Cosplay and Glomps

[Xander Harris]

I've only started seriously watching Anime the past year or so, but on message boards I kept seeing the term "Cosplay" come up. Curious as to what it was, I went over to good old wikipedia [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay[/url]

Huh. Interesting...

So, the topic of the day is: How many of you folks have actually dressed up like Anime characters?

*continues reading wikipedia article*

And how many of you, ahem, 'glomp' each other?

Investigating Otaku Sub-Culture,

James Bierly

[Sara]

[color=#ff6600]I dressed up as Chihiro (from [i]Spirited Away[/i]) during Homecoming week last year. Costume day, great fun. I had pink scrubs and a little soot sprite made of black pipe cleaners. It was actually pretty cute, and I probably have a picture at home somewhere.

On the other hand, I've also dressed up as Princess Fiona (from [i]Shrek[/i]) and Charlie Chaplin, so there's not much special emphasis on "cosplay," really. More like, "fun character, easy costume, yay!" It's not a hobby for me, just an occasional thing that turns up (usually when there's an official excuse to dress up, such as Halloween or some sort of costume day.)

I do like dressing up.

taste the rainbow,
Sara[/color]

[Ezekiel]

[COLOR=DarkGreen][SIZE=1]I dressed up as Daisuke from Digimon once, it was great fun even though people hated me for it XD. Anime isn't very popular over here so I just kind of wanted to dress up and it wasn't appreciated. I've also dressed as Duo Maxwell from Gundam Wing, which was very cool but also didn't go down too well u_u

Hm, I can't think of anyone else I've dressed up as...except Thomas the Tank Engine when I was about 4, heh.

I glomp people a lot, it's in my nature. I remember knocking down one of my friends when she gave me a present, I just kind of sat on her for a while...very amusing.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Sara]

[quote name='Methuselah][COLOR=DarkGreen][SIZE=1]I dressed up as Daisuke from Digimon once, it was great fun even though people hated me for it.[/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote][color=#ff6600]Are you serious? That's so cute! Do you have any pictures?

I have such a weak spot for Digimon characters. =]

Anyway, I don't really use the term "glomp," but "tacklehug!" is kinda the same thing. And yes, I do that on occasion.

Great, now I feel silly and fangirlish...

do you know what a semi-conductor is?
Sara[/color]

[Xander Harris]

[QUOTE=Lore][color=#ff6600]

I've dressed up as Princess Fiona (from [i]Shrek[/i]) and Charlie Chaplin, so there's not much special emphasis on "cosplay," really. [/color][/QUOTE]

Tangent: Charlie Chaplin was the man. To make a career out of comedy without speaking (o.k., so he talked in the later years, but that was after he was already famous) takes some mad skills.

[quote name='Methusalah']I glomp people a lot, it's in my nature. I remember knocking down one of my friends when she gave me a present, I just kind of sat on her for a while...very amusing.[/quote]

LOL. I bet the look on her face was priceless...

And people shouldn't make fun of others for having fun. Digimon costumes rock!!

[quote name='Lore]I dressed up as Chihiro (from [i]Spirited Away[/i']) during Homecoming week last year. Costume day, great fun. I had pink scrubs and a little soot sprite made of black pipe cleaners. It was actually pretty cute, and I probably have a picture at home somewhere.[/quote]

That's really cool, heh. Can you believe I still haven't seen [I]Spirited Away[/I]? However, last night I saw someone going to watch it, and I put it on my mental list of things to do in the next week or two.

I might as well answer my own question while I'm at it. I have a bad habit of starting threads but then never answering the question myself. I've never dressed up as a cosplay Anime character (hence my investigation of the subject, and my starting the thread). I won a prize for dressing up as Zorro as a little kid. Still have pieces of the costume. Recently made a really shoddy vampire costume out of a black shirt and cape for a Live Action RPG event I was running (my first, and so far only, time trying something like that. It was a lot of fun for everyone, though, so I count it as one of my greatest RPG successes. Anyhow, that was another tangent, in case no one realized it). Oh! And I dressed up as a Area 51 interrogator for Heemstra Harvest Day. Our floor had the Sci-Fi theme, so we used the sub-basement as Area 51. We interrogated groups of people about suspected alien activity, then sprayed silly string on them. That was fun, and the majority of our guests seemed to enjoy our performance. That's just about all the dressing up I can think of that I've done off the top of my head.

