Kill la Kill! Sailor Moon! Sword Art Online! Massive amounts of cosplayers packed into the Los Angeles Convention Center! Welcome to Anime Expo, the largest anime convention in the United States!
This was my first big convention, and I had tons of fun! Previously, I had only been to smaller conventions, so this was a huge leap for me. Because this was Sailor Moon's 20th Anniversary, I had to take time out of my busy schedule to celebrate my (gateway drug) anime.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Fighting Evil By Moonlight!
As Anime Expo approaches, and I finish up my first ever cosplays (Sailor Mercury from Sailor Moon and Shinji Ikari from the mecha anime Neon Genesis Evangelion) I feel as though I have to write a blog post about WHY I decided to dress up as a magical girl.
The original Sailor Moon anime, or cartoon show, aired in the early nineties in both the original Japanese and English dub cast. Aside from being important for establishing and popularizing nearly every single trope found in the magical girl genre, this show was extremely important for getting me interested in science fiction and fantasy, particularly the superhero genre.
Anyone who watches anime is familiar with how huge of an impact Sailor Moon has made on the genre, and even though the main audience was women it has inspired so many people all around the world with its music and story.
What makes Sailor Moon so great? Both the manga (comic) and anime are unabashedly girly.
The show features a 90's power ballad opening theme, which serenades to the viewer that Sailor Moon "fights evil by moonlight, but wins love by daylight."
It also features the classic transformation sequence, in which the girls with magical powers transform into their superpowered selves. The Sailor Scouts are regular middle school girls who are called into action to rid Earth of evil, and to do this they are awakened by their feline guardians. The girls fight crime, all have fun personalities, and while the show is silly at times, it gets unashamedly dark. For me, Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts showed me that any girl could be awakened to their magical powers, fight crime, and look great while doing it.
Now, twenty years later, the show is being rebooted with a bigger budget, bigger audience, and new animation:
The primere is this Saturday, and I hope to attend to pay tribute to the show that awakened my love of science fiction and fantasy. This show is so, so important to women in the genre. Not only for the importance of an all-female cast, but also the fact that Nakao Takeuchi, the writer, is a woman who has influenced pop culture so much.
So thank you. Thank you for everything.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Dance Like You Want to Win!
AX Prep: Week 2
For about two weeks now I've been planning to finish Sailor Mercury, but hemming is proving more difficult than I thought. My mom and I had to hem the sailor skirt twice because the first time I tried I messed it up. It's difficult working on the costume after I come home from work, especially since I am now working on the big pieces of the costume. I've been working hard on my days off to finish the pieces:
Having never done a cosplay before, I of course had to choose one of the hardest costumes ever. But Sailor Moon has impacted me so much that I absolutely had to pay tribute in some fashion. And going in a group makes this even more fun! Even though it's a lot of work, I've been enjoying learning how to sew.
To take a break from Sailor Mercury I started working on DDR Shinji Ikari from the classic mecha anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Thankfully, that costume is easy (especially compared to making a plug suit) and I pretty much got it done in one day. The hardest part is drawing the music notes on his shirt, which I have to make sure matches Asuka's shirt.
My dad started laughing when I was trying the crop top on, since he believes I'm trying to be an 80's dancer. Then he wanted me to poof up my hair and wear my mom's big glasses from 1985. My mom insisted on me wearing my black boots. I don't think she understood that the picture of Shinji Ikari she saw was a boy, but oh well Shinji Ikari's go-go dance outfit is pretty effeminate anyway.
Things I've learned from sewing thus far:
Last cosplay: Fiona from genderbend Adventure Time! Not certain if I will have time to get around to this one, but again this cosplay should be fairly simple.
For about two weeks now I've been planning to finish Sailor Mercury, but hemming is proving more difficult than I thought. My mom and I had to hem the sailor skirt twice because the first time I tried I messed it up. It's difficult working on the costume after I come home from work, especially since I am now working on the big pieces of the costume. I've been working hard on my days off to finish the pieces:
Having never done a cosplay before, I of course had to choose one of the hardest costumes ever. But Sailor Moon has impacted me so much that I absolutely had to pay tribute in some fashion. And going in a group makes this even more fun! Even though it's a lot of work, I've been enjoying learning how to sew.
