Lucky Star: Izumi Konata

The stereotypical otaku (anime lover) character in the series Lucky Star, Izumi Konata is fun loving, athletic girl who prefers her hobbies over studies and sports. Since she needs a lot of money to keep up with the latest anime and manga series, she works part time in a cosplay cafe.

Parodies of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi can be seen in this anime while Kona-chan works in the cafe. In one episode, Konata cosplayed Haruhi and danced the signature ending theme song. Ironic, considering Konata and Haruhi have the same seiyuu (voice actress), Hirano Aya, and yet you wouldn’t have noticed if you don’t read the end credits.

Cute cosplay! She got Kona-chan’s expression perfectly. Even that one strand of hair sticking out on top. Nicely done!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, otaku, lucky star, anime, manga, izumi, konata, kona-chan, cosplay, cafe, cosplayer, seiyuu, voice actress, aya, hirano, the melancholy of suzumiya haruhi, suzumiya, haruhi

Air Gear: Simca

Simca is the leader of the Genesis group from Air Gear. She wants to gather all the Kings and their Regalia in order to conquer the Trophaeum Tower and acquire the Sky Regalia. It is also perhaps because of this that she has taken a great (somewhat romantic) interest in Minami “Ikki” Itsuki because she believes he is destined to become the legendary Sky King. She was able to convince him to take the lead on Genesis after Kogarasumaru’s triumph over Behemoth.

This is a very convincing cosplay of Simca the Swallow. Love the costume and the attitude. Great cosplay!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, air gear, simca, genesis, swallow, kings, regalia, trophaeum tower, sky regalia, sky king, ikki, minami, itsuki, kogarasumaru, behemoth, cosplay, cosplayer

Anime Boston AMV List

I found a thread at the big bad AMV site of all the AMVs shown at Anime Boston 2008, complete with links to each individual page, where you can download a high quality movie if you sign up for the site (free, fast, painless... I did it). It shows who won each award and provides some basic info.

Anime Boston 2008 AMVs

Hope you enjoy looking at these! I think "Unbreakable" is really great. I haven't seen many of the anime featured in it, but now I want to! Also, it's makes me all happy inside to watch it.

Also, make sure you check out Dead Fantasy I and Dead Fantasy II... they're awesome.

AB Aftermath

Well, Anime Boston has come and gone, and I've had to integrate myself back into the real world.

It's a sad time for everyone.

I had a lot of fun at AB this year, although perhaps not as much as I had expected. I can't really put my finger on the exact reason for it, but I think part of it had to do with being unable to attend all the panels I was interested in, with the exception of the Doujinshi Culture panel, which was very good.

As far as cosplay goes, I would say it was a success. I loved wearing both of my costumes, and a lot of people took photos of me and my friends. I even got a ticket for the judge's hall contest... too bad you need three to get a prize ribbon. Oh, well. Maybe next year I'll hang out in the hallways posing more often. :3

Mike's Ashitaka costume turned out great, if I do say so myself. My boyfriend helped out (time crunch, don't be too shocked) by wrapping the sword handle and making the sheath. Mike showed up with his own bow.

The Pillows put on a really great show on Saturday, despite the concert itself being very far behind schedule (reason I missed one of my panels ._.). It was kind of ridiculous how long we were kept waiting, and that they didn't even start letting people in until 3, which is when the concert was supposed to start. This was bad planning. I enjoyed watching Luv & Response as well... can't go wrong with choreographed dances. They were too r&b for my taste, though. I'm more of a straight pop fan in that category.

Anyway.

I heard about... and saw a little of... the astronomically long registration lines. To anyone who had to wait in that melee, I feel really bad about it. It couldn't have been fun, and I'm sure you missed things you wanted to do. On behalf of everyone, I hope - and pretty much expect and demand - that AB gets it right next year. Six computers to register tens of thousands of people is unacceptable.

I saw many good costumes at the convention, but as I'm still having camera issues, didn't get to take many photos. I'll have to rely on my friends' few pictures to show some of the costumes.

For now, here are some pictures I've gathered off the internet and my friends of all of us in our various costumes. The photo above is me as Gwendolyn from Odin Sphere (her formal outfit), which I wore to the formal ball on Friday and just walking around Sunday.

[Left] Me as Suigintou. [Right] My boyfriend as Phoenix Wright (plus glasses), with a Mia and Maya we bumped into at the Pru.

[Left] Mike as Zabuza from Naruto. After a year, the sword needs some touching up, but it still looked pretty damn cool. [Right] Mike (the other Mike) as Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke.

