Insta: https://www.instagram.com/yokaze_cosplay/

Interview:

1) What has been your favorite project to date?

A: Hmm that's really a tough one. I guess a toss up between Celica Queen of Valentia, and Lady Zhengji from Dynasty Warriors 8

2) Which material is your favotie to work with?

A: That is also a very tough question. I do like to work with silk, velvet, and thermal plastics. I like to dye silk, I like embossing velvet, and I like to make armor that is sturdy feeling with worbla. The foam armor is night and light so I like that too, but I like how the worbla armor feels like armor.

3) Of the characters you've done thus far which have you identified with the most?

A: Erza from Fairy Tail

4) What is your favorite genre to cosplay from, example: anime , sci-fi, comic books, literatures, etc.?

A: Games or anime!

5) Describe briefly one of the most impactful moments for you in cosplay.

A: Many years ago when I first started competing with armor, I did a very obscure character from a game almost no one had hardly ever played. I didn't expect to win master's craftsmanship, I didn't even expect to be in masters! I was a beginner but I felt that Mellia was too fancy so I'd entered intermediate. We were actually laughed at in craftsmanship juding and placed in masters so I never actually got to be in intermediate. That night the director of Lucky Star took photos with me, holding the sword that is my 9 month baby. That thing took both my boyfriend and I 9 months to create, and he loved it enough to take photos with us. I never in a million years expected to be on the cover of a Japanese magazine with him and that was my first time being published too. The entire experience encouraged me to attempt more and more crazy creations to include massive props, huge wings, things that light up or play sound. I seriously doubt if that night hadn't happened I wouldn't have had the drive to try to really push myself in making insane looking cosplays. I mean, at the time I just really liked Ragnarok Online and sure I could sew but I never bothered with armor before this. After this experience, I started making armor more often and enjoying it, not trying to refine it and make it more form fitting. I could probably attribute that night to my love for cosplay contests, be it competing, judging, or just watching my friends compete.

6) Why cosplay? I really love to make things.

A: I love to bring characters to life! Also who doens't just want the cute outfits that a lot of characters have? I probably had different reasons to cosplay long ago when I started that I can't even remember now. Today it has evolved to a passion to make high quality replicas of outfits I fall in love with when I see them in games and anime. I also really like a challenge when it comes to things that have moving parts, lights, and other "impossible" things, and I absolutely love that seeing the characters I choose to cosplay makes other people so happy to see when I am at conventions!

7) Do you still find parts of cosplay intimidating? exp: foam craft, photography, sewing, competing, if interested etc.

A: I don't really find anything about cosplay intimidating anymore. Instead of intimidating it's more like adrenaline rush exciting! Maybe if anything, when i do shoots underwater that would be scary since if I did it in something I made I'd be afraid the water or chlorine would ruin my cosplay even if you do get some really cool photos.

Who is your comfort character?

A: I'm not quite sure what this means but assuming it's asking which character I cosplay the most, I'd have to say Erza from Fairy Tail. I just really line up with her enough that I've been told I'm her in real life. So I have 15 of her armors and counting.

9) What advice would you give to new/interested future cosplayers coming into the craft?

A: Don't feel discouraged! Even master cosplayers have our stuff break and get nervous on stage!

You are learning all sorts of new skills that will go with you in many places of your life that you don't even realize right now. All of the skills you learn by making cosplay will help you through your entire life. You learned how to sew? Cool now you can fix your favorite shirt when it has a hole in it! You learned how to make rigging for wings? Build armor? You learned how to do lights, sound? Awesome! These skills can be applied to future jobs too! You never know when you'll need a skill you learned in your hobby crafts. If it falls apart you're just learning one way something didn't work.

If you compete and win or don't win, you still got to show it off to many people at once! You bought your cosplay? Cool that's fine too! Maybe you're good at acting now. As long as you're having fun that's what matters.

You don't have to turn all of your hobbies into a way to make money, though since cosplay is expensive so if that works out it can help with costs for materials. I guess I'm trying to get accross don't feel pressured. I dropped out of my yearly favorite cosplay contest due to needing to take care of my health. You're better off having fun than killing yourself trying to overdo things. Make sure you just enjoy what you're doing and don't go into it like it's a job. The best part of cosplay is having fun with people you like to spend time with, go to a convention and make new friends.

Q: What has been your favorite project to date?

A:My favorite project to date is hard to say, building some of my bigger builds, like Red Sonja and my Green Lantern Cleric OC are so rewarding. But my favorite character to be is generally my preacher. Builds are super fun, but a character that I can just become is super fun as well.

Q: Which material is your favorite to work with.

A:My favorite material to work with so Worbla, there are so many fun ways to use it, and it’s super forgiving, you can mess up, melt it down and start over. And cosplay builds are a lot of messing up at first.

Q: Of the Characters you've done thus far which have you identified with the most?

A: I can identify with most of the characters that I cosplay, usually when picking a character I think of some connection I have with them, or something I can connect with. Mostly though, I can really get into my Preacher cosplay. The idea of a guy struggling to do his best and just be a good person. There’s a lot in that character that I can connect with.

Q: What is your favorite genre to cosplay from, example: anime, sci-fi, comic books, literatures etc....

A: I like to try and cosplay from many genres, but I find myself doing comic book super hero’s more than anything else. I really like taking a classic comic character that’s been adapted to a movie of show. That way I have a good real life model to work from.

Q: Describe briefly one of the most impactful moments for you in cosplay.

A:The best moments in my cosplay career were times that I was able to help charities, work in children’s hospitals, and just do my part to be a real life hero for other people

Q: Why cosplay?

A: Cosplay is a great way to bring together many of my passions. I love crafting fabricating and making things in all different ways. And I like being able to act and become other characters. Cosplay brings all that together for me.

Q: Do you still find parts of cosplay intimidating? exp: foam craft, photography, sewing, competing, if interested etc...

A: Every project I do is intimidating, even the smallest things. I feel like the idea of trying to build something is challenging and that is scary at first. But that’s why it’s so rewarding once it starts to come together.

Q: Who is your comfort Character?

A: My comfort character is Preacher, Jesse Custer.

Q: What advice would you give to new/interested future cosplayers coming into the craft?

A: The best advice I have for anyone who wants to cosplay is just do it. You will mess up, you will make mistakes, you will burn fingers and glue your pants to you legs. You will go through so much, but on the other side of all that is growth, learning and awesome costumes!