What's In A Costume?

 As I was gearing up for the 2018 Tokyo Comic Con (see this post), I became more and more interested in costuming, or the term I prefer, cosplay. I have several costumes either completed or on the way: Michael Myers (from Rob Zombie's Halloween); a Hufflepuff student/Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter; and several Star Trek costumes, First Contact officer, Captain Kirk from Star Trek Into Darkness, a formal tunic from Insurrection, and an Enterprise NX-01 officer jumpsuit on the way. None of these costumes are handmade; I have neither the skill or the inclination to do them so, this has been an expensive hobby for me so far.

The crown jewel in my collection would be a Batman suit. I am currently working on getting one and the decisions involved have made me evaluate the choices in picking a costume. My dilemma is choosing between the Batsuits from Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. I'm sure most people would say choose another Batsuit entirely or at least pick the one from the less awful movie. But the Schumacher movies are my favorite Batman movies (the reasons of which could be a whole other post), but the decision process has made me think of the involvement in deciding a costume beyond the fact that "it looks cool."

When you choose a costume, you're displaying a part of yourself. You're displaying to the world that the qualities that character represents are in a some way a reflection of you. If you're Superman, I can make a good guess you value truth and justice. But it can also mean the type of characters you like watching in entertainment, the moral and good guys who always do their best. Picking a villain is the same thing, not in showing that you are a bad person, but as a way to express your inner darkness safely. For me, I chose that version of Michael Myers because he's a beast, a pure killing animal. Wearing it, it's a way to think about letting ago, not being always in control, and just imagining myself letting loose.

Back to Batman, I'm finding it such a difficult decision because I'm going beyond just which suit looks cool, although there is that too. The Kilmer suit is sexy, and the yellow emblem is nice change from the non-colored/monochromatic versions that have become very popular lately. On the other hand, it's quite similar to the very popular Keaton Batsuit. The Batman 89 suit is not one I want to do and I really don't want to do one similar to it. The Clooney Batsuit is sleek and stylish although it has more design bits that I don't like, for example the cape clasps and the bat symbols on the boots. On the other hand, as one of the least popular Batsuits, I would standout in a convention, which is something every cosplayer wants to do. I have never seen a Clooney Batsuit at a convention, either in Tokyo or Atlanta.

But as I mentioned earlier, I would be representing the world and values of the movie in which that suit came from. Do I want the campiness of the Clooney Batsuit, because that's what people will think of when they see it. When con-goers see a costume, they are also remembering the movie it came from. It says something about what the wearer likes. "He's wearing a costume from that? He must like bad movies."

As a creator myself (being an author), I'm also aware of the creator's thoughts of their projects. Joel Schumacher said he's not the most proud of his work on Batman & Robin, although he did the best he could. Should behind-the-scenes information also come into the decision-making process when it comes to costumes? On the other hand, will the average con-goer or fan even know what when on behind the scenes?

Maybe I'm overthinking it. Maybe being a cosplayer is just as simple as saying "I like that costume" or "it just looks cool." 

Thanks for reading.

Tokyo Comic Con 2018

I had intended to write a report about Tokyo Comic Con 2018 shortly after it ended. I completely forgot about it until last week. Better late than never, right? Here goes.

Tokyo Comic Con (or TCC) is the fourth or fifth convention I've ever been to. My very first con was when I was in my late teens and I went to a very small Star Trek convention in Billings, Montana. Several years later I went to DragonCon in Atlanta, Georgia. I went there twice, the second time wearing a monster maroon uniform from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. I hadn't been to any convention at all since moving to Japan, so TCC was my first.

Like a lot of things in Japan, TCC was run very smoothly, something Tom Hiddleston remarked on during his closing comments on stage. TCC is trying to differentiate itself from other Japanese conventions by modeling itself after San Diego Comic-Con; the focus is on American movies and comics and pop culture. Star Wars and Marvel were the big properties; they had the largest booths in the dealers area and most of the cosplays were from those two franchises. The costumes still ran a wide gamut of characters though; I saw a female Freddy Krueger, Jason, Bumblebee, Starfleet officers, and––to my mind the most unusual costume choice––Henry Jones Senior from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

The costumes were excellent and it was interesting seeing how different the same character was represented. Many of the costumes were very well made with great attention to detail and I could tell the players put in a lot of time and effort and money. Even some of the employees at the booths were in costume and looked good.

Unlike DragonCon, there were not many panels and discussions. TCC takes place in one vast empty area with two stages on each end. Here, there were mini concerts and a few panels where guests introduced upcoming movies, like Godzilla King of the Monsters. The main stage draws were the various costume fashion shows and contest. There were separate fashion shows for Marvel, DC, and Star Wars. Then a larger one including all genres where a grand prize winner was announced. I was overwhelmed by everything going on at the floor I sort of forgot about a lot of the shows, which is something I'll have to remedy this year. Last year I was sort of taking it all in, this year I'll be more prepared and I'll pay attention to the schedule.

