Animax’s Third Quarter Salvo & More Cosplay Tips
Animax enters the Third Quarter of 2008 with lots of news shows and exciting events for everyone!
New Shows!
If you haven’t been paying any attention to the previews for July, the premiering title for next month will be Sergeant Keroro (aka Keroro Gunso).
It’s one of the most popular serial anime in Japan about the many
misadventures of Keron military misfits Keroro, Giroro, Kururu, Tamama
and Dororo in their futile attempts to invade Planet Pekopon (That’s
Earth, to you!). Sergeant Keroro is particularly infamous for
poking fun at Gundam fandom, especially since Keroro is such a huge fan
of Gundam models. Oh, if you’re one of those lazy sorts who don’t know
which end of the broom to use to sweep the floor, watch the show!
Keroro has cleaning tips for everyone.
For August, we’ve got one sporty title. The Big Wind Up (aka Ookiku Furikabutte)
follows the humorous trials and tribulations of a down and out baseball
team as they work their way towards competing in the prestigious High
School Baseball Tournament, Koshien.
CLAMP fans have a lot to celebrate in September when Animax premiere’s xxxHOLic,
which focuses on the adventures of a young boy who works for a
beautiful witch, who was the power to grant wishes but for a hefty
price.
Big Events!
To those of you
who live in Malaysia and are not subscribed to the Animax newsletter,
you probably don’t know that there will be an Animax Youth Festival
coming your way in August. There will be a lot of interesting and fun
activities in line with the event, so stay tuned to the website for
more details.
There are two
major competitions coming your way in the latter half of this year.
Sadly, I can’t tell you about the first one, but I’m sure you’ll be
hearing about it very soon. It’ll be of particular interest for those
who are musically inclined.
The second event
is the highly anticipated Animax Awards competition, wherein a select
contestant from Southeast Asia will compete with contestants from Japan
for the chance to see their scripts turned into anime. In line with
this event, Animax will be premiering the original production LaMB (aka Laminated Woman), which won for writer Carmelo S.J. Juinio the Special Jury Prize at last year’s competition.
Indeed, there are a lot you could look forward to on Animax in the coming months! So please stay tuned!!
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More Cosplay Tips
Because of space
constraints in the last blog, there was something very important that I
inadvertently forgot to mention about coming up with costumes for
cosplay.
If you have been one of those people who have gotten hooked on The Count of Monte Cristo (aka Gankutsuou)
on Animax, then you would definitely have noticed the elaborate
costumes in the anime. Unlike other anime, the particular challenge
posed by Gankutsuou for the cosplayer is finding the EXACT
textile that matches the textures used in the anime. Just take a look
at the pic of the cast below and you’ll understand what I mean.
© 2004 Mahiro Maeda GONZO/MEDIA FACTORY GDH
The obvious
option is to go out to your local textile to find the fabric that
matches the textures. Some were lucky enough to be able to find the
matching fabric or a close approximation of it, but it’s a long tedious
search in bargain bins and markets. Others who could afford it could
actually purchase the dress that fashion designer Anna Sui designed for
the anime in her boutique. But, there are some fans who are actually
ingenious and resourceful enough to do the designs on the costumes
themselves through silkscreen painting and other methods. Believe me!
If one is indeed patient and resourceful enough, the outcome would be
pretty astounding. Just take a look at this group of cosplayers below.
© 2006 By Jason/i360.com
How To Mainstream Cosplay
Probably the most
common comment that I’ve received from blog readers is that they don’t
see cosplay happening in their respective countries. Cosplay was
unheard of in the Philippines, but it has now become an almost
bimonthly affair in my country. The funny thing about Filipino
cosplayers that I’ve heard from Japanese acquaintances is that it is
probably only in my country wherein you actually see cosplayers
brazenly walking outside of the convention hall dressed in costumes.
The Japanese, you see, limit their cosplaying activities within the
event venue. They remove their costumes immediately once the event is
over. So you could say that when Filipinos cosplay, they do it with all
their guts, ingenuity and, as a result, they reap the glory as well.
Okay, I know not
everyone has iron guts, but if you want cosplay to become popular in
your country, you need to have that cocky attitude to get it going.
Just how could you make cosplay a mainstream affair in your countries?
1. Start small.
Organize small cosplay gatherings among the youth in your community. It
doesn’t even have to focus on characters in anime or manga. You could
cosplay as your favorite scifi or fantasy film character. Is there a
popular actor/actress/singer in your country? Then, you could cosplay
them.
2. Start
simple. You don’t have to start cosplaying using costumes as grand as
the CLAMP characters. You could try something simple, like the casual
wear in Honey & Clover or the school uniforms in Ouran High School Host Club or Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
3. Get
information about any conventions or events happening in your area. You
don’t need an anime convention to cosplay in. Gaming conventions allow
cosplayers of every genre to participate in them. Even if there are no
cosplaying competitions at a con, get into the festive spirit by going
to the con dressed in your favorite anime and game character.
Malaysians, you have an Animax Youth Festival coming up in your
country. Fuel the need for cosplay by attending the festival dressed as
your favorite anime character. Mark my words on this! During Animax
Fashion Ability, we actually had cosplayers dressed as Naruto, Miaka
Yuuki and the characters in Paradise Kiss mingling among the crowd.
4. Again, be
cocky, be bold. You can’t achieve ANYTHING if you just sit around and
say that "it couldn’t be done in my country" and other such negative
sentiments. Think positive, work hard, and GO FOR IT!
