Cosplayer Interview: Edward Insane

It's cosplayer interview time!

So, this is the part where I would explain a bit about the person I interviewed. How I know them, why I chose them to be interviewed and so on. But if you didn't notice, I'm interviewing myself today.  Weird, I know. But I wanted to do an example one so that people I interview later can use it as a kind of guide and.... ok... I wanted to talk about myself a little.

So, on with the show!

Your name or Cosplay Name:

  Edward Insane

Age?

  24

How long have you been cosplaying?

  I've been dressing up for as long as I can remember. Mostly as characters. Though I didn't know it was called cosplay at the time. My first convention cosplay was in 2011.

What was your first cosplay?

  Oh man.... it's been so long... I think my first anime cosplay was probably Dark Lady from "Sailor Moon" when I was 8ish... I think. I also remember dressing up as a female Duke Nukem before that... I would have been between 6 and 8 probably. I used to use the cardboard toilet paper rolls as my grenades. XD And then another early one I remember was Videl from "Dragon Ball Z" Because it was really easy. I used to dress like her all the time. XD

Do you make your cosplays, buy them pre-made online, or have them commissioned?

  I make all my cosplays. I buy things like shoes... cus... I'm just not a shoe maker. I've been making all my costumes since about 2006, but before that my mom made them.

Why do you cosplay?:

  I always have. I love pretending to be characters I love, or identify with, or I think are awesome. I love pretending, period. Not because I don't like myself, but it's fun to just dress up and pretend to be your hero for a day (or three). It makes me feel so good about myself. Espcially because I make my costumes. And when people tell me how much they love my cosplay, or that I portray a character perfectly, I feel so proud and honored and happy that they appreciate all my hard work.

What is you favorite part about cosplay?:

  Probably taking photos! I'm a bit of an exhibitionist (no really?), so I love having my picture taken. I also love doing epic cosplay photo shoots and looking perfect!

What is your least favorite part?:

  Judgmental people. I hate when people say "That person is too fat/tall/skinny/short/small chested/large chested/the wrong race/etc..." Just because someone is a different body type doesn't mean they aren't aloud to like that character as much as someone else and shouldn't be aloud to show their love. I also don't like when people bash "fail" cosplay. Maybe they did their very best! Or maybe they just don't have the same standards/guidelines for their cosplay as you do. Cosplay is for fun! It's to show your love of a character or show or book or whatever! It's a form of self expression. And no one has the right to tell you that you aren't expressing yourself "correctly." But I'll probably do a whole post on this later. XD

Who is your favorite character to cosplay?

  Sailor Moon!! I identify with her so much. We have so much in common. When I put on that sailor fuku, I feel like I become her. I AM Sailor Moon. At least, I feel like I am. XD

Sailor Moon
Photo by Morgan Wells

What is your favorite cosplay to wear?

  Tyleet from Elfquest. It's a poncho and and sweat pants, basically. And the shoes don't even have rubber soles (all leather) so it's like being barefoot. It's so comfy.

Tyleet from Elfquest
Photo by Morgan Wells

What is your least favorite cosplay to wear?

  Princess Serenity from Sailor Moon. That stupid dress has no sleeves, so I have to tape the sucker on. Before I discovered toupee tape, I had to just constantly pull it up all the time. And that wig!! AARGH! I hate it so much! Once I get a new Serenity wig, I'm burning the old one. 

What was the most complicated cosplay you’ve worked on?

  Uuuhhhm.... I guess Serenity. The dress part wasn't hard, but all the details on the bodice were time consuming. And it took me FOREVER to figure out how to make those stupid arm sleevy/cuffy things.

Princess Serenity from Sailor Moon
Photo By Morgan Wells

What was the least complicated?

  Alice in Wonderland. It was just a dress and an apron. Pretty straight forward, and one of the first cosplays I ever made.

What group cosplays have you been a part of?

  I was in a Sailor Moon princess gown group. And I am also part of Tyleet group. There are a few other girls who do Sailor Moon guardian fukus, but we haven't made a serious effort to have all the girls.

What group cosplays would like to be part of?

  I am working at getting together a Powerpuff Girls group and a Sailor Moon everyday/school uniform group. I would love to get a Scooby Doo group together. And I'm also getting a Tara Strong characters group organized! (She's a voice actress, if you don't know)

Who are some characters you plan to cosplay in the future?

  Chi (Chobits), Bubbles (Powerpuff girls), more Sailor Moon outfits, Rose (Titanic).

What crossplay characters have you done or would like to do?

  I would love, LOVE to do Dio Eraclea from "Last Exile." I love him so much! He's definitely on my list. But first I need a Lucciola. What's Dio without his Lucciola??

Who is a character people say you should cosplay, but you aren’t sure about?

  Princess Tutu. She's cute and funny and everything. I just don't connect with her. But I kind of want to cosplay her friend Lilie, that loves when things go wrong. She's funny and kind of twisted. XD

What is your dream cosplay?

  Steampunk Sailor Moon based on this piece of fan art!   Someday. Also, Sarah's ball gown from "Labyrinth."

What is a cosplay you would love to do, but don’t feel you could pull off?

  Trunks from Dragonball Z. I love him so so much, but I dunno... I don't think I can do him justice.

In your opinion, what makes a great cosplay?

  Attention to detail! I love when people put the tiniest details into their cosplay. So tiny that most people don't notice, but they are there.

At which conventions are we likely to see you?

  Anime Oasis, Fandemonium, Tomodachi Fest. All located in Idaho.

Any advice to other cosplayers?

  Research, research, research!! Look at a million pictures of your character. And then look at some more! And if you are lucky enough to know the artist, ask questions! Really try to figure out how that outfit would work in real life. And if it wouldn't... well... that's a whole other problem. XD

What are some other hobbies you have, other than cosplaying?

  I love sewing! That's my main hobby. I sew Lolita stuff and other clothes. It's my favorite thing to do. I also like watching movies with my hubby and playing video games/watching him play. I like doing crafty things like knitting and scrapbooking, though I haven't done those in a while. And now my newest hobby is working on this blog! XD

Favorite anime/tv shows?

  Anime: Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Sailor Moon, School Rumble.
  Tv shows: Mythbusters, Dog Whisperer, Dirty Jobs, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Favorite movies?

  Lady and the Tramp, Titanic, Stranger Than Fiction, Bedazzled (Brendan Fraser one), Pans Labyrinth

Favorite books/manga?

  Books: The Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett and pretty much anything by Terry Pratchett, The Life of Elizabeth I
  Manga: Chobits, Cardcapture Sakura

Favorite video games?

  Lego Batman, any Mario Bros. game, Skyrim

Favorite color?

  Light blue and baby pink

Favorite food?

 Potatoes and gravy!! And turkey! Oh, how I love turkey and potatoes and gravy together.

Favorite desert?

  Cheese cake!

Favorite curse word?

  Fuck. It's so versatile!

What are some websites where we can see more of you?

  Well this blog is a good one. Lol. But for more consistant (and sometimes silly) updates check out my facebook here. And for lots of photos of my cosplays check out my deviant art page here.

Well, there it was! The very first Cosplayer Interview! Yay!   Next week I will post a Cosplay Showcase of one of my favorite cosplays. Which is pretty much the formula I'll be doing for everyone. I'll interview them one week and then show them off the next! So look forward to my cosplay showcase next week! And then next month, the real blogging begins!!


 


<3 Edward