Cosplays 2008
27 July 2007 22:54![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
argurotoxosAnd here we are, the final post of the New Hampshire journey. Somehow, it seems fitting that it be posted exactly three weeks after my departure (has it already been three weeks?).
The format of this post is a bit unusual. Rather than listing each potential cosplay individually, I've decided to group them under LJ-cuts based on series. For each cosplay, there is a brief description of why I chose that character and links to photo references.
What cosplays I'll be doing next year will be partly decided by you. There are a few potential cosplays that I'll only pursue if it's part of a cosplay group and others that I'd do on my own, but would prefer to have at least one other character with me. As such, you'll find a poll that lists all of the potential cosplays at the bottom of this post. Any votes and/or comments would be immensely helpful and greatly appreciated.
The series I've selected are:
Character: Killua Zaoldyeck (Greed Island version)
Why?: Back when I first cosplayed Killua at AnimeBoston 2005, someone asked me if I could shoot electricity like Killua, to which I replied this was the Hunter Exam, not Greed Island. Still, I would like to have an alternate Killua outfit, even if Greed Island isn't that different. Plus, as bad as I am at using yo-yos, painting a few seems like fun and it would be very cool if I could actually wire up some electric effects.
Photos: You can see the full outfit here and a close-up of the yo-yo design here. I'm not sure if I'll do the hand bandages or not, but the outfit is essentially the same as Killua's Hunter Exam one except for the pants.
Other Characters?: I'll cosplay Killua in any situation, but I would absolutely love to cosplay with a Gon, Greed Island-style or not.
Character: Killua Zaoldyeck (OVA I/NGL version)
Why?: This actually ties into a potential cosplay later on in the list who had an outfit that reminded me a lot of Killua's. This might also be the outfit that Killua wore in one of NGL's most emotional scenes.
Photos: Besides the links above, you can see a full shot of the outfit here.
Other Characters?: See Greed Island Killua comment.
Character: Kuroro Lucifer (York Shin disguise version)
Why?: Kuroro is one of my favourite Hunter x Hunter characters and I've been wanting to cosplay his disguised outfit for a while. I even did a test photoshoot for him, although I'm lacking the earrings and I didn't wrap the bandages low enough in these photos. [They're supposed to cover his eyebrows and rest just above his eyes.]
Photos: Kuroro's disguise outfit is frustrating because it changes colour depending on what version you're going by. In the manga, it's black and white with a black tie; in the anime, it's navy blue and white with a red tie; in the poster, it's black and tan with a blue tie. I prefer the manga version myself for three reasons. First, I like the simplicity and the contrast. Second, my black suit jacket doesn't fit quite right and I could use a new one for both Kuroro and Tsuzuki Asato (Yami no Matsuei) if it's black. And third, Kuroro's anime disguise outfit is apparently the same colours as Phoenix Wright's. You can also see a close-up of Kuroro's bandages and how they cover his cross mark here, a close-up of his Nen book here, and a close-up of his earrings and cross mark here.
Other Characters?: Like Killua, I'd cosplay Kuroro on my own, but having a fellow Genei Ryodan member or simply a fellow Hunter x Hunter character would be amazing.
Character: Feitan
Why?: As luck has it, my shortness and young appearance usually works well with the characters I come to love, such as with Killua or Kurosaki Hisoka. Some of the potential characters listed here, however, are very obviously taller than me. To balance that out, Feitan is not only a very cool character, but is also the closest to me in both height and weight.
Photos: Feitan is hard to find a good full body shot of in the anime for some reason (aside from his fake corpse, that is), so here's one from the manga. There's a close-up of his face here and a close-up of his shoes and pants here with Sharlnark on the far right and Phinx in the middle. (Am I the only one that thinks that Feitan's outfit looks like Hiei's?)
Other Characters?: Ditto Kuroro.
Character: Hiei (Kokuryuuha/Dragon of the Darkness Flame Dark Tournament version)
Why?: After watching so much Yuu Yuu Hakusho and discussing a possible cosplay group with Kun, I really wanted to cosplay someone from the series and Hiei is my favourite character. I also love reptiles and wanted to try my hand at recreating his dragon mark.
