Cosplay = P0rn? (NOT!)

Those of you who followed TCC on FB would have seen this link update

Obviously I'm not the one who posted my Shana cosplay photo on that site. My photo, along with many other cosplayer's photos, were used without permission. I'm not exactly sure what is the motive of the perpetrator but I'm sure none of us want our photos there.

I have already emailed the site and reported abuse of the photo along with the request for them to suspend the uploader's account. I have yet to receive any reply from the site, which is not surprising , seeing how the entire site is full of ripped off photographs and is of indecent nature.

A fellow cosplayer (who was also a victim ) managed to track down the identity of the uploader and was suggesting I expose him on my blog to warn others. Obviously that is something I didn't choose to do because honestly, I couldn't care less who he/she is. Such incidents happen way too much and too easily. You can sqash one pervert but you can't stop all of them, there's no end to this.

And some of you might have seen this photo of a Showgirl cosplaying as Athena during the coveted Games and electronic convention ; ChinaJoy. This photo along with news of how the model was banned from the event went viral a few weeks ago

Photo from: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=464980926859138&set=a.399509110072987.97784.396206157069949&type=1&ref=nf

This is old pie but I'm sure you catch the drift of this blog entry. Objectification of female cosplayers.

Of course the objectification of the female body is not unique to the hobby but lets face it. How many of your non-Animanga friends / colleagues/ family members raised their eyebrows and thought you were doing porn when they found out you Cosplay? The fact is, Cosplay is very much associated with a list of hanky panky behaviours even though that is not the truth in real life.

I have nothing against them but, the recent emergence of high profile sexy Cosplayer-turned-models doesn’t quite help the situation either.

And I can still remember the uproar in the local community when a judge of a high profile Cosplay Competition openly commented something along the lines of "Cosplay is all about being sexy" . Brings home the message how deep that presumption is rooted in the minds of the public (the judge was the event sponsor representative ) huh?.

After Zephyus and I came in third for AFA's regional Cosplay Competition in 2010. We accepted a telephone interview with a local paper. And one of the first question the reporter asked was " So why did you choose to cosplay a Nun? Usually when girls cosplay they would choose bikinis or skimpy costumes. They would choose something that reveals a lot of skin. Why didn't you? ".

I was speechless and could barely make a come back reply. While I have always knew this was how the world works , it was still very hard to digest when confronted to.

I try very hard to avoid telling people how to live their life. But today, I would like to take this opportunity to bring awareness to this issue and remind everyone in the community to always be mindful of the way you present yourselves either in photos online or at events.

Yes, it takes two hands to clap and while I agree the perception of others outside the hobby needs correcting. There is a limit to how much we can blame other people.

Of course the above statement is not referring to the sggirls.com incident whereby perfectly decent photos of the victims, including myself, were stolen and used without permission.

I'm talking about unnecessarily explicit cosplay photos and costumes in public events and on public SNS accounts. While i understand the urge to be as close to the fictional character as possible, we must also remember we live in a world with moral and consequences. Your decisions might just help sink the reputation of our hobby even further. Remember, there is a thin line between tasteful and pornographic.

The famous Cosplayer molestation case that was on the front page of our local evening papers (2009).

To the many non Animanga and Games people out there. Cosplayers cosplays because we like it. Because it is an outlet for our artistic inspirations to flow. A chance for us to express our fandom in a new level, a chance for us to do something extraordinary  and a chance to create something beautiful with our God given talents.

Yes, I believe it takes a certain amount of talent to do a good cosplay. It may sound cheesy and ego inflating but that is my belief. The society deem the executing of many other activities such as drawing, designing, singing and acting a talent so why shouldn't Cosplaying be too? Do you know how much observations skills, crafting skills, dressmaking skills, make up skills, photography skills, photo editing skills and effort it takes to present a good Cosplay photo?

While there is probably a million reasons why a cosplayers does what he/she does. I choose to believe that majority of us in the community do it out of our love for Anime, Manga and Games. And our burning desire to create a piece of Art that will reflect our existence, passion and youth.  Fame and money comes into the picture occasionally but they are just perks, not objective!

And get it, at least 60% of the Cosplay population don’t cosplay in revealing costumes!

