Category: Anime, Manga, Etc

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Anime, Manga, Etc cosplay SciFi and Fantasy

Die Has Been Cast For Dragon*Con!

The die has been cast, I just registered for Dragon*Con 2012! I reserved a room a few weeks ago, so I figured it was time to pay for a badge before the cost goes up on the 15th.

I’ve wanted to go to Dragon*Con for some time and had originally planned to go this year. But I got laid off around this time last year and had to put those plans on hold. Fortunately, I’m working again, so it’s back on! Yay! I’m hoping to take my Uhura to the parade and will probably have one or two new cosplays by that time. Not sure what yet, but I always find yet another costume that must be made!

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Anime, Manga, Etc cosplay SciFi and Fantasy

Otakon 2011 Aftermath

It’s been quite a summer of travel for me this year. Right after Otakon, it was off on a road trip to Toronto for nearly a week. Then back to work, followed by this year’s installment of Wizard World Chicago Comic Con.

Otakon was fun and full of interesting feelings for me this year. I’ve been doing contract work most of this year, so for a while, I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to attend. But things worked out and I hit the road for my 7th consecutive Otakon. I had three cosplays planned, Miho Tohya, Stocking, and Uhura. The Uhura costume was fun, challenging, and a lot of work to make. But I finished in time for the convention.

I wore Miho on Friday and as I had expected, there wasn’t a lot of recognition of the cosplay. Miho is a character from MegaTokyo, a web comic and OEL graphic novel series. Still I had fun with the cosplay and enjoyed singing and dancing in it. One extra level of difficulty came from staying at the Sheraton, which is a couple of blocks from the convention center. That meant navigating the public streets in costume, something that would prove interesting as well as enlightening over the weekend.

Madoka and Kyubey

Saturday it was Stocking cosplay day. I had worked up the courage to go to the Panty and Stocking photoshoot, unfortunately I was late and basically missed it. It’s okay though. I was late because I just had to squeeze in some karaoke first. Karaoke trumps everything, LOL! Made it to the Masquerade, which was okay for the most part.

Normally Sunday is not a big cosplay day for me, but with a new costume to show off, this Sunday was different. I had no idea just how different it would prove to be. The heat had been a problem all weekend and even the convention center was hot in places due to AC failures. So I was bit concerned about makeup with a new cosplay. As I stepped out into the heat, my main thought was to get to the BCC quickly.

No sooner had I crossed the street than a woman with children stopped me for a photograph. She was excited telling me how much she liked my costume. Soon I realized that she had no idea I was a guy, so I just nodded and smiled to maintain the illusion. Pic requests are part of the fuel that make cosplayers go, so I was pretty happy when I reached the BCC where I was immediately stopped for a picture by a man with a professional looking camera. Again, no idea I was a guy.

I got a lot of compliments and picture requests for my Uhura cosplay throughout the day. It even lead to a very enjoyable conversation with a fellow Star Trek fan. In the dealers room, I noticed a couple of thing immediately. One, a lot of pic requests came from black people. Two, a lot of these were black guys! This is really the first time I cosplayed a character who was black like me, but I wasn’t really expecting it to be so popular.

At the end of the con, while walking back to my hotel, I’d learn that my Uhura might be just a little bit too popular. About a block from the hotel a black man on the street asked if he could take my picture. I agreed and struck a pose. He took the picture and then asked me, “Can I walk with you?” I’m not sure if I was alarmed, shocked or what. I just silently shook my head. He got the message and we parted company.

In retrospect, I realized that it was a good thing that I did not reveal my true gender. There’s no telling how he would have reacted given that he’d just tried to pick me up. This was when I had my epiphany. I’d been worried all weekend about my cosplays and whether I looked good in them, and as a crossplayer whether I was passing. Turns out I was passing pretty damn good!

On the way to the con I had random guys apparently trying to talk to me. At the con, when I was getting food, some of the staff clearly didn’t know I was a guy. I enjoyed some of the ruckus that caused as I left. On Friday night on my way into the dance, a guy stopped me for picture. That was the only pic request my Miho got, which actually looks kinda like rave wear. And on Saturday night on my way back to the hotel after the Masquerade in my Stocking cosplay, while waiting on the corner next to another random guy, I noticed him totally checking me out. Hello! I’m standing right here! Nevertheless, he was running his eyes up and down my body. If he knew I was male like him, I doubt he’d have done that.