Photos: You can see a full body shot of his outfit here and here (the latter one makes it clearer that the white lines above the boots are straps/buckles). Hiei's dragon is here and my first test of it is here. However, as I don't actually own any of Hiei's episodes, does anyone have an anime close-up of Hiei's Jagan?
Other Characters?: Hiei's another character I'd cosplay alone, but it would be even more fun to be part of a Yuu Yuu Hakusho cosplay group.
Character: Itsuki
Why?: Chapter Black is by far my favourite Yuu Yuu Hakusho story arc and Itsuki is a fascinating character. There's not much else I have to say thatakai_senshi hasn't said in her wonderful character essay (linked above). I do, however, have two reservations about cosplay Itsuki. First, I don't have a sewing machine, which looks like it might be required for his outfit. And second, I cannot pull off his height at all.
Photos: I don't own any of the Chapter Black DVDs (at least not yet; I have part of it on pre-order), so I can't post screencaps. What I can do is provide links to two nice Itsuki sites with galleries: Enjoy the Silence and Neverending Dreams (which seems to be down right now . . .).
Other Characters?: Shinobu Sensui.
Character: Kurosaki Hisoka (Akuma no Trill/trenchcoat version)
Why?: Hisoka's another character I've been wanting to have an alternative cosplay for and I quite like the trenchcoat he's wearing in the latter half of the Akuma no Trill/Devil's Trill arc.
Photos: There's a close-up of the neck here, a back view, a front view, a side view, and another back view where you can see the colour of his shoes (brown).
Other Characters?: This is another one I'd probably do on my ownand then wear it as an everyday outfit, but anyone else from Yami no Matsuei would be lovely, though possessed!Tsuzuki and/or Hijiri would fit the best.
Character: Kurosaki Hisoka (green shirt version)
Why?: This is my other option for an alternative Hisoka cosplay that's probably not as difficult as the Akuma no Trill outfit. However, I'll admit that it's a rather strange choice considering that Suoodo no K/King of Swords arc was my least favourite in the anime verse. Nevertheless, it's a nice shirt.
Photos: Full body view, back view, close-up front view, and close-up side view.
Other Characters?: I used to like this outfit a lot more, but to be honest, this is more like my back-up in case the Akuma no Trill one proves to be too much trouble. If it actually happens, anyone from Yami no Matsuei would be nice, but either Tsuzuki or . . . Tsubaki . . . would make the most sense. (I confess, Tsubaki-hime is one of the few Yami characters I didn't like very much.)
Character: Kurikara Ryuu-ou
Why?: Kurikara is a wonderful character who I've been wanting to cosplay for a long time. His cosplay is technically in-progress as I already have some of the material for his obi, ears, arm guards, and hairpiece.
Photos: Sitting with sword and face close-up, a second sitting image with an arm guard close-up, and the flower scene.
Other Characters?: Not needed, but a Sohryuu (or any of the other shikigami) or a Hisoka would be cool.
Character: Tsuzuki Asato (child version)
Why?: This one's completely up to Kun, but her talking about re-doing her Watari outfit and discussing Watari pairings put me in mind of this manga image. To put it simply, I thought it would be a lot of fun.
Photos: Just the one linked above for now.
Other Characters?: Watari Yutaka
Character: Chihaya (Third OVA version)
Why?: Earthian is a very small and underloved series, much smaller even than Hunter x Hunter. Chihaya's another character I've wanted to cosplay for a while; even though I don't identify with him as much as I do with Hisoka or Killua, he's still a special character.
Photos: Full body shot and close-up.
Other Characters?: Having a Kagetsuya would be wonderful. (Yes, Chihaya and Kagetsuya are a canon pairing.)
Character: Aoyagi Ritsuka
Why?: This may be a strange choice considering I'm not even sure if I would call myself a Loveless fan; there are parts of the series that annoy me (such as Yuiko or Hitomi) and I consider Kouga Yun's earlier work, Earthian, to be far superior. That said, I really like Ritsuka and he's even closer to me personality-wise than Earthian's Chihaya. Ritsuka is a very introspective character and I find his past, his Loveless name, and his relationship with Soubi to be fascinating.
