Skip to main content

The Cosplayer

Animé enthusiasm is more than watching Japanese animation. It may start with that but the interest eventually evolves into reading manga (or Japanese comics), collecting toys or action figures, playing video games, drawing, costume playing, and lastly, getting into photography. The end result of this kind of passion is being into Japanese culture itself. Fans of this movement are called “otaku” which means “nerd” in Nihongo.

I would like to focus on one aspect of being an animé fan: the costume playing (cosplay) facet. It is defined as dressing up as a popular character, may it be from animé, manga, movies, or even celebrities (do I hear Lady Gaga?). Cosplay has been widely adopted as a hobby by many fans. There is no greater joy than donning in your favorite character. However, it is more than just costumes, the cosplayer should also “wear” the personality of the character they chose.

Here in the Philippines, cosplay has earned a footing over the years. As more and more get interested in animé, more events catering to this art form also sprang forth. This is good for the industry and Filipino artists, as well. Being creative is more fun and worth it if money is generated.

When one thinks of cosplay, the name Alodia Gosiengfiao comes to mind. She is one of the popular cosplayer in the country.  Alodia has also garnered several awards in this field which earned her the title of Cosplay Goddess. Her passion for the art is obvious from the way her costumes are made. Not only that, she also gets into the persona of the character and projects it well. These are the reasons why she stands out from other cosplayers. Most of the time, you can see her in tandem with her sister Ashley. These sisters are a team when it comes to presenting cosplay as an art form. Below are some pictures of Alodia doing her craft: (credit goes to Alodia  Gosiengfiao http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=153855596746&set=a.423935641746.223990.152138396746&type=1&theater )




I started to like Alodia, Ashley, and cosplay when I read the feature on Ozine no.1. They were cosplaying characters from the online game Ragnarok. It was then that my interest started to level up from being just an animé fan watching all series and OVAs.

If life has given me the opportunity, I would have made cosplay as part of my list of hobbies. However, I grew up from the province where animé remains only to be seen on TV. There was no cosplay, no events, no nothing. As a result, my creative talents remained undeveloped. There was just no way that this dream could come true.

After finishing university, I moved here in the metropolis. Yay! I finally had my share of otakuness (pardon me, I just made that term up :P). The events, conventions, and cosplay! Yay! Given every chance, I go to these gatherings and take photos of cosplayers. It is very amazing to see wonderfully crafted costumes for real. You could feel the effort and passion put into it.

Every time I see these artists in costumes, I feel a mixture of happiness and sadness; happy that I am able to see them, yet sad that I could not immerse myself in this kind of art. First, my age is already twenty three. I should take life seriously: finding a stable job, support my family, and grow my career.

But have you ever felt that life won’t be complete if a certain job is undone?

Well, I have the answer to that. Cosplay has always been a part of my passion, even if I never put on an animé ensemble. This desire carries on until today. And regarding age? Hmmm… Alodia is also on the same age as me and she still cosplays. She proves that age is not a hindrance to achieving what you’ve always dreamed of. Alodia Gosiengfiao is a source of inspiration for me. As long as she cosplays, I will keep the hope that I can cosplay too. I’m looking forward to the day when my artistic side evolves from just watching characters on the silver screen to becoming a cosplayer and be the character.

Comments

LifeDeathSoul said…
not necessarily true :) You can still cosplay even when you're old XD I've seen cosplayers who are like 30+ :)

Popular posts from this blog

The 2019 Starbucks SG Planner

Happy New Year, dear readers! The year 2019 comes with new wishes, new beginnings, and of course, new planners! Yay! I'm excited for all of it. The new year for me means a fresh start for all the failures I've had for the previous year. Yep, I feel ya! 2018 was kinda rough for me, too. But anyways, I'm here to share with you a tool to help us face the days ahead.  I'm sure that some of us take life as it goes along. But there are others, like me, who have a planning personality. And lemme tell ya, it's really frustrating how things don't go according to plan. Most of the time, life doesn't make it go as planned. Ugh... But fret not! Even if life foils everything, that doesn't stop us from using planners! Wheee~ They're cute and inspirational. They give us a sense of "getting our life together" , too. Hahaha~ So for this post, I'm gonna share with you the Starbucks Singapore  2019 planner!  The 2019 Starbucks Singapore Planner

Presenting The Starbucks 2014 Planner

There are a lot of 2014 planners available out there. For this post, let me share with you the 2014 Starbucks Planner. Every December, people are talking about it! The cover and the layouts are something to look forward to, as well. For this year, it came in four colors: yellow, magenta, brown, and black. The black one is the Philippine edition ( hmmm, tempting! ). I'm very much impressed because the cover feels like leather.  I will feature the magenta one. My friend owns this. I already have a planner for 2014, owning another doesn't make sense at all. Hehehe ~ So, I decided to take some photos of it and share what's inside. (^_^) Left: the box, Right: the planner.  The cover is embossed with coffee icons and Starbucks coffee blend logos. I noticed the symbol for their coffee Sumatra and the elephant icon for Kenya. The 2014 Starbucks Planner in magenta I saw the symbol of the Starbucks coffee blend Sumatra embossed on it. Here is a really cute featur

Lee Min Ho Mall Tour: SM Mall of Asia Leg

I still can't believe that it was just two nights ago (November 18, 2012), I saw Lee Min Ho in the flesh! As early as 5:30PM, I was already in SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, joining the fans as we eagerly wait for his arrival. The crowd was very overwhelming. I bet some people waited there two hours earlier than I did!  Lee Min Ho is a South Korean actor. His popular dramas include Boys Over Flowers, City Hunter, and Faith among others. His prowess as an actor and his to-die-for looks are enough to make women go gaga over him -me included!  He is my favorite actor. I love his dramas. In the future, as I gain more skills, I plan to cosplay his characters, especially Johnny from City Hunter. He is the reason why I love Korean products like Etude House . Now, I have another brand to love... and it's a Filipino brand! I'm very happy that Lee Min Ho is the latest endorser of the clothing line, Bench .  Crowds make me uncomfortable. It was my first time to have ever attended