Objectification of the female body and assuming Cosplay is all about sex is nothing new. While there are many bigger humanitarian, political and financial issues to pay attention to, this is one issue close to my heart. If you think this blog entry can help clear up some misunderstanding about Cosplay; please share this entry.

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World Cosplay Summit 2012 (Skit Video & discussion)

A few days after the most anticipated Cosplay Competition worldwide, the World Cosplay Summit 2012's performance video is fast online!

This video shows the skit performance in sequence of their placing.

  /
Video by TVFRANCEJAPONwebTV
 

Firstly, a big round of applause for all the contestants. All of them are now winners and true heroes to their nation's Cosplayers. I know us Singaporeans were definitely very excited over AyaTenshi's and Raistlin's win at 2nd place.

I'm amazed at the quality of their costumes and how well it looked on stage! While I can tell that is not Raistlin's voice (KY XD?), I still find it amazing to hear non native Japanese speakers try so hard to dub in Japanese. If you think it's easy, go try it yourself !

I also love the little surprises they embedded into their performance such as the LED harp that reacts to being plucked, the sudden appearance of AyaTenshi's weapon, Raistlin's transform-able Mecha, and the flying feathers. It's really the little surprises that blows the audience away =). Their hardwork were evident on stage and I'm so happy they got the credit they deserved!

Thank you to the both of them for placing tiny Singapore on the pedestal and thank you for the hard work! Otsukare!!!

There is a lot of flake going around with regards to the winning of Japan.

I was told, this is the raw score by the judges, as you can see, Japan was only placed fifth. But as audience voting also played a portion in the final score, the 500 voters voted Japan up.

To be honest, I kinda sympathize with Team Japan. I'm sure in their own rights, they have also pumped in a lot of effort for the competition. But sadly, all everyone's gonna remember now is the cry of foul play. And I can't help being reminded of my own win at AFARCC2010 where I'm SURE many people don't agree we deserve. But I say don't hate on the people, hate on the system!

Personally I really really enjoyed Team Japan's performance. I'm not a Hakuouki Fan but there's something hauntingly beautiful and romantic about the series that despite my lack of interest in the story, still find attractive. And I think the 2 cosplayers really embodied that aura into their cosplay and skit.

While the premature falling of the backdrop was a bummer, it didn't deviate my attention too much. The Slow-Mo segment should be left to the comedians but the rest of the swordplay really wowed me. Swordplay is something much like Ballet; it takes years of hard work to master the basics and make everything looks steady and smooth. I've seen many failed swordplay performance (which is really more like 'swinging the sword around') and this have me taking my hat off. I know it's hard to make your entire body movement demonstrates the stealth of a professional because I have tried and fail myself . Henceforth to that, I say good job to Team Japan too.

But that said, I think the organising committee of WCS should probably change the Judging Rubrics. While including Audience votes into the final score makes the competition all the more exciting, it can easily cry foul play. I think a separate " Audience's Favourite" Award would be better. What do you think? Vote and comment below!

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Should Cosplayers be paid?

So recently, this certain status update by Jaroukasama from Philippines kind of triggered a passionate discussion on Facebook.

I'm here to share my opinions and also to give objective reasons why I feel Cosplayers should be paid if they are invited or recruited to 'work' for an organisation/club/ any form of Media.

The 'work' discussed here can be defined as menial tasks such as giving out flyers , being a Party Entertainment or  appearing on any form of Media for interviews or as background decorations.

In case you haven't sensed my drift. I am for it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against Commercialism, I’m just against exploitation. I believe labour should be paid regardless of who the individual is. Unless of course, if it is for a charitable cause.

My points below.

1) Making costumes is expensive

Costume making in Singapore is expensive.

 
Photo by Brian Lim

While it's not hard to see how those elaborate costume with yards of cloth can cost a lot. A lot of people will justify not paying the cosplayers by assuming that since the costume is already made, it doesn't make any difference to them. No extra cost is induced thus the cosplayers have no right to be paid.

Following this theory, does it mean if you own a car and paid up all the instalments, you should just lend it to someone (you don't personally know) for free ? Would you?

