4 Important Cosplay Tips For Beginners & Experts

     So cosplaying has slowly started to become more and more popular every year. What with new and exciting video games, movies, and television shows being release all the time it's hard to resist the urge to cosplay with others. What could be more fun than dressing up as your favorite character from a series and hangout with other people doing the same? Personally, I started cosplaying because my favorite holiday is Halloween and the thought of dressing up all year round was very tempting. Then as I started doing it more I found that I had a talent for it and it became a new hobby that I really enjoy.
     While I was a beginner I picked up on a few things very quickly that helped my cosplaying experience. Some of the things I learned on my own, and some I learned by observing others. So whether you're a beginner who really wants to start cosplaying, or an experienced cosplayer who has a room in your house dedicated to your costumes, these tips will be sure to help you and make cons even more fun.

Number 1: STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS

     I cannot stress enough how important this first tip is. I've witnessed a lot of talented and energetic cosplayers just beat themselves down because they saw another person dressed as the same character at a con and they supposedly looked better than them. I'm here to tell you that you need to stop that immediately. If you are constantly comparing yourself to other people then you will always be disappointed in life. There will always be people who are more talented and put more time into their work than you, guaranteed.

     Instead of comparing yourself to them you should just focus on you. How can you improve YOUR cosplay? How do YOU think you look? Cosplaying requires confidence in yourself and your abilities. If you doubt yourself because some person put one hundred hours and a thousand dollars into their cosplay then you're going to let yourself down. Just do what you can and know it's the best you can do.
     This also applies to the experienced cosplayers as well. Stop comparing yourself to other people and thinking your cosplay is superior and that the other person should give up because they aren't as good looking as you. That kind of attitude can also diminish your con experience and can really affect other people very negatively. Just focus on you, and have a good time in your well designed cosplay.

Number 2: IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT

     When you are making a cosplay it is important to remember that not everything has to be perfect to the last detail. It's okay to make simple outfits and just have fun in them. I knew a girl that would throw away her beautiful outfits that she made because they weren't perfect and she thought she would be judged for it by people (See Tip 1 on how to deal with this).

     Making a cosplay takes time and in most cases money. The easiest way to save on both is to not sweat the small stuff. Creating and putting together your cosplay should be as fun as wearing it with friends. Stuff will pop off, come undone, peal apart, and makeup will fade. This is all inevitable. I know it sounds like a tall order, but just let them fall apart. If you just enjoy yourself and not worry so much about the cosplay itself then you'll have more fun in the long run. Plus you get to put the cosplay back together later!

Number 3: DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE

     Holy crap, please don't wait until the night before to make an entire cosplay. You will stress yourself out beyond belief and potentially get very upset. I know procrastination is almost as popular as cosplay itself, but you cannot pull it off. If you treat an elaborate cosplay attempt like an essay for English class you will be disappointed.

     And I know there are some of you out there reading this who are saying "But Otaku Anonymous I've done this lots of times and pulled it off. So you're a poop head for saying I can't". Obviously you're an exemption to this and I envy your skills. But to the people who are just starting out I would strongly advise against it. As glue takes time to dry, so do cosplay take time to prepare.
     Even if your cosplay is simple I would say it's best to give yourself a minimum of a three week window for completion. It's okay to add some minor details and additions to your cosplay before you go to the con, but putting everything together is always a bad idea.

Number 4: HAVE FUN!!!

     This might be the most important tip I can possibly give you on this subject. Always remember to have fun! I've been to many cons in the past and at every single one I have been around people who just look and act miserable. Cons and cosplaying were meant entirely for fans and fun. You could have the best cosplay in the world, and be at the most exciting and highest grossing convention on the planet. If you aren't having fun then it's all a giant waist. So short and sweet, have fun you goofs!

     Cosplayers are some of the most fun and entertaining people I have ever met in my life. They are energetic, funny, and very accepting people. You'll always meet some very pretentious and aggravating ones, but for the most part they are pretty great people. It's no wonder cosplaying has taken off the way it has recently. I would guess that is a lot of thanks to the devout followers who go to cons all over the country. So if you're thinking of joining this fun group of outlaws these tips will help you quite a bit. Thanks for reading and remember to have fun! :D

-Otaku Anonymous

SAO II: Ep. 4 "GGO"

 

     Kirito has now entered into the world of GGO for the first time in search of the infamous Death Gun. To his surprise, he didn't quite appear as he expected. Upon entering the game Kirito finds that he has a female avatar and that it's actually an incredibly rare model. He obtained it when he transferred his profile from ALfheim to GGO. A player merchant offers large amounts of in game money and will stop at nothing to acquire his model. Despite his passion and pleading, Kirito politely refuses his offers and continues on his mission.

     Since he's new to the game and has some trouble getting around, he asks a passing Sinon for directions. She raises her guard to him as he approaches. So to ease her, Kirito musters up the courage and poses as a female gamer who is new to the world. Sinon smiles as she accepts and she begins to show Kirito around the downtown area. The first place they go is a weapons store. She asks him several questions and Kirito slowly starts to learn more and more about the game. He notices instantly that Sinon has a lot of knowledge and seems very experienced. He starts to feel worse and worse for being so deceitful to her after earning her trust. He also reveals that he wants to enter the latest B.o.B. tournament. This surprises Sinon because of how new and inexperienced Kirito is. She brushes it off as just new comers being to ambitious and they continue on.

     After looking around for a bit, Kirito realizes that he's going to need a lot of money and fast. Sinon shows him one of the gambling challenge games that you can find in the cities. We then learn about the red lines from previous fights. They are known as Bullet Paths. Gamers use them to predict the path a shot will take so they can avoid being hit. Kirito then shocks everyone by beating the game in only one try. He expertly maneuvers through the course with little trouble and wins the giant jackpot, giving him more than enough money for his gear.