Photos: Face shot, full body shot, and a close-up of his sneakers. Note that Ritsuka has a number of outfits in both the anime and the manga and I'm not quite sure which one I want to do yet. (These screencaps are all from the first anime episode.) I also like this outfit, though Soubi looks so strange with his ears and tail still intact.
Other Characters?: I'd cosplay Ritsuka alone, but Agatsuma Soubi. Here's another image of Soubi and here's Soubi and Ritsuka together. (I would say that Ritsuka and Soubi are a canon pairing, but I honestly don't know if they are. Their nebulous and hard to define relationship is one of the strongest points of the series, which is perhaps further complicated by the fact that Ritsuka is 12 while Soubi is 20. I also haven't had the opportunity to read the manga yet and I've heard that Soubi kisses Ritsuka more and is generally more physically affectionate in the anime, so perhaps my views are a bit skewed.)
Character: Michael
Why?: I started gathering material for a Michael cosplay way back in 2004 when there was talk of having an Angel Sanctuary cosplay group at PortCon2005. Suffice it to say that the group fell through and I've lost most of my interest in the series, but I still like Michael and would like to complete his cosplay.
Photos: This is the outfit I was working on and there's a better view of Michael's dragon mark here. (Yes, I like dragons; Michael's the third dragon boy on this list, the first two being Hiei and Kurikara.) However, there's also this outfit, which I might also be able to use for Killua.
Other Characters?: Any other Angel Sanctuary characters would be welcome, especially a Setsuna (the boy in the red skull shirt in the alternate Michael image), a Raphael (the blond in the dragon image), or a Lucifer.
Character: Creed Diskenth
Why?: Kun and I also discussed a possible Black Cat cosplay group and Creed is my favourite character. The main problem is that, similar to Itsuki (and, to a lesser extent, Kuroro), I'm too short to physically pull him off well.
Photos: I don't own either the Black Cat anime or manga, but this site has a nice selection of images. (Click the 'Creed Diskenth' link on the site and scroll down to access the image gallery.) The specific outfit I'm looking at is his black coat with sword.
Other Characters?: Creed will only be cosplayed if it's part of a Black Cat group.
Character: Armand
Why?: Armand is my favourite of the Vampire Chronicles and another character I've wanted to cosplay for a while. The main thing that's holding me back is the complexity of his outfit and my lack of a sewing machine.
Photos: I tent to stick to Dany and Dany's versions of the characters. (On their website, go to gallery -> vampire chronicles -> character design [1998]; Armand's is the fourth from the left.) You can also see the musical version of Armand in my avatar, although his hair is completely inaccurate. (Drew Sarich does make a good Armand, though.) His particular outfit might change; I'll have to do some research on 15th-century Italian fashion.
Other Characters?: Anyone else from the Vampire Chronicles would be wonderful, especially a Marius (his character design is to the right of Armand's) or a Daniel (the drawing in the first row, far right under 1998/2006 illustrations).
Character: Garrett
Why?: The Thief series, specifically Thief: The Dark Project and Thief II: The Metal Age, are two of my favourite computer games and Garrett is an interesting character. Besides, who wouldn't want to sneak through the shadows and weird an arsenal of elemental arrows? (Err . . . maybe not the best argument.)
Photos: The first two Thief games are played completely in first person and Garrett is (intentionally) only seen in silhouette form in the cutscenes, making Garrett's outfit hard to specify. However, it can be seen in Thief 1 and Thief 2 boxart. (Images originally from Thief: The Circle.) The DarkMod staff also have a nice sketch of Garrett (the third drawing from the left in the first row under 'gallery'), albeit without the cloak.
Other Characters?: Nope. Garrett's the main character of Thief and I don't think anyone else plays the games.
Character: dev (male Malkavian model)
Why?: Vampire: The Masquerade and Bloodlines are amazing and the Malkavian model looks like fun.
Photos: Full body shot, back shot, hat close-up.
