Cosplay Showcase returns with highlights from Comiket 79 in Tokyo, Japan. A3K Japan correspondent, Fernando Ramos, gives us another collection of marvelous cosplay photographs. Each month, we shall bring you a cosplayer and photograph them in their element. Fernando Ramos is a contributor to Anime3000 and Otaku USA and currently resides near Tokyo, Japan.
Good ideas are all too easy to think up and not easy enough to execute more often than not. Such is the case for this here idea. Especially worse when you consider that the winter months in Japan are murder on the body, as your humble photographer suffers a sore throat. A similar if not worse fate beget the ones we originally asked to pose for this month’s Cosplay Showcase, as they succumbed to the influenza spreading around the country.
Fortunately, being a photographer lends one to getting lots of lots of archival shots. Photos that look good but couldn’t really find a good home for. Such is the case today where I take a look at shots from the recent Comiket 79. Some of you may have seen the shots I took on my personal site, wherein we all learn that black and white can make even the most mundane object into “ART.” However, that was only from the first day of the Comiket and although certainly snapping the latter two days, it felt better to release them on a rainy day. Such as now.
Old trends still held strong: Vocaloids were everywhere along with Touhou girls and more out-right sexy maid girls. More freshly popping were Panty and Stocking cosplayers, which made for an interesting case. Some cosplayers tend to be relatively reserved individuals and this created some interesting hi-jinks when asking for a middle-finger shot. Contrary to what some might believe, some tended to shy away from flipping their birds. Fortunately, most knew what show they were coming from and were more than willing to play along.
Otherwise, it was another successful show with lots of photomatography and crowds of people to fight through to get that one piece of paper you’ve been looking for. Hopefully next month we can bring you some more personal cosplay. I started this column with the hope of getting more into the “Why” than the “What” of cosplay. Too many people are content with the “WTF LOL JAPAN” image to the point where there is a sense of an “us and them” divide and hopefully through this column we can make it all a little more personal.
Then again, seeing Dr. Wily posing with a plant monster sometimes just doesn’t need to be analyzed, just smiled at.
Fortunately, being a photographer lends one to getting lots of lots of archival shots. Photos that look good but couldn’t really find a good home for. Such is the case today where I take a look at shots from the recent Comiket 79. Some of you may have seen the shots I took on my personal site, wherein we all learn that black and white can make even the most mundane object into “ART.” However, that was only from the first day of the Comiket and although certainly snapping the latter two days, it felt better to release them on a rainy day. Such as now.
Old trends still held strong: Vocaloids were everywhere along with Touhou girls and more out-right sexy maid girls. More freshly popping were Panty and Stocking cosplayers, which made for an interesting case. Some cosplayers tend to be relatively reserved individuals and this created some interesting hi-jinks when asking for a middle-finger shot. Contrary to what some might believe, some tended to shy away from flipping their birds. Fortunately, most knew what show they were coming from and were more than willing to play along.
Otherwise, it was another successful show with lots of photomatography and crowds of people to fight through to get that one piece of paper you’ve been looking for. Hopefully next month we can bring you some more personal cosplay. I started this column with the hope of getting more into the “Why” than the “What” of cosplay. Too many people are content with the “WTF LOL JAPAN” image to the point where there is a sense of an “us and them” divide and hopefully through this column we can make it all a little more personal.
Then again, seeing Dr. Wily posing with a plant monster sometimes just doesn’t need to be analyzed, just smiled at.
See Photo Stream of Comiket 79 on Flickr
Fernando Ramos is a contributor to Anime3000 and Otaku USA. You can see his other photography on his site MrOutside.com.
