For the first week of September, our featured cosplayer is Kara.  Kara has been cosplaying for 8 years so she is a seasoned veteran.  Let’s find out why she likes the experience so much…

NS: How did you get started in cosplaying?

Kara: Like most Otakus, I went to my local comic book shop, Atomic Comics. They started holding these “animefests” that I would join, plenty of people others in dressed up and we hang out the whole night.

How many costumes do you wear per convention?

I normally try to have at least two costumes per convention. Now a days, I use the last day of the convention to just kind of relax, haha.

When was your first Anime Expo experience?

My very first AX was back in 2006. My family was going on vacation at the time, and I decided to go to AX instead of Disneyland, haha. Being from Arizona, where the cons were still pretty small at the time, Expo was a bit intimidating my first time. That and the fact that I had gone alone without knowing anyone. But for the two days that I attended, I had alot of fun :]

How do you choose your character?

I try not to make my cosplaying list to0 big, but there are just so many characters I love to be from different shows. But there are times where I cosplay the same character in different outfits. But I seem to always pick characters with pink hair, haha.

What attracts you to cosplaying?

My mother’s side of the family is Japanese, so I’ve always been very interested in the culture. Like most kids watching cartoons, I wish I could be certain characters. Or wishing that Pokemon’s were real, it just takes to you a different reality. So for me, by dressing up as a certain character, it takes me to an amazing different world.

What’s your favorite moment?

Hmmmm, I don’t think i could possibly pin point a particular moment… But I have to say that my favorite part about cosplaying is meeting all the other cosplayers. When dressing as a character from a popular new series, there’s bound to be other cosplayers from the same show, just from that connection alone. It gives you a chance to talk with the other people and make a new friend. :]

Have you ever crossplayed?

I have to admit, I crossplayed once. XD I was another one of those L cosplayers back in the day. At a con, a bunch of girls all glomped me, I can say, that I haven’t crossplayed since, hahaha.

Do you make your own costumes?

I am the type that really loves to see all the details in a costume, so I normally make my own. But there are a few that I have purchased over this last year. I can say it’s a lot easier at times, though it’s not cheap. You do save alot of time with the alterations compared to making the whole thing yourself, haha.

What are your other hobbies?

Outside of cosplay, you’ll find that I’m like any other person around my age. I love to use photography to view the world, and music can really speak my thoughts. In school I’m an animation student, and like to keep up with my friends. Besides sewing costumes all the time, I am very inspired by Japanese fashion and sewing my own outfits.

One last question, which one is your favorite character to dress up as?

I really enjoy cosplaying Bloody Euphemia, she’s a fun character with a sad ending. Plus I get to be covered in blood, and carried around by Suzaku hahaha.

End of interview

I want to thank Kara for sharing her cosplay experience. For the next event, who knows what she’ll dress up as!

Are you a cosplayer? Please drop us a line at cosplay@nerdsociety.com and let us know about your cosplaying experience and we’ll feature it on the site!

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