Other Characters?: Not needed, but any other Vampire: The Masquerade or Bloodlines characters would be more than welcome. If anyone were to cosplay a Beckett, that would be especially cool.
The format of this post is a bit unusual. Rather than listing each potential cosplay individually, I've decided to group them under LJ-cuts based on series. For each cosplay, there is a brief description of why I chose that character and links to photo references.
What cosplays I'll be doing next year will be partly decided by you. There are a few potential cosplays that I'll only pursue if it's part of a cosplay group and others that I'd do on my own, but would prefer to have at least one other character with me. As such, you'll find a poll that lists all of the potential cosplays at the bottom of this post. Any votes and/or comments would be immensely helpful and greatly appreciated.
The series I've selected are:
Character: Killua Zaoldyeck (Greed Island version)
Why?: Back when I first cosplayed Killua at AnimeBoston 2005, someone asked me if I could shoot electricity like Killua, to which I replied this was the Hunter Exam, not Greed Island. Still, I would like to have an alternate Killua outfit, even if Greed Island isn't that different. Plus, as bad as I am at using yo-yos, painting a few seems like fun and it would be very cool if I could actually wire up some electric effects.
Photos: You can see the full outfit here and a close-up of the yo-yo design here. I'm not sure if I'll do the hand bandages or not, but the outfit is essentially the same as Killua's Hunter Exam one except for the pants.
Other Characters?: I'll cosplay Killua in any situation, but I would absolutely love to cosplay with a Gon, Greed Island-style or not.
Character: Killua Zaoldyeck (OVA I/NGL version)
Why?: This actually ties into a potential cosplay later on in the list who had an outfit that reminded me a lot of Killua's. This might also be the outfit that Killua wore in one of NGL's most emotional scenes.
Photos: Besides the links above, you can see a full shot of the outfit here.
Other Characters?: See Greed Island Killua comment.
Character: Kuroro Lucifer (York Shin disguise version)
Why?: Kuroro is one of my favourite Hunter x Hunter characters and I've been wanting to cosplay his disguised outfit for a while. I even did a test photoshoot for him, although I'm lacking the earrings and I didn't wrap the bandages low enough in these photos. [They're supposed to cover his eyebrows and rest just above his eyes.]
Photos: Kuroro's disguise outfit is frustrating because it changes colour depending on what version you're going by. In the manga, it's black and white with a black tie; in the anime, it's navy blue and white with a red tie; in the poster, it's black and tan with a blue tie. I prefer the manga version myself for three reasons. First, I like the simplicity and the contrast. Second, my black suit jacket doesn't fit quite right and I could use a new one for both Kuroro and Tsuzuki Asato (Yami no Matsuei) if it's black. And third, Kuroro's anime disguise outfit is apparently the same colours as Phoenix Wright's. You can also see a close-up of Kuroro's bandages and how they cover his cross mark here, a close-up of his Nen book here, and a close-up of his earrings and cross mark here.
Other Characters?: Like Killua, I'd cosplay Kuroro on my own, but having a fellow Genei Ryodan member or simply a fellow Hunter x Hunter character would be amazing.
Character: Feitan
Why?: As luck has it, my shortness and young appearance usually works well with the characters I come to love, such as with Killua or Kurosaki Hisoka. Some of the potential characters listed here, however, are very obviously taller than me. To balance that out, Feitan is not only a very cool character, but is also the closest to me in both height and weight.
Photos: Feitan is hard to find a good full body shot of in the anime for some reason (aside from his fake corpse, that is), so here's one from the manga. There's a close-up of his face here and a close-up of his shoes and pants here with Sharlnark on the far right and Phinx in the middle. (Am I the only one that thinks that Feitan's outfit looks like Hiei's?)
Other Characters?: Ditto Kuroro.
Character: Hiei (Kokuryuuha/Dragon of the Darkness Flame Dark Tournament version)
Why?: After watching so much Yuu Yuu Hakusho and discussing a possible cosplay group with Kun, I really wanted to cosplay someone from the series and Hiei is my favourite character. I also love reptiles and wanted to try my hand at recreating his dragon mark.