The only logical conclusion to draw from all of this was that despite some misgivings, my crossplays were pretty good. And, I was especially attractive to black guys. Or at least they were the most likely to make their interest known in a visible manner. So as I left Baltimore, I had my usual post con glow but on this occasion it was mixed with an extra portion of pride for a job well done!

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Anime, Manga, Etc cosplay

ACen Aftershocks: Extended Edition End

Friday had turned out to be a good start for the con. Saturday would prove to be the greatest challenge on an almost existential level. I’ve been coming to Anime Central with my family since 2004, so this was our 8th ACen. It always managed to be a fun time, even with the occasional drama that can happen sometimes when you stuff your family into a hotel room half filled with costumes and plushies.

But sadly, my wife wasn’t having as much fun as the rest of us. So I decided to make a concerted effort to find some things to do that she would enjoy. I should have known that this was simply doomed to failure because at the end of the day my wife is not a nerd. An intellectual, yes. Indeed, she is a scholar in the best of ancient Chinese tradition. But she is not a nerd or a geek. Moe and mecha mean nothing to her. And, well, cosplay goes right up to the line. Crossplay crosses over that line and crashes hard into the bottom of a deep deep chasm of the unmentionable.

As has become our custom, the family arrived at the worst time on Saturday morning, right in the middle of the AMV contest, and later we played some unintentional hide and seek in the dealers room. We finally got together in time to go the Khaotic Kouture fashion shows with Sixh and h.NAOTO after a candid little interview with the Cosplay in America guy! I thought the fashion show was pretty cool, the wife, not so much. She just wasn’t into it. Afterwards we went on a little photo run and then had some late lunch together.

acen2011-061

In the end, we decided that this would be her last ACen. She and our oldest daughter just aren’t very interested in anything at the con. So next year it’ll just be me and the 3 youngest. My sons and younger daughter are all hardcore gamers and anime fans. They had a great time playing in the video game tournaments and cosplaying. So I cannot wait until next year!

acen2011-090

Last year I didn’t get in line early enough for the masquerade, so this year I took no chances. Still I ended up all the way behind the Hyatt standing on a muddy lattice of bricks that was pure hell in heels.  But it was all good. The masquerade was pretty good this year. I liked the MCs and I liked starting with the walk-ons rather than the skits. When the skits go first, there’s usually a rush for the door once they end which I think is unfair to the walk-on cosplayers. Cosplayers often put a lot of work into their costumes and we all want people to see it! Having the half time show hosted by the popular Zak and Voltz was another good move. In the end I think this was one of the best ACen masquerades in some time. No awful yaoi skits, and I actually found the occasional explosion of T and A in some of the walk-ons quite enjoyable.

While my Stocking cosplay did not feature any T and A, it must have been convincing enough to some.  While going to the bathroom and fixing my makeup, in the men’s room of course, I encountered a hotel security officer. I looked at him, he looked at me. No words were exchanged and I left. He came out a short time later, looked at me some more. Still no words were exchanged. I guess someone thought I was in the wrong bathroom and called security. I guess I’ll take that as a compliment, LOL.

I decided to skip Karaoke Madness in favor of the Soap Bubble dance because I’d gone on Friday night and was a little disappointed that so few anime themed songs were done. I know some people were complaining about this on the ACen forums, but I can understand the desire to open up the fun to more people. Still it is kind of funny to see the tension between the more extreme Asia-philes (aka weeaboos) and more mainstream con-goers. I think over the years ACen has moved in a more mainstream direction. I’ve seen this in the music at the dances too. Sadly, imho, one rarely hears anime themed music mixes there anymore.

Luckily I did not have to wait in line for the Soap Bubble for very long. I liked the music for the most part until the dubstep stuff started. Sorry, just couldn’t get into it. So I decided to get some water, sit, and people watch for a while. There was the cutest couple dancing close to each other off in their own world. The guy was a tall chubby Asian guy, almost the epitome of the stereotypical image of an anime fan boy. And the girl, also tall and wearing a sailor fuku, the spitting image of the cute anime nerd girl. I’ll never forget how cute they were together!

