It’s time once more for another cosplayer interview! This next one, shared from Cosplay Blog with a Brain, is an interview with Chou-Wa! She’s a lovely cosplayer from Massachusetts, who has an amazing collection of costumes!
I generally just go by my name for my personal cosplay work, but my commissions and photography are under the name “Chou-Wa,” which means “harmony.” It’s the name of a song that I really like. Some of my older sites are also under “Gerodere,” who is a character from the manga, Rose of Versailles. My friends thought it was hilarious because his name started with “Ger,” and it stuck.
I’ve been cosplaying since 2007. I’ve wanted to cosplay since around 2000, but due to finances and other situations, it wasn’t feasible then. In 2007, a few friends convinced me to join them in a group for a convention. The group fell through, but I finished the costume anyway and haven’t stopped since.
I’m first and foremost a prop maker. I dislike sewing and honestly don’t think I’m very good at it; for me it’s more a means to an end. Props seem to come more naturally to me. I do mostly woodworking and not as much with things like resin and casting.
I’m actually scaling back my cosplay for the next year, as I’m traveling the country to work on my cosplay photobook and all my money is going toward that. I’m really excited about the book though, and not being able to make a lot of new costumes is a tradeoff that is more than reasonable.
A well-tailored and well-fitting costume does a lot. It doesn’t have to be fancy to catch my attention. I’m a child of the 80s and 90s when it comes to anime, so anything old school (Macross, Fushigi Yuugi, Cowboy Bebop, Utena) automatically draws me more than anything. Well-made props also make me look twice and want to take someone’s picture.
I find it fascinating how the cosplay “scene” has been changing from when I started until now. Facebook and the internet have played a big part in how well-known some cosplayers are in the community, as well as the proliferation of things like commissions, prints, US-based wig stores like Arda Wigs, and cosplay photography. I’m older than most of the cosplayers in the scene, so sometimes I feel a bit detached and left out, which can be both good and bad. I have been interviewing people from all over the country as I travel and most of them tell me that they have frustrations with the scene wherever they are, but it doesn’t diminish their enjoyment of the hobby.
As with any niche interest that gets popular, cosplayers are a much more diverse group now, and in a group this big, there are always not so nice people. I think the advice of “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” really holds true in cosplay. People do it for fun, as a hobby and as an escape from real life, to find people who are into the same interests as they are. There are already plenty of mean people out there in the world; cosplayers should respect their fellow cosplayers and just enjoy themselves.
My advice is generally for younger people in junior high school or high school. I’ve seen a lot of people who want to cosplay, but don’t have the money or have gotten into arguments with their parents, who don’t understand. Do what you can to the best of your ability. Don’t alienate your family because of cosplay or neglect school because of cosplay; there will always be next year.
Anime Boston is my home convention and Otakon was my first real con experience, so those two hold a special place in my heart. Anime USA this year was really fun for me as well. It was smaller and held at the end of the year, and I enjoyed the laid-back vibe.
I guess I’m most proud of my monster Shiva wig (Final Fantasy X). It cost a lot of money and took a long time to make, and I’m very happy about the way it came out.
Thanks for the interview, Chou-Wa! You can see more of her work on her website, her Deviantart, her Twitter, her Youtube account, and her Facebook page!