Countless worlds merged in the SSA auditorium on March 26, bringing everyone from Hatsune Miku to Anakin Skywalker together on the same stage. Attendees wore colorful wigs and sported all sorts of outfits, both familiar and strange, at the cosplay competition during this year’s Comet Con. As a first-time attendee there was much I did not know about this event, but once the lights dimmed and the host began to hype up an auditorium filled with cosplayers and cosplay enjoyers, I knew I was in for a treat.
The host began announcing more than 20 contestants, each person managing to match the infectious energy of the crowd. One by one, each contestant was called onstage and had 10 seconds to strike a pose or shuffle a dance.
Each cosplay was its own little universe of design and construction. Greer Phetsopha, animation junior and first-time cosplay competitor, cosplayed as the Veteran Ranger from “Fallout: New Vegas” with a helmet, weapon and armor; all 3D printed. Yesenia Guzman, animation sophomore, channeled Tenna from the video game “Deltarune” by sporting a retro TV covering her head. And Dema Dwaik, math senior and another first-time competitor, went as the gingerbread man from “Shrek”, her Gingy costume consisting of a cardboard head piece, papier mache gumdrops as buttons on her suit and a large lollipop made out of pool tubes.
The variety of themes was impressive; about half the cosplayed characters were from anime and the other half were from all other media types. From anime, the audience saw characters from titles like “Delicious in Dungeon” and “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.” For non-anime, we saw characters like the Saja Boys from “KPop Demon Hunters” and the iconic Waldo from “Where’s Waldo?”
It quickly became apparent how unpredictable some of the contestants were going to be, and by the look on the host’s face, many of their acts were unplanned. We saw a full scene from “KPop Demon Hunters” and crusaders delivering a segment that could’ve come straight from “Braveheart.”
But what was common among all the contestants was the attention to detail in their costumes and the large amounts of effort needed to make a cosplay instantly recognizable. Phetsopha said her costume costed around $500, with most of the costs going toward the trench coat, or “duster.” To achieve an impressive appearance, she utilized unusual techniques to give her duster a rough, textured look.
“I took a sponge, dipped in brown paint, and smeared it all over the jeans and duster,” Phetsopha said. “For just the duster, I took a knife and stabbed it.”
For Dwaik, the main source of her problems came from the costume’s head piece.
“I was looking up fursuit videos and how furry heads are made, just to see how they sit on the head,” Dwaik said. “I didn’t want to overheat, and I wanted to be able to breathe.”
Dwaik consulted her mother on whether the headset looked too big or too small, created prototypes for said headset and employed her mother for sewing advice. In all, she said her costume took around 28 hours to make.
After the contestants finished, the audience was given ballots to pick who their favorite cosplayer was. When the judges returned, we saw there were five categories for the contestants: “Audience’s Choice,” “Judges’” Choice,” “Best Skit,” “Club Choice” and “Best Walk On.”
Notably, Kawaii-Chan’s cosplayer, KC Pooler, won both “Best Skit” and “Audience’s Choice.” And from our interviewed cosplayers, Guzman won “Judges’ Choice.” After the results, all contestants as well as anyone in the audience who was cosplaying was invited on stage to take one huge group photo as a memory of such a great night. Even though I hadn’t been interested in cosplaying, the entire night had been enjoyable; it was a pleasure to see people so passionate about their characters down to the last detail, whether it be the props they carried, the wigs they wore or the voices they used for their acts.
The competition not only had a social impact on the contestants but also an emotional one. Dwaik said she has some social anxiety and that performing in her costume and letting the crowd see her work gave her a boost of confidence.
“I had people come up to me after the competition and ask for a photo, which was a very new experience for me,” Dwaik said. “I thought people would judge me, but they were very interested.”
For other contestants, like Phetsopha, the spotlight and hundreds of eyes empowered her.
“I tend to ignore the audience and just act in character,” Phetsopha said.
Same goes for Guzman, who had been the first contestant onstage. The audience exploded with excitement as she performed.
“When I was up there, I heard someone cheer very loud,” Guzman said. “That made me remember to do Tenna’s iconic bow.”
All three cosplayers said that utilizing YouTube is a great way to learn costume construction. Dwaik added that planning out the costume layout and lowballing how much time you have to work on it is beneficial. Guzman said that cosplay can be done on a budget. Additionally, all three agree that making a list of everything to do and adding deadlines helps ensure the cosplay gets completed on schedule, because certain tasks that appear easy can turn out harder than expected. But even though making a costume can cause worry and headaches, all of them have plans to continue their cosplay interests in the future.
Part of that continual drive is because cosplay brings people together. In the waiting room before the competition, all cosplayers had a chance to see the costumes and converse with their fellow enthusiasts. All three said the environment was positive, the room filled with appreciation and excitement for others’ costumes. And when it comes to judging, a cheaper cardboard costume like Guzman’s can still be a prize winner.
“Don’t be afraid to start, no matter what your skill level is,” Guzman said.
