Cosplay: The Series (Ep 8 review)

If you're upset Episode 7 was a mere 2 minutes, Episode 8 is here to make up for it! Lasting a total of 6:16 minute, episode 8 is jam packed with Kpop dance cover and original cosplay skit performance.

Continuing the storyline from before, Q-Cosushinkai discovered the twins were actually sent by Sukma to reck havoc and decided to turn the table on Sukma by getting the twins on their boat.

To make up for their wrongdoings, the twins contacted Indonesian mangaka Is Yuniarto to help clear the bad name of the club.

Watch your favourite Durarara character dance to Super Junior's Sorry Sorry now xD My personal favourite would have to be the prelude to the dance cover and the flicking of the lights xD SATURDAY NIGHT FEVARRRRR!!!!

Cosplay: The Series is coming to the end of Season One soon (tomorrow will be Season 1's grand Finale), what do you guys think about this fan series? Any comments or ideas for season 2? Comment away and share with us!

Cosplay: The Series (Episode 3 review)

After a week of anticipation, episode 3 of CTS is finally out!

If you still don’t know, Cosplay: The Series is a live action drama about a group of Cosplayers and their struggles in High School! Purely fan made and wholly produced in Indonesia by Bonni Rambatan.

I'm going to do things a little differently this time. Instead of reading my review, please watch the episode first then read my review and see if our sentiments are alike.

Done watching?

Years of Anime and TV watching has made me into some sort of a loser plot genius because with one look at the title, I could already sense the storyline. From the title, it seemed like the series is moving towards the private and emotional side of Cosplay.

And sure enough it did!  With the focus of this episode on the group's Lolita; Agnesya.

The story jumped straight to the past of Agnesya and how her Lolita life had a change. Through the short 5:43 minutes, the episode touched on the struggle she faced trying to be herself and her exasperation with the controlling habit of the society. The feelings of a caged bird that echoes so close to heart for many of our generation.

I might be a little of an emo kid but I can't help feeling that this episode will strike a chord with many Cosplayer. The feelings of awkwardness, confusion  and sometimes even shame, that seemed to shadow this fandom.

My personal complain for this episode would be the horrendous lighting(or lack of) in certain scenes and slightly boring angles.

The scene of Agnesya packing up would have been much more emotionally impactful if more light could have been shed on her face to highlight the expression change.

And I wouldn't mind if there were some close ups of the girls when they were talking. It might bring a bit more impact to the otherwise very ‘internal’ emotion. But that's just me.

All in all, this episode is just how I imagined CTS to be. Though this episode seems to steer away slightly from the main plot but it is a welcomed filler as it brings realism to the hobby and gives the characters depth. Last thing I want, is to watch a Drama about “Cosplay” that’s all happy and gay. I'm glad the story is progressing and as usual, I'm looking forward to the next episode!

Did episode 3 echo close to your heart? Comment and let us know!

 

*************************************************

As usual, remember to subscribe to Cosplay: The Series and let’s await the next episode!

P/s: Cosplay: The series also has a Facebook page!

Cosplay: The Series (Episode 1–2 review)

If you still don’t know, Cosplay: The Series is a live action drama about a group of Cosplayers and their struggles in High School! Purely fan made and wholly produced in Indonesia by Bonni Rambatan.

I must admit  I was a little nervous before watching. Because I had so much anticipation after watching the trailer , it would be such a downer if the series turned out to be a disappointment. And being a Vlogger with some filming background myself, I understand the pitfalls. Video production is essentially group work and if the crew and actors don’t pull together, only a lacklustre film will be produced.

And verdict?  I was pleasantly surprised with both episodes!

Firstly, offering high definition resolution is a definite winner (pun intended add). The style of the filming and post production is modern and helps bring the viewers into the world of the actors. There is nothing worse than boring camera angles and poor editing that detracts viewers from the storyline.

The story starts off pretty typically, with Annisa who appears to be the female lead , running to save their Cosplay Club which is about to be disbanded. Because, let’s face it, how many schools in their right mind would allow a Cosplay Club?! Being forced out of their Club Room and on the verge of being disbanded, Annisa the freshmen comes up with an ingenious idea to save the Club.

