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Cosplay and Halloween, a match made in Otaku heaven. It’s the one time of year when everyone is expected to cosplay. Even if they don’t know what cosplay is. There are so many options from the very simple to extremely complex. Want a simple one? Carry around a note book and talk to someone that isn’t there. BAM! You’re Light from Death Note.

Wanna try cosplay?

Too embarrassed? It’s the perfect time to try it out. It doesn’t matter if not everyone is in costume. There will be enough people dressed up that you’ll fit right in. If you do stand out, you’ll probably stand out for being original. As long as you’re not Naruto, there will probably be half a million of those in your neighborhood alone. Then again you could just tell people that the rest of them are shadow clones collecting candy for you.

Cosplay and Halloween crossovers.

Mix it up. Take a traditional Halloween costume and add some Otaku flair. Don’t just be Dracula, be Alucard from Hellsing. Don’t just be a kitty, be a catgirl. Don’t just be a pirate, be Gold Roger. Shoot, be Gold Roger after the execution. That’s just a modification on a Headless Horseman costume.

Headless Horseman + Red Coat = Headless Gold Roger.

It’s Show Time

Think Big. Big O that is. Get some cardboard boxes turn yourself into a giant robot. Trust me, you can make anything out of cardboard, masking tape and spray paint. It doesn’t even have to be any giant robot in particular. There are enough animes like that you could bluff your friends into believing that your creation is an anime they haven’t seen.

Fun Stuff, Cosplay, Halloween, Costume, Light, Death Note, Naruto, Shadow Clones, Dracula, Alucard, Hellsing, Pirate, Gold Roger, One Piece, Headless Horseman, Headless Gold Roger, Big O, Giant Robot

I just got back from Dragon Con, and I’ve got some great stuff to share with you. It was a blast. This year was one of the better Dragon Cons I’ve been too. Lots of stuff I wanted to do, everyone was friendly and I am now a full on fan of Victor Mignogna. When I’m done with the reports from the con, I’m sure a lot of you will be fans of his as well. If you’re not Risembool Rangers already. Here’s a little taste of what’s coming.

Audio.

The recorder I bought worked pretty well. One of the panels was recorded in low quality though, so it my not be usable. I hope it is because it was great. I’ll do everything I can to clean it up so you can listen to it.

Pictures.

I’m sad to say that almost none of the pictures I took turned out well at all. I’m gonna have to break down and buy a decent camera. The one I have now is just too darn cheap to be of any real use. All of the indoor pictures are pretty bad. A couple of outdoor pics turned out ok, I just couldn’t seem to catch any anime cosplayers outside in the sunlight. I know they were there, it was just bad timing on my part. I should have just stayed outside and ambushed a few of ‘em. My ninja photography is weak.

I do know other people that were there, and I have permission to use their photos. So I’ll have to check Flickr and see if they have any good cosplay photos.

Anime track critique.

I’m also planning on writing up my thoughts on how the anime track was handled, with examples. I’ll give you the one sentence version now though.

The anime track staff did an amazing job with what they were given, but the higher ups tremendously underestimate the anime track’s popularity.

Voice actor profile.

After seeing him at Dragon Con, I have become a fan of Victor Mignogna. So I’m going to try to do a little bit of research and write up AnimeFansOnline’s first Voice actor profile, if anyone deserves to be first it’s him. Hopefully it’ll be an ongoing category. Feel free to suggest your favorites.

Contests!

Yep, I have stuff to give away. Some good stuff, and some great stuff. This time I’m going to ask you to tell me why you should win it.

• Two Fullmetal Alchemist DVDs autographed by Victor Mignogna, the English voice of Edward Elric.

I have 2 copies of the FMA movie Conqueror of Shambala to give away, both autographed. One is a standard DVD, the other is the special edition 2 disc set with lots of extras.

• One music CD by Victor Mignogna, also autographed.

After hearing one of his songs played at a Q&A, I had to buy the CD Metafiction. I also bought an extra so I can share it with the AnimeFansOnline readers.

Here’s a little info about how the contest will work. Check back later for full details on how to win and when the contest will start. To win the DVDs you’ll need to write about your favorite FMA episode or character. The one that I think is best will win the Special Edition DVD, and the runner up will win the normal version. So start thinking about your favorites and why you like ‘em. The winner of the CD will be randomly chosen from the entries received.

