Comic Fiesta 2017 cosplay guests stems from all around the world. This year, the event invited three popular cosplayers - Liui from Philippines, Hikarin from Canada and Chihiro from Taiwan.
Get to know your favorite cosplayers from our interview with them!
*Chihiro's interview answers are translated from Mandarin to English
As you gained more following, do you feel pressured to cosplay characters from hit anime compared to maybe an old favorite?
Liui : Nowadays, there’s a bad perception in which people should cosplay “hyped” characters. For us, I think we cosplay what we want and it just so happens that it’s on hype but nobody should decide for anyone. It’s more of a personal preference.
Hikarin : I know right now people may see it I cosplay more professionally, but when I actually do cosplay, I cosplay solely because I love doing it. When I choose a character, I’m not affected of what people like, or what people want to see from me. I feel like in order to cosplay a character I can truly put my soul into it, I gotta really love that character. That’s the only way I can produce works I am happy with. The answer would be no, I’m not affected by the latest trends or what’s most popular right now. For example, the character I’m cosplaying right now is Yurio from a really popular series titled Yuri On Ice but to be honest, this is an excellent series, I personally really do love. All the soundtracks from Yuri On Ice, I’ve been practicing it by myself on the piano. I chose Yurio because he’s one of my favorites from the series. I’m very blessed that I’m able to cosplay as characters I love while the people who support me also enjoys the same type of characters.
Chihiro : Because I like the Fate series, it perpetuates me to cosplay characters from it. The series became popular and there's a sense of community around the anime series. I'm happy to cosplay characters I like.
How do you feel to have a positive impact on people?
Hikarin : I haven’t really thought about this, getting popular is the last thing on my to-do list when I started cosplaying. It just kind of all blew up from a selfie I did as Hyakuya Mikaera from Owari no Seraph. Because our works are seen by so many people, I feel like I can use this as an advantage to spread my love for cosplay and the series I cosplay from. I smile a lot in my photos and I do that because that’s my way of showing how much I love this character. I feel like this message has gotten through to so many people, they tell me that seeing this new cosplay brighten up their day and that’s the best thing I can receive from my fans.
Liui : The thing is when you have a big following, you don’t mind it. You just do your own thing. We’re not forcing ourselves to be popular, we just go with a flow. We just do what we want to do and show everyone that cosplay is fun. Surround yourself with positive people and it will reflect on yourself as well. We just smile and interact with fans well, we try our best and accommodate everyone.
Chihiro : I try not to take note of my following size, I just post regularly on Instagram regardless. When I travel, I share images on Instagram with my followers such as the food I eat and people I've met. People might think cosplay is stressful, I want to share that cosplay is actually very fun!
What do you remember about your first time cosplaying?
Liui : My first cosplay was Prince Zuko from the series Avatar The Last Air Bender. When I first cosplay this character, I told myself that I must do my best and work hard on this. After that, I'm proud to say that my first cosplay is awesome and from that point, I remind myself to never go down from that level. Always go up or stay on the same level. Make sure to never say that this cosplay is "okay", it should be this cosplay "is the best!". Always be positive and dream big every time you do something. It made me more stronger and confident than before.
Chihiro : My favorite characters tend to be male so when I first started cosplaying, I cosplay as a male character from the anime series - D.Gray-man. I even have a FaceBook page just for the male characters I cosplay. I love to have complementing characters both female and male, the hardest part is to switch from male to female because I'm used to cosplay as only male characters. The transition towards female characters is tough in the makeup department, because it requires the make up to be cuter. I learnt from my friend, Misa in which one of the pointers is that the circle lens makes a big difference. I'm still learning to be a better female cosplayer with cuter expressions.
What are best memories you've had from South East Asia's ACG events?
Chihiro : I've been to Malaysia three times before, the first event in Malaysia I attended was two years ago. It was also my first time attending an event overseas as a guest, and realized the fans here in Malaysia are welcoming and friendly. It was a happy experience. I feel the best memory is this year's CF. I adore the schedule, including the panel talk yesterday that brought us closer to our fans. I hope I can return back to Comic Fiesta.
Liui : I can't pick one best memory, but for me whenever I attend events, they're all special and have different kinds of memories attached. I would say the best would be meeting people and being friends with your "senpai". Additionally, sharing the same stage with them and also making the fans happy. Shout out to "Kaname", because he's one of my biggest influence and how he awesomely treats people. Back when we shared the same stage, I can't explain how happy and memorable that moment was.
Hikarin : CF 2017 it is definitely on my top list for one of the best events I've been to. First of all, the size of this whole convention is really impressive but what I'm truly impressed with is how well guests are treated. The organization is very professional and we're treated responsibly. The staff here is super hardworking and lovely. The schedule planned is balance from signing to fan interactions. This is definitely a memorable experience for me.
Check out their Instagram accounts :
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