Metroid Prime: Samus Aran

First, a confession…

I seemed to have clicked “save” instead of “publish” in my blog editor… So technically, this should have been posted yesterday… Deepest apologies.

It seems ever since a couple of friends of mine have seen this cosplayer in Kotaku, they’ve been bugging me to post her in this blog too!

Indeed, I have the strangest people for friends, and yet, I am not complaining one bit.

Honestly speaking, I have no idea how accurate this girl’s cosplay is. I do know that this girl is Jenni Källberg. You can find more of her cosplays in Pixel Ninja.

Really love the effect she did with her armor… And that blood gash on her abdomen looks very realistic… Anyone care to chare their thoughts on this?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, metroid, metroid prime, samus aran, kotaku, friends, pixelninja, pixel ninja, Jenni Källberg

Death Note: Amane Misa 03

Whoa… I just noticed all of my Death Note cosplay features so far are of Misa-Misa…

But you have to admit… Amane Misa is such an adorable character to cosplay…

And Kipi makes a great cosplay of her…

Actually, now I’m finding it hard to choose which Misa-Misa I like best… The first Misa whom I have no idea what the name is, the Alodia version of Misa, or this Kipi version…

I’ll let you guys decide.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, death note, amane, misa, misa-misa, kipi, alodia, first, cosplay

Darkstalkers: Felicia

Oh dear…

Who would have thought you could find a decent looking Felicia cosplay that is actually safe for child viewing?

I mean, really…

The original version of this character has a more revealing look.

But anyway…

Felicia is a cat girl character who first appeared in the game “Darkstalkers” aka “Vampires” in Japan. In the game, she is raised by a Catholic nun named Rose. When Rose died, Felicia went off to fulfill her dream of becoming a musical performer. She eventually finds other cat girls like herself and was able to create a band.

In the events of Darkstalkers 3, she began to think more about others than herself. It’s then that Rose’s influence came to light, as Felicia eventually became a nun herself and created an orphanage named “Felicity House”.

In the words of the loyal White-haired Journalist himself: “What madness is this?!”

Technorati tags: nanao, research, felicia, darkstalkers, dark stalkers, vampires, catgirl, cat girl, nun, catholic, orphanage, felicity house, musical, performer, white-haired journalist

Naruto: Momochi Zabuza and Haku

Is there a more tragic story than that of Zabuza and Haku from Naruto?

Though I actually feel more sorry for Haku… I can’t understand how parents can actually hate their own child. But I suppose it was more of fear than hatred…

And after that trauma you only find purpose in becoming someone’s tool?

Harsh…

But anyway… This is a really impressive cosplay of Momochi Zabuza and Haku! From the image, it says that the cosplayer’s real names are Ran Shao (Zabuza) and Piyaya (Haku). And this image was apparently taken in Zhong Shan Park in Shanghai back in July 9, 2004.

Pretty impressive, hm?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, naruto, cosplay, cosplayer, momochi, zabuza, haku, trauma, ranshao, ran shao, piyaya, zhong shan park, zhongshanpark, shanghai, china, chinese, 2004

Ragnarok Online: Sohee (and a side rant)

I’ve been seeing a couple of blogs taking my articles… without giving me credit..! It’s made me a little upset… even though the pictures are not all mine (the picture of Zagato was taken by me), all the writings in this blog were done by me, and I give credit to the people who cosplay as well as the photographers…

I wish people who post my articles on their site would give me credit too. Otherwise, plagiarism is still stealing…

Anyway… Enough ranting! I went to Flickr to search for some cosplay photos and found something recent… Comiket 72 was held in Tokyo Big Sight last 17th to 19th of August this year. A particular album by a-mole caught my eye with its fabulous gallery of cosplays! This one I love, because Ragnarok Online is a pioneer MMORPG game!

Sohee is actually a monster in Ragnarok which, if you’re lucky, you can capture as a pet! I haven’t played Ragnarok Online before, so I’m not entirely sure about what a Sohee is and what it can do… I do know, however, that this cosplay is really done well!

Here is a short description of what a Sohee is from Wickedly Cute:

A sohee is a monster that can be found on level four and five of the Payon Caves. According to Ragnarok the Animation the Sohee (along with Bonguns and Munaks) were once people of old Payon City and the reason for their aggression is that the Moonlight Flower disturbs their souls and will not let them rest. With a Silver Knife of Chastity you can tame and hatch a Sohee egg for your own cute-pet demon virgin.