Rurouni Kenshin: Takani Megumi

Megumi is well known among Rurouni Kenshin fans as the “Fox Lady”, meaning both literally a vixen for being cunning and “foxy” or beautiful lady. She is assumed to be the last of the Takani clan, a high class level family of well renowned doctors who specialize in Western and Eastern medicine. Her father died in the battlefield in Nagasaki, while her mother and two brothers disappeared. She was working as the apprentice of a prominent doctor when she was forced to create the “Spider’s Web” opium.

This girl looking convincingly like Megumi, though she probably needs to comb her hair a bit. It’s still a really great cosplay though! Awesome job!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, rurouni kenshin, megumi, takani, doctor, eastern medicine, western medicine, rangaku, renguku, nagasaki, opium, spider’s web, cosplay, cosplayer

Bleach: Kuchiki Byakuya

One of the most popular Shinigami captains of the Bleach Universe, Kuchiki Byakuya is born of noble blood… the 28th head of one of the four noble families.

He is very calm and apathetic, and believes in Law and Order. He sets himself as an example to others by following the rules of Soul Society without question, even if it causes him personal conflicts.

As a noble, he wears a kenseikan headpiece which symbolizes his rank as the head of the Kuchiki family and a scarf made by Master Weaver Tsujishiro Kuroemon III. The scarf is a family heirloom and is said to have the same worth as 10 large houses.

Beautiful cosplay! Though I think this Byakuya is a girl. The pink flowers in the background looks like sakura too! I wonder how she was able to do her hair?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, bleach, kuchiki, byakuya, noble, head, 28, apathetic, aristocrat, law and order, soul society, kenseikan, master, weaver, captain, tsujishiro, kuroemon, heirloom, cosplay, sakura, cosplayer

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Yuffie Kisaragi

The skilled kleptomaniac of a ninja, Yuffie Kisaragi is a self proclaimed “Materia Hunter” who joins parties in order to steal their Materia, small spheres of crystallized spiritual energy. She steals with the intentions of restoring her country, Wutai, to its former glory.

Isn’t she a cute little thief? Looks like she really can’t get her hands of the Materia, since she’s holding one in the photograph. Nice cosplay!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, final fantasy, 7, vii, advent children, yuffie kisaragi, materia, hunter, kleptomania, spiritual energy, wutai, ninja, thief

Yami no Matsuei: Kazutaka Muraki

Yami no Matsuei or the Descendants of Darkness’ main antagonist, Kazutaka Muraki is a brilliant doctor who laments over losing the lives of his patients… as a cover to the fact that he’s actually a psychotic serial killer who plays with spirits, curses, and the dead.

Do you realize now why I’m so fascinated with him?

And what a brilliant photo this is! With the roses, it looks like he is meeting with Tsuzuki, his “prey”. I love the hair and his trench coat too! Fantastic cosplay!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, yami no matsuei, descendants of darkness, yami, matsuei, descendants, darkness, asato, tsuzuki, kurosaki, muraki, doctor, killer, murder, dead, spirit, curse, cosplay, roses, blood, red. antagonist

Gyakuten Saiban: Mitsurugi Reiji

Many people regard as the first bishounen (rough translation would be “pretty boy”, no pun intended!) of the Gyakuten Saiban series. Reiji is more commonly known as Miles Edgeworth, but since I’m loyal to the Japanese version, I’ll call him Reiji in my blog.

I can’t give much information about him unless I want to spoil the game play. All I can say is he’s a really good prosecutor with a kind heart, no matter how cold-hearted he may seem. The perfect rival for Naruhodo Ryuichi, aka Phoenix Wright!

I’m quite impressed with this cosplay. Though bitter disappointed to his fangirls since this cosplayer looks like a girl to me. But I’m assuming this. We all know I’ve been wrong before.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, gyakuten saiban, phoenix wright, ace attorney, reiji, mitsurugi, miles, edgeworth, bishounen, cosplay, cosplayer, fangirls, prosecutor, defense attorney, pretty boy

Trinity Blood: Augusta Vradica aka Seth Nightroad

The youngest of the Nightroad siblings, Seth became the Empress Augusta Vradica of the New Human Empire. 800 years ago, she led the Methuselah to safety and helped restore natural life to the land where the Empire eventually rose. Her people see her as their mother, and she does them as her children. No one’s actually seen what she looks like though, because of the heavy veils she puts on when she speaks to them and she uses a voice modifier as well. Because of this, she can easily move around the city without being noticed.

