Sunday, November 19, 2006

The 8 Unwritten Rules of Cosplay

I love acting. It is so much more real than life.
- Oscar Wilde

Greetings all! I hope you're all having a wonderful day! Mine's been interesting. My day started with work. I, once again, did well and raised $1200 in pledges. But, the most interesting part of the work day was that I won a contest which added two extra hours of pay onto my shift. So, it's like I worked six hours this moring, even though I only worked four. Spiffy, eh?

The following section of my post is an article I wrote which I had hoped to submit to TheO's article section. Unfortunately, when I went to submit it, I realized that the article section no longer exists. What's up with that?! I enjoyed reading the articles that people submitted. But, I only went there when TheO had a news event on submitted articles, which is why I haven't noticed that the section had been abolished. A little disappointing. But, since my article is finished and all, I figured I'd at least post it somwhere, so here it is. Enjoy!

*WARNING* *WARNING* *WARNING*
Some of the views expressed in this article can be taken as offensive. This is understandable. Just know that these views are mine and mine alone and they in no way reflect those of cosplayers in general. The purpose of this article was to simply aid in the creation and execution of EXCEPTIONAL and SERIOUS cosplays. Cosplay is still a fun and entertaining hobby. It is not meant to be taken seriously by any means, at least not by everyone. But, for those who wish to take cosplay seriously and create and display some amazing costumes, these rules may be helpful. I apologize in advance if this article is offensive to you in any way.
*WARNING* *WARNING* *WARNING*

The 8 Unwritten Rules of Cosplay
Well, up until this point they have been unwritten. My act of writing them down makes them the written rules of cosplay, and not the unwritten rules. I’d change the title, but unwritten just sounds so much cooler than written, don’t you think? But, the fact is I don’t care if they are written or not. What I do care about is good cosplays and ridding the world of bad (and sometimes painful) ones. Truthfully, that they haven’t been written before this is one reason why when you go to conventions you see so many horrible cosplays. People just don’t follow these rules. If people would follow them, I guarantee their cosplays would be exceptional. Because, a good cosplay is not all in how well the costume is made. There is so much more to it. So, for the aid of all who wish to try their hand at creating that perfect cosplay, here are the unfortunately slightly less than unwritten rules! Read and take heed!

1 – Money Is No Object!
When a good costume is at stake, you need to understand that money is no object. Yes, it is possible to create wonderful cosplays with very little cash. But, for those of us who are not so gifted with a sewing machine, money seems to fly out of our pockets faster than is physically possible. Costumes are expensive. It’s just a fact. Get used to it.

2 – Cosplay Takes Skill
Yes, it is possible to create a costume with little effort. Sometimes you can go with almost no effort at all and just order a custom fit costume off the internet. That’s easy, but then your costume isn’t very unique is it? To make a truly unique and personal costume requires skill. You have to have some knowledge of sewing, you need to be creative and know where to find things that you need for your cosplay. You can’t create a good costume if you don’t have the skill set to manage it. If you don’t think you are skilled enough to make one yourself and don’t want to pony up the dough to buy one online, it’s better for you not to cosplay at all.

3 – Let Your Costume Take Priority
This is a big issue with many costumes. People just don’t put enough effort into them. It really gets on my nerves, too. Hell, if you’re going to do a cosplay, do it right. Don’t slack off and accept mediocrity. If you don’t have the drive to put together a quality costume, just don’t do one at all. A costume is NOT a requirement for you to attend a convention. It is also not a requirement for you if you are interested in anime. It is just something that people enjoy doing. Don’t feel pressured to do a costume. It’s not for everybody. But, if you do decide to do one, go all out and make it look good. Also, even if you are really interested in doing a costume but you don’t have the time to put to creating it, you should put it off. Don’t do a costume unless you have enough time to making it look good. Don’t accept mediocrity. People don’t care about mediocre costumes.

4 – Pick the Right Character
That’s right, you can’t just pick any character. When picking a character think about it a bit, think about how you relate to the character, and think about how you and the character are the same and how you differ. Make sure that the one you eventually choose is in some way similar to you. This means that if the character you wish to do is small and timid but you are large and loud, you’re not a good match. A cosplay is more than just a good costume; it’s a whole character. When you put on a costume, you become the character and should therefore at least share some sorts of traits with it.