[quote name='Lore']More like, "fun character, easy costume, yay!"[/quote]

lol. Words to live by. It deserved it's own quote box.

Hooray for answering my own question for a change,

James Bierly

[Dragonboym2]

I cosplayed for the first time that year. I was Hero Yui from Gundam Wing. Not many people looked at me though. XD. Besides, it gets hot in Baltimore. It was what, 97 degrees, maybe? So, the tank top and shorts were a good idea. Well, one girl got excited to see me? "Are you Hero Yui?!" she asked excitedly. "Yeah, that's me. I mean..(Hero Voice) that is correct." "Can I hug you?!" "Sure. I mean (Hero voice) very well." And so she did. "I hugged Hero!" she sang. But last year, I got alot of attention because I was dressed as Goku of DBZ. :) Life was good. But what does "Glomph" stand for?

Mike

[Xander Harris]

[QUOTE=Dragonboym2]I cosplayed for the first time that year. I was Hero Yui from Gundam Wing. Not many people looked at me though. XD. Besides, it gets hot in Baltimore. It was what, 97 degrees, maybe? So, the tank top and shorts were a good idea. Well, one girl got excited to see me? "Are you Hero Yui?!" she asked excitedly. "Yeah, that's me. I mean..(Hero Voice) that is correct." "Can I hug you?!" "Sure. I mean (Hero voice) very well." And so she did. "I hugged Hero!" she sang. But last year, I got alot of attention because I was dressed as Goku of DBZ. :) Life was good. But what does "Glomph" stand for?

Mike[/QUOTE]

I guess Glomph is like people hugging each other super hard so they sometimes fall over. I'm sorta picturing Merle jumping on Van in Escaflowne...

I actually think Goku would be one of the easier costumes to make, as well as fun and easily recognizable by anyone who hasn't been living under a box.

[Panda]

I love going to conventions and taking pictures of cosplayers. I have a little story I told on myO after Anime Expo last year. I was sitting with some industry-type people up front at the Masquerade and there was a Gravitation cosplay group. All the people around me were the people who work in the anime industry...so basically "suits". They were there since it was work. The MC announced it was going to be Nittle Grasper and Bad Luck. I let out this really loud fan girl squeal. I was the only one to do that up front. Only the fans in the back of the room reacted the same way. Everyone around me just looked at me like I had lost my mind. Oh well.

As for cosplaying I have dressed up as Lynn Minmei from Macross. Red full length Chinese dress and I even put my hair in buns. This was back when I had really long hair and could make that cheesy hairstyle she has with the buns. I also have a costume for the "video girl" from Battle Royale. You know, the girl in the orange shirt that explains the rules to the kids in the Battle Royale movie. I know I have pictures somewhere, I will have to find them. Cosplay is fun especially when someone recognizes you. Many cosplayers put hours and hours into their costumes which are simply amazing.

As for glomping. I give bear hugs, nice friendly bear hugs. I am not agressive when it comes to hugs.

Here's a picture I took before the Masquerade in 2003 of a Spirited Away troupe. Their costumes were absolutely amazing. I wish I could have taken a picture of the entire group. Great cosplayers.
[center][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Panda_chan_/misc/spirit.jpg[/IMG]
Those costumes rocked my socks![/center]

[Xander Harris]

[QUOTE=Panda]I love going to conventions and taking pictures of cosplayers. I have a little story I told on myO after Anime Expo last year. I was sitting with some industry-type people up front at the Masquerade and there was a Gravitation cosplay group. All the people around me were the people who work in the anime industry...so basically "suits". They were there since it was work. The MC announced it was going to be Nittle Grasper and Bad Luck. I let out this really loud fan girl squeal. I was the only one to do that up front. Only the fans in the back of the room reacted the same way. Everyone around me just looked at me like I had lost my mind. Oh well.

As for cosplaying I have dressed up as Lynn Minmei from Macross. Red full length Chinese dress and I even put my hair in buns. This was back when I had really long hair and could make that cheesy hairstyle she has with the buns. I also have a costume for the "video girl" from Battle Royale. You know, the girl in the orange shirt that explains the rules to the kids in the Battle Royale movie. I know I have pictures somewhere, I will have to find them. Cosplay is fun especially when someone recognizes you. Many cosplayers put hours and hours into their costumes which are simply amazing.