     With money in hand he searches through the weapon list to decide how he wants to play. Sinon happens to mention there are energy swords in the game as well as guns. This gives him some hope since he's unfamiliar with shooting games. He shows off a bit to get acquainted with his new sword and Sinon watches with excited eyes. Though he appears to be very good with the sword, she decides that Kirito will still need a gun of some type in case he runs into some sticky situations. She picks him a low caliber pistol and they head to the gun range to learn how to shoot.

     Here we finally get to see how Kirito does with a gun. We learn quickly that firing a weapon accurately is actually incredibly difficult and takes some practice. He fires one round and is nearly knocked off his feet as he misses the target. Sinon smiles and encourages him to keep practicing as often as possible.
     Sinon then looks at a nearby clock by chance and she notices that they are going to be late to the sign ups. She starts to panic as she breaks into a sprint for the closest location to them. Kirito springs into action as he grabs her hand and leaps onto a motorcycle.

     He races through traffic and makes up all their lost time in minutes. She asks how he can possibly drive the bikes so well. Kirito mentions that he use to play a lot of racing games when he started out. Sinon laughs excitedly as they drive at high speeds on the interstate towards their destination...

REVIEW:

     I have been waiting a long time to see this episode. We finally get to see Kirito interact and enter GGO for the first time. Granted he hasn't had a real fight yet, but if it keeps to the true SAO tradition then there are many amazing fights that are soon to come. We also get a bit more information about the new setting. After being in Aincrad for the entire first season we learned a lot about the world our characters existed in. It was fascinating to see them interact with other people, creatures, and different environments as they progressed through the story. To have that same experience and excitement as we learn about the new game was the best feeling any returning SAO fan could hope for. I can't express how anxious I am to see how our new characters interact with the other elements of the new world...

-Otaku Anonymous

Episode Source: http://www.crunchyroll.com/sword-art-online/episode-4-ggo-656631

 

SAO II: Ep. 3 "Memories of Blood"

 

     This episode opens on Sinon's real world player in a small shopping area as she looks for groceries. An eerie voice starts to whisper her real name from behind. We find out her real name is really Asada Shino, and she lives alone in the same city as Kirito. The voice is coming from two rather mean looking girls in school uniforms standing behind her.
     The two girls then guide Asada to their self appointed leader known as Endou. The rough looking girl continues eating her candy as she explains that her and her friends spent all of their money on karaoke and that Asada now has to give them her money. When Asada stands firm and refuses to pay up, Endou then approaches her and begins to taunt her. She forms her hand into the shape of a gun and aims directly at Asada. This causes her to go into a state of pure fear and panic. Asada appears as though she's about to crumble to the ground a weep uncontrollably.

     Just as she's about to fall apart someone calls out that the police are coming. This causes the three girls to pick up and take off in a flash. When they are out of sight a young man comes over to Asada and asks if she's alright. This is her close and possibly only friend Shinkawa. After a few moments the scene moves to a small café where Asada and Shinkawa are enjoying a drink together. They discuss life and school. They reveal small little points about one another and it starts to reveal that they seem to have a pretty close relationship.
     Skinkawa then brings up GGO and compliments Asada on her progress through the game. He then asks if she's going to the yearly competition known as "Battle of Bullets" or BoB, which is the huge competition that every player enters into in an attempt to win large amounts of money and amazing prizes. Asada says that she will enter, and this year she's going to win.

     The scene moves to Asada arriving back at her home. She lives in single room loft by herself, and the room is surprisingly devoid of color and character. She goes to her desk and opens one of the drawers to reveal a model gun of some kind. As she takes it into her hand we are shown a flashback of her as a child with her mother. In the memory an armed man comes into the bank where her mother has an account with. The man kills a worker and threatens to kill Asada's mother if he isn't given money. The man is obviously on drugs and begins getting increasingly violent and paranoid. Asada dashes to him and manages to knock the gun from his hand. The man loses it and charges toward her. As he's about get his hands on her, she grabs his gun and brutally kills him with several shots to the chest and face. The rest of the people in the room, including her mother, look at her in complete shock.
     It suddenly cuts back to her in present time and she is shaking from the memory. This probes Asada to have another panic attack and she begins to weep in her room uncontrollably.

     We then move to Kirito as he enters into the same hospital that he woke up in nearly a year before after he beat SAO. He meets the nurse that watched over him and she says that she will be monitoring him while he plays the game and will be there is case something happens. He is visibly uneasy about going into this world and facing this new enemy. He has already proven that he can kill in the real world through the game, and he won't hesitate to do it again. With a deep breath and sweaty palms, Kirito hooks up to the game. With medical instruments attached he dives into the unknown world of Gun Gale Online...

REVIEW:

     This episode was very interesting and full of much needed background information on our newest member to the cast. The origin of Asada is incredibly dark and has many disturbing scenes even by SAO standards. The darkness and tone of this episode was equivalent to the near rape scene at the end of the first season if not more so. The brutality of the death definitely left an impact and made it very clear as to why Asada acts and feels the way she does. Though her official goal is still a bit unclear, I can speculate as to what her motives are. This also a good lead into Kirito entering into the new world. Now we know exactly how much this game means to Asada, and we know what Kirito's mission is. So seeing these two interact and go through this game together is sure to bring some entertaining and dramatic moments that remind us why we fell in love with this series in the first place. I for one, and really excited to see how Kirito does in this new world, and how Sinon reacts to him...

-Otaku Anonymous

Website Source: http://www.crunchyroll.com/sword-art-online/episode-3-memories-of-blood-656629