Tell me about the outfit you are wearing – who are you cosplaying and how did you decide to pick this particular character ?
I’m cosplaying as Ricardo Irving from the video game Resident Evil 5! He’s the sleezey part of the Tricell corporation, and he does most of the field-related work for the company. Without him, there wouldn’t be the funds to do the research and development parts- something he likes to point out often. While not the best looking guy, Irving certainly leaves an impression on the main characters- and he left a big one on me. I liked his slimy attitude and when he turned into a giant tentacled monster, my heart was sold! He’s definitely my favorite new character in RE5, and I wish he could have stayed around longer.
Gogo brought up cosplaying as a Resident Evil 5 team at AWA and suggested I be Irving since I like him so much, and I agreed. That pretty much sealed the deal!
Tell me about the process of making your outfit – was it easier or tougher than you imagine it to be ?
I didn’t really make the outfit, Gogo did. I helped out minimally with locating some items for the cosplay, but she’s the one who did the vast majority of the work. She did an amazing job, though.
Any interesting stories from people’s reaction to your outfit at the con ? ^^
Probably the best one was when a guy asked me to attack his girlfriend so he could take a picture of it. Apparently she was a total fan of Irving’s and she was so excited to see me as him, but too shy to say anything! So I gladly went over to her and freaked her right out by coming up behind her- and he got the picture. She was so scared, I had a hard time not laughing! Definitely the best shot of the day!
How did you get started cosplaying and what got you interested ?
I started cosplaying a few years ago when I went to ACEN as Seto Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh! It was a very sad attempt at cosplay, but I’ve been interested in the hobby ever since. I remember a friend talking about cosplaying when we first decided to make the trip to ACEN and I thought it was such a neat idea that I decided to dress up too. I’m not too good at making costumes but it’s fun to dress up and pretend to be a character you love for a little while.
What are the con did you first attended and what’s your favorite con that you’ve attended so far and why ?
ACEN was my first convention, and it’s probably still my favorite. I like the variety of people and events they have, and the people are usually really nice. Plus it’s the closest to my hometown, so that’s a plus!
What does cosplay mean to you ?
Cosplay is a fun hobby to have where you can interact with other people who have the same interest in a really unique way. It’s always fun to get that reaction of “Hey! You’re so-and-so from game/anime/manga! That’s so cool!” and then start a conversation with someone who, normally, you may not have gotten a chance to talk to. I like the opportunity to share what I like with others, and cosplay is an exciting way to do that.
If you had unlimited funds/technology/time, what is your dream cosplay ?
Probably Bit from Megaman X3. That armor alone would probably take days upon days to make, but it would be so cool at the end!