Thanks for sharing us your gallery, a-mole! I’ll post other pictures I like from him soon. Make sure you check out his gallery when you have the time!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, plagiarism, stealing, rant, cosplay, comiket72, comiket, 2007, sohee, ragnarok, ragnarok online, mmorpg, monster, pet, payon, payon caves, bongun, munak, payon city, moonlight flower, silver knife of chastity, a-mole, zagato, magic knight rayearth, wickedly cute, fanlisting

Bleach: Inoue Orihime 02

I’ve recently shown a nice cosplay of Inoue in her Shinigami disguise… Now how about a school uniform version?

She has the most striking blue eyes I’ve ever seen… Although her eyes are supposedly brown in the manga and grey in the anime series… Hm…

I forgot to mention before that Inoue is actually an orphan in the Bleach series. She apparently ran away from her abusive home along with her older brother, Sora. Orihime was bullied when she was a child because of her hair, so Sora decided to give her hairpins. Orihime refused to wear them, thinking they were childish. Unfortunately, on that same day, Sora was killed by a car accident, and Orihime wore the hairpins ever since.

Anyway… Isn’t she cute? Fair white skin!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, bleach, cosplay, cosplayer, orihime, inoue, shinigami, healer, sora, anime, manga

Yu Yu Hakusho: Kurama 03

I did not expect to see any recent cosplay pictures of Youko Kurama in conventions… But this cosplayer is from Taiwan and appeared in the Fancy Frontier 9 & Comic World in Taiwan 15 on February 24th, earlier this year…

Yes, the fangirl screams for Kurama never dies.

Interesting costume though. I’m not sure where this cosplayer got the idea from… Maybe from the manga, because I’ve never seen such a costume in the anime before… But I am most certain this is Kurama. Because I don’t think anyone else has a rose whip for a weapon in the anime universe…

Thanks to Swanky from Flickr for the photo! Check out other cosplay photos by Swanky in his Flickr account!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, kurama, yu yu hakusho, shuichi, minamino, youko, yoko, thief, king, cosplay, cosplayer, anime, manga, taiwan, fancy frontier 9, comic world, taiwan 15

Final Fantasy VIII: Rinoa Heartilly

What can I say about this picture? Not much of the costume is shown but Shibata Ina makes such a good Rinoa she doesn’t even need a costume!

Outspoken and stubborn, Rinoa Heartilly is the main female character in Final Fantasy VIII. She is a popular icon for the Final Fantasy universe being the “cute girl-next-door” type instead of the usual “gorgeous” females of Final Fantasy. Because of this, and the simplicity of her costume, she is often cosplayed in Anime Conventions all over the world.

Honestly? I love Shibata Ina’s version… Being Rinoa suits Shiba so well! I hope she’ll do a whole lot more cosplays in the future.

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , final fantasy , rinoa , rinoa heartilly , heartilly , final fantasy viii , final fantasy 8 , shiba , shibata ina

Rozen Maiden: Shinku 02

Oh…
My…
Goodness!

She is probably the most adorable Shinku I’ve ever seen! She looks so young and so… doll-like! I want to just pick her up and bring her home!

Erm… Ok, that would technically be kidnapping, but I hope you guys know what I actually meant…

She’s just so cute! This will be a tough Shinku cosplay to beat, even for Arisa Mizuhara’s version of Shinku!

Wouldn’t it be adorable to see someone carrying her around like the way Sakurada Jun carries Shinku?

Ah, yes… I am blinded by cuteness… Kids cosplaying is always the best.

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , rozen maiden , arisa mizuhara , shinku , cosplay , cosplayer , cute , sakurada , jun

Tenjou Tenge: Natsume Maya 02

High demand for Natsume Maya cosplay these days… I wonder why..?

I can’t understand what the hype about her is, but that’s probably because I’ve never seen Tenjou Tenge before… Heck, I would have never known who Nagi Souichirou or where he was from if my friend had not told me who that guy was cosplaying…

…ok, ok, I admit it… I have a couple of pictures of Japanese and Asian cosplaying guys in my hard-drive whom I totally don’t know and my only reason for keeping them is because they are cute! I am a girl after all! But I usually let the guys drool in this cosplay blog anyway…

Aren’t you glad?

So here’s Natsume Maya in her school uniform. Isn’t it an awesome cosplay? Love the lighting on this picture… Very impressive!

