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EOY 2007: Chara Fest
I’d say for any cosplay events, most of time the guys with the cameras will gravitate towards the hottest looking (girl) cosplayer rather than the cosplayer with the best costume or characterisation. I’m guilty of that too.
Team Sailor Moon
Pictures of girls in short skirts always grab guys by the (eye)balls. At EOY 2007, there are many HAWT cosplayers – more so than my memory card could contain. Here are some of those that caught my attention.
I am not able to recognise all the characters portrayed – not because the cosplayers did a bad job but it’s simply impossible to follow all the anime or manga that’s popular with the younger ones. I can still confuse a BLEACH character for a NARUTO character because I don’t read/watch either. So unless I ask the cosplayer about the character he/she is trying to portray, I am unable to identify the character more than half the time.
The Pussy Cats in Stiletto Heels
I certainly have no clue which anime/manga/eroge they’re from. One of the girls was getting a lot of attention from the guys, if you know what I mean. They really know how to flirt with the camera. They reminded me of the sisters AnnaPuma and UniPuma from “Dominion: Tank Police”
Suiginto (Mercury Lamp) from Rozen Maiden
No, she isn’t part of the Lolita fashion group (more on that later). Those who cosplay a Rozen Maiden character might be mistaken as such.
Chobits?
By the look of their ‘ears’, I suppose they are from Chobits?
Chobits + Girl with bells on head + a partially hidden cosplayer
From Tsubasa Chronicles
Some character from Trinity Blood plus others
Nice Rose
I think they are part of a cosplay group. Don’t know which. School Days? [Edit: They're from Vampire Knights]
Yes, that’s Clare (I think) from “Claymore” in the background
Clare from Claymore + a character from Final Fantasy (?)
The girl cosplaying as Clare has got gorgeous eyes. That’s the first thing I noticed.
鋼鉄三国志!!
No idea who they are. They can’t possibly be from the Pili Puppet series These guys are from the “Koutetsu Sangokushi” 「鋼鉄三国志」series. From left, Zhao Yun (赵云), Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮) and Sun Quan (孙权).
Yuna from Final Fantasy
That’s Yuna from Final Fantasy. She looks sweet. The girl cosplaying Yuna, I mean.
Team Trinity Blood
I heard that there were two groups doing Trinity Blood, and one of them made a clean sweep of the awards. Even as a casual cosplay observer, the intricacy of their costumes made a deep impression and they easily stole the show.
This girl (holding the fan) reminded me of one of the girls from the Chinese pop group Twins or SHE.
At first, I thought they were cosplaying the Nazi SS.
The teams from Trinity Blood looked really regal in their costume
From the Trinity Blood
I have no idea if they’re all from the same team, but I guess they’re from the same theme. “Trinity Blood” is one of the more challenging anime to cosplay because of the complexity of the costume designs. The cosplayers either do a good job or a very bad job, there’s hardly any middle ground for those who try.
For the two teams at the event, I wonder how they’d view the other team. Is it taboo for two persons to cosplay the same characters at a cosplay event [it's rather inevitable I guess], just like it’s a catastrophe when a girl spot another girl wearing exactly the same thing at a party? There was no drama at EOY in spite of the stiff competition. Every one was civil and I think there’s a lot of mutual admiration.
And here’s the “secret fan girl” who also contributed to Collateral Damage Doujin Studio’s debut art book “Superscenic” – UMEHIKO
Umehiko as Rin Natsume (棗鈴) from Little Busters
Last year, the Umelicious one cosplayed as Yuki Nagato from “The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi“. This year, she came as Rin Natsume (棗鈴) from the visual novel “Little Busters” 「リトルバスターズ！」
Konata & Rin
The two of them did something really hot and stirred a brief commotion.
But…but…what about the guys?
Bjorn (Right) and cosplay partner
I don’t watch “Get Backers” so I can’t recognise which character Bjorn was cosplaying. That was Bjorn’s virgin attempt at being a cosplayer. [Edit: Bjorn is Juubei while his partner is cosplaying Kazuki]
The Lonely Kamen Rider
I think the Kamen Rider cosplayer should be someone that’s not so young. Do the young ones these days recognise any of the Kamen Riders from the Showa era?
This pair got my attention. They mentioned the name of the anime/game(?) from which their character came from. It’s got the name Samurai in it. [EDIT: They are from "Sengoku Musou" 「戦国無双」 aka "Samurai Warriors"]
Samurai Warriors: Tadakatsu Honda (blue) vs Shingen Takeda (red)
When I requested for an action pose, they obliged but their posture looked rather boring. I tried to correct the alignment of the way the blue guy hold his spear and how the red guy block with his fan, but somehow they didn’t get it. Could be due to their costume – they probably didn’t want to damage it with exaggerated movements.
Here’s my second favourite among the guys:
Kazuki as Rai from Lamento
Kazuki is one of the bolder male cosplayer around. He’s noted for crossplaying (i.e. cross dressing as a female character) at previous events. This year, he came as Rai from the BL game “Lamento: Beyond the Void“. Some of you guys may find it strange for him to do such things, and even questioned his sexual orientation. I am guilty of such initially, but I’ve learnt to respect him and for the characters that he tried to portray. [That doesn't mean that I find the females that he crossplayed palatable...I certainly can't fap to his portrayal of Lacus Clyne/Meer Campbell]
And here’s the cosplayer whom my comrades felt was the best female cosplay at EOY:
Rei Ayanami…You are (not) alone
When she stood there, lost among the crowd of people, we could feel her aura.
Rei Ayanami 転生!
When we saw her, we were speechless. It’s like the real Rei Ayanami standing before us. The way she stood, the way she looked, it’s as if she’s possessed by the spirit of Rei Ayanami. Cosplaying isn’t about looking pretty or being the most good looking. It’s about becoming the character.
A Cruel Angel’s Thesis
When we spotted the Rei cosplayer, bandaged as she is – defines the essence of moé. An endearing character that you want to protect and care for.
The cosplayers featured here are but the tip of the iceberg. There’s simply too many of them to follow. Which made me wonder, how did the cosplay culture spread among Singapore’s youth – were they otakus first and then cosplayer later? Or did the costumes attract them like moths to the flame, converting them into rabid fanboys and fangirls of animation, comics and games?
When I reviewed the pictures that I took with the camera, I am humbled. And am also reminded that I need to take some basic photography skills – the photos I took did not do justice to those who cosplayed.