No con is complete without guests and TCC had some big genre names: Peter Weller, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Renner, Ezra Miller, and Oliver and James Phelps. I met Ezra Miller and the Phelps Brothers. If I have one gripe about TCC it's the price charged for guests. Each guest had two sessions: a photograph session and an autograph session. Con goers had to pay separately to have their picture taken with the celebrity and then to get that photo (or something different) signed. The prices were much higher than I ever saw at DragonCon. Tom Hiddleston was the biggest draw and his prices reflected that: roughly $280 each for a photo and autograph. The cheapest was Peter Weller at $120 each. A con goer could easily spend more than $500 just to meet the guests. I splurged since this was my first time and bought a total of four tickets for photos and autographs.

I don't know why the prices are so high and I wish an explanation was given on the site. I know for DragonCon that guests are not paid. They are invited and their airfare and rooms are paid out of their own pocket; that's why they often charge for autographs. But the prices at TCC seem sky high. Perhaps the con is paying for guests flights and accommodations, I don't know.

But I'm not going to let that detract from my enjoyment. I plan on visiting TCC as often as I can. I made some new online friends when I ran into a group of Star Trek fans. Star Trek isn't as popular here in Japan as in America so it was great to see some fellow Trekkies.

I'm already planning my costumes for December.

As always, thanks for reading.

Halloween 2014 Part 2

Last post, I talked about my Halloween plans. How did the actual day go? Pretty good. I got a lot of compliments on my Star Trek uniform. Quite a few LLAP salutes and a few "It's a good thing you didn't wear a red shirt" comments, as well. It seems quite a few people on base are Star Trek fans, or at least know of it. A few people asked me from which Star Trek it was from, and I proudly said Star Trek Into Darkness. Say what you want, I love that movie.

As for the costume itself, I love it. The tunic is more green than I expected, but I know it is dyed to the actual colors used by the film crew and actors. Studio lights and camera filters can change colors, so the uniform appears much more gold on screen. It fit almost perfectly, the arms were just a tad long but it was perfect around the chest. The Khan undershirt (a black tunic with a black-filled delta shield on it) fit perfectly out of the box and I will most likely wear it as a regular undershirt. The command badge from QMX is excellent. But I'm curious about one thing: if their TNG and DS9 badges can have magnetic backs that don't cause holes in the fabric, why can't their Into Darkness line of badges do as well? I'm glad the badges use two pins to secure it, but I hate putting holes in my tunic. Those quibbles aside, the tunic is perfect. This is my first full tunic from Anovos, a company I love and I have bought many of their side products. Their attention to detail and quality on these products is outstanding and worth the price. This is the first uniform I bought from them and I'm glad I did.

Speaking of, I have fulfilled a dream of mine. I have always wanted a screen accurate high quality Star Trek uniform. I always thought my uniform would be the Monster maroon from Star Trek II-VI. Maybe a TNG suit. But with this tunic, I have gotten what I wanted. The last thing needed is to buy the pants, but honestly, a pair of black slacks (which is what I used for Halloween) is not much different. The other uniform I would like to get is the TNG uniform used in First Contact and Nemesis.

Back to Halloween. While I was biking to work, wearing my tunic underneath my jacket, I was nervous. I thought maybe wearing costumes to work was an elaborate prank on me by the staff. Yes, I am that paranoid. But when I saw a few fellow staffers in costume, I felt better. When the first customers saw me, I got nervous again. Maybe wearing this wasn't a good idea, I thought. Besides, the majority of the staff weren't in costume and none of our customers were either, despite this being Halloween. I thought at least some of the students from school would come to the store in costume but none did. The longer I wore it, however, and the more compliments I got, the more confident I became. Who cares? It's Halloween and I'm a Trekker, I thought. My nervous returned went I had to leave my work building for lunch, but I remained confident.

That taught me a bit of a lesson. Cosplayers have to be confident. You really put yourself out there with the quality of your costume and, to a bigger part, your costume of choice. You are telling the world which characters you love, and by association, the traits and charateristics they embody. I like Kirk. I wish I had his courage and ingenuity. And his confidence. But for a few hours on Halloween, I had a little more than usual.



P.S. I completely forgot to mention that I took second place at the employee costume contest at work!

Halloween 2014

Kirk is back on! It seems I will indeed be getting my Captain Kirk Star Trek Into Darkness tunic after all. There is a bit of a story behind it, so here goes.

