Note : Mikarin and Takeriya_Hagi’s cosplay unit name is Takeriya Samurai
Tell me about the outfit you are wearing – who are you cosplaying and how did you decide to pick this particular character ?
I am cosplaying the character “Father Hugue De Watteau” from Kadokawa the Sneaker Light Novel series “Trinity Blood.” I am so much in love with this character and making this outfit was my dream for a while. And one day I just decided to start. As a result, this costume project opened the door for me to improve my sewing, crafting, posing, and sword movement. This is about 75 percent done at this moment.
(On Takeriya_Hagi) Of course because this one is a great character in the series, and also he had a long brown hair that was close to Takeriya_Hagi’s natural hair. So we decided to cosplay this one. This is also about 75 percent done at this moment.
Tell me about the process of making your outfit – was it easier or tougher than you imagine it to be ?
They have been a hard set of costumes for me to make. I think every costume has its own difficulties and no costume is easy to make. I often choose to make the costume that is very complicated so, it takes time, practice and always think about budget. So, the love for the
character of the series really helps to endure all the difficult things. It also helps me to learn to accept “what I have and what I can do with it at the moment.”
At the same time, it helps to set the self achievement goal to get better each time. With these thoughts, I have just kept on going, without giving up no matter what.
Any interesting stories from people’s reaction to your outfit at the con ? ^^
I had two greatest moments when I wore costumes; one time a 3 year-old girl came up to me and said she wanted to take a photo with me and her mother took the photo of us. That was the sweetest reaction.
(The most interesting reaction to one of my outfits was when a 5-year-old boy walked in front of Takeriya_Hagi and me, tuned around, pointed to us and screamed. That was the wildest yet, I wanted to scream with him^^.)
How did you get started cosplaying and what got you interested ?
In the beginning, I bought a costume that another cosplayer didn’t need anymore. I bought it because it looked exactly like the one worn by a character from my favorite anime series. I wore it to a con for the very first time and participated in the costume event and sang a song.
And I made some great friends there. After I got home, I realized what a great experience it was. Since then, I have been cosplaying.
What are the con did you first attended and what’s your favorite con that you’ve attended so far and why ?
My first con was Ani-Magic so, I always think of that as my home con. I like all the local cons in Southern California. They are smaller but very cozy and they really care about attendees. Each con has its own uniqueness and each year they have it differently so when I have a good time, that is where my favorite con is. Also I had a fantastic experience in Nisei Week Japanese Festival 2008, which wasn’t an anime convention, but a bunch of cosplayers marched in their parade.
What does cosplay mean to you ?
To me, Cosplay is a form of art that I express myself with. When I make costumes and have presentations on stage, that’s when I have something to say or share with people. Also, Cosplay gave me a chance to re-visit my Japanese origin. I’ve lived in US and found many people loved the pop-culture of my country. That made me realize the beauty and uniqueness of my own culture that I didn’t realize when I lived in Japan. Thank you! And, to me, cosplay means “great friends,” “many tears and laughter,” and manifestation of the gifts that the God of Creation has released to each person.
If you had unlimited funds/technology/time, what is your dream cosplay ?
Too many dream cosplays to list here, you kidding me?
