It was so nice to meet you at SMASH, how was the event for you this year?
It was fantastic! I always enjoy SMASH so much. The atmosphere is great and there is so much to see and do. It’s definitely a lot of fun.
You were volunteering this year, right?
Yes. I started volunteering for SMASH in their 2nd year so this is my 3rd time.
How did you get into cosplay?
Well I guess I got into it after my first convention. I had never experienced the convention culture before so it was incredible to see people dressing up in character. I really envied the people that were so dedicated to it, especially making their own costumes. After that I had a real creative bug and started experimenting with sewing.
What events do you usually attend?
All of the Sydney conventions (Mini Animania, Supanova, SMASH and Main Animania) and a few interstate cons if I have the time or money. So roughly 4 or 5 conventions a year.
How much do you typically spend on your costumes?
Anywhere between $100 and $400-$500. Simpler costumes usually cost less or can be put together using clothes I already own like shirts and pants. It’s the costumes with more detailing or props that are more expensive to put together. It also depends on the price of the fabric you buy and how budget conscience you want to be.
You mentioned that you have a few favourite anime and manga characters, if you had to choose one which would it be? Why?
It’s so hard to choose! But my hero is Sailor Jupiter from Sailormoon. Sailormoon was one of the very first anime I saw and I was immediately drawn to Sailor Jupiter. Her personality is so strong but she also has a very sweet side, I like to think I can relate to her a lot. I do try to draw inspiration from her as well.
How do you choose which character to dress up as?
Usually it’s because I’m drawn to their personality. I do see a lot of characters with awesome outfits and think “that would be so cool to make” but if I don’t like them as a character the desire to create their costume isn’t there. It very much comes down to the role play side of cosplay, if you can’t relate to the character you can’t become them.
The depiction of women in cosplay often has a sexual connotation in contrast to male images, what is your take on this?
Maybe to someone that isn’t involved in the culture it may seem that way. Some people may take the label of role play in costumes to be a sexual thing, but really it’s just a form of expression. I think that mentality may also come from the idea that anime is such an adult market compared to western cartoons that it must mean there are more sexual implications. Of course there are a lot of male fans that love to see their screen idols come to life but there are also a lot of girls that go crazy for their favourite male characters if guys cosplay them, so it’s not entirely one sided.
What is your most memorable and most bizarre moment while cosplaying?
I always enjoy having people ask for my picture or tell me they like my costume, and getting recognised for obscure characters is a bonus. The most bizarre moment though only occurred recently, and that was being asked by Yuko Miyamura (Japanese voice actress of Evangelion’s Asuka) to sign my picture in her copy of Otacool2. I thought I was the lucky one getting to meet her, but it blew me away when she asked for an autograph! I’m not famous at all!!!
What advice can you offer fans interested in getting into cosplay?
Be passionate about it! Choose characters that you love and if you want to sew your own costumes start out with small projects and work your way up. Be resourceful when you look for fabrics or other elements like looking through everyday items and old clothes. If you aren’t confident about sewing and want to buy your costumes instead, try and make them your own in some way. Whether you customise the details yourself or make a prop to go with it. But most importantly it should be fun!
What do you do when you are not making costumes or going to events?
I work full time as a graphic designer.
The words cosplay and Japan go hand in hand so I was wondering, have you ever been to Japan? If so where have you been?
Yes! I’ve been to Japan twice now and am planning another trip at the end of the year. I’ve been to Kyoto and Tokyo, Akihabara and Disneyland plus so many other fun and interesting places. I’m looking forward to going to some cosplay events next time, it’ll be a first.
Where you interested in Japan before cosplay or the other way around?
I was actually interested in Japan first. I got into anime in highschool and became really amazed with Japanese culture so I decided to become involved with the schools student exchange program. It was a great opportunity to visit the country and learn more about the culture first hand. After that, I heard about conventions being held in Australia dedicated to anime so I went along and discovered not only were there huge numbers of people attracted to the same thing, but they were cosplaying too. It was such a cult happening at the time in Australia and something I wanted to be a part of as well.
Is Japan what you imagined it to be from your exposure to anime and manga?
Anime seems to be a stretch from reality in Japan, you couldn’t compare it to real life. It did give me an idea about what the customs and traditions were like and how they differed to western society but it was also a window into Japanese pop culture. Everything is so imaginative and diverse.
What’s next for you?
I hope to continue cosplaying as much as I can and keep on learning new techniques to better my sewing and prop making. I’m aiming for some big competitions with opportunities to compete in Japan (World Cosplay Summit) but mainly I want to cosplay with my friends and just have fun with it.
It was great speaking to you Jill, we will be at Animania this year too. We look forward to seeing you there!!
To stay in touch and up to date with Jill, check out her website
http://www.fataleknights.deviantart.com/
Click here to read feature article, Anime and Manga – Japan’s new ‘soft’ power?
