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June 3, 2009:
One cosplay added, one dropped.

 

My most recent cosplay and first male cosplay is Syaoran from the manga Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. Syaoran made his first appearance at AFO 2008. My friend made the cloak (except I made the clasp by choice) for me and I did all the rest. The shirt and pants were the hardest part. I tried buying pants online but due to display issues the color of the pants were not the same as the picture online. I did afterall get pants that did match. The shirt was hard because I wanted to find a man's shirt but it seems i'm much too short for men's sizes. The shirt that I ended up using was a woman's shirt after all. The shirt was designed to not hug a woman's curves though. Luckily the boots worn were previously bought for the Winry cosplay. The goggles were made out of styrofoam cups and the straps were attached with brads. This cosplay is current and not retired.

This cosplay is Amu Hinamori from the manga and anime Shugo Chara!. This cosplay went through a test run for Halloween 2007. I had only seen two episodes of the anime series when I decided to do this cosplay. The initial test run was different colors that I had on hand than the actual anime. For MegaCon 2008 I remade the costume matching the colors more precisely. But something still wasn't right. At that time it became apparent that the wig I purchased was not of good quality and that I had actually cut it too short. Then for AFO 2008 I purchased a new wig and was much more careful cutting that one. The costume also was given things it still lacked, like long sleeves. As this costume may be complete to some it is hardly complete for me. I still need to purchase a lock which is worn around the neck and a box that is attached to the character's belt. I really enjoy wearing this cosplay because it is rather comfortable and can be adjusted for the weather. It is a current cosplay and is not retired.

Probably my least favorite cosplay, only because it's too simple, is Namine from the video game Kingdom Hearts II. This cosplay has been worn with a group of friends many times. Being that it was one of my early cosplays and I did not have much in the way of sewing it is one of my most inaccurate ones. I use the same tank top, that I did make straps for, as the Winry costume. The skirt was bought at a store and I think works really well. Technically the Namine cosplay should be a one piece dress, but at the time I did not have time to actually sew anything nor did I have any confidence in myself to do so. The shoes were the hardest part and are actually large child's shoes. Namine first came out at JACON 06 and after Halloween that year went into retirement until AFO 2008. Mainly the reasons for this was that I had to sneak out of the house for AFO 07 and couldn't change into it and for MegaCon 08 I had wanted to redo the costume above. It came out of retirement after my friends were deciding to cosplay as KHII again and I asked if they wanted me to cosplay as Namine yet again.

My first technical anime cosplay was Winry Rockbell from the anime and manga Fullmetal Alchemist. To date this is the overall best summer cosplay I have, because it's not hot and easy to walk in. It's also the first wig I ever bought for a cosplay and it made me learn that cheap wigs get cheap results, it comes out everywhere. The shirt used for my Namine costume was first designed for this one. It's a white tube top shirt with white 1 inch straps sewn in. The black boots and black skirt were found at the same store. Luckily the socks were easy and I already had them on hand, just regular socks. I also have a regular wrench but I had wanted to make an oversized one as a gag prop. The first time I wore this costume was in Halloween of 2005 and I wore it the following year at JACON 06. At the present time this cosplay is retired. But there are talks of it possibly one day coming out again.

Along time ago, when Harry Potter books were released there were people who dressed up in Hogwarts clothes from the school. That is why my very first cosplay is a generic Hogwarts Gryffindor Student. While my friends dressed up for the movies, I only dressed up for the third movie. I also wore my cosplay for books six and seven. This cosplay has gone through changes based on new clothes I bought or the change in movies. As the movies grew darker it seemed so did the outfits. They went from a mid grey to a very dark grey. I went from a light grey to black. Overall the black version is the most comfortable to wear, although I admit not very accurate. Currently I'm not in possession of any good photographs of myself in any of these versions. Most pictures have me either blurry or closing my eyes. I plan to take better pictures of myself in this cosplay soon.

One cosplay i've wanted to do since my first one was Sakura Kinimoto from Cardcaptor Sakura, manga and anime. I've chosen to make Sakura's middle school uniform because it is not as popular. That's actually the main reason because it's not popular. I will be making the "Sakura" staff that she has which is a pink staff with a yellow star. I think i'm more excited to do this cosplay than my previous one. I already have fabric for the shirt, for the black and white parts. I also already have the shoes because I will be using the same shoes as the ones I use for my Amu cosplay. The one thing I am currently not sure about is the wig. The manga version is an auburn color where the anime is a mid brown. I prefer the anime coloring but this costume is only in the manga. This cosplay is set for AFO 2009 and will not change dates.

I'm really starting to like the angry characters or the ones that always seem to have a scowl on their face and Taiga Aisaka is no exception. Taiga is a dual main character with another character who seemly seems to be the main character named Ryuuji Takasu. Their anime Toradora! follows the story of these two characters and their misunderstood personalities while they both attempt to get with each others crushes, which just so happen to be each others best friends. Taiga's name sounds oddly like the english word tiger which is tora in japanese. One of the kanji in Ryuuji's name is the character for dragon (dora). Thus the name Toradora! This costume will only be hard to make the jacket for me. I plan to tackle the pleated skirt head on. The rest will be to find the socks and brown shoes. I already have a white blouse which surely comes in handy through all these cosplays.

I've been considering finding characters that have elements of previous characters that I have done so that I may use expensive items like wigs twice. That is why I am thinking of cosplaying as Sakuya Shiina from the manga Hoshi wa Utau. The wig for this cosplay would be the same as the one worn for my Syaoran cosplay. By the time I do this cosplay in 2010 or later I am hoping they decide to make this into an anime because the author's previous work was made into one as well. I have a feeling it will not though. There is a possibility it will come to the states in manga format and that may be when I will make this cosplay. It is not a final yes so I have to say it's a consideration. Hopefully by the time I get around to this I will have some more sewing experience and will be able to make it.

This is Hikari Hanazono from the anime and manga Special A. She's a very annoying character and I think that's why I actually like her. Currently I only have the shoes for this cosplay. I will be buying the jacket and sewing in black ribbon to make a black lining on the outside. I will also be buying the shirt online. I will be making the skirt from scratch. Luckily this is just a basic skirt and has no pleats. There is also a yellow tie which i've decided is cheaper to make than to buy. The only things I have yet to figure out or track down for this is a wig and a thin white belt. I also have to get navy blue knee high socks but they will need to match the skirt. This cosplay was planned for MegaCon 09 but I couldn't afford her at that time and slowly lost interest. I may be doing a much similar cosplay of a completly different character from this series that I ended up liking more.