As it seems, the story appears to roll out pretty typically with it’s focus on adolescents and the journey of how a bunch of nerds/otakus/cosplayers/outcasts gathered together to fight against the expectations of the mainstream society. I don’t foresee the story in CTS to break any new grounds but I’m definitely not complaining.

As a fan of the hobby, what I look forward to is truthful representation of the hobby and the real struggles faced by cosplayers. Not forgetting , the weird, funny and sometimes lame things Cosplayers do that sets them apart.

Like little random snippet that only an Otaku would think of and appreciate XD

I enjoyed the first 2 episode of the series and would complain it is too short. Like how others have commented, I am eager for the story to roll out.

My only other complain would be the obvious lack of professional lighting and audio recording set up. Personally, I think one of the most important aspect in professional filming would be the lights that not only illuminates the scene but most importantly, draw attention to the facial expression of the actors.

There are some slight technical glitches like the obvious line of difference in the scene where the cosplayers took turns to walk down the stairs and some slight panning jerks. But none detracts viewers from the story and CTS is a series I highly recommend to any cosplayer or non cosplayers who would like to know more about this elusive hobby!

So remember to subscribe to Cosplay: The Series and let’s await the next episode!

P/s: Cosplay: The series also has a Facebook page!

Miccostumes Costume Review

EDIT: Discount code now available for all TCC readers \^_^/. Scroll down for it.

A parcel was delivered to my place last Saturday. Can you guess what it was?

No of course you can't guess it =.= .

Its a Lucky Star summer uniform costume!

  
Kindly sent to me for a review by miccostumes.com! Miccostumes is a china based costume shop that also serves the English speaking community. They have a wide array of cosplay and Halloween costumes online. Before I begin, I must disclaim that I am not paid for this. I was only given the costume for review.

 

First impression of the costume was how neat the sewing looked. Well, of course that's ignoring the wrinkles n,n;;

  
I like how the bias are sewed on neatly.

There is something special about the design of the skirt, it has an elastic band at one side of it. I guess this is a feature to help the skirt fit different users as much as it can.

It's a pretty cool design if you are afraid the skirt won't fit you. Though for me, the elastic just kept slipping up, making the short skirt even scandalously shorter.

  

The material used seemed to be some sort of cotton and polyester satin. It is light and thin and I guess that fits the summer theme. Though it can feel kinda chilly sometimes.

The size sent to me was a female S. The skirt fits me perfectly but as you can tell from the picture, the top is humongous on me. I guess this is expected from Bought-Off-The-Shelves costumes. When I took part in the TGX Shana competition last year and had to wear the costume provided by them, the top was way too big for all of us too. I guess this is due to the no zip or button design. 

If you’re concern about fitting issues, Miccostumes also provides customisation services =)

If you're new to cosplay and don't have any sewing experience or you're rushing to get a costume for Halloween, miccostumes.com is a website you can check out =)

Also, Miccostumes is giving all TCC readers a 5% discount. Quote "thecosplaychronicles" to get it while ordering =)

(omg wrong socks gomen ne T_T) 

And just to put my stand across clearly, I think Cosplay does not necessarily mean you have to make everything from scratch yourself. Personally, I think its more about having fun and paying tribute to the series you like. It’s the respect you pay towards the costume, the series and the effort you put in that counts. Of course making everything from scratch is definitely more admirable and fulfilling. But if one does not have the skill and time to make it work, getting a professional to help you with it shouldn’t be a capital crime as long as you’re honest about it.

 

Let’s bear in mind that Coplay IS A HOBBY. It’s meant to be enjoyed and not stress yourself over. At the end of the day, you answer to nobody but your own conscious =)

Anyway, I will probably give this costume out soon so stay tuned ^ ^!! I hope this review was helpful =)

Costume: Miccostumes.com
Photo Credit: Sour Cheese
Wig: Yuanie

.
.