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , cosplay , tenjou tenge , tenjho tenge , nagi , souichirou , japanese , asian

Naruto: Shizune

Ah… I finally found this cosplay picture after a long arduous of searching… I remember wanting to cosplay the same character in an anime convention, but never really had the guts to do so…

Her name is Shizune, assistant to Tsunade and a very talented Medic-nen who uses needles and poison in combat. She is often seen with a little pig known as “Tonton”, Tsunade’s pet pig.

Too bad we can’t see much of the cosplayer’s face in this picture, but wow, is it ever impressive! Nice job, girl! I love the Shikomishindan weapons she has. The only thing missing is Tonton and Tsunade!

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , shizune , naruto , cosplayer , cosplay , tonton , tsunade , medic-nen , medic , pet , pig , shikomishindan , weapon , needle , poison

Full Metal Alchemist: Winry Rockbell

The beautiful and caring genius mechanic of the Full Metal Alchemist series, Winry Rockbell is the person Ed calls whenever his automail arm and leg are in need of repair. Though the anime depicts her as an “older sister” to the Elric brothers, the manga gives her a more prominent role, as the secret love interest of Ed.

She’s so pretty isn’t she? Beauty and brains… What more can a guy ask for?

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , full metal alchemist , winry , rockbell , fma , fullmetal alchemist , fullmetal , full metal , alchemist , mechanic , genius , anime , manga , cosplay , automail , love

Phoenix Wright: Justice for All

I just finished the second installment of the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series for Nintendo DS, and I had to write to say how amazing I think it is.

It's even more fun than the first one, more exciting, and more amusing (and I thought the first one was great). They expanded on the game's system to make solving the crimes even more exciting.

If you have never played or heard of Phoenix Wright, now is a great time to start; the third installment was recently released in the US. I'm waiting for my boyfriend to finish so I can borrow his. :3

PW is a "visual novel" type game. It is mostly text based. As a defense attorney, you have to defend your clients, scouring for clues and presenting evidence to prove them innocent. If you like solving mysteries, figuring out puzzles, and/or participating in an interesting and engaging story with a wealth of great characters, you will like this game.

I'd like to cosplay as Franziska von Karma some day. She's sassy as hell.

Costume Profile - Izumi from Genshiken

Okay, I've been failing pretty hard at updating, but in my defense, I had a bunch of school work and I also threw a bridal shower for my sister back home.

Anyway.

Here is the profile of my Izumi costume.

Character Name: Izumi
Series: Genshiken
Worn to: Tokyo Kid Cosplay Contest (Boston, MA); Will probably be worn the Sunday of Anime Boston 2008

Total Time: About 25-30 hours
Total Cost: About $70

Easiest things about this costume: The hat was incredibly easy. The black shirt I bought and modified.

Most difficult things about this costume: The shoes, which my boyfriend helped out a lot on... lots of gluing involved and I didn't have time for that. The skirt was also ridiculously hard.

Materials Used and Price Breakdown:

- Jacket, skirt, and hat: Plain blue cotton, $3.95/yd, Winmil Fabrics.

- White detailing on skirt, jacket, and shoes: White cotton/poly, $2.95/yd, Winmil Fabrics.

- Shoes: Yellow stretch synthetic fabric, $5/yd; Orange vinyl, $3/yd; White buttons, $1.30/2 pack; Fabritac, $7; all from Winmil Fabrics.
Felt (for structure), free (leftover from a long time ago).
"Kung-fu" shoes, $5, Chinatown.

- Shirt: Silk knit (yeah, I don't know why that exists, either) sweater, $.90 at the Dollar-a-pound at the Garment District.

- Mah-Jong tiles: Sculpy clay, $1.50(ish), Utrecht Art Supplies. Lovingly painted by my boyfriend. ^^

- Collar, Shoe, and Hat Stuffing: I stuffed these things with a combination of leftover polar fleece, felt, and foam from projects long past. The fleece made the hat really snuggly. ^^

- Other misc. elements, such as the zipper and elastic, were purchased at Winmil Fabrics or found in my sewing box.

- Wig: Chinadoll green wig, $27, Dorothy's Costume

- Goggles: Black vinyl, $5/yd; Black elastic; Buckle, $2; all from Winmil Fabrics.
Basswood for main construction, $2 for the size and thickness I purchased; Model maker's tin sheet, about $2; Model maker's plastic, $1.50 for the sheet; all at Utrecht Art Supplies.

