The Art of Cosplay, part I

Cosplaying in the Philippines is somewhat of a new art. I guess, it’s because most of us were raised with the traits of being conservative and humble that it hasn’t blossomed as much as it has in other countries.

Cosplaying, a shortcut term for Costume Roleplay/Play, is not composed of only characters from Anime (Japanese Animation) and Manga (Japanese comics) as most people assume. It branches out to all kinds of costumes, to those of famous actresses/actors, comic book characters, fictional characters, singers, and even objects – like transformers.

I have recently been exposed to the real world of cosplaying. Before, cosplaying was something I could only dream of, since I didn’t think I’d have the guts to parade myself in front of other people in a costume that’s more than the ordinary Filipino style of dressing up. Many times, I’d meet people who went to conventions in the States, and took various pictures, not only in the States but also in Hong Kong, Korea and Japan. Not only in conventions, if we try to look at it at a broader perspective, but even street fashion in various places around the world is either an influence to, or has been influenced by cosplaying in some manner.

Recently, various ‘photoshoot’ sessions have begun to take place around the Philippines, which includes dressing up and posing in front of a camera, whether or not either the model or photographer is a professional or not. Many appear to be costume inspirations from recent hit anime’s while others are just spur of the moment themes. Even in my school, the Ateneo, I and a few other friends have taken dressing up for school up a notch. Though I wouldn’t consider myself a very artistic fashionista, I have a few friends who truly are the centers of such a new age in fashion.

Listed are some cosplayers and cosplay-related people that I’m familiar with:

Alodia “Edjie” Gosiengfiao, whom I’m proud to say is a Blue Eagle, is one of the more popular cosplayers in the Philippines. Having won various contests for her very creative and worthwhile costumes, she has been invited to conventions and such as a guest, or as a host. Truly an inspiration to cosplayers, photographers and wanna-be cosplayers here and around the world, Alodia is one who is willing to take the patience and effort to make her costume as original and unique as possible. Edjie recently acted as a host for the Toycon2007 which was held in SM Megamall from June 16-17, as a guest host for the Mangaholix Convention (held at SM Mall of Asia last May 19), and a DeathNote Photoshoot where she played as Misa.

Top: Edjie as Shall from Dream of Doll. Photograph by Tricia.

Bottom: Edjie as Misa Amane from DeathNote. Photograph by Tricia.

Ashley Gosiengfiao, Alodia’s sister and also another proud cosplayer and student in the Ateneo. As pretty and as popular as her older sister, Ashley is also very much involved in her band (The Bestidas) and photography. While her sister is very much into cosplaying, Ash is also very much involved in cosplaying but also carries around an SLR camera which never fails to let her down. Ashley is another popular figure in the world of Philippine Cosplaying. She has been recently involved in her portrayal of Mello in a DeathNote Photoshoot with some other cosplayer friends.

Top: Ashley as Mello from DeathNote. Photograph by Tricia.

Bottom: Ashley’s old DeviantArt ID.

Cris “Crissey” Si, is also quite a well-known figure in the cosplaying scene. Another very fashionistang Atenista, she hasn’t been involved in a whole lot of conventions, though she loves coming to school in a very cosplay-ish fashion sense. She is well-known for her portrayal of Near in a recent DeathNote Photoshoot which included other cosplayers.

Crissey as Near. Photographs by Tricia.

Jaclyn Ting Lim is another very prominent figure here in the Philippines as a die-hard cosplayer. Jactinglim has involved herself in quite a number of cosplay competitions, and also involved herself a lot in various photoshoots, and has cosplayed quite a number of times as well in conventions. A graduate from UST Architecture, she has had many years of experience in the art, modeling and in computers. Jac won as the best female cosplayer in this year’s recent 6th Toycon2007.

Top: Jactinglim as Cora Mystic Lvl 45 (RF Online). Photograph by Brando Solaria.

Bottom: Jactinglim as Aya from Oneechanbara/Zombie Zone. Photograph by Jun.

Tricia Gosingtian, is quite a well-known photographer in the cosplaying world. She has done many photoshoots for magazines as well as close friends, added to her excellent and ever-improving skills, which has garnered her popularity and praise in the Philippines – mostly especially on DeviantArt. I’m proud to say that this girl is also an Atenean, and a very promising photographer at such a young age. Some of the photoshoots she’s dealt in were for Meg Magazine, the DeathNote Photoshoot and the Dream of Doll Photoshoot.

Tricia in Hong Kong. Photograph by Juju Gosingtian.

Tricia during Chinese New Year. Photograph by Juju Gosingtian.

-To be continued-

P.S. I have the permission of the photographers and cosplayers, for use in the writing of this entry.