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Continued
from Page 3
DENNIS:
Well, before we end this interview. I have a surprise
for you. We have a few special guest interviewers to ask
you a few more interview questions.
KIE:
Eeek! More questions! Mystery guest interviewers, how exciting!
Ok!
 |
HENRY
LEE: What are your current favorite games at the moment?
And because they're your favorite, do you plan to cosplay
from them?
KIE:
Ahhhh...
My current absolute most favorite game right now is
Ragnarok Online! And of course I plan to cosplay from
it! (laughing)
Between the two of us, I think we've got just about
every girl character class in the game covered. We're
crazy obsessed fans. And I wish I could play right now!
Hehe
|
LILY:
My current favorite game is Ragnarok Online. It's a Korean
MMORPG (Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Game)
which is still in its beta testing stage, but it's already
really fun for me to play. The graphics and music are really
well done. My sister and some of my friends also play this
game, so often we play together. Overall, I think it's just
a really cute game. I always like action-adventure RPGs
such as Secret of Mana and Castlevania: Symphony of the
Night. I am indeed planning to cosplay from my favorite
games, and I have already made a costume of one of my characters
from Ragnarok Online.
 |
TIFFANY-MARIE
AUSTIN: Are there any cosplayers out there that you
admire?
LILY:
Yes,
I admire many, many cosplayers from various countries
for many different reasons. Sometimes my reasons are
rather silly. My current odd focus of admiration is
cosplay girls with nice skin. Because of my recent allergy
problems, my skin is very bad.
I
can't really wear make-up, and with costumes that show
any bit of my leg I always wear dance tights to hide
my bad skin. I admire the lucky girls who can show off
their clear skin. It really improves the way they look.
|
KIE:
Ooohhh...
hrm. I'd have to say Nomi and Kaie Tada. They make such
amazing costumes, and I was surprised to hear how many they
make. They
are true fangirls, and their love of the art really shows.
They really made a big impression on my first convention
experience, I was just so awed by them. I'm
sad they didn't come to AX this year, I would've loved to
see what new costumes they have.
TIFFANY-MARIE
AUSTIN: Is there
anything that you would like to improve on yourself having
to do with cosplay such as skills, attitude, habits, etc?
If so what?
LILY:
Naturally, I would like to improve my costume-making skills
in general. That will just take time and practice. I would
also like to increase the variety in the characters and
costumes I cosplay. It's nice to have a wide variety of
costumes to wear to different occasions, from simple to
complicated, silly to serious, historical to futuristic,
peasant to princess… I'd even like to make some mascots
and mecha in the future.
KIE:
Well, for one, learn to sew better! Sewing is very new to
me, and it takes me forever! With more practice, I should
be able to make costumes faster, and that would really help.
As it is, we make costumes at a very slow rate, and are
always running out of time. It would be nice to have costumes
done before the event!
 |
WAYNE
KAA: Many people associate costuming with needles, thread
and fabric. Have you seen the 80's TV show Macguyver?
Well, he had a way of making Weapons out of anything
he can find. What is the story of your most Unconventional
costuming method or technique that you used for your
cosplay? |
LILY:
It
bothers me that most people associate costuming with sewing.
Some think that a person who can't sew can't make a costume.
That isn't farther from the truth! Costuming isn't all about
sewing; it's about putting together a notable outfit that
one can wear, whether it be clothes or things to wear on
top of clothes. When I make props, accessories, armor, etc.
I generally use conventional craft methods and materials
which make for poor stories.
KIE: I
think I've seen an episode or two. Well I think the most
unconventional would be the Kitty-N hair. I carved it out
of potting foam, and stuck it to a piece of plastic which
rests at the base of my neck. It was a pain trying to finish
it and paint it so it looked nice, but I think it turned
out well in the end. Everyone kept asking what it was made
out of!
WAYNE KAA: What do you think
of the future of cosplay in general is? It is a trend that
will soon fade out? Or is it just the tip of the iceberg
as it stands. What do you think you've contributed to the
art known as cosplay?
