In a sea of self-proclaimed cosplay “idols”, it has become harder to separate the paragons from the posers. However, I count myself fortunate for knowing a good number of young women who have done the cosplay community proud, without pandering to the pressures of more mainstream interests.

One of these young ladies is Monster Hunter addict and mahou shoujo fan NikkiChan. In 2011, Nikki has brought honor to the Philippine cosplay community when she became one of Singapore Toy, Game, and Comic Convention’s top cosplay picks. She has gone on to win and judge other competitions in the Philippines.

NikkiChan takes some time off from hand-making her own armour (!!!) to answer a few questions for us today~

When and how did you get into cosplay?

I started cosplaying by accident. As far as I can remember it was August 11, 2007 when a friend of mine invited me to attend a con (Internet Cafe Congress). Knowing that it has a cosplay competition involved, I decided to get dressed as Amane Misa from my favorite anime series Death Note and signed up for the cosplay competition for fun… thus, I became cosplayer number 93! That satisfying feeling of portraying your favorite character on stage, in front of a huge crowd then lingered and made me want to cosplay more.

      

Which costume or shoot was your favorite?

To be honest, I love magical girls, I may not look like one but I am a mahou shoujo fan. So for me, my favorite cosplay would be Pretty Cure Happy from the anime series Smile Pretty Cure! Why? Because Miyuki Hoshizora/ Cure Happy’s personality is so uplifting by always being energetic, optimistic and of course happy, which really made me want to cosplay her.

What is the hardest thing in cosplay?

I think the costume itself. For me, wearing full armor-type costumes is difficult because it is hot to wear and it is heavy specially when you have a hand held weapon as prop. Sometimes there is a restriction when it comes to movement.

How have you dealt with any problems?

Adjustments! We improved the costume by choosing the right kind of materials. Remaking the costume to meet these problems without sacrificing the over-all appearance of the costume and accuracy.

      

What advise would you give to others who aspire to cosplay?

– If you want to cosplay a certain character, do it for yourself. Cosplay a character that will please and give you satisfaction.

– Choose a character that will fit your facial features and/or body type.

– Portray your character well, know your character, do a little research if needed, and give justice to the character.

– Know your budget. This is a must. Never put quality over quantity specially with your costume, wig, lens, props etc.

– Make up! Tutorials will help you to achieve the anime-ish look that you desire.

– Be polite and courteous to your fellow cosplayers.

– ENJOY!!! Have fun and welcome new people to the community!

– Thank you so much Ms.Rochelle and more power to magnetic-rose.net

We’d like to thank NikkiChan for her invaluable insight 🙂 To get to know NikkiChan more, drop by her FB fanpage.