0 Comments
These are my top 6 cosplay facts, basically things that I have observed from the year 2003/2004 to now.
3. Anime, Manga, games know-how and love IS required Cosplay for most of us is a way to show our geeky passion, how overly obsessed we are towards a non-existent character. It’s not all glamorous like fashion as that’s usually to emphasize aesthetics, as in the heart of it there’s only sheer mania that brings us to the edge of spending so much on clothes we can’t really use on a daily basis. Or buy contact lenses with crazy shades we don’t even use as much and will expire in 3 months or a year from now. There’s also investing on wigs when you only have one head and it’s highly doubtful that you’ll ever wear it more than 20 times. 2. It is a VERY varied community that has a LOT of stubborn and cruel people To have survived in this hobby for more than 7 years or so, you have to be hard headed. From your parents, to your professors, not everyone will embrace your love for dressing up as a Japanese school girl. Wherever you go, we will be opinionated. That’s a fact but yep it does vary, some people WILL TRY to convince you that their way of thinking is THE ONLY WAY. While others could care less and would say various things but don’t expect you to listen. Also, always take into mind that this is a hobby for everyone and cultures clash no matter what generation you are in. Beliefs, culture, gender, and race are all part of the cosplay culture. Anyone can do it as long as they love it, and everyone will always have something good or bad to say no matter who you are as long as you’re in this hobby 1. Cosplay is EXPENSIVE You think wigs; contact lenses, props, and the costumes come cheap? Even if you rent those, if you’re going to a photo shoot, you need to buy food and pay for transportation. If you’re attending a convention, then you would have to buy tickets, in addition to food and transportation. That would be around a preferred budget of at least 1,000 php or 50$ AT LEAST Conventions showcase goods, entertainment and food. Competitions happen as main events nowadays, and standing outside a convention is hardly the reason why people host these events. If you want to meet up with friends, there are ways to do that. If you want to meet up with friends while in costume, then go for a photo shoot. It doesn't make sense to get angry when a guard tells you to NOT LOITER outside convention halls. The mall is a public place; they have to keep walkways clear for the other people aside yourself. I'm personally going "EH? WHY?" on this myself I think one of the best practices in maintaining a blog is possibly updating on a schedule. Not that this blog is of any value to humanity, (although not a lot of online material is) but that's not the point, so at least when anyone visits they'd know when they can read new useless stuff! Fun!! I've been itching to illustrate some blog posts and I guess I started with this little announcement. Updates will be on:
First having a sexy Nishikino Maki image. Now, let's start with the overall quality before we go to the thing I was slightly disappointed in. Color/Quality/Price Price: $16- $22 Quality: Heat resistant/non-shiney (But doesn't seem to curl with a curling iron) Thickness: Average to somewhat disappointingly thin (Will expound on this later) Color/Style: VERY close to the sample photos on actual but on cameras the color can vary of course Overall judgement: 7/10
Wrapping it up: One last bit, is the fact that it's just awful at the scalp area. I've seen this sickness before in Grandyoung wigs, via friends and their wigs. And wished that I'll never encounter a wig with this issue. This and the weird gloss of Grandyoung wigs caused me to stop buying that brand. But now even Lucaille has it which just narrows down my trusted brands to around 2: JIUWIHU and CosplayC/CosC which are both photogenic wigs. It's not obvious from the front or sides though, just really messy on the top which really irritates the OC-ness in me. I've tried to brush it but it's not that simple to fix it seems. All in all, it's a good enough Maki wig or the price. But am no longer going to get Lucaille. Appreciation vs Fame It's something I just want for my efforts, am not looking for fame as I always vehemently say. I just want people to recognize my hard works and smile at me and say "Good work, Kuri! You did well!" So am definitely happy with the responses I get from my few friends and awesome kind supporters. They are not fans, as fans are impersonal and it's alittle too snobbish for me to say that. I have no fans only supporters and friends (Which is sometimes one and the same)
Ramblings:
