Fruits Basket: Souma Yuki (and a Tag)

Since Mr. Rock Out tagged me, and the last time I ever got to post a personal article was a Side Rant on the Ragnarok Cosplay of Sohee, I decided to first feature a cosplay of a character I most relate to: Souma Yuki.

Just like Hatori and Momiji, Yuki is a member of the 13 cursed Souma family members. His sign is the Rat’s, and he is very popular in his school, giving him the title of “Prince”.

And I really like this cosplay… Too bad this Yuki is a girl.

And so, as promised, here is Mr. Rock Out’s Tag…

7 Random Things About Nanao-Chan:

1. I tend to take the blame for everything. I think it’s something inborn, so, if something goes wrong, even with the universe sake, I can’t help but think I’m somewhat responsible for it.

2. I hardly ever go out. Why? My parents are so strict they almost didn’t let me work, haha! (actually, it’s not laughing matter, because it’s true) I am working right now, but the catch with this agreement is that I can’t go to company outings and stuff. Funny, because my parents let me go to business trips outside the country.

3. I have an “I don’t care” attitude, but I cry a lot. When I’m angry, depressed, or whatever extreme emotion you can think of, I get teary. So even the 1st Pokemon Movie got me crying when Pikachu was trying to revive a petrified Ash Ketchum.

4. I think being given a fanart is the greatest most awesome-est gift anyone has ever given me. o(^o^)o

5. I am extremely over-protective… Also an inborn trait. So if something happens to my colleagues, I would usually either a. take tge blame for it; or b. start a war to show how much we were wronged.

6. I believe the world revolves around money. It may not be able to buy you happiness, but it buys you everything else. People tend to look highly of the rich, and they are “untouchable”.

7. Someone once asked me: “Did you ever think about who would visit you in a hospital in case *knock on wood* you got into an accident?” My answer was simply: No one. I’m not being emo about it, it’s just that practicality speaking, I don’t really see why people would visit me in the hospital when my parents are sure to keep shut about it…

So there you have it. Random stuff about Nanao-Chan. Please don’t take them too seriously. It may sound emo (I re-read this a few times before posting), but I’m quite happy and content. As long as there’s a cute cosplay to feature, I’ll be happy. o(^o^)o

I guess that would be the 8th thing about Nanao-Chan: The simplest things in life make me the happiest person on earth. ^_^

I tag the following:

Tabby, §oL, and Ying Dong

Technorati tags: nanao, research, random, nanao-chan, fruits basket, cosplay, cosplayer, yukishiro, souma, sohma, rat, mouse, cute, pokemon, ash ketchem, pikachu, fanart, accident, hospital, attitude, emo, happy

Gundam Seed: Yzak Joule

Yzak Joule is one of the elite pilots of ZAFT in the series Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny. In Gundam Seed, he was under the command of Rau Le Creuset, leader of the prestigious ZAFT Le Creuset special operations team. He is very proud of his elite status, and considers Athrun Zala to be his primary rival.

This character may not be at the top of my favorite characters’ list, but it’s hard to deny how awesome this cosplay is. To explain why this cosplayer is covering his/her right eye, it’s because in the series, Kira Yamato gave him a scar in one of the battles they fought in. Technically, it’s on on his right eye, but above it, and across his face, but it makes sense to people who’ve seen the series.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, gundam seed destiny, gundam seed, yzak, joule, gundam, pilots, elite, mobile suit, athrun, zala

Final Fantasy VII: Aerith Gainsborough

First, I have to say… This girl looks like the same cosplayer as Felicia of Darkstalkers.

Makes me curious to know who she really is… But I unfortunately have no leads.If anyone can point me in the right direction, I’m all ears!

Anyway, Aerith, the flower girl of Final Fantasy VII who turned out to be the one who can summon the only force capable of repelling the ultimate destructive magic handled by Sephiroth known as “Meteor”. She unfortunately perishes in the game, but most Final Fantasy VII fans still see her as an icon of the series.

That weapon she’s holding look like it’s really made out of marble. Awesome job with this cosplay!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, final fantasy 7, final fantasy vii, aerith, gainsborough, felicia, darkstalkers, sephiroth, holy, meteor

Kelly Osbourne: Turning Japanese

An interesting video clip of Kelly Osbourne cosplaying Lacus Clyne from Gundam Seed… Her hair clip is on the wrong side but you pretty much know she’s doing Lacus anyway.