I had thought about going to the Panty and Stocking photoshoot, but decided against it because I’m still a little shy about photoshoots. It’s silly, but maybe I’ll be ready in time for Otakon. After the dance, I reluctantly went to bed. The biggest day of the con was over. T_T

Sunday is always somber. It’s nice not having the work of getting into costume, but that also means not having the fun of getting into costume and just being me. I don’t cosplay because I don’t like being myself. Cosplay is just more self to be!

Breakfast with the family was nice and we got checked out without too much delay since most people were still sleeping. Wife and kids went back to Chicago and I made my final rounds. I was happy to get to the Robotech panel with Steve Yun. Robotech was one of the series that reignited my interest in anime.

I’m already planning for next year’s ACen. The dynamic is going to be a lot different and I plan to try some new things or do things differently, including going to photoshoots! Sometimes I wonder if cons are more fun with the spice of drama mixed in. I wonder…

Mima

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Anime, Manga, Etc cosplay

ACen 2011 Aftershocks: Extended Edition

LOL, late with this as always. So here it goes! After about a month of commuting about 100 miles roundtrip everyday for work, I was really looking forward to this year’s installment of Anime Central. And, to make things sweeter, my AMV, Shinji Listen!!, was in the Drama Category finals for the AMV contest!

acen2011-001

Since my commute requires that I leave by 6 am anyway, I decided it would be a good idea to leave as usual on Friday morning in order to beat the traffic. Luckily, I’d finished my work on my daughter’s Hitsugaya cosplay and wouldn’t have to stay up late working on that. I really enjoyed making that for her because I knew that it was going to bring her a lot of joy to wear it at the con. My youngest daughter is a super high pressure over-achiever, just like mom. She needs to have as much fun as possible to blow off steam. It felt really good to be able to help her have a good time away from the pressures of school.

Leaving early paid off and I was able to get a good space in the Hyatt parking lot. And check-in was no problem. The super small room though, presented the first  challenge. But the hotel quickly sent up a roll-away bed at my request. It would be a tight fit for 6 people, but we would only be sleeping there on Saturday night. Friday night it was just me, so not really a problem.

I had plenty of time ahead of me, so I unpacked and set about ironing my costumes. Friday was to be split between my Mahoro and Tohya cosplays. Saturday would be all Stocking all day. I had decided to skip the opening ceremonies because the AMV contest was scheduled to begin at the same time in the Hilton. After rushing over there, not easy in a maid costume, I discovered that in true ACen fashion, the contest had been moved to another hotel and the early showing canceled. It looked like there was some kind of professional conference going on in the Hilton that day. The place was filled with middle-aged white guys in suits who were probably wondering what the hell this maid was wandering around for.

Anime Central has never been the best organized of the cons I attend and this year things seemed a bit more disorganized than most. Apparently a good number of panel scheduling did not meet the program printing deadline. So it was pretty dicey being sure that anything was happening where or when you thought it would. And given that the con was spread across 4 hotels and the convention center, it was quite a hike getting from one event to another.

acen2011-002

With the AMV contest a no go, I headed to opening ceremonies. After that I headed over to the Dealers Room and Artist Alley in the convention center to take pictures, my first pass shopping, and to say hi to some friends working there. For me the main Friday events were to be the FLOW concert, Karaoke Madness, and the Hardcore Synergy dance.

Before the concert I changed into my Miho Tohya costume. Nothing like motorcycle boots and a short leather skirt for a concert ya know! FLOW did not disappoint, they were awesome! They played all of their best anime themes and some other kick-ass songs I didn’t know. This was easily the best concert at ACen since the Pillows played a few years back. Ooh I wish I could get some of their music for Rock Band!

Next up, Karaoke Madness. As expected, there were a ton of people there. But for the most part things went smoothly. Unlike many anime cons, you can sing whatever you want at Karaoke Madness rather than just anime or Japanese video game music. I have mixed feelings about this. I think it’s great that it opens it up to a lot more people. But I really missed the chance to hear people sing some of my favorite themes while waiting for my turn to sing. And through an oversight, my turn to sing was skipped over. But it was okay, I got my chance to sing and I guess maybe I added a little bit more emotion to my rendition of Lion, from Macross Frontier, than I might have otherwise. I wish I hadn’t missed the Saturday night session as I heard they had more people singing anime songs that night. In any case, I still had fun and cannot wait to do it again next year!