To take a break from Sailor Mercury I started working on DDR Shinji Ikari from the classic mecha anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Thankfully, that costume is easy (especially compared to making a plug suit) and I pretty much got it done in one day. The hardest part is drawing the music notes on his shirt, which I have to make sure matches Asuka's shirt.
My dad started laughing when I was trying the crop top on, since he believes I'm trying to be an 80's dancer. Then he wanted me to poof up my hair and wear my mom's big glasses from 1985. My mom insisted on me wearing my black boots. I don't think she understood that the picture of Shinji Ikari she saw was a boy, but oh well Shinji Ikari's go-go dance outfit is pretty effeminate anyway.
Things I've learned from sewing thus far:
- Iron everything! It makes the actual sewing easier.
- Be wary of the material you are sewing! Finer material bunches up more easily
- I can't use the sewing machine to sew in a straight line
Last cosplay: Fiona from genderbend Adventure Time! Not certain if I will have time to get around to this one, but again this cosplay should be fairly simple.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Anime Exo 2014
Hello Again, Friends of Friends,
As spring comes to an end my workload has eased so much! Spring is a busy time for my industry, and now that people have planted their gardens I can relax with the summer heat, funny as that sounds, as it was a pretty hot spring in Southern California already.
Since graduating from college a year ago I've made it a mission to participate in more events and conventions. So when I heard that the Sailor Moon 20th Anniversary panel would happen at Anime Expo in Los Angelos, I made it a point to go with several college friends who are also into Sailor Moon! So much so that we heavily debated going to a Sadie Hawkins dance as the Sailor Scouts!! (Hilarious considering that one of us is now married!!).
That being said I have never done cosplay before. I have several friends into cosplay, and one of my friends asked me to go with her cosplay husband at Comikaze in Los Angelos, which is the first and only con I've been to. I had fun at that convention. Bought some New Teen Titans beer glasses, got some A-Team stuff for my former roommate, held my friend's purse while she and her husband took cosplay pics. Good times. Yet I never had the time or energy to do cosplay while I was in school. Even now, a year later from college, I still find it hard to find the energy to do anything after work.
But learning new skills, as well as saving money to possibly attend graduate school, is key to living life after college. Since graduating I've learned that it's great to learn real life skills (gotten my typing credentials for possible government work, CPR license, studied and took the GRE), and sewing is a real life skill. I've never really sewed anything in my life, so my mom has been a huge help in making my SAILOR MERCURY cosplay. Learning how to sew has been incredibly helpful, and a bit humbling. But concerning the cosplay, what do I do? Commandeer the entire dining room table:
That being said I have never done cosplay before. I have several friends into cosplay, and one of my friends asked me to go with her cosplay husband at Comikaze in Los Angelos, which is the first and only con I've been to. I had fun at that convention. Bought some New Teen Titans beer glasses, got some A-Team stuff for my former roommate, held my friend's purse while she and her husband took cosplay pics. Good times. Yet I never had the time or energy to do cosplay while I was in school. Even now, a year later from college, I still find it hard to find the energy to do anything after work.
But learning new skills, as well as saving money to possibly attend graduate school, is key to living life after college. Since graduating I've learned that it's great to learn real life skills (gotten my typing credentials for possible government work, CPR license, studied and took the GRE), and sewing is a real life skill. I've never really sewed anything in my life, so my mom has been a huge help in making my SAILOR MERCURY cosplay. Learning how to sew has been incredibly helpful, and a bit humbling. But concerning the cosplay, what do I do? Commandeer the entire dining room table:
I started gathering materials for the cosplay back in May, but of course I'm going to do the month-long con crunch and do it all in one month. Sailor Mercury is the biggest cosplay item, as I'm spending the most time and money on it. My other (group) cosplays that I have not yet started:
- DDR Shinji from Neon Genesis Evangelion with goingpostale as Asuka
- Fiona from the genderbend episode of Adventure Time with my Sailor Moon cosplay group
My other cosplay idea is young Mikasa from Attack on Titan. So far I've been getting up at 7am every day this month (work is at 9am) just to work on real life stuff so I'll have time for cosplay after work.
I'll be blogging more and posting pictures of my completed costumes as AX approaches!