As for glomping. I give bear hugs, nice friendly bear hugs. I am not agressive when it comes to hugs.

Here's a picture I took before the Masquerade in 2003 of a Spirited Away troupe. Their costumes were absolutely amazing. I wish I could have taken a picture of the entire group. Great cosplayers.
[center][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Panda_chan_/misc/spirit.jpg[/IMG]
Those costumes rocked my socks![/center][/QUOTE]

Why were the 'suits' so dispassionate? I think if I was getting paid to go to Anime conventions I'd be ecstatic, not blase. That's gotta be one of the greatest jobs in the world, lol. I think some people convince themselves that their lives are boring, and just can't recognize a good thing when they have it.

Nice pic, btw. I guess a lot of people put lots of effort into these costumes, to get them so realistic looking. I could never make costumes that good, myself, since my art skills are horrible, but I appreciate the amount of skill and dedication that goes into making things that good.

James Bierly

[Panda]

I think the "suits" were so prim and proper was because they were at work. It would be like having the director of a movie screaming and acting like a fan when they see their favorite actor. They should be professional and working and not being star struck. I think many of them feel they need to project an air of professionalism and they have to keep their fandom on the down low. It's not like they didn't care, they just didn't jump up out of their sets and scream like a rabid fangirl like me. They were clapping, just not squealing. I probably gave them all heart attacks when I did!

Now back on the topic of cosplay, I would absolutely love to be able to make costumes like those Spirited Away cosplayers. I am just not a seamstress so I have to do my best trying to piece together my costumes. If you ever go to an anime convention you definitely have to get tickets to see the Masquerade. The skits and costumes are very entertaining. The hours of work the cosplayers have invested is well worth your time to enjoy. I highly recommend it.

[DarkOtakuBoy]

Well, I always wanted to cosplay but I've never been to a convention. Living here in New Jersey, I would have to travel too far to go to one. (Thought about starting a con of my own at a local hall, though.) Anyway, I'm going to cosplay next Halloween (can we [I]call [/I] it cosplay if its for Halloween? lol), and I'm gunna try to dress as Tsukasa, or maybe Elk, from [I].hack[/I]. I have to admit though, I dont know where to even begin even though they are seemingly easy pieces to put together. I have no skills when it comes to that, so I'd imagine I would have to do a lot of window shopping and make-shift substitutes. I cant sew, but by God, I can cut and paste-together with the best of them. ^_^

As for "glomping", of course I heard the term, but I'm not FULLY sure what that is. If its like "moshing", I've done that quite a bit at rock gigs

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the term "glomp" started with [I]Ranma 1/2[/I] , right?

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933ff]Never cosplayed at a convention (b/c I've never been to one!. I was Alice from Digimon Tamers this past halloween. My mom took FOUR pictures, and only one of them developed (how craptacular). I'll have it up soon, though. ...Hopefully. ^^;

"I actually think Goku would be one of the easier costumes to make, as well as fun and easily recognizable by anyone who hasn't been living under a box." - Xander. Okay, that's just funny.

I want to cosplay for Anime Next in June, but I'm still contemplating what I could be. Becuase I have brown hair, and a lot of anime characters have blonde (the Japanese have a fascination with blonde hair), I'm still not sure of what to be. Although, I did cosplay Alice anyways, but this is going to be for a convention... :/ You blonde haired people are lucky. ><[/color]

[Dragonboym2]

Your right, XanderHarris. It was an easy costume to make, but finding the orange pants was a hassle. But with luck, we found'em! I didn't have the hair made though. But people still regonized me. A couple people thought I was Gohan, however. But it's cool. After all Gohan is one of my favorite characters. He after alll beat Cell, and smacked the living **** outta Super Buu. And what you told me about Merle jumping on Van, reminded me of a funny story at 2003's Otakon. A Van cosplayer was walking around, and out of nowhere, I heard a girl's voice cry out "Lord Van! LORD VAAAAAANNNNN!!" And a Merle cosplayer ran out a room, and lept ontop of Van. "OhlordvanIwassoscaredIthoughttheykilledyouneverleavemeagain!" She babbled. I walked over. "You two know eachother?" I asked. "No." Van said. I just laughed. :laugh: Otakon Rocks! Hey, who do you think is more popular with girls, Hero Yui, or Van?