Awesome cosplay! The details on the costume is quite stunning and impressive! Oh, did I mention that the character looks like a little girl but she’s actually 900 years old? Comes with being a crusnik I guess!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, trinity blood, augusta, vradica, seth, nightroad, empress, new human empire, methuselah, cosplay, anime, manga, spy, mother, children, crusnik

Cosplay Material Links

I get excited when I find a new source of materials or information for cosplay, so here is a short list of some that I've found recently.

Reynold's Advanced Materials - These guys just opened up a store in the Boston area, which I plan on checking out. They have basically everything you would ever need to cast anything. If you live near a store, they also have classes.

Simply Spray Fabric Paint - The website isn't so great, but I'm trying to focus on the product. I found out about this through a cosplay forum. A girl used it to paint an intricate plaid pattern on a dress, and it looked great. It doesn't get stiff or anything, and goes on like spraypaint. You can buy it in stores... I just saw some in Joanns recently.

Volara Foam, Conductive Foam - These foams are supposedly alternatives to "fun foam" or craft foam for forming armour. Apparently they respond well to heated shaping and are pretty durable. One is closed cell and the other appears to be open celled. I was recommended these materials by others who have used it.

Friendly Plastic Pellets - This is an alternative resource for Friendly Plastic pellets, which might be a little less expensive than cosplaysupplies.com.

Electrique Boutique - This isn't for construction, but this place has a large assortment of different shoes that might be useful, and their prices are good. You can get a pair of boots for about $25, brand new, which is good in my book.

Hope you guys can find these links useful. ^_^

AB Prep Day 2

Hello there.

Earlier today I finished Ashitaka's hood. Sorry, I know I look... not good. heh. I traced a hood on my WoW hoodie for a general idea of the shape and size of the hood. I brought it over the forehead a little more and made the top more pointed, then cut it out and sewed it together. I made two of these exact hoods, one in red and one in brown (for the lining... the red fabric has a bit of an open weave). Then I used trial and error, putting it on to check the shape. I ended up making the top shorter. Sometimes trial and error is the best way to go.

Right now I'm working on my ball gown. I finally got the top fitted to me properly, which is extremely important for strapless dresses. Now I am working on pinning on the colours. I finished and gathered the top edge of my blue fabric and am in the process of pinning it on, which is what you see in the picture. That's why it looks weird.

I ran into a problem with Ashitaka's pants. I won't go into details, but needless to say it came down to a shortage of fabric... even someone as skinny as Mike wouldn't fit into these. We're going to try to substitute some premade pants for the sake of time, either a pair of Mike's or one that I will go purchase. Sometimes, when there is a simple component to a costume, it is more worth your time and money to just buy it and add it to the pieces you made yourself. That way, they won't detract from all your hard work.

I've been trying to take more step-by-step photos, but I've been having a problem with my camera's batteries running out for no reason, and then I have to recharge them. Since the con's only a few days away, I can't stop working to wait for the camera. So, sorry. ._.

I'm going to post some links to cosplay supply websites that I've found lately. Next post!

Ashitaka's Comin Along

Mike's Ashitaka costume is coming along nicely. Last night, I created the sleeve part that goes underneath the whole thing.



At this moment, I'm working on the robe. It's almost done! It just needs sleeves.



Sleeves are one of the hardest things to make, especially if you aren't using a pattern. Robe sleeves are pretty easy because they're baggy and easy to hide any flaws in. At this point, I'm okay at sleeves. I start by making cylinders, which either taper toward the wrist or don't depending on the design, and then I cut an angle at the top unfinished end.

I'm going to do a sleeve tutorial some time soon.

I have a few more things on the check list for today, so I'm off. I hope if you're going to AB that your preparations are going well! Leave a comment and maybe I'll see you there!

The Legend of Zelda: Link

…or rather, 2 Links! But wait. why are they in red and blue? Isn’t Link suppose to be in green?

Anyway… Link is the protagonist of the classic video game series, “The Legend of Zelda”! He is a young Hylian boy known for his great swordsmanship and fighting skill. He is a humble fellow, and bears a Triforce mark on his left hand, showing that he will be the one to find the Triforce of Courage.

Thanks to Wonderland for sharing this awesome cosplay picture!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, game, the legend of zelda, legend, zelda, link, hylian swordsmanship, skill, triforcs, courage, wonderland, classic

Preparing for a Con

Anime Boston is a week away!
Yay!
I'll be blogging all this week, showing pictures of my projects and giving you some idea of my timeline. I try not to have costumes to make right before the con, but that hasn't happened yet, and I have one to make for my friend in addition to finishing my own.

The first step is to make a big fat list. I wrote down each costume and underneath each put what I had to do, in specific tasks. If a task had multiple steps, I wrote those in. If you gloss over things, you will think you have more time than you do. Seriously.