Cosplayers paid for the costumes with either cold hard cash or through their manual labour. To deprive someone else the rewards of their hard work is unreasonable. Especially if you are earning through them.

2) Cleaning costume is expensive/troublesome

It's easy to understand that costumes don't come easy but few understand that these special costumes require maintenance too.

Some costumes require dry cleaning while others need to be hand washed. Regardless of the way it will be cleaned, we can all agree that every wear will contribute to the “withering” lifespan of a costume.

And if the work requires entertaining a crowd or walking near slippery mud. There is a fair chance some nasty strangers will help spoil it.

While some can argue that the diminishing of a costume is inevitable, oxygen and dust alone can help break it down. But please bear in mind that cosplayers wear their costumes to have fun and fulfil their own desires. Why should they risk their costumes to promote you?

Food for thought?

3) Wearing a costume is exhausting & time consuming

While I agree, not all costume is uncomfortable. But I'm sure most seasoned Cosplayers will agree with me that no cosplay is ever really comfortable.

 
Kira shot this omake shot of us which really reflect our personality. Zeph = enthusiastic, Me = always tired xD

Even if it's not the bulky armour or heavy sword, it's the skimpy bust line. Even if it's not the 4 inch killer heels, it's the winter boots in tropical climate. Even if it's not the heavy hair piece, it's the skull constricting wig net. Even if it's not the 1059837551 spikey accessories, it's the dropping ribbon on your thigh.

I don't know about you, but it takes me an average of 2 – 3 hours to get everything on. And that few hours is always a panicky and stressful period for me.

 
“Srsly, fu*k ruffles. Not only are they difficult to make, they are a pain to iron too”

Each of us is given 24 hours per day and the recommended sleeping hour is 7 hours. 3 divided by 17 (24 - 7) hours in a day is more than 17% of your entire day. Below is an estimation of the time a cosplayer would need to dedicate.

• 0.5 hour – Packing, prepping and ironing costume
• 1 hour - transport time to and fro
• 2.5 hours - prep time
• 2 hours - work time

A whooping total of 6 hours ! Effectively , that is half a work day and 35% of waking time. And after the cosplay, more time wasted on cleaning the costumes.

Why should anyone go through the hassle of dressing up to fulfil the desire of an organisation they don't personally know ? Would you exchange 6 hours of your time for someone you don't know ?

4) Time is money

Firstly, time is precious. People always tend to undermine the importance of something they cannot see. But really, if there is one thing you should cherish in life, then that is time.

 
Photo by Brian Lim

Time is an appreciating asset that grows more and more important as you realise you have lesser and lesser of it. The cruel fact is, everyone was born to die. When the ending is the same for everyone, the only difference comes in the way you live it.

And time, unfortunately is something a lot of people assume cosplayers have a lot of. And henceforth, cheap.

Many people assume all cosplayers are teeny students. Which is not entirely wrong because the majority of the Cosplayers Demographics are student. But as the hobby progresses and mature, many of the teenagers have now become young adults with a job. Even if they really are students, their time is better spent revising their textbooks.

I have mentioned many times on different accounts that maintaining this blog, this youtube channel and my own cosplays has been very challenging. Writing this entry alone has taken me well beyond a few days because I mostly only have time to blog a few hours a day.

I'm not mad busy but I'm not exactly keen to volunteer my time to insincere individuals/organisations either. I don’t know how to put my honest opinion across more politely but no, I’m not interested in helping out in your event and “ Promote Cosplay to the public” for free.

That said, if both parties can come to an agreement that benefits both sides then all’s great. I don’t know how a cosplayer can benefit from a commercial organiser in any ways other than cash and products but you get my drift.

5) Someone is earning through you

Probably the one most important and teeth grinding point. The event/ TV station/ media parties are paid big bucks to create entertaining content. Depending on the time slot and channel, a single 30 second advertisement can easily cost more than 6 digits!

If their content includes you, shouldn’t you get some sort of compensation for your involvement ?

Event organisers are paid by their clients to make sure everything for the event runs smoothly and there is sufficient attention on it. To put it simply, Event organising companies are also paid to create hype for the event.

And some times that hype is you, shouldn’t you get some sort of compensation for your involvement?

