'Eww. What are you wearing?
MANILA, Philippines - There’s something about animé that makes it so easy to hate. Somewhere in between listening to the breathy, high-pitched dubbing and watching 20 unoriginal two-inch pleated skirts sashaying before my glazing eyes, I find that life gives me only two realistic options whenever I come across animé: Shut the TV off or seriously punch somebody.
So imagine my shock (and frustration) when I found out that real-life people actually dress up as their favorite animé characters in an art called costume play or cosplay. Worse, these people aren’t limited to animé shows — cosplay character representation goes as far as scoping Japanese video games, movies, comics and graphic novels. And worst, these people — “cosplayers”— actually enjoy (read: they really, seriously have fun) dressing up as Japanese characters, even genuinely role playing whoever they’re dressed as.
Cosplay has a massive following here in the Philippines, enough for it to have created its own subculture of cosplayers and fans who take the art very seriously. When I was invited to attend the “biggest cosplay battle of the year,” it was difficult to say yes like it was hard to say no. Yes, because the self-proclaimed artist in me was itching with curiosity to find out what exactly makes the “art” an art; and no, because I didn’t want to be held responsible for punching a total stranger.
Edgar John Ilaga of the organization Anime Alliance told me that the Philippine cosplay community considers itself as “very open.” So in the spirit of true cosplaying, I brought with me one wide open mind when I headed to the SM North Edsa Skydome to attend Hero Face Off: The Ultimate Cosplay Battle, a cosplay competition and convention arranged by Hero TV, in cooperation with Anime Alliance and cosplay.ph.
Now, here’s what the cosplay virgin in me realized— going to a cosplay gathering is about the only thing in the world that can make you feel uneasy in your own civilian clothes. And it’s because the amount of time, work, and money cosplayers put into their costumes actually make them seem real, leaving the normally dressed human rather wide-eyed in the cosplayer’s dramatic and intriguing world.
Relentless camera flashes from huge crowds are something you’ll get used to in cosplay conventions — just how you’ll get used to cosplayers introducing themselves with their Japanese aliases, then proceeding to converse with you straight in character thereafter. You’ll get used to the abnormal amount of rubber (it’s a cosplayer’s favorite) in every intricately crafted costume you will find. You’ll get used to the white-colored wigs and the blonde wigs and the orange-dyed hair. You’ll get used to all of this, and after the 15th Naruto you get in touch with, you will realize that cosplaying takes some serious skill.
Here are 10 cosplayers from Hero Face Off who caught Supreme’s eye, whether it be for their age or their hair or how they completely blew our minds with their outfits. And no, none of them was punched unknowingly anywhere. Yes, they were that damn good.
Stephanie Sumbe
Age: 21
Cosplayed: Female Rathalos Blademaster from Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
Has been cosplaying for: three years
It took Stephanie, her brother and her boyfriend one month to create her costume and her sword, all of which are entirely made out of rubber. Guess the P1,500 Stephanie shelled out for her costume paid off (literally) — she got P15,000 in cash and a camcorder for winning this year’s Face Off Individual category. The win also gave her the chance to attend the 2011 World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya. See all the good rubber can bring?
Nicole Ira Fernandez
Age: 15
Cosplayed: Kagamine Len from Vocaloids 2 Imitation Black
Has been cosplaying for: more than three years
Nicole was practically leaking fierceness all over the Skydome stage. Her fierce posing, fierce makeup and fierce get-up caught our eye, plus the fact that she was carrying a guitar as a prop and totally rocking it. Nicole’s intricate black gown was sewn beautifully by two of her friends, but everything else was hers. The dark eyes and the black lip? Hers. The spiky blonde wig? Hers. Doing half-split poses in front of a bunch of fans? Totally hers.
Marvin Cruz and Joseph Galicia
Age: 22 and 19, respectively
Cosplayed: Orga and Faiz respectively, from Kamen Rider Faiz
Has been cosplaying for: five years and 3 years, respectively.
They met through common friends, and now they’re cosplaying a protagonist-antagonist duo from an animé series. Now that’s a friendship story to tell. In real life, Marvin’s more of the outgoing one, gamely posing for pictures and telling people how their near-identical costumes were made… by Joseph. Joseph, the brains behind the costumes, made everything out of rubber and spandex in a span of a month. He even put in matching cellphone kits (made out of rubber too, of course).
Eji Suarez
Age: 22
Cosplayed: Jiraiya from Naruto
Has been cosplaying for: 1 + years
Eji came in as Naruto’s grandfather, and we couldn’t let that go undocumented. Everything on Eji was created by Eji, save for the white wig which he bought from an online shop. He hand-painted his costume himself, and made his geta (traditional Japanese sandals) out of wood and orange paint. Eji calls them “Havaianas,” but we couldn’t care less. He came in as Naruto’s grandfather for crying out loud.
Mark Anthony Ilano
Age: 20
Cosplayed: Akazukin Chacha from “Akazukin Chacha”
Has been cosplaying for: four years.
Marky kicks Sailor Moon’s skinny butt with a very girly and matchy outfit pegged after Akazukin Chacha. He had his costume made, but the extra comph’s — like the silver glitters and the yellow ribbons — he added himself. Marky obviously took everything into account, down to the white stockings he was wearing. “Para itago ang kailangan itago,” he says.
Mary Grace Roldan
Age: 23
Cosplayed: Howl’s Moving Castle from Howl’s Moving Castle
Has been cosplaying for: three years
Mary Grace came all the way from Valenzuela to cosplay a castle. She literally wears Howl’s moving castle by going underneath the castle replica she and her friend made out of rubber, paint, and lights, and by duck-walking the rest of the time. “Masakit sa legs,” Mary Grace says. But no pain, no gain right? Mary Grace tied with Stephanie for first place in the Face Off Individual category, sealing her 3rd win with Hero TV, and her 25th cosplay win overall.
Jill Christine Yang aka Fuyue Michiko
Age: 19
Cosplayed: Fuyue isn’t really a cosplayer, but rather a “cultural artist.” She portrayed the Bride of Suzaku.
Has been portraying a geisha for: two years.
Jill Christine Yang is a Filipina, but you really can’t tell. The commitment in her portrayal of a geisha goes beyond her hair, dress, and make-up, but also translates to the way she talks (incredibly soft and polite) and how she moves (ridiculously graceful). It was “the culture, the strictness of how [the geishas] were brought up and their exotic beauty” that lured Jill into the curious world of geishas. She is often asked to be “Fuyue” in cultural events and of course, cosplay conventions.
Ryan Barlan
Age: 17
Cosplayed: Sealand from Axis Power Hetalia
Has been cosplaying for: three months
Ryan’s sailor boy costume was strangely endearing. The entire ensemble, complete with the little tie and the cap, took only one week to make. The boy’s only been cosplaying for three months, but already he’s hit up the Japanese cutesy factor in his Sealand-inspired costume. We’d like to see where else cosplay takes this kid.
Jan Gabriel Caparas
Age: 27
Cosplayed: Byakuya Kuchiki from Bleach
Has been cosplaying for: five years.
From behind, you can see how Jan’s black hair almost reaches his waist. Sadly, it’s only a wig. But not so sadly, Jan still managed to look regal and very put together in a costume that was relatively crammed. The actual outfit took his mananahi one week to make, and he took the same amount of time making his sword, too. When did he find time to make his headdress then? “Kagabi,” Jan sheepishly answers.