After learning that we can wear a Halloween costume to work on that day, I thought it might be fun. My first instinct was to go as Khan from Star Trek Into Darkness. The shirt was the cheapest thing from Anovos, plus it seemed cool for everyday wear, nothing too signifying that it was Trek. But two things made me change my mind. First off, I can't pull off Benedict Cumberbatch's British accent, and second was that most people wouldn't know who I was. Just a guy in a black shirt and black pants. So I decided to go with Chris Pine's Kirk, although I'm not dying my hair blonde. But the price of the tunic was a bit much, and I spent all day going back and forth on it. Part of me really wanted it, but another part wondered how much I would really use it. There was Halloween this year, but I'm also planning a trip to America next year to meet members of the 1701st Fleet. I'm pretty sure I can wear it there. And I'll likely wear it to the premiere of Star Trek XIII in 2016. Plus at home to geek out when I watch Trek. So, yeah, it will be more than a one-time wear. That justified me getting it. I got home, went to the website and...discovered it didn't have my size, which is small. While I had been browsing the site during lunch, I never really looked at the sizes. But now, at home, I realized the medium would be too big. After psyching myself up all day, I couldn't buy it.

But Anovos has two ways to order depending on which link you click. You can order via the individual product page, or just go to the page listing their Star Trek stuff and order via drop down menus. I discovered that the individual product page for Kirk's tunic stated that small was sold out. But the drop down menus on the Star Trek products link had small as availible. Not sure what was going on, I left a message on their Facebook page about the discrepency and went to bed.

The next morning before work, being the OCD guy I am, I checked the Kirk tunic again. No small, still the ordering discrepency. I didn't want to order via the drop down menu and risk the size being backordered and not having it arrive in time for Halloween. Spock's tunic was sold out of small as well. That left Scotty. I like him, and the Simon Pegg version of him is growing on me. I quite didn't want to order a red shirt, for fear of all the 'Red Shirt' jokes out there, but at this point the bug to get an authentic Trek costume had gotten hold. I ordered the Scotty tunic, the Khan undershirt (which was availible in small), and the engineering badge. I went through the whole process, clicked the button, and bought the items. I received my order confirmation email.

About half an hour later, I received another email from Anovos. This person said he had seen my post on their Facebook Page, and that they had just received a shipment of Kirk small tunics in that morning. That was the reason for discrepency on the website. He then stated that, although I had ordered Scotty, he would be willing to switch out the tunic and badge for Kirk's, complete with command badge, which by the way, the site said only three remained. I was very surprised by this and immediately emailed him back, saying I would appreciate it if he did. He was doing this because this is what I had originally wanted. I thought this was great of Anovos. I had already ordered and paid for my Scotty set. They could have simply said to themselves, "Tough luck, he should have waited. He already ordered." But they didn't. They went out of their way to make sure I had gotten what I had originally wanted. But the drama doesn't quite end there.

Tuesday morning my time, I asked a Marine how long it takes for packages to ship to Iwakuni base. I am shipping my Kirk tunic there because it was much cheaper than sending it to my Japanese address: $12 versus $38. He said about a month or two. What?! That is way past Halloween, the prime time to wear it. Panicked, I emailed Anovos for an estimated delivery date while I searched the FAQs on USPS about military mail. I discovered that Parcel Post Military takes 30-45 days, but Priority Mail Military takes about a week. Anovos sends via Priority. And I received an email this morning saying the estimated delivery date is around October 20. In plenty of time for Halloween.

I now have a costume to wear to work on Halloween day (I know I'm working that day) and an authentic high quality Trek costume, which I have always wanted. I really appreciate Anovos for going that extra step to ensure their customer was happy. As a sales associate, I know customers aren't always easy, but this company helped me out.

As a side note, I'm more excited about this Halloween than usual. A lot of it probably has to do with the tunic I'm getting, but working on the base, it is nice to see the Halloween culture again. It is not really celebrated here in Japan, although a few restaurant chains will run Halloween-themed foods. Yoko and I always give Halloween candy to the kids on our floor. This year, along with them, we gave bags of candy to her basketball club girls as well. They won a big game, and they and their parents had a dinner party to celebrate. Whenever we give candy, I try to find candy they don't have in Japan. Since this is Halloween, I found gummy candy in the shape of an eyeball, brain, severed fingers, ears, and feet. The taste is normal gummy candy but the look is something they don't have at all here in Japan. I hope they enjoy it.

How about my readers? What are your Halloween plans?

Cosplayers And Fandom

Cosplayers are a special breed of fan. These are people who take their fandom to the next level. And I salute them for it. These are hard working people who spend a ton of time and their hard-earned money to showcase what they love.

If a man walks down the street dressed in a football jersey and matching pants and sneakers, we don’t blink twice and call him a fan. If the same man walks down the street in a Star Trek uniform, he is at best a geek and at worse crazy. Why is it socially more acceptable to be obsessed with a sports team than a TV show, movie, or book? I think it’s because they aren’t real but sports are.