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I’ve once again exhausted myself writing >,< . How do you feel about this topic? Comment and share with us =)

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What happens to your costumes afterwards?

If Cosplay is like a dream in fantasy land then the aftermath would be a huge slap of reality. Left over fabrics, sequins, glue, feathers, ribbons, fake gems, chains, interface, sponge, craft foams, wires, spray paints and felt aside.

What about the costumes??????!!


Let’s face it, how many use will you get out of one costume? One rarely even manage to get 3 use out of it.

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Okay, fine. Even if you do get like, 3 use out of it. What happens to the costume next?
I don’t know about you, but every time I rummage through those stacks and drawers of costumes, I start to entertain quitting cosplay. While I really enjoy cosplaying and is somewhat addicted to it, there are also lousy moments when I look at what’s left and groan. And then I ask myself, was all those hours of hard work and money worth this short moment of fun =_=;;?

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For space constrained Singapore, this is an on-going challenge >_<;;

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ME PWEASE!!!

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Why I hate talking Cosplays to Non-Cosplayer

....Or anyone outside of the active community (Photographers, helpers, avid Animanga fans etc). Because they always ask me questions I find difficult to answer and I always find myself unable to justify and uphold the hobby.

Person X: So what do you do during Cosplays?

Me: erm.... take pictures and go to events ...

Person X: oh I see... what do you guys do when you attend events?

Me: erm.... mingle with other fans, watch the stage activities and stalls and. ...... take pictures.

And it's not like they are even trying to bring the hobby down, they were just being inquisitive! Double fun is how everyone always ask the same questions xD I guess they really don't have a clue eh?

Strangely, no matter how much I enjoy the hobby, every fun factor in the hobby suddenly pales and wither when a non-Animanga fan queries about it =___= ||||

I mean, taking pictures is fun to me! But explaining that to someone else never fails to put a rock in my throat. I think I need some help in coming up with intelligent answers!

The next dreadful comment would be this “Oh, I think the Japanese Cosplayers are awesome but Singaporean/ Caucasian ones are far from it”.

Seriously, sometimes I wonder what's the purpose of telling me that. Were they expecting me to bow in agreement and do a cheers hug with them ? Are they trying to prove that they know something about this hobby. Or are they trying to imply I won't ever be as good as my Japanese counterpart?

Person Y: Oh you cosplay?

Me: yeah...........

Person Y: Ooh, I've seen some really awesome Japanese cosplayers, they really look like the characters!

Me: haha yeah...

Person Y: ...but the ones in Singapore can't really match up....

Me: Haha I can't really agree. There are actually a lot of really good cosplays here...

Person Y: But the Japanese ones are REALLY good! The ones I've seen are really good! You should see it

Me: Erm okay, personally I admire western cosplayers more.

Person Y: hahah the Caucasian ones are, I'm sorry to say very far from good

Me: Well actually there are a lot of very good Caucasian cosplayers. Have you seen some

of their costumes? It's really awesome.

Person Y: Well maybe they win by their costume but looks is another thing

Me: *getting agitated* That's where you're wrong :D! Imagine how those final fantasy characters are all modelled after Caucasians! If a westerner can do a good job on their costume (and be of the right physique), they will look even closer to the characters than an Asian will ever be!

Person Y: Hmm but I still think Japanese are better. If you've seen the pictures I've seen...

Me: *Getting VERY annoyed* Of course I'm sure I've seen a lot of very good Japanese cosplay but I don't think they are the best...

Person Y: I still think they are the best , I think it's a personal preference thing

*The above conversation is a re-enactment of an actual conversation but highly unreliable as is based on my failing memory *

My point is, can we STOP GENERALISING?!!!! Yes, there are some very good Asian Cosplayers and some bad Western cosplayers but who's to say a specific race is better than another when the hobby itself is so varied in presentation?

 
JiakiDarkness cosplay Gakupo BRS by ~Jiakidarkness

The same cosplayer can be awesome as Character X ( example: Deedlit, Gakupo) but fail desperately as Character Y (example: Uzumaki Naruto, Hatsune Miku). There is no such thing as a "1-person-fits-all" nor a “1-race-fits-all” !