Photos: You can see a full body shot of his outfit here and here (the latter one makes it clearer that the white lines above the boots are straps/buckles). Hiei's dragon is here and my first test of it is here. However, as I don't actually own any of Hiei's episodes, does anyone have an anime close-up of Hiei's Jagan?
Other Characters?: Hiei's another character I'd cosplay alone, but it would be even more fun to be part of a Yuu Yuu Hakusho cosplay group.
Character: Itsuki
Why?: Chapter Black is by far my favourite Yuu Yuu Hakusho story arc and Itsuki is a fascinating character. There's not much else I have to say that
akai_senshi hasn't said in her wonderful character essay (linked above). I do, however, have two reservations about cosplay Itsuki. First, I don't have a sewing machine, which looks like it might be required for his outfit. And second, I cannot pull off his height at all.Photos: I don't own any of the Chapter Black DVDs (at least not yet; I have part of it on pre-order), so I can't post screencaps. What I can do is provide links to two nice Itsuki sites with galleries: Enjoy the Silence and Neverending Dreams (which seems to be down right now . . .).
Other Characters?: Shinobu Sensui.
Character: Kurosaki Hisoka (Akuma no Trill/trenchcoat version)
Why?: Hisoka's another character I've been wanting to have an alternative cosplay for and I quite like the trenchcoat he's wearing in the latter half of the Akuma no Trill/Devil's Trill arc.
Photos: There's a close-up of the neck here, a back view, a front view, a side view, and another back view where you can see the colour of his shoes (brown).
Other Characters?: This is another one I'd probably do on my own
Character: Kurosaki Hisoka (green shirt version)
Why?: This is my other option for an alternative Hisoka cosplay that's probably not as difficult as the Akuma no Trill outfit. However, I'll admit that it's a rather strange choice considering that Suoodo no K/King of Swords arc was my least favourite in the anime verse. Nevertheless, it's a nice shirt.
Photos: Full body view, back view, close-up front view, and close-up side view.
Other Characters?: I used to like this outfit a lot more, but to be honest, this is more like my back-up in case the Akuma no Trill one proves to be too much trouble. If it actually happens, anyone from Yami no Matsuei would be nice, but either Tsuzuki or . . . Tsubaki . . . would make the most sense. (I confess, Tsubaki-hime is one of the few Yami characters I didn't like very much.)
Character: Kurikara Ryuu-ou
Why?: Kurikara is a wonderful character who I've been wanting to cosplay for a long time. His cosplay is technically in-progress as I already have some of the material for his obi, ears, arm guards, and hairpiece.
Photos: Sitting with sword and face close-up, a second sitting image with an arm guard close-up, and the flower scene.
Other Characters?: Not needed, but a Sohryuu (or any of the other shikigami) or a Hisoka would be cool.
Character: Tsuzuki Asato (child version)
Why?: This one's completely up to Kun, but her talking about re-doing her Watari outfit and discussing Watari pairings put me in mind of this manga image. To put it simply, I thought it would be a lot of fun.
Photos: Just the one linked above for now.
Other Characters?: Watari Yutaka
Character: Chihaya (Third OVA version)
Why?: Earthian is a very small and underloved series, much smaller even than Hunter x Hunter. Chihaya's another character I've wanted to cosplay for a while; even though I don't identify with him as much as I do with Hisoka or Killua, he's still a special character.
Photos: Full body shot and close-up.
Other Characters?: Having a Kagetsuya would be wonderful. (Yes, Chihaya and Kagetsuya are a canon pairing.)
Character: Aoyagi Ritsuka
Why?: This may be a strange choice considering I'm not even sure if I would call myself a Loveless fan; there are parts of the series that annoy me (such as Yuiko or Hitomi) and I consider Kouga Yun's earlier work, Earthian, to be far superior. That said, I really like Ritsuka and he's even closer to me personality-wise than Earthian's Chihaya. Ritsuka is a very introspective character and I find his past, his Loveless name, and his relationship with Soubi to be fascinating.