She doesn’t really do a good Lacus Clyne, but I’ll give her a ton of credit for doing something she has no idea what it’s about…

Enjoy the clip! Don’t mind the first 2 slides… I was just testing the video uploader thing in Sanriotown.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, kelly osbourne, turning japanese, discovery travel and living, cosplay, lacus clyne, gundam seed, sanriotown

Final Fantasy X: Rikku

Technically, this is the 5th Rikku I’m posting on this blog. But I didn’t label the post that way because she is the first Rikku I found who cosplayed the X version rather than the more popular X-2 versions.

Rikku is perky and optimistic. She has a close friendship with Tidus, as they are quite similar in their personalities. Since she is an Al Bhed, she suffered discrimination from the Yevonites, but this didn’t change her positive outlook in life. She did whatever she could do to save Yuna from giving her life with the Final Summoning.

I think I like this costume of Rikku’s more than the X-2 ones… I’m not entirely sure why that it. But I think a lot of people will disagree with me on this.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, final fantasy, final fantasy x-2, cosplay, rikku, al bhed, yevonite, summoner, yuna, tidus, final summoning, final aeon

Slow progress...

Well, I did get SOME things done over the holiday. The sword is about 1/3 of the way done. I don't have any photos yet, but I should have some when the process is a bit further along. It's just as well, so that you can see where it's all going.

After much planning and discussion, the original plan was sort of thrown out, or at least modified. No more "sandwich". Now, the main part of the handle has been made out of a baseball bat, and the wings were cut out of MDF (medium density fiberboard; available at any home improvement place). I put wooden dowels into the foam for the blade for structure and support, and the bottom end of the dowel will be put through the handle several inches.

The next steps are to carve and cover the blade, and dremel the design into the wing section. I will do those some time in the next several weeks, when I have access to the tools and space at home again.

I also spent about 2 hours simply detangling the wig. What an annoying process. When I next work on the sword, I'll work on the styling of the wig more as well. I got a curling iron with adjustable temperature which I'm hoping will help solve the problems I've been having with it.

In Gwendolyn and general construction news, I FINALLY got a shipment of Wonderflex in the mail, and will be playing with it this weekend with my heatgun. I'll also be experimenting with various combinations of craft foam, polystyrene, hot glue, and the heat gun to see what comes from it. I'll post my results next week.

If you are looking for Wonderflex, I got mine from Mainstage Theatre Supply, where I got a full sheet for around $30 shipped, MUCH cheaper than cosplaysupply.com's $70ish dollar charge for a sheet. (EDIT: I have reason to suspect that Mainstage, while nice people, do not have a website that is as secure as it should be for credit cards. Please use caution when using your card over the internet. I recommend trying to phone in your order and/or paying with a different method.) I will probably still end up ordering Friendly Plastic from them, though, unless I find it somewhere else. I'm thinking about ordering some Fosshape as well... but more on that another time.

xxxHolic: Watanuki Kimihiro and Ichihara Yuuko

This is probably one of the best cosplays I’ve ever come across!

Then again, I tend to say that about all the cosplays I feature here don’t I?

Watanuki Kimihiro is an ordinary student in an ordinary world… But he has a secret. He can see ghosts, demons, and spirits! He meets Ichihara Yuuko, a time and space witch, who claims to have to ability to grant any wish, for a price! And what price does Watanuki have to pay to grant his wish to never see spirits again? Work in Yuuko’s shop as a part-time job, which includes cooking, cleaning and other household chores!

I really love Yuuko in this picture… Watanuki as well! Thanks to DigiBook for sharing this picture!

Technorati tags: nanano, research, xxxholic, watanuki, kimihiro, yuuko, ichihara, time and space, witch, wish, price, digibook, cosplay, demon, ghost, spirit, photobucket

Fruits Basket: Souma Akito

People who only watched the anime of Fruits Basket will argue that Akito should be cosplayed by a guy, but the manga reveals that she is actually a girl! I was pretty shocked when I read it… She probably doesn’t want to be a girl because she despises them, saying that they are sneaky creatures that seduce the male Juunishi away from her.

The reason why she is basically the head of the Souma Clan since she is considered to be the Jade Emperor, the ruler of the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac, so her word is absolute. She’s also very sickly, and the anime mentioned she only has 30 years to live, though I’ve never seen that in the manga.