-Hanna
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Buwis Buhay
Guest post by Stella:
Security is taken very seriously in the Philippines. You see security guards dressed in their crisp white shirts, ties, and well pressed pants in almost every business establishment. These people take their job seriously. You will find that they might seem very polite greeting you with a, "good morning/afternoon, sir or ma'm!" along with a nod of their head but in reality they seem to be practicing for a future TSA job at the airport.
When we checked-in at the Marriott this afternoon our car had to go through a bomb inspection check at the driveway entrance. The dog dutifully checked out our trunk full of suitcases while a couple of guards ran a mirror check under the car. I felt relieved when they gave the thumbs up signal for another security guard to lower the automatic road barricade. As we got closer to the hotel entrance, I noticed an x-ray machine for bags and a metal detector for all guests. While checking in I debated whether I feel safer because of all the security measures taken or worried about a possible attack in the hotel. I decided the former is better and I could sleep better tonight.
Malls are no different. Large malls have security checkpoints similar to the one mentioned above before you can park in the building lot. Guards with a stick in their latex gloved hands are stationed at every entrance checking people's bags or waving the magic secure wand on some random person who seemed a little questionable in their view. At one mall, I was asked to "please remove your shades" as I passed through. Dutifully I complied and removed my sunglasses.
Guards at banks and other important buildings carry shotguns. I'm thinking that the possibility of a Western style shoot out is very likely if someone dares to rob the bank. Hopefully, I am not inside when that happens.
The job description not only requires one to be vigilant of would be perpetrators but may involve traffic control, umbrella service, parking lot ticket takers, and ability to open doors with a smile. In some restaurants, guards will walk you to your car under an umbrella to protect you from the sun. Can you imagine getting a sunburn while walking that 20 feet of shadeless parking lot? Maybe we should have requested for them to turn on the car and cool it down first before we got in instead. Parking may require one to purchase a ticket at a gate, so guards collect money at the entrance and another one to collect the tickets at the exit. In some places parking may require a guard to help you squeeze your car into a spot even if it is not a legal place to park (like on the curb).
The most interesting to watch is when a customer leaving the building needs to back out into major traffic, the guard then walks out in the middle of the street to stop oncoming traffic. Showing no fear, he raises his hands to signal that everyone must stop so the car can safely back out and leave. There is no guarantee that all vehicles will stop as someone who is in a hurry might find a space to go through and ignore the guard standing in the street. On several occasions, we feared for the guard's life as we watch him standing with arms waving while cars, jeepneys, tricycles, or motorcycles speeds through. My sister, in her amusement, described their job: "Buwis Buhay," which means risk your life. And that they do!
Now, there are the unofficial, not uniformed, guard wannabes. These are the random people who stands outside a small business building like the cleaners who does not employ a regular guard. Customers (whether they ask or not) will find a person standing behind their cars in the middle of street waving down traffic as they back out of the parking lot. Of course, why wouldn't you give them a few pesos to compensate them for risking their life in exchange for a speedy exit so you can join the rest of the snarling traffic on your way to your next stop?
Security is taken very seriously in the Philippines. You see security guards dressed in their crisp white shirts, ties, and well pressed pants in almost every business establishment. These people take their job seriously. You will find that they might seem very polite greeting you with a, "good morning/afternoon, sir or ma'm!" along with a nod of their head but in reality they seem to be practicing for a future TSA job at the airport.
When we checked-in at the Marriott this afternoon our car had to go through a bomb inspection check at the driveway entrance. The dog dutifully checked out our trunk full of suitcases while a couple of guards ran a mirror check under the car. I felt relieved when they gave the thumbs up signal for another security guard to lower the automatic road barricade. As we got closer to the hotel entrance, I noticed an x-ray machine for bags and a metal detector for all guests. While checking in I debated whether I feel safer because of all the security measures taken or worried about a possible attack in the hotel. I decided the former is better and I could sleep better tonight.
Malls are no different. Large malls have security checkpoints similar to the one mentioned above before you can park in the building lot. Guards with a stick in their latex gloved hands are stationed at every entrance checking people's bags or waving the magic secure wand on some random person who seemed a little questionable in their view. At one mall, I was asked to "please remove your shades" as I passed through. Dutifully I complied and removed my sunglasses.
