of folks to take his picture. He owns it and knows that’s what people like. I had a problem with the recording so some of this fabulous interview gets cut 🙁
27:50 – Rick Grimes (Walking Dead) was kind of to talk to me after being harassed by another cosplay fan for various poses.
29:47 – The Riddler loves the intelligence of his character (and also the neurosis aspect). He’s a big fan of Jim Lee and particularly loves the way he makes the Justice League look
32:02 – Ang (Avatar the Last Airbender) loves his characters development and talks about getting some spotlight with the music composer of The Legend of Korra
33:51 – Super Skrull really made me laugh and you can see how much I lose control of the camera. Check out his Facebook page
36:00 – An avid convention fan talks about his love for comics and creators
37:46 – Jar Jar Binks stays in character. I don’t even know what happened here

2011 Long Beach Comic Convention: Talking with Cosplay Fans

Earlier this year, we gave you guys an intimate look at cosplay fans of the Los Angeles Anime Expo. Well, I hope you didn’t think we’d leave you hanging with the Long Beach Comic Convention, because we did it again!

Have a look and discover what cosplay fans are all about as we ask them questions like what makes the Long Beach Comic Convention different from others, why they love the characters they cosplay, how long their customes took to make, why DC Comics doesn’t release as many movies as Marvel, and what they do for a living. Notice how popular steampunk costumes have become?

00:00 The Joker explain who she is and why it’s fun to be crazy. It’s interesting that she references Batman as a creation by Christopher Nolan rather than Bob Kane. She always weighs in on Twilight versus the Avengers. Don’t try to find her online because she’s got tough security settings.
02:10 John Stewart (Justice League Unlimited) loves being one of DC’s first black characters
03:55 Ash Williams (Evil Dead II)
04:58 Bloodsucka Jones gives us the heads up on the convention being a place to pickup girls
05:42 An rebel X-wing pilot talks about George Lucas’ tweaks to the video releases
08:15 An attorney cosplays Superman and talks about the character being inspirational, leading by example, the DC Comics reboot, and why DC Comics hasn’t made as many movies as Marvel Comics
11:05 Wonder Woman
12:23 a storm trooper tries to take down Felix the Cat
12:49 a steampunk couple explains the allure of steampunk and the convenience of the Long Beach Comic Convention being close to home

00:00 Boba Fett, intergalactic booty hunter, talks about why he’s the 1%, all the girls he’s pulling, and gives advice to the president
01:07 An amazing Deadmau5 helmet that took 10 months to make by a film and visual effects student. Follow him on twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/pwnch
01:58 A computer science student talks about his original character, Ordo Mando, and the challenges of using fiber glass and resin. He mentions deconstructing the helmet taking awhile due to many screws. Check out the forum that helped him make his costume: http://405th.com/
03:40 An insurance claims negotiator cosplays a dalek from Dr. Who and promotes her fiance’s comic book site: Old Dying Kitty Comics
05:22 Captain America gives advice for the president
06:28 An English major graduate student cosplays Henchman 21 from the Venture Brothers and talks about Long Beach Comic Convention being great for checking out panels
08:01 A human services major student cosplays Lina Inverse from Slayers and gives advice for the president and predicts the outcome of a Jersey Shore versus Twilight fight
10:25 Chun-li from the Anime Expo cosplays Jill Valentine from Resident Evil
11:45 Daft Punk
13:05 A geek squad agent (Best Buy) cosplays a more obscure character, Jared Nomak (Blade 2), and shares his thoughts on Steve Jobs’ legacy

00:00 Steampunk cosplay fan talks about her outfit ingredients: Nerf gun, cookie cutter
01:23 Sexy Colonel Sanders and a KFC chicken drumstick. This was my favorite for sure. There isn’t any explanation needed. I even asked the couple if the idea was ironic. I know fast food always gets a bad rap and I initially suspected the couple might have actually been vegetarian. It turns out they’re just fans of the Colonels wonderful recipe.
02:33 A very nervous John Egbert struggles to answer questions. I guess we caught him off guard.

Try Restarting If It Doesn’t Work

Doomsday is coming August 31st, 2011 to the DC Universe!  It’s the end of the universe as we know it!  Sorry this isn’t the character named Doomsday, but this is a reboot of many of the franchises out there.  How many you ask?  Try 52 brand spanking new series!  Okay so many of them are from the same franchise like Batman (Batman, Detective Comics, Batman: The Dark Knight, and Batman and Robin just to name a few).  But you do have a name like Jim Lee as co-publisher!  Likewise some folks get new shiny costumes!

Yes those are blue tights on the bottom, not red.

But what does this really mean though I’m not quite certain.  Does this destroy 70 years worth of lore and streamlined to newer folks, or perhaps a different way of retelling a story without having to dig through priceless comic books that can’t be opened to retain its sell value?  I can’t help but reflect what Marvel tried around mid 90s by rebooting various comics like the Fantastic 4 and the Avengers after Onslaught.. the idea was scrapped of course and any mention of it was considered an alternative reality.  Perhaps the same may occur if it doesn’t do well and we’ll consider it Earth 3 or something.