After singing, I rushed off to shake it at Hardcore Synergy. I must say though I was kinda disappointed. I just couldn’t get into the beats they were pumping out. I got there during the last couple of DJs and just found the music undanceable. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but modulated noise just was not working for me at all. Other people were enjoying it, so it’s just my taste I guess… Next year I going to devote all of Friday late night to karaoke.

So my first day ended. I could hardly wait for the next day to begin. Saturday the rest of my family would join me, which is always fraught with challenge. One of my goals this year was to find some way for my wife to enjoy the con. Sadly, I would mostly fail in that challenge.

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Anime, Manga, Etc

ACen Aftershocks Video Attack!

I’ll get around to writing a full report on last weekend’s Anime Central soon. With over 23000 attendees, it definitely felt more crowded than last year! But first I’d like to post my AMV entry to this year’s ACen AMV Contest. This one made the finals in the Drama category. Ultimately, it did not win, but I’m still thrilled to have finally made the finals. I put off doing my taxes to the last minute just to finish this video in time! LOL

And for good measure, here is my entry from last year. It’s a parody of the K-On! opening done Princess Princess style!

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Anime, Manga, Etc cosplay

ACen, Blue Cards, and Poopcakes

Almost on cue, I had a weird pre-con dream last night. All I can remember now was needing to get some item for my dad. The item turned out to be some blue metal data card that was noticeably heavy. It was also somewhat worn. I got the card from a dealer in the dealers room. The card was very important. So much so that I remember choking and threatening more bodily harm to someone who had tried to trick it out of me. I told him, “A joke is a joke, but sometimes it goes too far! If you don’t give it back, I’m really going to hurt you!” The dialogue in my dreams could use some work.

The same dealer, I think, also had these pastries that I knew were not of Earthly origin. They were made by these creatures that poop out cake. Yeah, poopcakes. Apparently, some people couldn’t get over this fact and derided me a bit as I ate the cake. The cake itself was just so so. It could have been sweeter and the chocolate was a little flat.

Near the end of the dream, I remember looking down and seeing that I was in my Stocking cosplay. I wanted to be sure to strike a good pose for someone taking a picture.

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Anime, Manga, Etc cosplay

Anime Central 2011 Crunch Time!

ACen is just around the corner now! I’m really excited for this one for a couple of reasons. First, my job commute has been grinding me into dust, so I really need a break from that! And second, my anime music video entry made it into the ACen AMV Contest finals this year!

I was so excited when I learned that my video had made it into the main competition! I put a lot of crazy insane work into that one, even putting off filing my taxes to that last minute. Yeah, I actually had to drive down to the main post office in Chicago to get them in on time! But it was worth it! I started making AMVs 4 years ago and this is the first one to make the ACen finals. It’s also, I think, the best one I’ve made. So I’m very happy.

On the cosplay front, my costumes are more or less ready. But I’m helping my daughter with her Hitsugaya Toushiro cosplay, so it is now officially ACen Crunch Time! She’s styling the wig and working on props while I sew together the rest. It’s actually a pretty simple costume, so we should get good results. A few weeks ago, I made the tunic for her Latin Olympics Artemis costume, so I guess the pump is primed.

Hitsugaya Toushiro

This year, it looks like the older kids have some friends at ACen too. So my Friday night might be a little more complicated than I had originally planned. But that’s okay. I want them to take hold of their own lives. One of the great things about ACen, is there’s something there for pretty much everyone. This will be our 8th Anime Central, so they already know their way around quite well.

Well, I’d better get crackin, lots to do today!

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Anime, Manga, Etc

One Hand Clapping

After a pretty intense 48 hours, I’ve finished and uploaded my AMV contest entry for this year’s Anime Central. I didn’t realize just how stressed out I’d become until I finished the darn thing! Then when I went done stairs to celebrate and share my triumph, I was quickly drafted into pumping air into bicycle tires!

No one cared, no one to share my joy with… *sigh*

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Anime, Manga, Etc cosplay

Oh My!: A thinking man’s guide to crossplay

Oh My!: A thinking man's guide to crossplay
Oh My!: A thinking man's guide to crossplay
Oh My!: A thinking man's guide to crossplay
Oh My!: A thinking man’s guide to crossplay

Over the last couple of years, I’ve noticed increased interest in the how to’s of male to female crossplay. After participating in many of these online discussions over the years and contributing what I’ve learned from my own experiences, I was inspired to write a comprehensive little guide! (Click here to download for Nook, Kindle and iPad versions coming soon!)

