Have you ever seen your favorite character being cosplayed by someone? Did it meet the DETAILS of the character? Did the 'cosplayer' portrayed it well? Or was is just an awful debacle you can never unsee?
I've been attending anime/cosplay conventions since '11, so technically, I have the right and the standards to judge cosplays that I see whenever I go to cons, or whenever something pops-out on my newsfeed regarding the art of Cosplay. I can pretty much say, since Myrtle Gail Sarrosa entered the Pinoy Big Brother(PBB) House, the world of cosplay went on chaos, almost a complete clutter in its name. But before I start, I want to clear things out, I DO NOT HATE MYRTLE, I 'WAS' A FAN OF HERS actually, back then.
COSGAILER pertains to certain people who cosplay just for the sake being a Myrtle, the cosplayer, fan. These are noob cosplayers that do not know the important details in cosplaying. Somewhat similar to weeaboos.
Cosplaying isn't just about wearing expensive wigs and high quality costumes and props, it's about how creative and meticulous you are in observing things. You have to potray the character you wish to cosplay, some even do researches because some characters they cosplay has a variety of attires and weapons, it's not only for physical portrayal but also for further knowledge about the character because some con-goers doesn't know much about anime and those hosts that want to chat(if you wish to join cosplay catwalks and the like) like to ask "Sino yang kino-cosplay mo?(Who are you cosplaying?)" with the follow-up question "Bigyan mo naman kami ng background ng character na yan.(Give us a little background about that character.)" And the worst reply would be "Si -insertakawaiicharacternamehere- po(It's -insertakawaiicharacternamehere-.)" nothing more, nothing less. Be aware of those you give your answers to, maybe he's/she's a great fan of that character you are cosplaying, you would just be crushing your own dignity and name.
According to Shenny Ongayo on the question "What is cosplay":
Cosplay (for me) is a hobby where you can express yourself. You can "unleash" your inner artist in you by sewing your own clothes and making your own props for example. It's not where you just pose for the camera and smile. It also means portraying. For example: "A Ciel Phantomhive cosplayer was asked by a photographer to pose for him, then the cosplayer poses and do the usual cutesy-pose. Then here I go, approaching to the cosplayer to talk to him because I'm not allowed to punch him directly to the face." This is the reason why when a person asks a cosplayer on "how to cosplay" they usually answer, "it's best to portray you favorite character," Why? Because you know them by heart. they would never recommend by saying, "JUST LOOK FOR NARUTO IN GOOGLE. .YOU'LL SEE EVERYTHING IN THERE," That's just b*s*. Basically, when a person cosplay, the people should see the character that the person is portraying, NOT the person in the character's clothes. That's why most people are confused about costuming or costume-wearing with cosplaying. I repeat, cosplay is a hobby, not a stepping-stone for popularity. Never expect that when you do this hobby, you'll be featured in TV or in any kind of media, this was actually just for fun in the first place. If you want to cosplay with that in your head, I'm telling you, you better change your opinion about it.
Some or the noobs in cosplay often just buy wigs and wear them, without styling, without looking in the mirror asking themselves, "Is this identical?" or "What does it lack?" or "Does it look good?". They wear their made-to-order costumes, without asking themselves the same question, without asking enough questions to make things clear, for them to have a more parallel look to the character they are cosplaying. The make-up, the friggin' make-up. I don't even know where to start on that. Some of these 'cosplayers' don't even wear make-up, or worse, do their make-up completely different to what is supposed to be done for the character. They don't even check their looks if its okay. And for goodness sake, if only I could get the courage to say "Halika dito, aayusin ko yan.(Come here, I'll fix that.)" Not to brag but, I may not be the best on cosplaying, or even as a cosplay enthusiast, I could definitely do it way better and improve it more than you could ever do alone.
I can't forget that one time when I attended VocaFusion '12 and almost everyone 'cosplayed' their favorite Vocaloid character. I saw a girl wearing a wig that made her looked like a Miku with cancer because of her unfixed and very low quality wig, also saw a boy as Mikuo with a very very straight hair, he looked like he just had his hair re-bonded, it was silky smooth and straight. Please do spare me a headache on this one, Google it and see how Mikuo's hair looks like and see if I am right that he was wrong.
If you wish to COSPLAY, and not to COSGAIL, do take time to prepare and have a cosplay debut grandeur.
Join this page and save your cosplay life: https://www.facebook.com/groups/137067499738199/
lf you're already a member, do visit this tutorials and reviews done by your beloved admins and cosplayers:
Cosplay Wigs:
Contact Lenses:
Fabric Guide(For those who sew/make their own costumes):
Tutorials:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/137067499738199/doc/258631770915104/
Comments/Suggestions? Leave them in the comment below!
Comments/Suggestions? Leave them in the comment below!
