Archive for April, 2010

Must Know Cosplay Information

April 29, 2010 - 3:49 am 41 Comments

Cosplay is a world famous culture and performing art which originated in Japan and has gained popularity in Indonesia, Malaysia, China, United States and many other parts of the world. This moniker was coined from the two words costume and play. Since it is a performance art, costumes play an invincible role. As the name Cosplay implies, here actors dress up exactly like the character or theme they portray on stage. Cosplay artists mostly replicate mythological, fiction series characters from movies, book series or games and cartoon characters.

Cosplay is gaining momentum and many budding artists are trying to launch a career by attending various Cosplay competitions which are conducted in anime conventions. The Madman National Cosplay Competition which happens in Australia every year is one such place where aspiring cosplayers convene to participate by acting in their own plays wearing the perfect costume and accessories to portray their character. Originality, attention to detail and creativity are three basic parameters which Cosplay artists should always keep in mind. The contestants will be evaluated both by the judges and by the fans and winners become very successful and famous. Cosplay generates lots of business opportunities in various forms. Cosmode and Dengeki Layers are very popular Cosplay magazines in Japan. MTV airs some episodes dedicated to the art of Cosplay in the series True Life. Cosplay costumes, accessories and make up are manufactured and sold.

Some renowned cosplayers are Li or Pimlink as we all know who lived as Zelda from ‘The Legend of Zelda’ series and C. J. Collins has earned millions of fans for his role of Refka of the Final Fantasy series. The popularly elected Taiwanese President Lee Teng Hui dressed as Heihachi Edajima from the series Sakigake. A Japanese entrepreneur who was scheduled to be the fourth private space tourist wished to dress as Char Aznable Gundam. The Canadian talk show ‘Ed’s Night Party’s’ Liana Kerzner is well known for her sexy Cosplay costumes and attends many anime conventions in North America.

Cosplay is not simply following your idol character in features, dressing and accessories but it also involves performing like the character and replicating their actions. This means you cannot just choose any theme or idea and base your Cosplay act on it, but need to know the intricacies of the character. Do you think you have it in you to become a cosplayer? Explore your interests and start getting dressed!!!

Simple Steps to Maintain Cosplay Costumes and Wigs

April 28, 2010 - 3:01 am 11 Comments

When you want to engage in cosplay, either because you are a fan of a specific character or just for the fun of it, the costumes and other accessories can be quite expensive. Due to this expense, you want to make sure your costume lasts as long as possible. In other words, you have to maintain your cosplay costume properly. This goes for any wigs or accessories that you may have as a part of your costume.

The following are steps that you can use to maintain your cosplay costumes, wigs, and other accessories:

  • Make sure you store your cosplay wigs, costume, and accessories in a cool and dry place. Failure to do this could lead to moldy items, a musty smell, or discoloring of your costume.
  • Ensure you are aware of the washing instructions that accompany wigs. There are wigs that are made of real hair and they can be washed like real hair. There are others that are synthetic and require hand washing in plain water. The instructions are specific and good to keep in a safe place in case you have to refer to them later.
  • Plastic accessories can be washed with soap and water. Make sure they are stored in a safe place to keep them away from children and animals.
  • Be mindful of how different fabrics are to be cleaned and take into account how well your costume is put together. Some fabrics are dry clean only, while others can be machine washed. However, some prefer not to machine wash their cosplay costumes because of how rough a washing machine can be. The shape of a costume can be lost, so opting to hand wash in a gentle detergent can be a good solution if you do not want to dry clean a fabric that does not require dry cleaning.
  • If you accidentally soil your costume, club soda can be a great solution to resolving the stain immediately. It is best to attend to a soiled spot as soon as the incident happens so that the stain does not settle into the fibers and never comes out.
  • If a small part of your costume becomes severely soiled or torn, consider just replacing that piece of the costume rather than the entire costume. You may make this a part of your maintenance routine so that you can ensure the longevity of the costume. You can either replace the compromised piece on your own if you can sew or you can have a tailor do it for you.
  • After wearing your cosplay costume, look for loose threads and fix the stitch or cut off the thread so that the stitch does not come undone. If you feel insecure about loose threads and want to reinforce it, you may do so. You don’t want your costume unraveling while wearing it.