Tomorrow I'm going to make a rough timeline to give myself some deadlines. I'll have to squeeze in some schoolwork, too!

The second step was rearranging my room to accommodate the amount of cosplay stuff that's in it. I live in a single dorm room, and it's reasonably sized for a person who doesn't sew or do cosplay as a hobby. I have crinolines hanging on the walls, bags on the walls... everything on the walls! All I have is vertical space. Use what you have.

I have a lot of materials and supplies, and everything gets organized into separate bags by costumes. Fabric is kept separately from paint, wood, etc. and in ziplocs (to keep out dust) instead of grocery bags.

3M hooks are great for this kind of thing. You can put up tons of them, hang everything your little heart desires, and then take them down after the con!

I'll be posting some photos of the sword making process this week, as well.

I finished up my client's dress. It was a bitch to make, for some reason, stupid things just kept going wrong. It happens. There was a problem when she got it, too, but we figured out how to fix it :D and she has been very nice the entire time. I can't wait to see how she creates the rest of her Urd costume.

Well, off to work on costumes...!

Chobits: Motosuwa Hideki and Chi

Aww… this is just too cute! Too bad we can’t see Chi’s face…

I am wondering why they’re in a girl’s room though. In the anime, Hideki and Chi live in an apartment, and it’s not a girl’s room, but rather, a guy’s room. Chi is, after all, Hideki’s persocom, and so she is the one living with Hideki.

And this picture makes it look like the exact opposite!

I’m not complaining though. It’s a really good picture, and I like it very much! Don’t you think it’s really cute they’re sharing one pajama?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, chobits, chi, chii, motosuwa, hideki, anime, manga, persocom, pajama, apartment, elda

Rozen Maiden Träumend: Barasuishou and Kirakishou

The fake and the real Rozen Maiden… The girl with the siver hair and purple dress is Barasuishou, an apprentice’s attempt to surpass his Master’s work, namely the seventh Rozen Maiden, Kirakishou.

Unfortunately, the anime doesn’t reveal much about the Kirakishou. Rozen Maiden Träumend focused more on the apprentice, and sadly, even though Barasuishou was able to attain all the Rosae Mysticae, her body could not contain them. She died in her “father’s” arms, the apprentice of the Master known as Enju.

Beautiful cosplay and a brilliant shot! Thanks to Project GEOFRONT 9 for sharing the image!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, rozen maiden, träumend, cosplay, enju, barasuishou, kirakishou, rosae mysticae, rosa mystica, father, master, apprentice, dolls, project geofront 9

Pangya: Kooh

This cosplay was first posted by Kooh, and no, I don’t mean the Kooh from Pangya, but rather the Kooh of Sanriotown.

…ok, I think Kooh is claiming to be the Kooh of Pangya, so I’m a little confused myself.

Anyway, speaking of the character the cosplayer is portraying, she is a young pirate in search of her father who has vanished since the battle with the Demon King. Her father was a captain of a pirate ship and because of his disappearance, his crew thought he abandoned them. To prevent a mass rebellion, Kooh stepped up and became the captain (not without proving she is worthy, mind you!). She now sails the seven seas in search of her father whom she believes to still be alive.

Beautiful cosplay! Probably the best Kooh I’ve seen so far. Thanks to Cosplay.co.kr for the image!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, kooh, pangya, cosplay, pirate, captain, sanriotown, rebellion, demon king, missing, korea, lt. fukai

Naruto: Mitarashi Anko

Mitarashi Anko, a former student of Orochimaru and bearer of one of his “cursed seals” (Orochimaru’s jutsu). After learning that Orochimaru was merely using her as a tool, Anko left Orochimaru and allowed him to erase her memories of her time together with her teacher. She is now the proctor of the second phase of the chunin exams and hates Orochimaru with a passion.

Really love the simplicity of this cosplay. She really caught Anko’s character. Her pose and the composition of the photograph is nice too. Wish I could see more of the costume though…

Technorati tags: nanao, research, mitarashi, anko, naruto, cosplay, anime, manga, orochimaru, jutsu, cursed seal, tool, proctor, chunin, exams, character, photography

~Vampire Knight

❤All credits to the cosplayers and photographers❤

OFFICIAL Website

== Day Class ==
Yuki Cross 黒主 優姫



Zero Kiryuu 錐生 零

== Night Class ==
Kaname Kuran 玖蘭 枢

Takuma Ichijou 一条 拓麻

Hanabusa Idou 藍堂 英

Akatsuki Cain 架院 暁

Luca Souen 早園 瑠佳

Senri Shiki 支葵 千里

Rima Touya 遠矢 莉磨

Seiren 星煉