Rebooting isn’t technically anything new, folks die one day and then resurrect the next time following (Jason Todd comes to mind), but a whole universe is another story!  Some may find some form of success like the “Ultimate” series from Marvel, others may not.  Smallville seemed successful (to some extent, but that was TV).  It does raise questions about the current storyline that exist right now, do they continue or just a dream and filler for the reboot.  Is Dick Grayson back to being Robin or does he continue on as Nightwing?  Which Green Lantern is coming back first, Hal Jordan or John Stewart or do they both represent different sectors of the Green Lantern corp?  In the end I can’t help but think of a computer when something goes wrong, the first question that comes to mind from any technician was, did you try restarting?  Was it really broke in the first place? Guess time will tell.

 

For more information go to DC’s 52 Page

A Look At Cosplay Fans (Los Angeles Anime Expo 2011)

This year, I attended my first Anime Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I had a brief love affair with anime during high school but I have since been a bit out of touch with the latest franchises and hottest series. The wonderful thing about expos is that there really are no qualifications into getting in besides your ticket and an open mind. One can visit to see characters they love have developed or discover and fall in love with new ones. The Los Angeles Anime Expo is North America’s biggest convention that caters to hardcore fans and recent converts alike. One of the distinct features of an anime expo is that the show isn’t just made up of vendors, publishers, and creators. The fans play a huge role in creating a world that attendees are transported to once they enter the building and sky’s the limit when it comes to how far some fans will go to express how much much they love the genre.

Here are some things I discovered while at the Anime Expo, watching and talking to cosplay fans

Disconnect from reality

Anime has a huge following but relative to live action, it’s fan base is still considered minor. When you think about it, anime isn’t very different. It’s all about story telling. Unlike western cartoons and animation, there’s an anime series for every genre one could ask for: sci-fi, love, action, adventure, comedy, and that other category (the one with tentacles and other interesting visuals). The great part about a scene that’s so big is that outsiders like myself can’t even tell the difference. Once you take the red pill,  even security guards, janitors, and information booth attendants look like they are cosplaying!

Come as you are

Anime comes in all different forms. Artists embrace liberties to alter your notion of realism with elements like gravity defying hair, disproportionate female measurements, vibrant eye colors, vampire fangs,  giant impractical weapons… just search youtube for clips and you’ll get the point. Humans, in contrast, are pretty boring. We come in a few sizes and colors and that’s it. The key part of making a great cosplay outfit is really ignoring any of your limitations. Disregard differences in height, weight, skin tone, age, sex, cup size (In fact, NEVER get implants for any reason. It will just look even more silly if you are cosplaying), ethnicity, and MOST of all, don’t be discouraged to cosplay if you have braces. Regarding age, it actually seems the younger you are, the more drive you have at making an awesome costume. I was totally blown away discovering that high school students were making such detailed, professional looking costumes. Maybe there’s a connection between growing up and losing a connection with dreaming.

You don’t need THAT much time to make your costume

Some of THE best costumes/makeup I saw were done by fans that claimed the time they spent was only days. Don’t listen to what Hollywood tells you. All the required materials can be found at your local Michaels/Home Depot! The most important ingredient in your costume is sheer determination. If that means calling sick from your H&M part time job or missing a day of class to complete your costume, it will be worth it. Honestly though, some costumes obviously require more time than others. I met one fellow who cosplayed a Space Marine Scout who spent two months making his awesome costume. It definitely turned heads. On the flip side, the most affordable costumes I saw included a simple inkjet print and some tape to cover your face (I’m looking at you Mr. Trollface)

Mashups = fun!

My biggest takeway from the Anime Expo was discovering the Pokemen. That’s not a typo! I’m talking about the fit Asian guys who wear bright colors, suspenders, and wafer sunglasses. Who says you can’t add your own twist on a series.

Mobility is inversely related to costume appeal

Let’s face it: there are a lot of guys into photography, and what do guys LOVE? Duh! Girls cosplaying. This is Los Angeles. Fashion is always evolving. We’ve seen attractive people in those same outfits our favorite celebrities rock. But the Anime Expo is like an alternate fashion show for outfits that will never make it to retailers. So if we see fantasy become reality, we are most certainly obligated to document it. If you’ve invested enough time and resources into your costume, chances are people will stop you to take pictures and this is how that goes:

Me: “Awesome work! Mind if I take a picture?”

Fan: “Sure”

Me: “Great… 1 sec”

(30 seconds to pull out phone from pocket and switch to camera mode or 1 minutes to put down backpack and take out camera out)

Me: “Cool! 1 sec”

(5 shots quickly taken that all look identical)

Me: “Oh shoot! I had it on the wrong setting. Can I redo those shots?”

Just remember: that exact scene will happen with multiple people all starting at different times. Looking for the most popular person on the floor? Just stand still and look for the person with the biggest crowd around him/her looking around in all angles in confusion trying to figure out which camera to pose for.

Sorry ladies. The ratio of topless guys with 6-packs to pretty girls in costume is roughly 0:(pretty girls in costume)

Have fun

Trolling is not allowed! If you think there’s any costume that you can’t do, you’re doing it wrong! One of my favorites was a mid twenties red-head guy who cosplayed Misty from Pokemon. Check out the video after the break for some Q & A with cosplay fans.