KKM and Anime Conventions

[mijan]

I just had to share quick summary of the anime convention I just attended over the weekend.  The only anime I actively follow is KKM, so to me, it was an attempt to find other KKM fans... which started within ten minutes of arriving.  Apparently, being a Harry Potter fan and a KKM fan go hand-in-hand, and when I started chatting with a young woman

Comments

Re: Glompage

[mijan]

Could you tell me how you made the necklace? That's one thing I need to improve.

I wish I could encourage more people to "costume to body type." That's a mistake so many costumers make. Short people try to play tall characters. Chubby people try to play skinny characters. People with feminine faces try to play very masculine men. Hell, people just play characters that look nothing like them!

Clearly, it's almost impossible to be a perfect "match," but I wish people would try for their category. I mean, take me for example. I'm short and boyish with dark hair. Despite being a girl, I don't do well for "girly" characters. I've got totally the wrong build for it. I'm trim, but I've got broad shoulders and an overall gender-neutral form. Also, at 5'1", I can't (or won't) play tall characters, even if I could pull a resemblance. I work best for teenage boys and very young men - particularly short ones. The three characters I've cosplayed so far, with great success, are Harry Potter, Frodo Baggins, and Yuuri Shibuya. Three short, average/skinny teenage boys/young men with dark hair. I look most like Harry, with Frodo coming in a close second. I'm currently looking for other characters to cosplay that fit my look, and that I'd enjoy playing. I'm getting ready to play the first (and probably the only) female characters I ever intend to cosplay: Moaning Myrtle (as a joke) and Elphaba from Wicked.

So, yes, I know that short cosplayers try to wear platforms to help them play a taller character, but I've found that unless you're wearing robes that mostly hide your legs and feet, it really doesn't look good. I've been trying to encourage people to really consider costuming to body type. It makes all the difference in the world.

Re: Glompage

[teef_chan]

Sculpey! xD Worked pretty well~

Well, yeah. It does look better if you fit the body type, but if it's a character you really like and you're going to have fun cosplaying them, then you know, hey, go for it.

Chubby people try to play skinny characters.
Let's be honest. Really, how many non-fit/skinny characters are there in anime? Sure there's a choice few, but the norm is everyone being practically friggin' anorexic D: WHHHHHY MUST YOU MAKE ME WANT TO RIP OUT MY GUT, ANIME??? ;_;

Moaning Myrtle! xD

LOL SO HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE MAN FAYE?

Re: Glompage

[mijan]

I'm not super-skinny, but... okay, this is going to sound horrible, but take it for what it's worth. This cosplayer is a very good friend of mine, and her costumes are AMAZING... detailed, accurate... she's cosplayed as everything from Lucius Malfoy to Luna Lovegood to Utena... and that's where I couldn't bear to tell her that she'd gone one tiny step too far. Now, neither Lucius nor Luna are chubby. In fact, I picture Luna as being almost too thin, and Lucius strikes me as being slender, too. But my friend got away with it because Hogwarts student robes cover A LOT for Luna, and the Lucius costume she made covered a lot, too. Unfortunately, the standard Utena costume covers very little. I didn't have the heart to tell her. The costume itself was gorgeous and amazing... but it didn't work for her.

When I cosplay as Harry, I rely on my posture and the robes to make me look skinnier. I'm solid - more of a Hobbit build than an anime build. There's a lot you can cover. There's a lot you can hide. They're costumes, really.

But when you look in the mirror, can you see yourself altering your appearance with costume and accessories to come close to the character you want to play? If you're just doing this for fun, it really doesn't matter much... but I've seen people try to compete in Masquerade and Cosplay competition that way. And it's not merely a weight thing - you've got to take your overall appearance into account. For example, I'll never be able to cosplay Dumbledore, or Yozak (although that would be a LOT of fun), or Snape, or Gandalf, or Legolas, or Aragorn... you get the idea. I could try, sure, but the results would be pitiful at best, even if I love the character. I'm just built like a Hobbit, or a teenage boy. Too short to really play anything else. However, there are people who should NEVER costume as a Hobbit... particularly, people over the height of 5'5", and even that's a stretch.

That's just how I personally approach costuming. I don't mean to apply that with a broad brush to everyone. And certainly, when it's just for the fun of it, then anything goes!

Please don't think I'm judgmental or a party-pooper. I'm part of a costuming guild, and there have been a LOT of discussions lately about costuming to body type. (The discussions were tipped off by someone who competed in a recent masquerade - different convention - dressed as Wonder Woman... and it was scary.) I'm also really REALLY overtired, and I'm rambling at this point. I'm waiting for episode 35 to finish downloading on uTorrent so I can shut down for the night... and there it goes! More KKM in the morning! YAY!!!

So, sorry for my costuming rambles. But yes, anime DOES have a tendency to portray impossibly skinny characters, and that does present a challenge. Now, if the Gunter had worn the full-length white robe that pretty much completely hides his feet, then nobody would ever see the boots. See? There's almost always a way with cosplay!

Re: Glompage

[teef_chan]

Yeeeeah. If you're not at least relatively thin/fit-ish, then you can't really work those skimpier costumes.

Yeah, everyone has their own approaches. And I think a lot of people really do just do it for the fun of it. (Like me!~ Though, yeah, it's not all that fun unless I do a relatively good job on the costume.)

Ooh, costuming guild, that's cool. Haha, yes, yay for more KKM~

Hahah, rambling's not bad. I do it alllllll the time.