Uzumaki Naruto is back by ~WammysCosplay

I have nothing against Japanese Cosplayers and yes, a lot of them are really awesome. But I definitely wouldn't reign them as my personal throne master. It could be due to the fact that my language obstacle has stopped me from seeing more of their cosplays. But from my admittedly skewed and shallow perspective, I find their cosplays too made-up and lacking in variety.  Then again, I guess I don’t see enough of it as a whole to judge *shrug*. I guess I should schedule a trip to Comiket soon huh?

Anyway I digressed.

Coming back to the discussion, why is someone who have never cosplayed before giving me his/her Critics and Comments and expecting me to take it?

What I dislike most is the jab in the eye by a supposed "outsider" implying I should know lesser than them! Every time one of them tell me "If you've seen the pictures I've seen..."  I pulled a muscle restraining myself from retorting " What makes you think I would have seen any lesser than you?".

Phew! That’s a lot of anger and retort and bitching going on above. Truth be told, this entry was written maybe 6 months ago but I never got around to finishing it until today. Had been very busy =(

I hope nobody takes what I say personally. As usual, I’m not being vindictive nor am I discriminating anyone/any race. My objective here is to share my observation of the reaction from non-Cosplayers and start the discussion rolling with like minded Cosplayers (or at least people in this community).

Am I the only one who gets responses like these when someone finds out you Cosplay?

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Comment and share your thoughts about this!

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Professional Cosplayer?!

Some time after STGCC, a non-Cosplaying/Animanga friend and I somehow started talking about Kipi. She had read Kipi's interview online and was surprised Kipi was a Law major in college.

The conversation then led to us discussing about her looks ( the online article my friend read didn't have any photos).

Friend: Is she pretty?
Kaika: Yup!
Friend: Are her boobs big?
Kaika:  LOL! Erm, No =X
Friend:  LOL then she should go for a breast enhancement ! She's freakin rich now isn't she??!
Kaika: ..………..?!
Friend: *exaggerated expression* Do you know how much they pay her to come here??!
Kaika: Actually… I’m guessing not a lot
Friend:  These people they get paid A LOT alright xD ?!
Kaika: =_=||||||||

To be honest, knowing the community, I doubt Kipi was paid a lot for her appearance. My guess is that her trip and accommodation were the only paycheck.

At the same time though, I also understand some celebrities survive solely on their fame and their hefty paycheck for a mere appearance. So I found myself with conflicting opinions. To put it short, it was hard to convince my friend otherwise because I wasn’t so sure myself.

And so started the topic for discussion today. Are there really so called “Professional cosplayers”?

I don’t know about you but I raised my eyebrows when the media started labelling famous Cosplayers with that term a few years ago. Something –just- doesn’t sit right. Might be the whole fandom versus commercialism thing that strikes me as queer.

Dictionary.com defines a 'Professional' as below:

pro·fes·sion·al (adjective)

1.following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder.

2.of, pertaining to, or connected with a profession: professional studies.

3.appropriate to a profession: professional objectivity.

4.engaged in one of the learned professions: A lawyer is a professional person.

5.following as a business an occupation ordinarily engaged in as a pastime: a professional golfer.

As described by the term, a professional cosplayer should be someone whose livelihood is wholly sustained by Cosplay. Or at least, it should be a medium for them to gain substantial (financial/material) benefits from. Makes sense?

I've had this discussion with Decadence a few years back. And we both agree that by strict definition, it's pretty impossible to have a 'Professional' cosplayer.

By strict definition, a professional Cosplayer would have to be someone who is paid to Cosplay. Somewhat like a professional actor who is paid to well, act.

Yes, you might argue that Yayahan and Alodia's doing it. But if you allow me to comment objectively, I'd say both of them are earning their bread not directly from cosplay itself but from their merchandise and presence.

And this is the part that gets grey.

Because even though both above mentioned Cosplayers don't get their money from doing the hobby itself, it is definitely their jumping board, trademark and selling point. So that makes it hard to separate both entities.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to shoot the above mentioned cosplayers down, I admire them and think they are all awesome in different ways. I'm just analysing objectively.

So begs the question, is the term 'Professional Cosplayers' valid? Share with me your opinion on this!