It looks like I’ve got lots of work to do. I just hope you enjoy the posts as much as I enjoyed Dragon Con.

Anime, Dragon Con, Anime Track, Critique, Victor Mignogna, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist Movie, Conqueror of Shambala, Contest, Free Stuff

I’ll be going to Dragon Con again this year. Since I’m now writing for AFO I plan to see more of the anime programming so I can write up some articles.

I’ll try to take pictures of some of the great costumes. There are great costumes there. I’ve seen some amazing stuff at Dragon Con before.

If I can manage it, I’ll try to record some of the anime panels. I might even try my hand at posting a podcast of a couple of ‘em if I can. I believe recording is allowed, I’m not so sure about the podcasting part. If not, I’ll make sure to take some notes.

I’m posting about it now because it’s only 13 days away and I’d like to get some feedback on what you’d like to read about. I’ll be heading out on Friday the 31st, so if you have any suggestions please comment on this post or send me an e-mail before then. You can also use the contact form.

I’d really appreciate any ideas you might have on this. What portions of the convention do you want me to report on? Should I limit the photos to anime, manga and game costumes or would you like to see others as well?

Anime, Cosplay, Otaku, Conventions, Dragon Con, Fun Stuff, Opinion

Dragon Con is getting closer. I’m looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. Why? I’m gonna dress up this year. Nothing elaborate like a Soul Reaper costume, just something fun.

It something a friend and I discussed at Dragon Con last year. We were having a drink and looking at some of the costumes. He had the idea to dress as Batman. I thought I’d go as Space Ghost. Not the full suit, just the cowl and power bands. Sounds like fun right?

Here’s why I’m dreading it. I decided to make the Space Ghost stuff myself, while he was smart enough to just order the mask and gloves. So now I need to make a cowl and power bands. I’ve got most of the stuff I think I’ll need. Just need to pick up a couple more things.

Stuff I have.

• Wonderflex.

I plan to make the cowl and power band structure with this. I want the cowl to have the right shape, instead of just a piece of fabric.

• 2 jumbo squirting flowers.

I’m going to try to make the power bands “work”.

Stuff I still need.

• Heat gun or iron.

I’ll need to heat up the wonderflex to work with it.

• Materials to make a form.

I’ll need to make a form for the wonderflex. I think I can use cardboard for the power bands. I’m gonna need a large styrofoam ball and some stuff for paper mache for the cowl form.

• Fabric.

I’m planning on covering the cowl with felt or another fabric. The wonderflex is just to give the top the right rounded shape.

• Paint.

I’ll need some red and yellow paint for the power bands.

So if you see Batman and Space Ghost hanging out together at Dragon Con, stop by and say hi.

Cosplay, Dragon Con, Dragon Con 2007, Batman, Space Ghost

Today we’ll take a brief look at cosplay. Cosplay is popular among many anime fans, but if you’re a new fan you might not have heard of it. It’s pretty interesting, even if you don’t dress up. Some of the costumes are amazing. Many cosplayers put a lot of work into getting things just right.

Cosplay is short for costume play. Makes sense, huh? It’s basically dressing up as a fictional character. The character can be from anime, manga, TV, games or even your own original creation. If you’ve attended a sci-fi or anime convention you’ve probably seen cosplayers. I’ve seen some truly amazing costumes at conventions.

For anime and manga fans cosplay is just another way to connect, both with the characters they love and with other fans. Ever hear the old saying “You don’t know a man until you walk a mile in his shoes”? Well, some cosplayers get to know their favorite characters pretty darn well by wearing those shoes. A good way to start a conversation with a cosplayer is to ask them about the work that went into the costume. A compliment doesn’t hurt either.

They put a lot of work into those costumes. If you see one that you think is cool, let ‘em know.

There are some good sites about cosplay. Some with good advice on everything from choosing a character to nitty gritty examples of making those costumes. If you’re interested in walking a mile or two in your favorite character’s shoes, there’s plenty of help out there. Here are a couple links to get you started.

Cosplay Links

• Limit Break Cosplay A cosplay duo with some interesting advice for beginning cosplayers.

• Cosplay.com A cosplay community on the net.

• Cosplay on About.com About.com usually has some great information. This is a page of links with lot’s of information about cosplay.

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