This is an awesome cosplay of Akito! Very accurate, though I’m not too intimidated by her…

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, fruits basket, souma, sohma, akito, mangaka, anime, chinese, zodic, juunishi

Black Lagoon: Revy

Contrary to popular belief (including Havel’s blog where this image was originally found), this is not Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, but rather, she is Revy from Black Lagoon. Although the two characters are quite similar to each other, the give away hint is the tattoo on her arm.

Just like Lara, Revy is quite a proficient warrior, but she is rather strong willed, using whatever means necessary to have her way. She is a murderess, and a thief and uses a lot of foul language; one could even say she has no conscience. Because her weapons of choice are her twin modified Beretta 92F’s, she is nicknamed “Two-Hands” by the people of Roanapur.

This is an absolutely awesome cosplay! Who wouldn’t want abs like that? Thanks for sharing this, Havel!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, black lagoon, revy, rebecca, havel, sanriotown, tomb raider, lara croft, murderess, warrior, theif, foul language, two-hands, roanapur, beretta, beretta 92f

Sailor Moon S: Sailor Saturn

One of the most powerful Sailor Senshi in the Sailor Moon universe, Sailor Saturn, or Tomoe Hotaru yields the Silence Glaive, a weapon that can destroy the universe.

In the manga, Hotaru is a very mysterious character because she is part cyborg. This was her father’s attempt to save her from the lab accident that killed her mother. In the anime, however, she is not cybernetic, but she is still unpopular among her classmates due to her seizures.

It’s perhaps one of the most difficult tasks to cosplay one of the Sailor Senshi. Their uniforms are quite revealing (to the delight of fanboys everywhere). This cosplayer really got Sailor Saturn’s image perfectly! Great job!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, sailor moon, sailor saturn, sailor, universe, tomoe, hotaru, manga, anime, cyborg, cybernetic, seizure, illness, labor, accident, senshi, soldier, fanboy

Cowboy Bebop: Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV aka "Ed"

Omg… Nice pose! This girl must do yoga or something. That’s pretty difficult to pull off!

The character she’s cosplaying is called “Ed” who is known how her flexibility and her hacking ability. She’s a bit strange and androgynous, and loves to use her feet on tasks you’d normally use hands to do (like scratch your nose, maybe?). She’s easily distracted, and you’d think of her as a “free spirit”.

I’m really impressed by this cosplay… I know I can’t touch my nose with my knees, can you?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, cosplaying, ed, edward, wong, hau, pepelu, tivrusky, IV, 4th, 4, cowboy bebop, cowboy, hack, hacking, flexibility, free spirit, yoga

Death Note: Yagami Light, Amane Misa, and Ryuzaki L. Lawliet

Kids make really adorable cosplayers. Take this picture of Yagami Light (Kira), L. Lawliet (L), and Amane Misa for example. They’re the most adorable Death Note cosplayers I’ve seen so far!

I’ve decided to create a new category in this blog known as “Chibi” to place all the photos of children cosplaying in one group. You can’t resist them, since it’s like seeing your favorite character in their younger years.

I want to take L home now…

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, death note, amane, misa, misa-misa, l, lawliet, yagami, light, kira, children, kids, chibi, cute, kawaii

Naruto: Momochi Zabuza 02

Pretty cool cosplay of Zabuza if I do say so myself. I must apologize, however… I can’t remember whether this individual was a semi-finalist, or one of the winners of the G2Con. I do remember that during the event, his huge sword kept on hitting the ceiling unintentionally.

But I think he’s a nice rival for the first Zabuza I posted.

Oh the days of when digital cameras were a thing of luxury. I only had one shot to spare per cosplayer, and one chance to get it right. I think Zagato turned out better than this though, don’t you think so?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, naruto, cosplay, cosplayer, G2Con, games and gadgets convention, momochi, zabuza, digital camera

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reno

Reno is well known as the comic relief of Final Fantasy VII. He is a member of the Turks or Department of Administrative Research, a group that perform covert operations on behalf of Shinra. Though his way of wearing his Turks uniform portrays him to be lazy and arrogant, he is actually very skilled in using his weapon, the Electro-Mag Rod, and takes a lot of pride in his work. He also loves to gossip and is a pretty good helicopter pilot.

