HEROES OF COSPLAY: Crafting, and Sewing, and Drama? OH MY!
Season 1, Episode 7 “Stan Lee’s Comikaze”
I know, I know. You are probably asking yourself why the time is being taken to review a show like Heroes of Cosplay, with all the bad press and bad opinions it’s raised. However, I’ve found, even more so after tonight’s episode, that this show has a lot of potential. Before I go on with all my opinions and what I thought of what I saw tonight, remember that this is very much a reality show. If you’ve ever cosplayed or ever heard the details of someone making a costume, you know that hours are spent sewing, cutting, detailing etc. etc. They have to highlight the exciting parts and dramatize parts of costuming in order to keep people who aren’t like me. I would honestly be more than happy to just sit for an hour a week and watch someone’s costuming techniques. That’s because I take so much joy in creating things through costuming, but I’d imagine even some dedicated cosplayers would get bored of that.
Now – on to the episode.
This half of the season started even better than the last one. I’m particularly excited that Meg Turney (Whom I interviewed at Planet Comicon this year- you can find the video here.) as well as a few other cosplayers are joining the cast this year. Having a wider variety of cosplayers with a wider variety of interests really adds to the show. I also like how they don’t have every cast member in every episode. I find it much more appealing to watch a varying cast with different styles, methods and interests that bring more excitement to the show.
I particularly enjoyed the competition . The Skull Kid was crazy good. The Metal Gear cosplayers obviously put so much work into such detailed and functioning costumes. While the show does surround some of the heroes of cosplay, they don’t feature everyone. Mostly because in my eyes, everyone single cosplayer is a hero. It’s really scary to walk into a convention with a costume that you put your blood, sweat, and tears into because you are opening it up to judgement. You have to be sure that you are confident enough in what you did to not worry about any negative comments, but you can’t be so prideful you can’t learn from the other things you see at events. This show tends to put to put way too much emphasis on a part of cosplay that I don’t think is as important.
As far as the costumes this show, this season started big, and I was really excited. I was pretty disappointed Yaya Han didn’t showcase a new costume, especially for the big deal she made out of the event she attended. I’m not familiar with the Sheryl Nome character she wore but as usual with Han it’s a beautiful costume. The vibrant colors and attention to detail she has are very good. The most impressive piece of this costume for me is the ruffling on the bottom of the red layer of the kimono. She took the time to add that little bit of detail that wouldn’t have always been necessary. I did not like the interaction between her and Indra Rojas near the start of the episode. It seemed too awkward and scripted. I would have liked to see something more realistic than what was shown. I don’t tend to act that way around friends. It felt more like a business meeting than I feel was appropriate.
Jesse Lagers, who had some very impressive costumes last season, started out strong this time around. But not strong enough for the competition. I loved the Megaman costume he made. It was impressive and if I saw that on the floor of a convention I would have probably gotten over-excited and asked to have a picture with him as soon as I could. However, as a judge of the competition, compared to the other costumes that were shown I wouldn’t have thought it a competitor. It was good, and it seemed to me he worked hard. But I don’t think it was a competition ready costume. For example, I have a Cecil Palmer cosplay that I love to wear and show off, however due to the simplicity and generic make of the costume I wouldn’t enter it in a big competition. Some costumes are just not really built for competing.
Indra Rojas’ She-Ra was a standout this episode. I never (or almost never) see a costume of that type and because of how she interpreted it the costume proved a great piece of art. The gems and the way it changed color was a simple way to show off talent and give it flair. The work using the worbla made the costume so much more real looking. It brought the character to life rather than making the character seem straight out of the cartoon.
I was probably most excited about the Pokémon cosplay done this episode. Holly Conrad and Jessica Marizan have proven themselves before with their great craftsmanship and ability to make unique costumes. However this time around, it was really shown with the wings that left me awestruck. The two fabricators/cosplayers managed to create one of the most ridiculously good costumes I’ve ever seen. The wings not only where huge, and looked amazing, but they could stand up to the stress of running and jumping around, even though they must have extended at least four feet over Holly’s head. I couldn’t get enough of this costume, and I wish I could have the chance to examine it and look at it up close.
When it all comes down to it, I have to say I’m excited about the rest of the season. I feel like everything’s going to be better this season, even if it doesn’t appeal to everyone. It has to me more than ever this time around. I feel like I can learn a lot just by seeing the bits and pieces of what they do with their costumes and for me, anything I can learn about costuming is invaluable. If you aren’t watching this season because of drama, I recommend you at least give it one more go. Because even if the drama isn’t that accurate the costumes are phenomenal and well worth your time.