This is for any guy who has thought that they might want to dress up in drag for Halloween, or perhaps has been tempted to cosplay as Sailor Moon at an anime convention. I think it hits all of the important bases with straight talk and a bit of humor. There’s a lot of information spread all over the web which makes it hard to get a handle on things if you’re just beginning. So I hope this guide will be a gateway to what I think is one of the most fun and rewarding forms of cosplay.

Update: The Kindle version just went live! Click here to download.

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Anime, Manga, Etc cosplay

Hello Monday!

A new week begins! My big goal this week is to finish up a new eBook I’ve been working on. I think it will be a popular subject so I’m excited to get it finished and out the door. Anime Aftershocks seems to be finding an audience, all on the Barnes & Noble Nook eReader for the most part. Whatever the reason, I’m happy that sales are growing!

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Anime, Manga, Etc

Anime Aftershocks Now On The iPad

My first eBook, Anime Aftershocks, is now on the iPad! I think the iPad is going to be an important place to be, so I’m pretty happy that the book is finally on sale in iBooks. It took some effort,which I wrote about in Publishing eBooks On The iPad, but I think will make it easier for me to publish future eBooks.

After playing around with digital comics on iPads as last weekend’s C2E2, I definitely want to get my own iPad as soon as I can. Despite issues with glare when reading in sunlight, I think the iPad is going to become the eBook and comic reader of choice. So it’s good to have my stuff there.

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Anime, Manga, Etc cosplay

C2E2 2011 Day One

I just returned home from C2E2 and it’s probably a good sign that I’m hungry for more, quite literally. I’m waiting for a pizza to come as I write this. But seriously, I had fun. I got a good number of cosplay pics, though still not as much as you’d see at ACen or most anime cons. Still, I’m enjoying the comic con side of life quite a bit.

The center of a comic con like C2E2 is definitely the exhibit hall with the dealers and artist alley. Panels are not as big a component, but that’s cool. I’m taking advantage of that focus shift to spend more time talking to the artists and dealers, and of course buying stuff too! I had some great chats about the future of digital comics with the guys at comiXology and Dark Horse. And I met the author of Girls with Slingshots, Danielle Corsetto and got an autographed copy of volume one of her web comic. I also got this cool strip Scrabble poster for my wife, a huge Scrabble fan!

As for cosplay, I went casual, donning my Star Trek: TNG uniform. I snapped as many pics as I could manage without tying up traffic and I think I got a lot of good costumes. Still, I’d love to see even more cosplay, but I’m sure I’ll see that tomorrow. Friday is always less dense just because a lot of people have work and school.

Well gotta get that pizza now!

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Anime, Manga, Etc cosplay Media and Entertainment

C2E2 And The Con Dreams Begin!

The second Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) begins on Friday! I’m looking forward to an even bigger con than the inaugural event last year. This year I got  a 3 day pass and am really looking forward to seeing the second of the Evangelion reboot movies, 1.11 and 2.22.

I don’t cosplay for C2E2 because I don’t really have anything that would fit the event. Super Heroes aren’t really my thing, though Star Wars and Star Trek costumes are pretty common at comic cons too. Maybe I’ll through on my Next Generation uniform just for lulz. McCormic Place Convention Center is pretty close to where I live, so no hotel costs to pay makes C2E2 pretty cheap for me. Still, I think it triggered a pre-convention dream last night. In this dream I’m at a con sharing a room with some friends, but somewhere along the way I’ve lost all of my luggage. I have absolutely no memory of how it could have happened.

I was pretty distressed about the situation in the dream. Not so much about the lost stuff as much about having no memory of it. Once I woke up and realized it was only a dream, I felt much better. It was only when I started to think about blogging about C2E2 that I realized that the dream was probably related to it. Since I don’t need a hotel for C2E2, that explains the lack of luggage and not having a memory of it. I love staying at con hotels, so breaking that pattern probably triggered the dream on some level.

As always, I’ll take as many pictures as I can of cosplayers! Last year I got a pic of some cute kids cosplaying from Avatar: The Last Airbender (the awesome Nicktoons original, not the horrid movie) and Time Out Chicago Kids used it in last month’s magazine! My first printed media photo credit! I’m sure that this year will bring out even more awesome cosplay!