Stories, however, are magical. Humans love stories and have been around as long as people have been able to communicate. Stories can change our outlook and our very lives. They can entertain, terrify, and inspire. They preserve history and culture, and transport readers to another world.

Can the same be said about sports? I’m not dissing sports or sports fans. There is something to be said for competition; not to mention the benefits that come from teamwork. Sports can also change lives, but it is usually for the person actually involved in them. Sports can give camaraderie to the people watching, bring a bar full of people together to cheer on the same team. As soon as you see someone in a jersey the same as your own or hear them root for your team, you know you have something in common.

But to me, sports don’t hold the same magic as stories do. So, I ask again, why is it socially more acceptable to be an obsessed sports fan than a TV/movie/book fan?

Cosplayers are willing to break that socially acceptable line. They are proud to show their support, and rightly so. Take a look at the photos from any of the conventions like DragonCon and San Diego Comic Con. For a moment, forget the characters. Just look, really look, at some of the costumes. Can you see the craftsmanship that went into some of these? Some of these are not well-known, common characters, so you can be pretty sure it wasn’t a $30 off-the-rack costume. Some cosplayers spend years and thousands of dollars to get their costumes just right. And cosplaying is not really a profession. The majority of these people have day jobs and do this incredible hobby in their spare time.

I’d love to cosplay. If I could afford it, I’d own a Star Trek: First Contact uniform, a Star Trek Monster Maroon, and a Battlestar Galactica commander’s uniform. I’d wear them for Halloween, and if i ever went to a convention. I’d even wear at them at home while watching the movies and TV shows. I would love to go in a full mask costume at a convention. I don’t know who as; but I think wearing a mask, not having anyone know who I am, would really give me the freedom and courage to really ‘get in character’ and enjoy myself.

Like sports fan wearing jerseys, fandom people should be proud of their particular show or book. If you can’t dress like Kirk every day, bring in a bit of your fandom when you can. Wear Starfleet insignia cufflinks. How about some TARDIS earrings? Use a sonic screwdriver ballpoint pen. Share your passions.

Thanks for reading.

Cosplay

I recently shared a link on my fan Page to Anovos’s Captain Spock uniform replica. The costume, first introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, has been once of the most requested reproductions for Anovos. Their site saw heavy traffic after the initial announcement. The introductory price for the uniform is $950, with a MSRP of $1,200. 

Way out of my price range.

But I want it so bad.

That got me thinking about cosplaying and wearable fan gear in general. I have cosplayed before, at DragonCon, in a homemade version of Captain Kirk’s uniform from Star Trek VI: The Undicovered Country (that’s how I prefer to think of Anovos’s costume, instead of a Spock costume). I was the only Trek fan in that style, the rest were The Original Series or The Next Generation/Deep Space Nine/Voyager era. I got some nice compliments for it.

But I’ve never owned a high quality screen accurate uniform replica. There are lots to choose from; not just from Star Trek but also Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, and more. My two choices would come down to either a TWOK or Star Trek: First Contact uniform. The reason I don’t have one, of course, is they are very, very expensive. That’s more than a whole month’s salary, for me. And after seeing the costumes at DragonCon and photos from the San Diego Comic Con, I have seen costumes that I can tell people have dropped some real money into. You can tell these were high quality, even if they were handmade. People took the time and care to make them.

I love SF replicas but I prefer ones that are usable. I have a Battlestar Galactica notebook and a Doctor Who sonic screwdriver toy that is also a pen. Prop replicas are great, but they don’t usually do anything. Some make for very expensive paperweights. Which begs the question: if I’m going to lay down a lot of dough for a uniform, how often will I really use it? There’s Halloween, but it isn’t celebrated in Japan, so I would mostly likely wear it at home on that day; or possibly for the Halloween parties for the elementary school kids where I work at Eiko school. I’m sure there are other times I could wear it, like whenever I watch a Star Trek movie. And there is nothing really wrong with just putting it on during one of my days off while I write.

I wouldn’t go outside in it, unless it was for a Halloween party or a convention. Not to mention, such a purchase would drive my wife nuts. She can’t see the appeal of wearing something like that. And what is the appeal, anyway? It’s fandom and escapism. Is there any difference between wearing a Starfleet uniform and a San Francisco 49ers fan being decked out in their team’s jerseys while watching football? No, there isn’t. That armchair quarterback will never officially be a part of the team. But wearing the jersey makes you feel a part of the team. You’re showing your support and admiration to something you love. That’s what SF people do too. Walk into a convention and you know immediately what someone is a fan of: there’s a Doctor Who fan, a Wonder Woman fan, and a Deadpool fan. These people don’t think they ARE Iron Man or Captain Picard. They are getting closer to the fandom they love.

I hope you enjoyed this piece. Any donations towards a costume will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.