Ps: All Images used copyrighted to their respective owners. I claim no rights.

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AFA Regional Cosplay Competition 2011 (Results) + National Pride?

Near a month too late but here is some footage from the AFA Regional Cosplay Competition’s Result announcement! The pure emotion showed on all the faces of the participants and the crowd was something I decided not to edit away ^^;

And apologies much for the immerse amount of shaking and jerking when I was screaming for my Home Team participants xD

Speaking of the Home team, am I the only one who feel upset with fellow Singaporeans for their lack of support for their representing country women ?!

If it was any other country, I’d understand the lack of cheers was due to geographic difference. But in an event that at least 50% (and that’s a conservative estimation) of the participant is from the same country, I was expecting a MUCH warmer support!

Tell me I’m cynical but I can’t help thinking it is all rooted back to many Singaporean’s innate tendency to support something foreign or be the first to put down their local products (general term).

Yes, I’m ranting and complaining here. But frankly, I feel that this whole “Singaporean are not good enough for Singaporeans” notion has to stop. Not only does that mentality demoralises the person (I’m talking about Singaporeans in this case) with the belief, it also spreads to people around him/her. It’s like a vicious cycle of discouragement and giving up.

Makes me wonder is my own country the only one with this issue?

Does this happen in any of your country? Probably not in the same context of a Regional Cosplay Competition but maybe more on pride in the local production or talents?

Share your thoughts with me !

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Top reasons why I don’t cosplay at events

Been wanting to talk about this for a while but never got around to it. And I didn't even realise it until someone left me a message on Deviantart asking me “ Do you go to local events?”. Was really taken aback by that question since I always try to cover as many events as I can.

Then I realise, it's not my participation but my cosplaying at the event! Yes, without my conscious knowing, I've stopped cosplaying at events save a few big ones for very long. And It's especially true this year as I had to miss Cosfest for some personal matters.

After such a long prequel, what I want to talk about, really, is why I've stopped cosplaying at events. To set the record straight, I'm not consciously doing it !

1. Lack of space for changing & makeup

Not sure about you but I personally don't enjoy squeezing with 30 other random girl in a single toilet. Lack of changing area for cosplayers is not a new problem here but it's one I never seem to get over. my last experience at SOY'C was horrifying. The toilet was badly ventilated and I felt like I was steaming inside, literally.

And when I went for the event that was screening May'n the Movie. I had to share a single disabled cubicle with 3 other friends. Not fun.

2. Lack of baggage storage
Again, another old problem. Cosplayers with our big costumes and props very obviously have a lot of baggages.

This is what I brought when I cosplayed Haruhi at STGCC. I find it hard to comprehend why a simple school girl cosplay have so much baggage to lug along. But the fact remains that I do have and usually when I cosplay, I have no choice but to leave it aside.Singapore’s well known for her safe environment but I still don’t think leaving your valuables lying around is wise.
3. Too much random passerbys
You probably think I'm saying this because I usually cosplay girls and I'm afraid of pervy males. Partly true. But the bigger issue is the sardine pack lack of space! Not only does that gives you lesser walking space, it also gives you lesser photography area. Meaning to say all your event photos have sh*tloads of people behind.

And because so much non Animanga/game attendees are participating in the event, the event becomes less appealing to me. Because I know I'll be exposed to a lot of random people who don't understand, don't appreciate and possibly even condescend this hobby.

I feel like I'm exposing myself to possibly unhappy situations (overhearing their distasteful comments etc.) and I subconsciously try to avoid that .

4. Random Pervy males
Because it's annoying and scary. Thankfully for me, I don't have much sexual appeal so I don't get as much unwanted attention. But I've heard way too many scary experience from fellow cosplayers to take things lightly.

One of the comments from my previous entry speaks of how many random Event attendees like to touch the cosplayer's when they take a photo together. Have this happened to any of you before?

 

Pervy Sage by ~Minato-117 (obviously this guys is a cosplayer himself and not a random pervy passer-by lols. But he did a really good pervy look no XD? No insults to him hokay! )

Personally, the really annoying notion is the understanding that they are there not for Animanga but for the babes. And I feel frustrated to be 'feeding' that demand.

