Cosplay Gen: What is your favorite cosplay up till now and why?
Yolkler: I don’t have a favorite cosplay, because I always think I can make another one that’s better. But, up till now, maybe Mononoke (Kusuriuri), because Japanese people told me that my Kusuriuri cosplay is the same as the Kusuriuri character. [..]
Cosplay Gen: You specialize in geisha costumes and traditional cosplay; how long did you research geisha and traditional make-up and fashion in order to reach this level?
Monique: Two years and ongoing. It’s a learning process and I can safely say that, considering the amount of information and the depth of this particular culture, I am still a beginner. I don’t believe I have the right to say that I am any more than that – I believe that I’m always learning new things and trying to get better as much as I can. [..]
Cosplay Gen: How did you make the Master Chief suit?
Zam: The process is actually simple. The base layers are made from a thick 250gsm matte card. Here, the details and main structure come to life. After that, all the finished paper structure is covered with fiberglass resin to make it rigid. Matte Card absorbs it and becomes rigid from inside out. Fiberglass mat was used in the inside to avoid the details on the outside getting covered. The fiberglass just makes the paper structure more rigid so it can withstand some sort of damage when wearing it. [..]
Cosplay Gen: There are a lot of versions of Hatsune Miku; what did you see in the 1925 Hatsune Miku version?
Phoenixiaoio: As you say, there are lots of versions, and I think they are extremely different from each other. 1925 is such a cute song and its lyrics contain the historical fact of the year 1925 in Japan. It is the first year when female conductors were used for the trains of Japan. Also, the year was marked by unrest and civilization crowd. People started to reflect whether money is important or not. I think that is what I see in the 1925 version. [..]
Kotanimomo is a very versatile Australian cosplayer, with a very wide range of characters, chosen from anime, manga and games, and including both popular series (such as Macross Frontier), and less known works (notably Sidooh manga). [..]
CG: Was it hard to find such a fitting place for the Miyoubi photoshoot?
Pamela Góngora / AiKiren: Originally we thought about taking the photoshoot on an elegant place; however, in our city it’s hard and expensive to find a place like that. After some thinking we decided to try going to one of the biggest graveyards of the city. At first we had a bit of trouble selecting the proper places to take the photos, but thankfully my boyfriend and the photographer had excellent ideas for the location and composition. [..]
Yuujin RuI is a Vietnamese cosplayer who succeeds in giving a special sensitive touch to his characters of choice. He doesn’t just wear a costume, but also transposes the character into his own personal world. Thus his cosplays can be regarded as a very interesting symbiosis between the fictional universe of the anime and the inner reality of the cosplayer. [..]
Cosplay Gen: What inspires you the most when choosing the characters you cosplay?
Kirisaki: Their (background) stories. It helps one better understand the character. Personality, behaviour wise. It gives inspiration for the kind of portrayal you want to carry off, and the kind of shots you want to have. [..]