LILY:
I think cosplay will increase in popularity in the future,
but not quite to the large scale of sci-fi, comic, and historical
costuming. Anime is becoming increasingly more popular and
available in the US, and with more anime fans will come
more cosplayers. Plus, cosplay hasn't even become popular
enough to become a trend in the first place, so it can't
really fade out. Cosplay isn't well known even in the anime
and gaming community now, so I doubt there will be any spectacular
changes in the future.
KIE: I think cosplay will just
continue to grow as it has already! I mean, it already seems
to be blossoming into something far bigger than it was when
I started... and that wasn't too long ago! The skits and
costumes I see these days though, would be unheard of back
then. And after all, just look at Trekkies and Star Wars
fans and such - people have been costume as their favorite
characters for a long time, and I don't expect it will slow
down as long as there are adoring fans out there. Contributed?
hmm... just adding to the masses of people who love videogames,
love anime, love costumes, and love cosplay! We try hard
to make nice costumes and do good skits, and hopefully it'll
inspire a few others to do the same.
 |
KIMI PASAMONTE: What do you think
of cross-play?
KIE: I love crossplay...
I think it's amusing, and it shows diversity in cosplay,
which is one thing I aspire to. Crossplay, done well,
is true art - it shows a costumer's skill in projecting
an image that is very different from his or her natural
look. I don't think I make a very convincing guy, but
I still love dressing up as my favorite guy characters
anyway. I don't want to ever be stuck portraying one
kind of character in my cosplay. |
LILY:
I like cross-play, and I like doing cross-play myself as
long as I can find a guy I can pull off decently. I don't
like cross-play that is really poorly or indecently done,
but then, I don't like regular cosplay that is really poorly
or indecently done, either.
KIMI PASAMONTE: Do you think there
is a difference between female cross-playing and male cross-playing?
KIE: Hmm... I would say
that there is a bit of difference between girls dressing
up as guys, and guys dressing up as girls. While women wearing
pants is socially acceptable, men wearing skirts is not.
Also, most male characters tend to be more covered than
many popular female characters. This creates a lot of challenges
for guys who crossplay, and personally I think a well-done
crossplay done by a guy is a lot more impressive than a
well-done crossplay by a girl. Cosplayers always have to
remember to consider what will look good on them, and what
may look bad - guys crossplaying girls should especially
remember this, but this is more common sense than a difference
between guy and girl crossplaying.
LILY: There is definitely a
difference between female and male cross-playing. Some people
say that women already crossdress when they wear pants,
so I can see how girls crossdressing as guys is more accepted
in our society. However, I don't think acceptability depends
mainly on whether it's a guy or girl crossplaying. I think
it depends on how conservative the costume is and how much
of the crossdresser's skin or figure shows. The costumes
of male characters tend to be more conservative. So, it
would look good on either gender. I don't like to see guys
in bikini-girl costumes or girls in shirtless-guy costumes
unless it's really well done! But by the same token, if
you're a girl who wants to dress in a bikini or a guy who
wants to go shirtless, you should look good doing so. In
my opinion, whether the cosplayer looks good is much more
important than whether he or she is the correct gender for
the character.
DENNIS:
Your final words to the fans who support your work.
LILY:
Thank you to all the people who support us. You have made
our cosplay experience so enjoyable.
KIE:
Fans? My goodness. I'm flattered you think we have fans.
Well, to any of you who may be out there, thank you for
your support! Smile, and have fun!
###
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Note:
All
photos on nt2099 Cosplay Underground has been taken by a
staff member of nt2099 media and entertainment or has been
supplied to us by the individuals being interviewed.
--
Dennis
A. Amith is an entertainment
writer and celebrity interviewer and the Principal of
nt2099 Media and Entertainment. Dennis A. Amith has appeared
in many publications worldwide for his knowledge of Asian
pop culture. He is also known for his conversation-style
celebrity interviews in which he was inspired by popular
entertainment writer, Lawrence Grobel. He continues to stick
with his formula of promoting artists and professionals
who are well-known to the up-and-coming, his goal of helping
to smash the barriers that exist for Asians in the entertainment
industry and to ask questions that will definitely grab
your attention.
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