Quite an impressive cosplay of Reno. One can actually feel his arrogance through the photograph. I wouldn’t be surprised if he accidentally steps on Rude’s sunglasses again though…

Technorati tags: nanao, research, final fantasy vii, final fantasy, advent children, final fantasy 7, reno, comic relief, turks, department, administrative research, espionage, kidnappings, assassinations, shinra, lazy, arrogant, electro-mag rod, gossip, helicopter

Tomb Raider: Lara Croft

Lara Croft is a Tomb Raider in search of lost treasures. Interesting note is that this character was honored a star in the Walk of Game and has earned a Guinness World Record for being the “most successful human video game heroine”.

And to think, she was originally just an Indiana Jones clone.

Actually, this isn’t a fan cosplay. Karima Adebibe is the official model for Lara Croft. She basically cosplays Lara for game promotions on radio, TV, and other media. She also had a small role as the sacrificial maiden in the movie Alien vs. Predator in 2004.

I still think, even if she’s being paid to look like Lara, she does an awesome cosplay. Professionalism at its finest.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, professional cosplay, lara croft, tomb raider, treasure, guinness book of world records, heroine, most successful human video game heroine, indiana jones, clone, karima adebibe, model, game, promotion, radio, tv, convention, alien vs predator, 2004

Samurai Shodown: Nakoruru

I’m pretty sure this is Nakoruru from Samurai Shodown, but I don’t remember her to have a mask, do you?

Anyway, Nakoruru is living with her grandparent, Sanoku, and younger sister, Rimururu in a place called Ainu Moshiri Kamui Kotan. You could say that the Ainu people are like the Native Americans in the United States; people who are basically very close to nature. Nakoruru’s role in the game is the Defender of Mother Nature, and in some materials, she is refered to as the priestess of the Ainu religion.

I’m seriously wondering what this cosplayer looks like behind her mask… Nice photo still!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, samurai shodown, nakoruru, photobucket, sanoku, rimururu, ainu, moshiri, kamui, kotan, native american, united states, usa, nature, mother nature, priestess, religion

Xenosaga: KOS-MOS

The cosplay is awesome, and the bike is even more awesome, so please click on the image to view the larger image in its full glory…

The cosplayer is recreating KOS-MOS from Xenosaga, an android developed by the interstellar conglomerate Vector Industries. The name “KOS-MOS” stands for “Kosmos Obey Strategical Multiple Operation Systems”, a recursive acronym used to denote an anti-Gnosis tactic system. She has a tendency to put logic and probability first makes her difficult to manage at times. Her true identity is that of Mary Magdalene, called the partner of the Messiah.

I love the cosplay… Makes me wonder if one is allowed to drive such a vehicle in public.

Photo is credited to Amanda Nanawa of DMW: Digital Music W… Original article can be found here.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, xenosaga, kos-mos, android, interstellar, conglomerate, vector, industries, kosmos, obey, strategical, multiple, operation, system, logic, probability, mary, magdalene, messiah, amanda nanawa, dmw, digital music w…, anime expo, 2006

Final Fantasy X-2: Rikku 04

Oh my gosh, wow, I can’t believe I totally missed this!

Here I was looking for some awesome cosplays and I didn’t notice Ying Dong of Sanriotown was the legendary Rikku cosplayer!

I say legendary since I’ve seen this photo a long time ago and I always wondered who this girl was! I saw this image in Ying’s Flickr Account and read this caption:

That’s me! Full set of images can be seen at http://video.sanriotown.com/engine/flaon/player?idcode=2462

That is so awesome, Ying! No wonder you love cosplays so much! You make such an awesome Rikku! I hope you do more cosplays and share them on Sanriotown!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, ying dong, ying, rikku, final fantasy, final fantasy x-2, sanriotown

Lucky Star: Shiraishi Minoru and Kogami Akira

I’m so sorry for not updating over the holidays… I’ve been quite ill for a while, and no one wants to spend the holidays sick in bed… But that’s how I spent my Christmas. :(

Anyway, I found a bunch of pretty awesome cosplays, and it’s a nice welcome for the new year to post a bunch of them to start of with, right?

This is the one I saw that was most amusing. You see, in the anime “Lucky Star”, there’s a special segment at the end of the show called “Lucky Channel”. The girl, Akira, is apparently an idol who can be super cute when she’s in the mood, and a huge pain when she’s mad. Minoru is her assistant, who became more famous than Akira, though this picture makes it look as if he’s trying to get a spot in the limelight!

Pretty accurate cosplay! Lucky Star rules!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, lucky star, lucky channel, shiraishi, minoru, kogami, akira, photobucket, holidays, christmas, new year, 2008, cosplay, idol