Avatar Kids Take Two!

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Anime, Manga, Etc cosplay

Ohayocon 2011 Aftershocks II

Time to finish this up! I’ve been mad busy over the last month and now with C2E2 coming up in two weeks, I might as well put my Ohayocon thoughts to bed.

Saturday remains my favorite day of a con. I get out my new cosplays and look forward to the masquerade, dance, and hopefully karaoke. And at Ohayocon in particular, the guests! For the most part Saturday went very well. No major problems with my Stocking cosplay and even had a guy with a professional looking camera take a couple of pics that looked pretty good in the lcd display.

One of the best panels I attended was the Chris Sabat dubbing workshop. People from the audience would dub bits of Dragon Ball Z under the direction of Sabat and his awesome engineer would magically make it fit the video. Knowing a little bit about editing video, I was totally impressed at how fluidly the dubbing was proceeding, all in real time!

The masquerade ended up being a bit of a let down. There were a lot of good cosplays yes, but most of the skits were terrible! I’m pretty forgiving generally, but I kept waiting for a really good skit to come on,  but with a couple of exceptions, that just did not happen. A lot of so called skits were actually nameless, yes literally nameless, dance performances.

After that, headed off to wait for karaoke. The room it was in had a K-Pop dance panel going on that was rather interesting. And while waiting I found a Stocking fan, yay for hugs! Karaoke was fun, even though I totally blew my song. My contacts had dried out and I was having a lot of trouble reading my song lyrics. Plus I hadn’t done Silly Go-round in ages. Derp!

If I’d been in the con hotel as originally planned and booked, I might have stayed to sing another song. But I really wanted to go to the dance, which meant I needed to dump my stuff first. So I had to grab the shuttle bus back to the Capitol Square, sigh. I did meet some fun people along the way, so it wasn’t all bad. I had thought of splitting the day between Stocking and Miho cosplays. But Stocking was a lot of fun and was holding up well, so I decided to take her to the dance.

I got to the dance pretty late so there was no line to get in, but still plenty of people there and the music appealed to me mostly. So I had a great time! I had my double wig pinned down pretty good and everything stayed in place. A random woman even complimented my on the wig and took a pic! Totally wasn’t expecting that. After a couple of hours dancing in heels, insistent dehydration forced me to leave. But I’d had a good fill of fun. And as a bonus, before my bus came, I got an eyeful of round naked inebriated voice actor ass! She wasn’t one of the official con guests, but I recognized her from other con appearances. No, I’m not going to mention names here!

As is often the case, Sunday was pretty quiet for me. I hit the dealers room right away to shop for the family and say hi to my friends working there. Then I made a few more picture taking runs before finally deciding to head for home.

So another Ohayocon in the books. I may return next year, but after the masquerade let down and the hotel issue, I’m thinking about looking into some new con in that time slot. Naka-Kon in my home town happens a few weeks after Ohayocon, and Katsucon is another con I’d like to get to eventually as well.

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Anime, Manga, Etc cosplay

One Big Long Runway

One of these days, I’ll finish my Ohayocon 2011 report… But first I have to gush a little about Paradise Kiss! Paradise Kiss is an anime series about a young woman who decides she doesn’t want the academic life insisted upon by her mother and stumbles into a modeling career. I finally finished watching it and must say that I enjoyed it a great deal because of its interesting characters and an underlying story that has a realistic amount of grit to it. In Paradise Kiss, the fashions may be gorgeous, but people’s lives are not.

One of the shows climactic moments is during Caroline’s (Yukari) runway walk in the big fashion show. She’s worried about all of the things that could go wrong, like stumbling or falling down. But at the same time she is overflowing with energy, confidence, and excitement! It reminded me in a powerful way of the first time I walked the runway in a cosplay fashion show. I was so worried about falling off the stage, but at the same time, in that moment I felt like the most beautiful woman in the world!

That turned out to be the crowning moment of a fabulous day of cosplay that began with a most wonderful compliment of my costume no sooner than I’d left my hotel room. So in a sense the runway walk had already begun, hours before my turn to strut across the stage. For cosplayers, I think the whole convention space becomes one big long runway. The whole world is watching YOU, the most beautiful person in the world!