Calling all Cosplayers!

[tammiya]

So, my friend is doing a study on cosplay for her university course and would be very grateful if people could take a few mintues to fill out her questionnaire/meme. This has been reposted and cross-posted on her behalf, so appologies if people see this multiple times.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Comments

[sandamazwich]

1) Okay, first up; tell us about yourself (age, sex and country would be very useful)
Hi, I'm a girl, 22, and I live in San Diego, California

2) How many cosplays have you done and which characters?
I have done Homura from Saiyuki, Rinoa Heartilly from Final Fantasy VIII, Irvine Kinneas from Final Fantasy VIII, Byakuya Kuchiki from Bleach, and Nanao from Bleach. So about five. I feel like I'm forgetting some. XD

3) What about cosplay appeals to you?
It's just fun to dress up as a character you like and show your appreciation of them, not mention meeting the other cosplayers of the same fandom and talk to them about it.

4) Do you make your own cosplays? What's your opinion on buying premade costumes to cosplay?
I don't, I actually have them commissioned. If people want to buy premade ones, I say go for it and just have it tailored to fit their body since, like me, there are plenty of people who cannot sew or cannot afford a commission.

5) How do you decide which character to cosplay? What makes you want to cosplay a character?
Well, first I look for a character that I like since it's no fun to play a character you don't like, right? Second, I look to see if they fit my body type and stuff since I want to be able to look the part as best I can. If I don't have the body type I either improvise or just ensure that the costume matches me as best it can since cosplaying shouldn't be limited if, say, you were fat and you wanted to play a character who is thin (though, that's where tailoring outfit comes in because, love your body or not, showing off rolls of skin is just not appealing). And third I figure out if I can afford the outfit, to get it made, stuff like that.

What makes me wanna cosplay a certain character is that if I like them a lot, then I really want to have fun dressing up like them too. Not mention if they have a cool outfit, it would be just wicked to run around in.

6) Do you only cosplay characters that are related to Japanese culture (e.g. anime/manga, video games, idols, etc.)?
Generally, I do, if only because my interest lies with those fandoms currently.

7) What do you think about original cosplays? So, cosplaying an original character/an original costume on an existing character/gender switch/original spin on a character.
I think it's great! Sure, I may not recognize the character but it's all the power to the cosplayer if they want to do an original or change up an existing one.

8) Do you see role-playing or performing (not just as part of an Omake but throughout a convention) as part of cosplaying? If so, how important?
I only see it as part of the performance IF a skit or an actual performance is involved. If someone is just walking down the hall, I'm not going to expect them to act like whoever they are cosplaying. But during a Roleplay or performance? Sure.

9) When/Where do you cosplay? (Do you only cosplay for conventions?) Usually at anime conventions.

10) Do you organise a photoshoot when you cosplay and how far do you take it? I don't usually because I don't have time.