There are more of these little features (From sites that declare me as fail, to those who are hands down astounded) I still fail in the eyes of many people, but you know what? I actually have never been pleased with any of the outcomes in regards to shoots and costumes. There's always the regret, "I could've done this better..." and so on and so forth. But due to my ADHD tendencies it overwrites the OC-ness (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Obsessive Compulsiveness) it's honestly a weird psychological combination in me, and am not really proud of it as it's an embarrassing illness that's portrayed comically by even anime. But that's not the point here! These features are honestly heart-warming and I am forever grateful for them. Although I'd like to do better and WOW myself someday soon. According to rumors from a japanese culture centric blogspot blog (Link Here) Starting August 8, Japan will be trying to implement an anti-piracy campaign. Yep, heard it right! That would mean all our fresh and raw sources of anime and manga would most definitely be stopped. From our Perspective Honestly, if quality CD's were readily available locally I wouldn't mind collecting and buying them for the sake of getting my anime fix. But seeing as we only have at least 2 stores that cater to that (And they're not exactly 'legit') it's not the best option. And even if blu-ray disks would come out online, not only does that mean that the series has already ended. It can also mean a longer wait due to shipping and possibly customs. And customs aren't the best place to get your goods stuck in. Possible Solutions Paying premium: For people who dislike english and local dubbed anime, like myself. I don't think we'd hesitate to pay for these streaming sites. Main issue is, the convenience of actually getting to watch a series at your leisure is part of what makes the hobby. There's also a huge fanbase of people who make PV's, .GIF's, and the likes that actually garner more audience for a series. It's a form of advertising and spreading the love for a series. If they stop the torrent sites, they basically stop people from making quality fan based art. Buying online: CD wise, this is a seriously depressing topic, CD's aren't released as early and the subs would take ages to happen more so if we're going to wait for the series to be localized (But damn, who wants that?) For Manga, I guess not a lot of issues as you just have to invest a little more in getting the books from bookstores abroad. Which will be unfortunately taxed when it gets here. It's all about money really. Or maybe, we can cross our fingers and someday a Kinokuniya branch would actually take interest in making a store here.d As supposedly the act of pirating these forms of entertainment is garnering losses of 5.5 Billion in yen.
Not as brutal as “the strong shall live, and the weak shall die” sort, but for those who have the drive there are huge chances for success (Even in a thankless hobby like cosplay)
Life will never go backwards, it can only go forward. No matter how much you cry, scream or cuss – it won’t do anything. All you can do is move on, and if you can move faster than time allows then go ahead. (Multi task and accomplish EVERYTHING you want to accomplish) I'm not telling you that you can get rich or go get 10 girlfriends because that’s what you want. I’m saying don't put off plans, and NEVER EVER pass up a good opportunity. People’s schedules are erratic and so is the weather. Re-scheduling is as much a risk as shooting on the day itself in rainy weather. And besides that, people will always have different priorities, and if at any point it was their priority to be with you-- then consider yourself lucky and don't take them for granted. With that said, I hope everyone is safe and dry Cheers! Thank you for reading Learning to Break the Habit: Ever tried it? Actually logged off for an ENTIRE DAY and never checked anything-- Not your email, not facebook, not a glimpse of instagram or youTube. Imagine doing it for a week, a month...or god forbid even a year. I'm not telling you to become a social hermit, that's simply impossible. In today's environment you at least need to check your email once a day. ONCE-- is probably healthy, twice is maybe a force of habit thrice or more? Why? Nothing better to do? You might just be the opposite of a shut-in (Good example - Shiro and Sora from No Game No Life) Anything in excess is a bad thing If you can't stop looking at facebook, browsing everyone's profiles like your life depended on it? YOU NEED TO RE-EVALUATE PRIORITIES AND STOP! I see people do this in shuttles, secretly at work, secretly at school, during lectures and even just walking around in a mall or eating with friends. What's the point if you're just going to check out their profiles instead of talking to them? You can't do it right away, just try and hold off in small doses. Instead of checking it ALL DAY. Try lessening it to 5 times a peek, with 10 minutes or so and do something else with your time.
Now, I’ve been saying that I always do this for fun and well yeah I do. But truth of the matter is, some people do this for the thrill of competing. And with that, you have to know if you can handle what comes in hand with what you’re doing cosplay for. Good Example: If you feel like people are looking down on you and you feel overwhelmed by the others in a competition. Well, use your head for a bit because people ARE THERE TO WIN. Don’t take it so badly if you supposedly do it for fun and then decide to join a competition.
I'm usually on the right hand side of this hobby,
Not too good with spending a whole month on just one thing, let alone a full year! Nope, not for me plus as is I'm highly competitive (Against myself most of the time) and I always strive to get better without having to look at other people's works/progress. Because that will just be depressing. So, whether you do this for fun or do this for the fun of winning~ key point is you understand that there are consequences to it and you'd better be prepared for it. |
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|