Photos: Face shot, full body shot, and a close-up of his sneakers. Note that Ritsuka has a number of outfits in both the anime and the manga and I'm not quite sure which one I want to do yet. (These screencaps are all from the first anime episode.) I also like this outfit, though Soubi looks so strange with his ears and tail still intact.
Other Characters?: I'd cosplay Ritsuka alone, but Agatsuma Soubi. Here's another image of Soubi and here's Soubi and Ritsuka together. (I would say that Ritsuka and Soubi are a canon pairing, but I honestly don't know if they are. Their nebulous and hard to define relationship is one of the strongest points of the series, which is perhaps further complicated by the fact that Ritsuka is 12 while Soubi is 20. I also haven't had the opportunity to read the manga yet and I've heard that Soubi kisses Ritsuka more and is generally more physically affectionate in the anime, so perhaps my views are a bit skewed.)
Character: Michael
Why?: I started gathering material for a Michael cosplay way back in 2004 when there was talk of having an Angel Sanctuary cosplay group at PortCon2005. Suffice it to say that the group fell through and I've lost most of my interest in the series, but I still like Michael and would like to complete his cosplay.
Photos: This is the outfit I was working on and there's a better view of Michael's dragon mark here. (Yes, I like dragons; Michael's the third dragon boy on this list, the first two being Hiei and Kurikara.) However, there's also this outfit, which I might also be able to use for Killua.
Other Characters?: Any other Angel Sanctuary characters would be welcome, especially a Setsuna (the boy in the red skull shirt in the alternate Michael image), a Raphael (the blond in the dragon image), or a Lucifer.
Character: Creed Diskenth
Why?: Kun and I also discussed a possible Black Cat cosplay group and Creed is my favourite character. The main problem is that, similar to Itsuki (and, to a lesser extent, Kuroro), I'm too short to physically pull him off well.
Photos: I don't own either the Black Cat anime or manga, but this site has a nice selection of images. (Click the 'Creed Diskenth' link on the site and scroll down to access the image gallery.) The specific outfit I'm looking at is his black coat with sword.
Other Characters?: Creed will only be cosplayed if it's part of a Black Cat group.
Character: Armand
Why?: Armand is my favourite of the Vampire Chronicles and another character I've wanted to cosplay for a while. The main thing that's holding me back is the complexity of his outfit and my lack of a sewing machine.
Photos: I tent to stick to Dany and Dany's versions of the characters. (On their website, go to gallery -> vampire chronicles -> character design [1998]; Armand's is the fourth from the left.) You can also see the musical version of Armand in my avatar, although his hair is completely inaccurate. (Drew Sarich does make a good Armand, though.) His particular outfit might change; I'll have to do some research on 15th-century Italian fashion.
Other Characters?: Anyone else from the Vampire Chronicles would be wonderful, especially a Marius (his character design is to the right of Armand's) or a Daniel (the drawing in the first row, far right under 1998/2006 illustrations).
Character: Garrett
Why?: The Thief series, specifically Thief: The Dark Project and Thief II: The Metal Age, are two of my favourite computer games and Garrett is an interesting character. Besides, who wouldn't want to sneak through the shadows and weird an arsenal of elemental arrows? (Err . . . maybe not the best argument.)
Photos: The first two Thief games are played completely in first person and Garrett is (intentionally) only seen in silhouette form in the cutscenes, making Garrett's outfit hard to specify. However, it can be seen in Thief 1 and Thief 2 boxart. (Images originally from Thief: The Circle.) The DarkMod staff also have a nice sketch of Garrett (the third drawing from the left in the first row under 'gallery'), albeit without the cloak.
Other Characters?: Nope. Garrett's the main character of Thief and I don't think anyone else plays the games.
Character: dev (male Malkavian model)
Why?: Vampire: The Masquerade and Bloodlines are amazing and the Malkavian model looks like fun.
Photos: Full body shot, back shot, hat close-up.
Other Characters?: Not needed, but any other Vampire: The Masquerade or Bloodlines characters would be more than welcome. If anyone were to cosplay a Beckett, that would be especially cool.