So make sure you have a maintenance schedule in place. If you have your costume dry cleaned every 3 to 6 months or you clean it yourself on this schedule, this is a great time to look the costume over for any loose threads or other issues. Make sure you look your accessories over for loose parts and wear and tear, as well as wigs for any showing of loss of hair. Evaluate whether you can fix the problem or whether you need to replace different elements of your costume.

Cosplay News You Must Know

April 27, 2010 - 4:59 am 6 Comments

Cosplay is a performance act which originated in Japan and is gaining popularity all over the world. The word Cosplay was coined from ‘costume play’ where artists adorn themselves with costumes and accessories to replicate a specific idea, theme or a character which they portray. Ideas are often derived from popular fictional characters of Japan which also include anime, manga, tokusatsu, graphic and comic novels, hentai, fantasy movies and video games. Anything that increases curiosity and fantasy can serve as an idea for Cosplay and more recently Japanese pop and rock music abbreviated as J-Pop and J-Rock are becoming hot favorites.

There are numerous Cosplay communities in the world which are not only found in Japan, but also in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, China and the United States. There are two main classifications of Cosplay which are the basic and masquerade Cosplay. Masquerading is a contest to test the skill of cosplayers where they all compete by organizing skits and plays, creating and wearing perfect costumes to replicate the characters and take care of all the technical details. The widely known contest in this genre is the Madman National Cosplay Competition which happens annually in Australia. Winners of these contests are selected by either judges or sometimes even by the audience and these winners become world famous celebrities in no time.

There are many popular cosplayers in the world. The first popularly elected Taiwanese President Lee Teng Hui clad up as Edajima Heihachi a fictional character of the famous anime series Sakigake Otokojuku. The Japanese entrepreneur Daisuke Enomoto who was supposed to be the fourth private tourist and citizen into space thought to dress up in the Gundam costume of Char Aznable. The talk show Ed’s Night Party’s co host Canadian co host Liana Kerzner was well known for all her sexy, gorgeous character based costumes. Cosplayers resort to replicating cartoon characters like Superman, Batman, Spiderman and other super heroes. A popular example of this is the animation series Naruto where the voice behind the lead male character belongs to a female. Junko Takeuchi is a well known and most sought after voice actresses of Japan. It is very common for female artists to lend voice for male characters especially if they are children or teenage boys.

Cosplay is not only an intricate, performing art form but a passion for many aspiring artistes all around the world. It has now become a thriving industry and generated revenue at a large scale.

Pre: Choosing cosplay costumes and maintenance of the same

Choosing cosplay costumes and maintenance of the same

April 23, 2010 - 8:29 am No Comments

There are so many cosplay costumes to choose from that you may find yourself in a quandary. With the great variety you are bound to find something that is appealing, it is obvious that once a favorite character is chosen the next step will be to look for a suitable cosplay costume. Sometimes a person may like a particular character that does not suit their own personal character, this is very important, as it comes handy when one intends to imitate the character. Before you go ahead and choose a cosplay costume, clearly determine the character you would like to play, a few points that one needs to take into consideration is their body structure as this is important when it comes to enacting the part of their favorite character.

It is true that there are many characters to choose from but the point is that you should ideally fit the role of the given character for more realistic effects. Some details that need to be considered are behavioral patterns of the character, the charm, and the face. Girls and women should also bear in mind their figures when choosing their cosplay costumes given the fact that girl’s costumes have more cuts and curves and are much more stylish than boy’s costumes. In order to choose a well fitting garment a woman or girl needs to keep the character in mind, one can find costumes that are long and modest, and those that reveal figures as well. Rich make up or pale make up can be used in order to contribute to the originality of the character.

Accessories can be used to enhance the looks of the characters. Other things like fake hair and cosmetics can be used for better effects. One can indulge is crossplay for fun as well and there is no harm in that at all. Wigs have a stunning effect and should be chosen carefully as well. There are wigs of various color and these add special overall effects to cosplay costumes undoubtedly. As with any other costumes and wigs one needs to pay careful attention to the maintenance part, the cosplay costumes and wigs have to be well taken care of in order for them to look good and last longer. Get your favorite cosplay costume, wig, and accessories today and play the part of your favorite cartoon character to your heart’s content.