Now, crossplay is a different story though. Anime being the way it is, genders are flexible. The best Naruto cosplay I’ve ever seen was done by a female. You do not have to share the same gender with your character to pull it off well. Just make sure your personalities and body shapes are a match and you’ll be golden.

5 – If It’s Been Done Before, Don’t Do It Again
Yes, we all love InuYasha, we all love Naruto, and we all love Ed Elric. But, we’re all tired as hell of meeting them. Yeah, they’re great characters and all, but if there is another character out there that really fits you and your personality, choose that other character and not one that’s been done hundreds of times before. I’m tired of seeing FMA photo shoots where fifty percent of the characters in them are Ed. It’s just too much. A cosplay ceases to be interesting, even if it’s done well, when we’ve already seen it done over and over again in the past. Again, be creative with your character choice and conventions will become much more interesting.

This is also the case in groups. Most people who go to conventions go in groups. This is good. It adds to the social aspect of conventions and makes them happier and more exciting places. But, when you go in groups and hang out together, don’t all have cosplayed the same character. It’s understandable that when you go to a convention there is a high likelihood that someone else has chosen to do the same character as you. This is unavoidable. But when I see three Sakuras walking around in the same group, it’s just wrong. Communicate between each other and pick different characters. It’s not hard.

6 – Be Creative
A costume does not have to match the character perfectly. In fact, you can distort the costume completely and still have it come out wonderfully. Be creative in your execution. Of course, this is not necessary. Many times, sticking to the character design exactly is best, but other times creative license is acceptable. If you want to create a female version of a male character, go for it! The same goes for female characters turned male, although those aren’t as popular. Sports styles, casual styles, formal styles, all of these can be employed when you create your costume. The only stipulation is that if you decide to distort your character’s costume, make sure the character is still recognizable. If the character isn’t recognizable it’s not a costume; it’s weird clothes. Be careful.

7 – Act the Part
When at a convention cosplaying, make sure to act like your character. Make us believe that the character has hopped off our screens and is standing in front of us. This makes for an interesting and dynamic cosplay. Again, if you are a loud and flamboyant type person, but the character you picked is quiet and shy, you’ve picked wrongly. If your character is known for doing something, then do it. If your character has a special catch phrase or adds one of those nifty suffixes on the end of all it’s sentences, say it and don’t be shy about it. Also, don’t hop in and out of character. If you’re dressed up and on the convention floor, be in character. If you’re tired of acting the part, go change. Cosplaying is more than dressing up; it’s becoming a character. Actions are part of a character too. Make us believe you are the character and we will think higher of you and your cosplay ability for it.

8 – Bathe
Yes, some cosplays can be hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable, but we don’t all have to know about it. If a costume is exceedingly hot, take a good shower at least twice a day. I’m tired of standing in line with or sitting next to somebody who smells like the inside of my addidas after a hard day of tennis. It’s just nasty. There is a stereotype that convention goers have bad hygiene and don’t take good care of themselves. I realize this isn’t the case for most people and that it is the cosplays that cause all the smell. But, since that fact is readily apparent, at least try to fight it by bathing regularly. A clean and odorless cosplayer is a good cosplayer.

A Special Treat
After that wonderful article which I hope you all enjoyed (in other words, please don't hurt me), I have a special treat for you. The following is a music video of my favorite artist, Imogen Heap. This is the music video for her single entitled "Headlock." I thought you might like it, so I decided to post it. It is a bit trippy though. Enjoy!

I hope you all have wonderful days and I'll see ya 'round TheO! Sayonara!

