Last week on March 2-5, thousands of attendees flooded the Washington State Convention Center for the annual Emerald City Comicon. Many of the attendees cosplayed as their favorite characters from comic books, movies and video games and it’s one of the biggest visual effects that you cannot miss at ECCC. What I found very fascinating about the cosplayers that I met is how they put their own spins and interpretation on their beloved characters. So, I decided to talked to some of my favorite cosplayers to learn more about the story behind their costumes.
With blonde, pulled back short hair and the classic USA “Red White Blue” costume, Australia’s “Ms. Captain America” caught my eyes immediately. “I’m kind of an introvert person, but dressing up in a costume gives me more confidence,” she smiled, “and I think at this time in the U.S., we really need a Captain America.” Australia is also a member of “Comic Book Characters for Causes“, which is a Seattle-based organization combining enthusiasm for costuming with the passion for helping children in need.
Short skirt, sailor uniform, big bow knot, and the magic power from Venus…Yes! It’s the Sailor Venus from Sailor Moon. “It’s one of my favorite TV shows ever!” the cosplayer Natalie said with excitement. Since a very young age, she became a fan of Sailor Moon and the character Sailor Venus has always been her favorite. “She (Sailor Venus) has a really big sense of optimism, and sometimes she’s a little goofy…which I really identified with…” said Natalie.
Even among the crowd, you would still see that silver hair, shining through. Most people might not be familiar with the character, Lil Hal from Homestuck, but the unique make-up and costume of this cosplayer sure are captivating. The cosplayer Marina described her character background to me: “He is a minor character, so not many people costume him…he’s basically a copy of another character, but he developed his own personality, which I found really interesting.”
“So if batman was a cowboy, we said ‘What would the rest of the roles look like?’, and we said the Joker would look kinda like this.” With the dramatic makeup, gorgeous feather headdress, and “HAHAHA” body paintings, a Native American version of the Joker stood in front of me, describing his inspiration for the costume. The cosplayer Cody said that he is a Native American himself and he loves the unique personality of the Joker. However, Cody said that he faced with some criticisms about his interpretation: ” We looked up online and we’ve never seen him (the Joker) like this before…People said that’s a unique idea, but there’s a small percentile that is very much like ‘How dare you’…it’s an antithesis sort of thing.”
The cosplayer, Thomas, in his amazing self-made Buzz Lightyear costume, was trying to describe his inspiration to me from a crowd of young fans. “Buzz kinda fits my look…and I have his jaws too! ” he laughed. “I like costumes that kids like…kids are always excited about the costume, and that makes the cosplay interesting.” It took him a month to finish the costume with some tricks to perform. He even created his name cards with a 3D printer.
Which Marvel hero has the highest nonsense skill? Well, some might say Spider-Man, and some might say Deadpool. Here they are, standing together and talking about nonsense. The cosplayers Stephen (left) and “Vancouverspiday”(right) said that they both have been fans of the characters since they were born. “I came out from a room full of Deadpool,” Stephen said, “I love him, he is funny, has high nonsense skills, gun skills, kissing skills, he has other bunches of XXX skills…And we both share the personalities.”
Blonde hair dropped like a waterfall, with a silver crown and the pointing ears, an Elf Queen from The Lord of the Rings walked by with her elegant white dress. She was very eye-catching and a lot of fans wanted to take pictures with her. The cosplayer, Michelle, said that the dress is handmade and took her 35 hours to finish. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s rewarding, “she said.
When it comes to Japanese animation, many would think of Hayao Miyazaki of studio Ghibli. Among many of his iconic characters, the cosplayer “Tyty” chose to cosplay Princess Mononoke. “I definitely share personalities with Princess Mononoke, ” she said, ” When I was younger, I love being in the forest. And I’ve always been in the place with animals…just like Princess Mononoke. She is a protector of the nature, which I found really appealing.”
When characters come in groups or pairs, they always attract more attentions, like the ones in this picture, Captain America and his love interest, Agent Peggy Carter. The cosplayers Jessica (right) and Gary (left) said that they both found the bond between these two characters very appealing and I believe you can definitely tell from their obvious chemistry.
No Comments