Bleach: Inoue Orihime

This cosplayer of Inoue Orihime actually reminds me of someone I know… She actually blogs in Sanriotown, but I won’t mention who…

Anyway… Inoue is the most powerful healer in the Bleach Universe, as she is able to return a body back to its original state no matter how severe the injury. This ability made her a target by Aizen’s Arrancar group, who thinks of her as a sort of "god".

I love Orihime in her Shinigami disguise. Black looks so good on her! And I really think I know who this cosplayer is… Hm…

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , bleach , cosplay , cosplayer , orihime , inoue , sanriotown , photobucket , aizen , sosuke , arrancar , god , shinigami , healer , healing

Ouran High School Host Club: Otori Kyouya, Fujioka Haruhi, and Suo Tamaki

Picture this… A girl who accidentally breaks an expensive vase suddenly becomes part of most popular club in school in order to pay for her debt… And she’s made to dress up like a boy because the club is all about hosting.

Sounds like a roller coaster ride doesn’t it?

Well, That’s the life of Fujioka Haruhi for you! Everyday, she’s surrounded by the beautiful female students of Ouran High School as well as the beautiful guys of the Host Club.

Suo Tamaki (the blond guy in the picture), the president of the Host Club and self-proclaimed “father figure” to Haruhi is an out-going narcissist who is actually in love with Haruhi. He’s completely different from vice president Otori Kyouya, who is extremely intelligent and serious, able to manipulate any situation to his advantage.

Aren’t they all so cute? Lovely, lovely cosplays!

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , ouran , ouran high school host club , otori , kyouya , fujioka , haruhi , suo , tamaki , cosplay , cute , president , vice president

Naruto: Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto

When the kids cosplay, it’s almost always an instant hit….

But what if the babies are the ones cosplaying well known characters?

Instant cute! I guess Sasuke is trying to find out how Naruto trains so that he can become stronger than Naruto… Rivals at such a young age… how cute!

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , naruto , uzumaki , uchiha , sasuke , rival , cosplay , cute , baby

Hunter x Hunter: Feitan

One of the original members of Ryuseigai “Phantom Troupe”, Feitan is a mysterious character who resembles a true thief. He became a member and temporary head of the Genei Ryodan, aka “Phantom Troupe”. He rarely speaks but when he does, there’s always a word or two missing. And since he is proficient in reading Chinese, then Chinese is probably his first language, not Japanese.

I love this cosplayer’s eyes. The red contacts are quite dramatic, and I love the hand-painted skull on his scarf. Beautiful and most impressive cosplay! Bravo!

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , hunter x hunter , feitan , cosplay , cosplayer , red contact lenses , ryuseigai , gensei ryodan , phantom troupe , hand painted , skull

Tenjou Tenge: Natsume Maya

A girl, Natsume Maya, who seeks revenge on her own ex-boyfriend, Takayanagi Mitsuomi, due to the death of her older brother, Natsume Shin…

Add to that the ability of the girl to control her body by shrinking it to appear like an 8-year-old…

All the elements of the makings of a really good anime!

I adjusted the brightness of this image from the original picture because it was a bit too dark. You will be redirected to the original look once you click on the image.

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , cosplayer , tenjou tenge , tenjho tenge , natsume , maya , ex-boyfriend , takayanagi , mitsuomi , shin , cosplay

Bleach: Ishida Uryuu

Remember what I said about Filipinoes cosplaying really well?

Well, this is a good opportunity to introduce Jin, a cosplayer that rivals even Philippine Idol Alodia.

Jin is apparently from the Philippines, but the cosplaying is on the same class as the really good Japanese ones most people practically worship. This is a really nice cosplay of Ishida Uryuu from Bleach. I’m not sure if it’s the lighting or the photography, but it looks really good!

Nice job, Jin. Giving a shout out to El Angeles for great photography and special thanks to Moon Crest for giving me the links! Check our Jin’s DeviantArt account for more of her awesome cosplays! (And I’ll be sure to add more of her photos on this blog too!)

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , bleach , cosplay , cosplayer , jin , deviantart , el angeles , behindinfinity , rosiael , moon crest , photography , pjilippines , ishida , uryuu

Rozen Maiden: Shinku

You didn’t think I would forget about Arisa Mizuhara, did you?

Yeah I know I’m featuring her too much, and I’m such a fanatic that I made a category in my blog exclusively for her…

But I can’t help it. She’s cosplaying the characters that I adore, how could I resist? Though one can argue that the expression in her photos remain the same, it’s not really a bad thing all together.