Caesar1280's Anime Ticker

.hack//Legend of the Twilight, Air, Air: The Movie, Akira, The Animatrix, Appleseed, Aquatic Language, Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror, Beck, Black Lagoon, Blame!, Blood the Last Vampire, Bokurano, Burst Angel, Castle in the Sky, Cowboy Bebop, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Digimon Tamers: The Runaway Digimon Express, Egao, FLCL, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala, Gankutsuou, Gatekeepers, Genshiken, Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell: Innocence, Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society, Gin-iro no Kami no Agito, Grave of the Fireflies, Grenadier, Haibane Renmei, Hellsing, Highlander: The Search for Vengeance, Hikaru no Go, Howl?s Moving Castle, Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade, Jyu Oh Sei, Karas: The Prophecy, Last Exile, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Midori?s Days, Milennium Actress, Mushi-shi, My Neighbor Totoro, Naruto, Naruto: The Movie, Nausicaa, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death And Rebirth, Ninja Scroll: The Movie, Other Worlds, Paprika, Perfect Blue, Pet Shop of Horrors, The Place Promised In Our Early Days, Prétear, Princess Mononoke, Read Or Die, Read Or Die: The TV, Samurai Champloo, Samurai Seven, Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal, She and Her Cat, Spirited Away, Steamboy, Tide-Line Blue, Tokyo Babylon, Tokyo Godfathers, Trigun, Voices of a Distant Star, Witch Hunter Robin, Wonderful Days, Wrath of the Ninja, X

Anime I've Seen - .hack//Legend of the Twilight - .hack//Sign - 5 Centimeters per Second - Air - Air: The Movie - Akira - The Animatrix - Appleseed - Aquatic Language - Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror - Baby Blue - Beck - Black Lagoon - Blame! - Blood the Last Vampire - Bokurano - Burst Angel - Castle in the Sky - Cowboy Bebop - Cowboy Bebop: The Movie - Digimon Tamers: The Runaway Digimon Express - Doorbell - Egao - FLCL - Fullmetal Alchemist - Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala - Gankutsuou - Gatekeepers - Genius Party - Genshiken - Genshiken OAV - Ghost in the Shell - Ghost in the Shell: Innocence - Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society - Gin-iro no Kami no Agito - The Gokusen - Grave of the Fireflies - Grenadier - Haibane Renmei - Happy Machine - Hellsing - Highlander: The Search for Vengeance - Hikaru no Go - Howl's Moving Castle - Innocent Venus - Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade - Jyu Oh Sei - Karas: The Prophecy - Karas: The Revelation - Last Exile - Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi - Midori?s Days - Milennium Actress - Mushi-shi - My Neighbor Totoro - Naruto - Naruto: The Movie - Nausicaa - Neon Genesis Evangelion - Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death And Rebirth - Ninja Scroll: The Movie - Other Worlds - Ouran High School Host Club - Paprika - Perfect Blue - Pet Shop of Horrors - The Place Promised In Our Early Days - Prétear - Princess Mononoke - Read Or Die - Read Or Die: The TV - Samurai Champloo - Samurai Seven - Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal - Serial Experiments Lain - Shanghai Dragon - She and Her Cat - Spirited Away - Steamboy - Tekkonkinkreet - Tide-Line Blue - Tokyo Babylon - Tokyo Godfathers - Trigun - Trinity Blood - Vampire Hunter D - Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust - Voices of a Distant Star - Witch Hunter Robin - Wolf's Rain - Wonderful Days - Wrath of the Ninja - X Total: 93

Anime I Haven't Completed - .hack//Roots - Ah! My Goddess - Angelic Layer - Avenger - Baccano! - Bamboo Blade - Basilisk - Binchou-tan - Black Cat - Bleach - Blood+ - Boogiepop Phantom - Case Closed - Le Chevalier d'Eon - Chobits - Chrono Crusade - Code Geass - Coyote Ragtime Show - D.Gray-Man - D.N.Angel - DearS - Death Note - Dennou Coil - Desert Punk - Digimon - Dragon Ball Z - Ergo Proxy - Eureka Seven - Excel Saga - Fighting Beauty Wulong - Final Fantasy Unlimited - Flag - Freedom - Full Moon - Gantz - Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Gintama - Glass Fleet - Great Teacher Onizuka - Gundam Seed - Gundam Wing - Hayate the Combat Butler - Hellsing OVA - Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - Ikki Tousen - InuYasha - Jigoku Shojo - Kage Kara Mamoru - Karin - Kino's Journey - Love Hina - Loveless - Lovely Complex - Lucky Star - Makai Senki Disgaea - Marchen Awakens Romance - Meine Liebe - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Mononoke - Monster - Moon Phase - Mr Stain on Junk Alley - Naruto Shippuuden - Negima?! - Negima! - Neon Genesis Evangelion: End of Evangelion - Nerima Daikon Brothers - NHK ni Youkoso - Night Walker - Ninja Nonsense - Noir - Peacemaker Kurogane - Pokemon - Prince of Tennis - R.G. Veda - Ragnarok - Rec - Red Garden - Robotech - Romeo x Juliet - Rosen Maiden - Rurouni Kenshin - Saikano - Sailor Moon - Samurai Deeper Kyo - Sci-fi Harry - School Rumble - Scrapped Princess - Shin-chan - Shingu - Shion no Oh - Shuffle! - Shrine of the Morning Mist - So Long, Mr. Despair - Solty Rei - Sousei no Aquarion - Speed Grapher - Spice and Wolf - Super Milk Chan - Tales of Phantasia - Tenchi Muyo - Tenjhou Tenge - Texnolyze - The Third - Tsubasa Chronicles - Urusei Yatsura - Venus Versus Virus - Welcome to the N.H.K. - Winter Cicada - X-1999 - Xenosaga - XxxHolic - Yu Yu Hakushou - Yume Tsukai - Zero no Tsukaima - Zipang Total: 116

