Due to lack of luggage space, I only bought another Saber plushie. Spent the rest of my time there at the cosplay area. First off, nominees for the Sailor Bubba award. One guy doing Suigintou and another Teana Lanster. Great costumes, great attitude!
But my vote goes to the Vita cosplayer. Yes, the Subaru cosplayer is also a guy. But Subaru’s a tomboy anyway. Kudoes to the Zafira cosplayer for enduring the stuffy costume - though Day Two was a lot less warm than the previous day, it must have still been quite an ordeal.
Just like the Mobile Queue system, the cosplay area has its own SOPs. It’s the only area where photography of cosplayers is allowed as stopping to pose in the halls will disrupt traffic and worsen the crowd situation there. First off, if the cosplayer is already having their picture taken, get in line and when it’s your turn, greet the cosplayer with an ‘onegai shimasu’ and then ask for a specific pose if you have something in mind, after your one or two photos, thank the cosplayer with the standard greetings and a little bow before letting others have their turn. If a crowd of photographers start to gather around a cosplayer (usually one showing lots of skin), a member of staff will intervene and call time out on the shoot with a countdown from five. The cosplayer and photographers will then have to move on, elsewhere. This prevents traffic obstruction, allows flow and circulation of cosplayers and photographers so that everyone will have a chance to take pictures or get their pictures taken.
I remember that Gendou Ikari was a strong favourite at Otakon 2000. It’s hard for men to have a distinctive character to cosplay, most just wear rather drab suits or uniforms whereas the girls have so much more opportunity in their character design for great cosplay. But men can also play to their strengths. For example, our FMA Fuhrer cosplayer has the grizzled features that give him command presence, young Walter has the slightly debonair charm of the Hellsing butler in his Angel of Death days, the Patrick Zala cosplayer has got the strong jaw and hair style (with added grey lines) of the PLANT/ZAFT leader.
A rare case also of a girl cosplaying a male character - a girl as Kaworu!
I don’t really know any of these characters very well (if at all for some of them). Showing skin and a good bod is always nice. As is pretty and detailed costumes.
Needs MOAR Asa-senpai.
Rei remains a favourite. The plugsuit is a very demanding piece to wear though. The school uniform Rei had a nice extra touch of the red contacts as well as Rei’s serious, quiet stare.
The Aria kouhais still have a way to go before they can catch up with the primas…
Particularly liked the Suiseiseki costume.
He Is My Master cosplayers, like so many of the others, really got into the spirit of their source material, using poses from manga covers, OP/EDs or eye-catches.
Haruhi was a very popular choice but not that many captured my favour. Mostly because Haruhi is an extremely confident and arrogant person and quite a tough act to follow.
Mikuru, on the other hand, was also a popular choice and her character is more stereotypical and thus easier to re-enact.
The latter two pic’s Konata was a really short girl and thus the Lucky Star lead seems a natural choice for her. :3
This girl was the sweetest cosplayer I saw yesterday. A bit of a young Ogura Yuuko? But my poor photography skills don’t do her sweet looks justice. Awarded third favourite of the day.
This Lunamaria cosplayer was the only Lunamaria amidst a fairly large Gundam SEED contingent. There was a girl who was cosplaying Athrun too I think. But she had Lunamaria’s spunky genkiness just right. Runner-up in my favourites.
This Yuki cosplayer gets my top place. She was actually quite shy, hiding at the ledge area with her group and not venturing out to have her picture taken. I waited and waited and waited. And made the rounds, coming back to wait again. Until I just couldn’t wait anymore and waited for a gap to open up amidst the protective line of photographers and cosplayers to ask to take her picture. She gamely obliged and as she stepped forward, two female cosplayers beside me exclaimed quite loudly: ‘Ano ko kawaii!’ I completely agree.
She was definitely the cutest Yuki cosplayer that day and the prettiest girl too IMHO. Plus she also had the Yuki character perfectly pined down. Quiet, serious, few words but lots of gravitas but also an endearing vulnerability. Did I mention she’s oh so cute?
Slices of life:
The wonders of Yurikamome toilets. Not just automatic tap but also an automatic soap dispenser that doesn’t put out dishwashing liquid but instead a very pleasant foam. / Back home, being called a hero (or a champion) is not meant to be a compliment.
Stamina ramen (JPY 780)!
Sailor Bubba and his disciples are my new idols.
Lack of luggage space? That’s when you start mailing stuff back home! Still, I find it cool how you got to see the cosplay area and took photos as that is something I would totally like to do. However my lack of Japanese would probably be the hard thing to overcome, plus I’d have things to buy on all days of Comiket. If only I could do shadow clones!
Hmm. I don’t recognize all of those characters but the second female in the first row is everyone’s favorite blackjack dealer, Rio from Super Black Jack. Second row you have Al Azif from Demonbane and Hayase Mitsuki from Kimi ga Nozomu Eien in her Muv Luv Alternative incarnation. The first young woman in the third row is Euphemia from Code Geass. The forth row has Honey from Cutie Honey and in the second character in the fifth row is Elena from Street Fighter III. As for those other characters I’m afraid I don’t recognize them. But 6 out of 9 isn’t too bad I guess…
I’m a bit disappointed that you didn’t recognize Cutie Honey, Zyl. Honey Flash, my friend. Honey Flash.
Unknown #4 is Muv-Luv. Unknowns #7-8 are Re: Cutie Honey. Dunno about the others.
whats stamina ramen? it works as red bull? so new to me…I wanna go to the cosplay as well.. man I missed the opportunity…
Haha, my bad - I only watched a little bit of Cutie Honey but found it excruciating for some reason. Must have mentally blocked it out.
Stamina ramen has a thick meat stock added to the miso to form the soup. Supposed to be very nutritious and thus good for stamina. I think. ;)
The more I think of her, the more I feel I should have asked the Yuki cosplayer to marry me. LOL
If she likes to read so much, you should tell her to read your blog, lol.
You lucky son of a… :D
I’d have asked the Yuki player if she’d go out, but with my luck she’s probably got some very nice young man waiting in the wings. But she sounded very cute, and to be a perfect Yuki cosplayer.
Kabitzin, those were the times I wished I had been more diligent in my Japanese language self-study. T_T
Haesslich, in Yuki terms: ‘Unique.’ :D
lol @ Ren-kun, now I’m trying to imagine Red Bull ramen. >.>
I absolutely agree that there was not enough Asa-sempai representation there to appease me. The FMA Fuhrer cosplayer guy is great, by the way. You don’t see nearly as many older cosplayers, so it’s nice when they can pull off characters that younger folk can’t do.
I’m going to steal images from you for my Japanese Studies tutorial.
It’s time to call mattar!! [/jk]
Never imagined that stuff from this blog can be used for homework! LOL