 

5. I can't cover the event

As you guys know, I run this blog (duh) and I cover events to share with you guys. I learnt the hard way that if you want to cosplay, your ability to cover and enjoy the event will be highly compromised.

Firstly you'll have to either lug your belongings along as you snake the crowd or you have no choice but to leave it lying around and pray it doesn't get stolen.

Secondly, when you're in costume, more often than not your mobility is restricted. It will be a challenge to even reach the end of the alley much less cover the event. If you're wearing a huge costume with big parts jutting out then it's wiser to just stay in one corner.

I don't usually wear bulky costumes hence I have one less worry. But what I do encounter is getting stopped for pictures so much that reaching the end of the alley without delay is impossible. (disclaimer: I am in no ways implying I am popular. I'm not)

I really try my best to be nice and accommodate every request I get because I like to believe they are fans of the series too. But the scary thing that happens next is the photographer's wall that builds up simply because everyone likes free stuff! Not because they like your series or think your cosplay is good, but because they happened to be there with a camera so why not snap this willing subject since she/he is already posing?

And before you know it, 5 minutes, gone.

 

6. Photographs ? What photographs?

Not only do I spend a substantial amount of time posing for other people's camera, I also have to deal with the fact that I'm probably never going to see 98% of them, ever!

And that’s on top of the worry that someone’s gonna snap an awful picture of me to point fingers and judge critically with their friends.

I'm not exactly the most comfortable in front of a camera and it takes perking myself up to work the camera. After all the work of rushing your costume, doing your makeup and putting in effort to posing in front of the camera, you'd definitely want to see the results right?

I'm not trying to be mean or bitchy and I can sugar coat my words if I want. But the fact remains that, all my hard work is reduced to mere event entertainment. Free Mascot and crowd pleaser.

 

 

 

 

7. Commercialism

In the past, when the local Cosplay & Animanga community was budding, this arrangement seemed fine with most of us. We didn't mind paying to attend the events and having our pictures taken by random person because we cherished the little chance we get to mingle with like minded fans. And most of us don't own a camera anyway, so it was our only way of getting a photo memory back.

But now, I personally feel less enthusiastic about it because I know for a fact that commercial entities are using Cosplayers as a selling point.

Hey, I'm all for commercialism , Commercialism IS essential for growth.

But what I detest is blatant exploitation and poor treatment. I'm not dropping names or blaming any organisation because the fact is, it's a dog eat dog world out there. It's only politically correct for a businessman to think business so I don't feel I have the right to judge that. The only thing I can do is not involve myself in it if I don’t feel up to it.

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I'm not saying it's bad to cosplay at an event and neither am I'm implying that all event organisers are the big bad wolf. There are many well organised events that make paying for it worthwhile and of course, taking part in an event is like joining a Matsuri/Festival. It's for the fun and getting together and all the memory weaving!

Random photo is random

What I'm doing is just listing out my honest opinion on the Cons of cosplaying in a public place and encouraging cosplayers to rationalise and possibly, set their own expectations right before getting disappointed. Hopefully, some event organisers will also chance upon this entry and have an insight into what the event attendees want.

And ironically, I’ll be cosplaying both days at AFA 2011. See you guy there!

Not promoting Cosplayer pacifying BTW =)

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Are you a Costumer or a Player?

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I’ve always thought of myself as a “Player”. Someone who’s seriously fooling around, like seriously! Hahahaa. I mean, I’ve always been very serious about the hobby and every costume is given as much attention and respect as I could give it. But at the same time, I've always been doing Cosplay for the sake of fun and simply because I can.

Recently, I discovered a different aspect of my interest. A deeper, hidden side of my passion.Well, not exactly hidden nor deep but it was always something I wasn’t upfront about.

I realise my intense love for Cosplay rooted from my urge to be special, to be powerful, to be well….anything but simple, boring me. There, I've said it. TELL ME I”M NOT ALONE PWEASE?!!!

And I’m sure many people start cosplaying for similar reasons; a chance to be someone else. A chance to do something out of the ordinary. A chance to be their favourite manga character. A chance to be a ‘popular’ person (cosplayed character). A chance for a change that is bigger than the plain, ugly self I deem myself to be. 

