Tell me about the outfit you are wearing – who are you cosplaying and how did you decide to pick this particular character ?
Cosplaying as the “Conductor” from “Galaxy Express 999″ by Leiji Matsumoto. (Amanda is cosplaying as “Maetel”) We were really getting into an oldschool mood, and figured we wanted to represent some classic material. Nowadays it seems this generation of anime fans varies greatly from the last two gens in the fact that they care very little for classic anime titles unlike us older fans. So we decided it was time to show our love for the classics through our favorite medium, cosplay.
Tell me about the process of making your outfit – was it easier or tougher than you imagine it to be ?
Most of the challenge came from picking a proper hat, and getting the shoulders to stick up properly. Amanda (akira_chan) is my seamstress and did the bulk of the work on the costume. I handle small props and trinkets, things like the emblem on the hat and fine detail work. The emblem itself was difficult simply because the source material and official artwork was kind of muddy in the details, so getting an exact look was a bit hard. But I think we pulled it off.
Any interesting stories from people’s reaction to your outfit at the con ? ^^
Two examples of the best and worst reaction to my costume; Best, some Japanese guest at Fanime saw the costume and got really happy to see us. She told us how GE999 was her favorite show and she just seemed besides herself that people did a classic show. As for the worst story which is actually kinda funny, some random people not from the convention kept on thinking I was in a Captain Crunch costume….
How did you get started cosplaying and what got you interested ?
My first convention costume was Ranma Saotome from “Ranma 1/2″. I had attended my first anime convention in 1999, and after seeing all the great costumes, I organized my friends into doing a “Ranma 1/2″ cosplay group at Anime Expo 2000. The idea of dressing as your favorite character was but a natural step on my road to true nerd-dom, as it were. heh
What are the con did you first attended and what’s your favorite con that you’ve attended so far and why ?
The Convention I attended in my Galaxy Express costume costume was Fanime (2009). As for my favorite convention, I would have to say it was Anime Expo from the years 1999-2005. The convention has lost it’s meaning in the years after and forgot the fans. So I would have to say my current favorite convention is San Diego Comic Con.
What does cosplay mean to you ?
The real reason we do cosplay is because we love to give fellow fans a great treat. I remember the first time I went to a con and saw my favorite characters brought to life with amazing craftsmanship and dedication of the people wearing the costumes. All I ever want to do is give fellow fans something great to see by having their favorite character show up in the flesh. This is also why I tend to be gravitating towards classic costumes as of late. Oldschool fans deserve to relive the magic too!
If you had unlimited funds/technology/time, what is your dream cosplay ?
I would make a “PPO-R” costume from “Key the Metal Idol”