Manga I've Completed - Cowboy Bebop - FLCL - Manga Messiah - Manga Metamorphosis - Q*Ko-chan - Saiyuki - Shirahime-Syo Total: 7 Manga I Haven't Completed - .hack//Legend of the Twilight - Black Cat - Blame! - Chobits - D.Gray-man - Darkside Blues - Death Note - The Demon Ororon - Desert Coral - Disgaea - Eureka Seven: Gravity Boys and Lifting Girl - Fruits Basket - Getbackers - Hayate the Combat Butler - Kamunagara - Legal Drug - Love Hina - Loveless - Megatokyo - Naruto - Negima - Read Or Die - Rurouni Kenshin - Tactics - Trigun Maximum - XXXHolic Total: 26

Anime I'm Currently Watching
Samurai 7, InuYasha, Samurai Deeper Kyo,
Boogiepop Phantom, and Shrine of the Morning Mist

Manga I'm Currently Reading
Read Or Die, Hayate the Combat Butler, and Megatokyo.hack//Roots, .hack//Sign, 5 cm per Second, Ah! My Goddess, Angelic Layer, Avenger, Basilisk, Binchou-tan, Black Cat, Bleach, Blood+, Boogiepop Phantom, Case Closed, Le Chevalier d'Eon, Chobits, Chrono Crusade, Coyote Ragtime Show, D.Gray-Man, D.N.Angel, DearS, Death Note, Dennou Coil, Desert Punk, Digimon, Dragon Ball Z, Ergo Proxy, Eureka 7, Excel Saga, Fighting Beauty Wulong, Final Fantasy Unlimited, Flag, Full Moon, Gantz, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Gintama, Great Teacher Onizuka, Gundam Seed, Gundam Wing, Hayate the Combat Butler, Hellsing Ultimate, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Innocent Venus, InuYasha, Jigoku Shojo, Kage Kara Mamoru, Karin, Kino?s Journey, Love Hina, Loveless, Lovely Complex, Lucky Star, Makai Senki Disgaea, Marchen Awakens Romance, Meine Liebe, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Mononoke, Monster, Naruto Shippuuden, Negima?!, Neon Genesis Evangelion: End of Evangelion, Nerima Daikon Brothers, NHK ni Youkoso, Night Walker, Ninja Nonsense, Noir, Ouran High School Host Club, Peacemaker Kurogane, Pokemon, Prince of Tennis, R.G. Veda, Ragnarok, Rec, Red Garden, Robotech, Romeo x Juliet, Rosen Maiden, Rurouni Kenshin, Saikano, Sailor Moon, Samurai Deeper Kyo, Sci-fi Harry, School Rumble, Scrapped Princess, Serial Experiments Lain, Shingu, Shuffle!, Shrine of the Morning Mist, So Long Mr. Despair, Solty Rei, Sousei no Aquarion, Speed Grapher, Super Milk Chan, Tales of Phantasia, Tenchi Muyo, Tenjhou Tenge, Texnolyze, The Third. Trinity Blood, Tsubasa Chronicles, Urusei Yatsura, Welcome to the N.H.K., Winter Cicada, X-1999, Xenosaga, XxxHolic, Yu Yu Hakushou, Yume Tsukai, Zero no Tsukaima, Zipang

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