Tips and customs of Cosplay 2

April 21, 2010 - 3:32 am 1 Comment

To continue the preceding text:

There is an element of Cosplay ritual that puts users in a different state of mind. The use of costumes is not a rebellion or fame seeking, but a ready made social group for groups of people with similar interests. The Cosplay scene in Japan is incorporated daily in the lives of many people in cities such as Harajuku and Akihabara. It is an aspect of traditional Japanese culture that is reflected in the Cosplay culture. Cosplay and the artisans involved have the soul to go beyond the limits to make the fantasy a reality.  Many Cosplayers think that Cosplay  is an extension of world culture.

The steep growth of the number of people collecting Cosplay items since 1990 has made this phenomenon an important part of the popular culture. This is especially true in Asia, where Cosplay has influenced  Japanese culture and street fashion. Companies are increasingly looking to meet Cosplayers interest in clothes, accessories, and collectibles.

If you want to get more useful tips, please let me know, and what kinds of things u want to know, I will say that more claerly.

Tips and customs of Cosplay 1

April 20, 2010 - 5:19 am 4 Comments

Cosplay differs from Mardi Gras, Halloween and other costumed holidays, not only in the time of these independent holidays, but in its objective. The aim of cosplay is the interpretation: an attempt to become a character much like a stage actor living in a role. The costumes are expected to correspond fully to the dress known to be used by the character portrayed. Furthermore, generic costumes are treated with elaborately artistic methods. Cosplayers can buy or most common, create costumes through their own work. Cosplayers often are educated in the production of specialties such as sculpture, face painting, fiberglass, fashion design and similar things in an effort to make the look and feel of a costume with precision. Props are also a fun part of cosplay, because people really can go crazy with them.

Once in the costume, Cosplayers take the gestures and the body language of characters they represent. Cosplayers sometimes gather to see the other costumes, show their own creations, share tips, take pictures, and participate in contests. These activities are maintained inbetween the major gatherings and events by participating in forums and online groups.

Fans who take pictures instead of posing in Cosplay suits are known as kamekozo, or “children of the camera,” and support amateur free Cosplay idol image and advertising.

By contrast, Reiyaas are known as dedicated or hardcore Cosplayers. They gather in circles as a way to make friends, produce their own costumes and organize meetings.

How To Make Japanese Cosplay Costumes

April 16, 2010 - 8:48 am 14 Comments

Do you want to engage in the art of cosplay? If so, which character do you want to be? If you’re not sure, look at characters from your favorite video game, animation, movie or manga. If you liked their costumes, then you have something to aim for.

Because you will be putting a lot of time and effort into the making of your costume, you want to choose a character you really like. If you still have difficulty choosing a character to cosplay, turn to your friends. Sometimes your friends will immediately know what would work for you because they know your tastes and your personality better than you. They see you from the outside. However, make sure the friend you turn to is someone who knows the video game, anime, and manga characters you intend on cosplaying.

Ensure that the character you choose does not have features that are too close to your own. Even if you are the same height or have the same eye or hair color, you want to look as far from yourself and as close to the character as possible. Many go ahead and cosplay characters that are similar to themselves, but the idea is to immerse yourself into the difficulty of creating the costume. In order to determine this difficulty, you must look at how much hard work, time, and money you are willing to invest.

As for how to make actual cosplay costumes, there are many already made costumes that you can find online. You have the option of buying a complete costume set or you can buy your accessories separate. A store such as Japanese Cosplay Costumes for Sale is a store that sells pre-made costumes, which can save time if you don’t have much or don’t know how to make your own costume.

However, saving money is a priority, so you can do such things as make a costume out of old clothes. If you don’t have the clothes to do it, you can check out thrift stores. Keep in mind that this is an option meant for the simpler outfit. You are simply altering the clothes a little in order to make the costume.

If you want a more detailed cosplay costume, you should look into the pre-made costumes or you can have someone make one for you. You can provide pictures and information regarding your costume and the person making it will make it based on that information. You’ll probably need to provide additional information such as what materials you prefer. Just keep in mind that custom made costumes will cost more than those you buy at a store. You are paying for both quality and materials, but you do get what you pay for.

Nevertheless, if you can sew, you can create the costume yourself. You may need to go on a difficult search for patterns that resemble pieces of the outfit. To ensure that you get it right do a test run on cheaper materials before diving into the time and hard work that making a cosplay costume out of more expensive materials entails.

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