It really suits her to cosplay as a Rozen Maiden… She has the qualities of a real live doll. Though I think she could probably look a bit more snobbish, since Shinku is the doll who embodies the traditional Victorian aristocrat…

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , rozen maiden , shinku , victorian , aristocrat , arisa mizuhara , cosplayer , cosplay

Full Metal Alchemist: Envy

I am assuming those are incomplete Philosopher’s Stones that she is looking at. Envy is one of the homunculi after all, and they need the stone’s power to assume the alchemist’s intended appearance.

I am also aware that no matter how androgynous he looks, Envy is a guy, but I think it’s safe to assume that this cosplayer is a girl.

Indeed… Sometimes… Simple is Best.

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , cosplay , cosplayer , full metal alchemist , androgynous , envy , homunculi , alchemist , philosopher’s stone , photobucket

Samurai Shodown 3: Shizumaru Hisame

Samurai Shodown, also known as “Samurai Spirits” is one of SNK’s more popular fighting games. The character this cosplayer is portraying is probably not too familiar with most, but he is my favorite character.

Shizumaru Hisame first appeared in Samurai Shodown 3. The first time I got the play the game series was on the Sony Playstation. It was also around the time when I was still addicted to Rurouni Kenshin.

Don’t you think Shizumaru-kun resembles Kenshin a lot?And no, the fact that he uses an umbrella as his weapon has nothing to do with the reason why he amuses me so. After all, “how would I know? I’m just a kid!”

Here’s a trivia: Did you know SNK purposely removed the “w” in the word “showdown” to save programing time? You see, removing the “w” made the number of letters in “Spirits” matched “Shodown” and it was much easier to simply change the character rather than adding an additional character.

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , cosplayer , samurai shodown , samurai showdown , samurai spirits , shizumaru hisame , kenshin , rurouni kenshin , sony , playstation

Yu Yu Hakusho: Kurama and Hiei

I never thought I’d see the day when I’d find a cool looking Kurama and Hiei cosplay. Photobucket really has its wonders.

Though I believe both cosplayers are females.

Here’s a trivia for you… Did you know that Kurama is named "Denis" and Hiei is names "Vincent" in the Filipino dubs? Worse, they first gave Kurama a female voice, saying that he is a girl when he is in the human world, and a guy when he is in the demon world.

*shudders*

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , yu yu hakusho , yyh , ghost fighter , kurama , hiei , cosplay , cosplayer , shuichi , minamino , denis , vincent , human , demon , world

Naruto: Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke

Team cosplays is something that I don’t usually feature in this blog… I just happen to like portrait pictures better than groups.

But this is is not bad at all… It’s not to often that you get to see a nice group cosplay of Naruto where all three people in the team look absolutely stunning. I like the short-haired Sakura better than when she had long hair.

Nice group cosplay you guys! Original image can be found in Photobucket.

Technorati Tags: nanao , research , cosplay , cosplayer , group , naruto , uzumaki , haruno , sakura , uchiha , sasuke , photobucket

Full Metal Alchemist: Alex Louis Armstrong

I am actually very impressed with the accuracy of this cosplay… It’s so accurate that it’s scary really…

Alex Louis Armstrong, the strong arm alchemist who is only fully clothed about 3 minutes at a time because he loves showing off his “beautiful body”. Don’t let his looks fool you though… He is quite a gentle man who was nearly prevented from being promoted due to his sentimentalism.

Not something you would expect to see from a grown man right? I suppose that’s the role of a comic relief for you…

Wonderful, impressive cosplay! Makes most people’s jaw drop at the similarities, I’m sure…

Originally from Photobucket.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, full metal, alchemist, full metal alchemist, alex, louis, armstrong, cosplay, strong arm alchemist, beautiful body, comic relief

Shakugan no Shana: Shana

It seems that Kipi is more popular than I had imagined… She has a fan base that is probably one of the biggest I have ever seen! And she’s cosplayed (I estimate) about 20 or so characters already.

This is one of my personal favorites… Shakugan no Shana, a girl who kills by fire. This anime is pretty popular, and it’s already on its 2nd season.

I’m craving for Melon Pan now… I need to finish watching the first season quickly…

Photos from Kipi’s fan site. Shana dancing the Lucky Star dance from Random Otaku.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, shakugan no shana, shana, cosplay, kipi, melon pan, melon bread, lucky star, random otaku, kooh, japan