Dragonboym2

[Guest Sean]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]>_>;; I dressed up as Matt, from Digimon, when I was 10. That was funny. I got the same response as Jamie got, because Anime isn't 'in the zone' over here. We're all run by 'Football' and 'Athletic Sports''

But being Matt was funny, and I was trying to act al serious at the time, but meh, that didn't work. I was 10, so sue me.

Oh god, and that reminds me when I was pinned down at my cousin (who is a girl) and they put make-up on me *shudder* I looked like Boy-George when they were finished with me. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Dragonboym2]

Your right, XanderHarris. It was an easy costume to make, but finding the orange pants was a hassle. But with luck, we found'em! I didn't have the hair made though. But people still regonized me. A couple people thought I was Gohan, however. But it's cool. After all Gohan is one of my favorite characters. He after alll beat Cell, and smacked the living **** outta Super Buu. And what you told me about Merle jumping on Van, reminded me of a funny story at 2003's Otakon. A Van cosplayer was walking around, and out of nowhere, I heard a girl's voice cry out "Lord Van! LORD VAAAAAANNNNN!!" And a Merle cosplayer ran out a room, and lept ontop of Van. "OhlordvanIwassoscaredIthoughttheykilledyouneverleavemeagain!" She babbled. I walked over. "You two know eachother?" I asked. "No." Van said. I just laughed. :laugh: Otakon Rocks! Hey, who do you think is more popular with girls, Hero Yui, or Van?

Dragonboym2

[Xander Harris]

[QUOTE=Dragonboym2] A Van cosplayer was walking around, and out of nowhere, I heard a girl's voice cry out "Lord Van! LORD VAAAAAANNNNN!!" And a Merle cosplayer ran out a room, and lept ontop of Van. "OhlordvanIwassoscaredIthoughttheykilledyouneverleavemeagain!" She babbled. I walked over. "You two know eachother?" I asked. "No." Van said. I just laughed. :laugh:

Dragonboym2[/QUOTE]

I would have paid money to see that. Although if I were paying, they would do it in Japanese "Van-Sama!! Van-SAAAMAA!!" lol

BTW, you realize you managed to answer both my questions with one example? Cosplay and glomps, all wrapped up in a feline encounter. Yay. You're my hero.

James Bierly

[Dragonboym2]

Well, I do what I can. Glad to be of service. I got THE feline glomp last year, however. I was wandering around Otakon, when I met with this cat girl. She had a black cat ear thingy on her head, black boots, long pink braided hair, a black tank top, and a skirt. We talked for a bit, and I think I gave her some pocky. Later on, my friend Raff and I saw her. She dropped a poster, and we went to give it back to her. But we lost he rin the crowd. So we spent the next two and half hours looking for her. We then desided to just drop it off at the lost and found. And there she was standing in front of the lost and found. I handed it back to her, and she literly jumped on me, and smothered my face with kisses. "You found my poster! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou!!!" she said that wasw so upset when she lost it, because "Laberynth" was her favorite movie. "Hey, hero stuff is what I do. I'm Goku, right?" I said. I got a couple pictures taken, and Raff got a kiss too because he helped. I wonder if she'll be there this year. I hope so. :D Good luck with the glomping!

Dragonboym2

"KAMEHAMEHA!"

[Guest Juice Boy]

:wigout: I dunno who i should go as this year for anime central... I was thinking Ikari Shinji, Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton, or a Neko boy... Its gonna take alot of work though.

[Dragonboym2]

Hey, JuiceBoy!
Well, Trowa is tall, dark, and mysterious. Girls like a guy with a hint of mystery. :) However, Trowa isn't that popular. The GW boys are mostly Duo, Hero, and Quatra. Espeically Duo. Women go nuts for him. How does he do that? Do you know how he does that? I don't how he does that! Does anyone know how he does that? How does he do that?! Hero is an easy coustume to make. Green tank top, black shorts, and maybe some brown hair dye. And a gun, maybe. Girls like a guy who can take charge, and is also a little shy too. Shinji..Shinji...He's a..interesting guy. He's very shy, and girls like shy guys, and he's sensitive too. But he's a guy with issues. ("I must'nt run away....I musn't run away..."). What's a Neko boy? I'd go with Hero, or Shinji. Good luck, man!

"KAMEHAMEHA!!"

Dragonboym2

[Juu]

[size=1]I meant to dress up as Tifa one time, but erm... doesn't take very much. Cosplay is one of those things that people can get right at times or go terribly wrong. I went to Anime Expo a year or two ago, and saw some pretty and ...disturbing sights. I missed out on man-Faye last year with Shin, Arcadia, Karma, and the lot, though.