(Please don't give me crap or flame me about faking self pity or phishing for compliments. There's no girl who won't feels self conscious )

WCS Singapore Preliminary 2010

AFAX Regional Cosplay Competition 2010

After doing my Skip Beat and Defence Devil stage performance, I discovered a love for acting/ performing. I realised I enjoy acting as the character that inspired my cosplay! I know it probably sounds all logical and sound on hindsight but let's just say it took me a while.

So all in all, I think I like cosplay because I want to live life, even if for a short few hours, as the cool, beautiful and engimatic characters I look up to. Not for the pretty skirt (okay, maybe a little bit), not for the fancy hair and not for the attention. I do it because I want to be just a little closer to the lovable individuals they are. They might not all be cool and kick arse but they all taught me something about life and gave my own boring life a kick of vitality xD!

I honestly don't know what's the whole point of my long proclamation but I sure as hell love confessing my love for this hobby and would like to hear yours too! Confess now! (comment & lemme know!)

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I know I haven’t been as active as I ought to. But after my Semi-Hiatus I decided I want to put in more effort to the hobby while I still physically can. No worries, I’m not diagnosed with TB or something, just decided to live life in the moment =)

http://elpheal.deviantart.com/#/d459trl

But I find it hard to abandon TheCosplayChronicles too because she’s my cradle baby so I guess I have to come to a compromise somewhere ^_^;

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Would you wear your costume out?

Haven't done discussion entries like this in a while but this is pretty interesting. So recently, I was craving for some cool bubble tea and decided to pop into the nearest store to get my craving fixed. What greeted me as soon as I stepped in was this….

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Spotted wallie xD?

Which reminded me of this picture a friend sent me ages ago.

 Gakupoid much ?

And she couldn't stop expressing her disbelief while filling me with details of how everyone was gawking at the girl.

So opens the question, would you wear your costumes (wigs, clothes, boots etcs) out for NON cosplay purpose? Has anyone tried it before? How did it felt? What made you feel like wearing it out?

Personally, I haven't done it much. Except for maybe, wearing a casual portion of the costume before or after the photo shoot/event. But I usually do that for convenience sake. It would be really cool if your costume had certain parts in them that would look blend in as a fashion accessory.

But personally, I haven't come across any costume that would escape looking awkward in the crowds of normal humans except for maybe NaNa. So, unless you can really work the outfit, I don't recommend wearing your costumes out for normal usage. Not so much of a '” it’s spoiling the character!” reason but because... it is usually a fashion disaster =/

But that's just me. How do you feel? Hmm... okay, on second thoughts... I think I might have been guilty of this act too.

My most notable achievement was going out in my almost full Kinomoto Sakura movie 2 costume to catch a bus to some event. Can't remember what event that was.

 

Went home in this 2 uniforms before because I was too lazy to change out.

And going home after AFA 2009 with my hot pink jumper because I couldn't bear to change out >w<. It's like parting with a friend. And yes, I went for dinner in that disgusting hot pink.

Which begs the 2nd question, do you ever feel like you want to continue wearing your costumes even after the event ends? I always feel like this whenever I'm late turning up for events xD I think its because I don’t want the dream and fun to end and I haven’t had enough fun!

panel management

What do you guys think? Do you think wearing a part of your costume out for non-cosplay reason is commendable? Or do you disagree with that?  Leave a comment and tell me please D: !

Disclaimer: I am in no way trying to put the above 2 ladies down. Neither am I implying it is wrong to wear your costume out, because what you wear is your own style. I’m not about to teach people what to wear BUT, personally, I wouldn’t want to wear my costumes out. Because they usually stick out TOO MUCH and I like keeping a low profile. And also because I have many nice clothes to wear so yeah =P

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I’m sorry I have to bother you guys again. But I'm taking part in a 'Smiling' competition now. And the most voted contestant will win herself a trip to JAPAN !!!

Please pop over to http://tinyurl.com/greenpinkkaika and click on the 'vote' button! You DO NOT need to sign up for anything or even login, you just have to click. You can vote once everyday and you can vote once with each different browser(Chrome, Firefox, IE etc) =) Please help me win and I promise I'll bring you guys some souvenirs back ToT!

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