It never fails to amaze me how one thing can lead to another. Every decision we make has the potential to create defining moments in our lives. I never suspected cosplaying would be something that would impact my life. It’s because of cosplay that I’ve become interested in photography and made life-long friends.
I remember exactly what got me interested to try cosplaying for the first time: Sakura-Con 2008. Sakura-Con is the largest anime convention in Washington State. It takes place every year around spring time on Easter weekend, just when cherry blossoms begin to bloom. I was still in high school when I went to Sakura-Con, so I was completely stunned to be in an environment where everyone shared the same interest as I did. Their love of anime was easy to see because the attendees of Sakura-Con were dressed for the occasion: so many people were cosplaying!
Cosplay is a hoby where people dress up as a specific character from various mediums such as: anime, manga, tv shows, video games, movies, comics, etc. Its etymology stems from a Japanese director, Nobuyuki Takahashi, who coined the term after he had attended Los Angeles’ World Science Fiction Convention in 1984. Similarly to how many Japanese people have the tendency to shorten many phrases and titles (think anime titles such as Ano Hana, whose full title is Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai and maku for McDonalds), Nobuyuki took the first part of “costume,” mashed it with “play,” and thus created the term cosplay.
Out of everything I experienced as Sakura-Con, cosplay left the biggest impression on me. It was amazing to see so many people dressing up as characters from anime shows I’d seen; there were a few people dressed up as characters I liked too! More importantly, it was interesting to see the sense of community that fostered this sort of activity. I was fascinated and decided I wanted to participate as well!
Two years later, around 2010, I was finally able to purchase my very first cosplay: a trench coat worn by members of Organization XIII from Kingdom Hearts 2. I thought it was so cool, and I was really excited to finally have my own cosplay! When Sakura-Con came around the year after, I wore it proudly. Cosplaying helped make the experience of Sakura-Con feel richer. It would take two more years, however, before I finally took cosplaying seriously.
In 2012, a light novel called Sword Art Online, written by Reki Kawahara, aired its anime adaptation. The anime’s reception was well received and gained popularity very quickly. I think Sakura-Con wanted to take advantage of this because shortly after 2013 came around, the convention announced Reki Kawahara as a Guest of Honor. I seized this opportunity by purchasing two costumes worn by the show’s main protagonist, Kirito. Dressing up as Kirito was also how I got to meet and become friends with Atashi.
I actually met Atashi in a cosplay contest. I was invited by a Crunchyroll staff member to attend their Sword Art Online Cosplay Contest while I was roaming the halls. I was hesitant at first, but I decided to go to see what it would be like. Out of everyone woh attended the panel, there were two winners: Atashi, who was dressed up as a character named Silica, and yours truly. I distinctly recall being very impressed with the quality of Atashi’s cosplay — the costume was intricately designed and created to look exactly like the character. Every year after that, we’d often bump into each other in Sakura-Con. It didn’t take long before we became great friends!
The following year, I went to PAX for the first time! As if to celebrate my first time going to PAX, I decided to do something very different. For PAX 2014, I cosplayed as Yukiko Amagi from Persona 4!
Cosplaying a character of a different gender (also known as “crossplaying”) was surprisingly a humbling experience. I had no idea how vulnerable wearing a costume like that felt. I also learned just how unbelievably painful heels are. For Yukiko’s cosplay, I bought shoes that had heels even though the shoes Yukiko wore in the game did not. After walking around the convention for less than an hour, my feet were in agony. However, the pain was worth enduring considering what I gained from it.
Markiplier was actually a guest that year at PAX and was holding a “Meet and Greet” session. The Meet and Greet was held in one of the large theaters in the Paramount Theater building and for good reason: there were a LOT of people waiting in line to meet Markiplier! While I was waiting in line, I noticed on the other side of the lines was someone who was dressed up as Rise Kujikawa, another character from Persona 4! We both met eyes and it was clear we both wanted to take pictures together. After cleaning the line and meeting Markiplier, I went to the entrance of the theater to meet up with someone I’d end up being friends with for the next seven years: Rinsenpai.
There was something empowering about knowing that I was not the only one who was crossplaying as a character of another gender. I’m sure it was because of this and our love for Persona 4 that we became long time friends. Throughout the years, I’ve seen how Rinsenpai has grown on YouTube and then on Twitch. Rin’s transformation from seven years ago to now is astonishing, and I am very proud to see his work being recognized.
As the years progressed, I would grow to become more interested in taking cosplay photos. In the year 2015, I had reached a level of proficiency where my work was being recognized. The more I practiced, the more cosplayers and photographers I would meet. Not only was I making new friends from cosplay, I was also strengthening the friendships I already possessed with our newfound hobby.
Photography started to become my primary focus at conventions instead of cosplay. When I realized just how much more I looked forward to taking pictures compared to wearing cosplay at Sakura-Con, I made the decision to stop purchasing costumes. I still enjoy cosplaying from time to time, however I want to be able to take photos without the potential discomforts of cosplaying.
To this day, photography remains as my primary hobby with cosplay effectively being shelved indefinitely. Nonetheless, I recognize the impacts of cosplay, and I am forever thankful for it. Thanks to cosplay, I made so many precious memories and friends. The next time you attend a convention, consider purchasing a costume! Who knows, you might just make a friend who will forever be a part of your life if you cosplay!
Wow, we’re more than halfway through March already! It feels like we’ve been in this cold, rainy season for so long. I seriously can not wait until the weather finally starts to warm up.
How has everyone’s week been? Mine has been interesting with trying to keep up with new routines. I also did a cosplay photoshoot in Seattle back on Wednesday. The client and I had planned the photoshoot right around Golden Hour so we could take advantage of the beautiful colors of the sun setting and be able to take photos of neon lights when it would get dark. I didn’t realize I would get the extra benefit of being able to see some really beautiful sights too. Seeing the bay basked in a beautiful orange color was quite something. I was glad to have been able to capture that moment. I think I should take more time out of my day to go out more.