As far as glomping goes, I glomped my favourite singer if that's anything. But then again, I didn't even know what 'glomp' meant until two months ago. [/size]

[Dragonboym2]

[COLOR=Blue]You got to Glomp your favorite singer? Who was it? Any one we know?



"KAMEHAMEHA!"


Dragonboym2[/COLOR]

[Raiyuu]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1]Since nobody's actually explicitly answered the question yet, and I for one was confused, here's Wikipedia's definition of 'glomp':

[quote name='Wikipedia]A term often used by anime fans, most often used on IRC. Usually used as a verb to 'glomp' someone is usually to latch on to or hug a person quite tightly, in the style a real child might hug a much taller adult's leg tightly. Thus the hug is merely affectionate, never sexual, no matter how tight the hug is.[/size][/color][color=DarkGreen'][size=1][/quote] And while I'm looking at Wikipedia, it lists these different types of glomp:

[QUOTE=Wikipedia][/size][/color]




[list]
[*][i][size=2][color=black]Running Tackle Glomp[/color][/size][/i]
[*][i][size=2][color=black]Flying Tackle Glomp[/color][/size][/i]
[*][i][size=2][color=black]Glomp of Doom[/color][/size][/i]
[*][i][size=2][color=black]Running Tackle Glomp of Doom[/color][/size][/i]
[*][i][size=2][color=black]Ninja Glomp[/color][/size][/i]
[*][i][size=2][color=black]Any combination of the above.[/color][/size][/i]
[/list][color=DarkGreen][size=1][/QUOTE] I find the idea of a Flying Ninja Tackle Glomp of Doom quite amusing.

To actually answer the question in the thread: I've never cosplayed because I've never been to an anime con. As far as I can make out, they just don't happen here in Blytie (England). If anybody knows of one that does take place over here, I'd be grateful of a helpful PM :animesmil

I have, however, had the dubious pleasure of being Flying Tackle Glomped backwards off my chair. It was an experience I shall never forget :animeswea
[/size][/color]

[Juu]

[QUOTE=Dragonboym2][COLOR=Blue]You got to Glomp your favorite singer? Who was it? Any one we know?



"KAMEHAMEHA!"


Dragonboym2[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[size=1]Um, maybe, maybe not. It was Matt Bellamy from Muse.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/allurepink/maaaatehdodgyjuu.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/allurepink/maaaatehdodgyjuuer.jpg[/IMG]

^ tharr.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/allurepink/juudom.jpg[/IMG]

^ the drummer. Didn't glomp him, though.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v607/dietcokeistehfun/glomp.gif[/IMG] <- along the lines of what a glomp looks like. =P[/size]

[Dragonboym2]

[COLOR=Blue] That must have been cool. When was this? I hate to say it, but I never heard of that band before. They underground?
I never hugged or glomped anyone famous before. Well, there was this one time...
I was at a con a couple years back, and there was this tall blonde girl dressed as a pink fairy. She was sitting at a table, and every now and again, she'd get up and talk to some people. I opened a door for her, and she turned to me. She said "Well, aren't you a gentlemen." "No problem." I said. Later on, I looked at the guest list. And I saw a picture of that girl. She was Hudson Leik from "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" , and "Xena: Warrior Princess". She plays Callsito. Whoa. I opened a door for Hudson Liek. She's even prettier in person. :D And I have instant respect for anyone who works with the Groovy One himself, Bruce Campbel.
You ever been to any cons?

"KAMEHAMEHA!"

Dragonboym2[/COLOR]

[elfpirate]

[b]I've never done the cosplay thing. There are characters that I think are pretty damned nifty, but dressing up as someone else just isn't my style.[/b]

[b]The closest I come to that is if there's some sort of attire that I think looks cool, I usually incorporate it into my own style. Sometimes, this makes me look like I'm in costume when I'm really just wearing my everyday clothes...:animeshy:
[/b]
[b]For example- my regular attire is rather similar to that of Ayame's from Tenchu, Wrath of Heaven... but it wasn't deliberately done... [/b]

[b]As far as glomping-- I admit that I've done it to a few people when I wasn't as sober as I should be... but I really can't stand it when people glomp me, so I try not to be guilty of that one...[/b]