Guards at banks and other important buildings carry shotguns. I'm thinking that the possibility of a Western style shoot out is very likely if someone dares to rob the bank. Hopefully, I am not inside when that happens.
The job description not only requires one to be vigilant of would be perpetrators but may involve traffic control, umbrella service, parking lot ticket takers, and ability to open doors with a smile. In some restaurants, guards will walk you to your car under an umbrella to protect you from the sun. Can you imagine getting a sunburn while walking that 20 feet of shadeless parking lot? Maybe we should have requested for them to turn on the car and cool it down first before we got in instead. Parking may require one to purchase a ticket at a gate, so guards collect money at the entrance and another one to collect the tickets at the exit. In some places parking may require a guard to help you squeeze your car into a spot even if it is not a legal place to park (like on the curb).
The most interesting to watch is when a customer leaving the building needs to back out into major traffic, the guard then walks out in the middle of the street to stop oncoming traffic. Showing no fear, he raises his hands to signal that everyone must stop so the car can safely back out and leave. There is no guarantee that all vehicles will stop as someone who is in a hurry might find a space to go through and ignore the guard standing in the street. On several occasions, we feared for the guard's life as we watch him standing with arms waving while cars, jeepneys, tricycles, or motorcycles speeds through. My sister, in her amusement, described their job: "Buwis Buhay," which means risk your life. And that they do!
Now, there are the unofficial, not uniformed, guard wannabes. These are the random people who stands outside a small business building like the cleaners who does not employ a regular guard. Customers (whether they ask or not) will find a person standing behind their cars in the middle of street waving down traffic as they back out of the parking lot. Of course, why wouldn't you give them a few pesos to compensate them for risking their life in exchange for a speedy exit so you can join the rest of the snarling traffic on your way to your next stop?
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Karaoke!!
On Tuesday we celebrated my grandpa's 80th birthday! Aside from the mountain of food available (lechon, "dirty" ice cream, diniguan), there was a karaoke machine available.
Now, I'm not sure what the deal is with Filipinos and karaoke, but it's pretty hilarious. Everyone wants to sing or dance to "video-karaoke," which is an Asian-based karaoke machine with random videos playing in the background. The lyrics can be wrong or misspelled in hilarious Engrish, and the videos don't have much to do with the song playing. Afterwards, the machine gives you a score, which never dips below 80%. After the party even the caterers were singing their hearts out to both English and Tagalog pop songs!
Unfortunately, our time in the Philippines is coming to a close. We will be leaving on Friday morning to jump back in time to arrive on Friday night California time, to apparently a good dose of much-needed rain! We have had so much fun here, and I wish I could have stayed longer!
Now, I'm not sure what the deal is with Filipinos and karaoke, but it's pretty hilarious. Everyone wants to sing or dance to "video-karaoke," which is an Asian-based karaoke machine with random videos playing in the background. The lyrics can be wrong or misspelled in hilarious Engrish, and the videos don't have much to do with the song playing. Afterwards, the machine gives you a score, which never dips below 80%. After the party even the caterers were singing their hearts out to both English and Tagalog pop songs!
Unfortunately, our time in the Philippines is coming to a close. We will be leaving on Friday morning to jump back in time to arrive on Friday night California time, to apparently a good dose of much-needed rain! We have had so much fun here, and I wish I could have stayed longer!
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Historic Manila (Crash Course in Filipino History)
Hello Friends,
I haven't had the time to write a blog post about our visit to historic Manila on our first day. We visited the older part of the city in the afternoon, after visiting the open market. As many Americans are reading this blog, I don't expect many of you to know much about Filipino history. I myself only know recent Filipino history, mostly from WWII to present day, and even then I still have a lot to learn. However, I do know about Dr. Jose Rizal, which is what most of the historic memorials in Manila are about. First: the Spanish.
The Spanish were the longest colonizers, and their influence on Filipino culture is evident everywhere. Tagalog shares many Spanish words (I've noticed that many Filipinos interchange Tagalog numbers with Spanish numbers when talking about the time or prices). Catholicism is still huge here. Everything from religion, to fashion, to language was influenced by the Spanish, and many Filipinos have Spanish names still.
We visited Fort Santiago, where the remains of the Spanish forts are during the colonization period. Inside the Fort are the Rizal memorials, which include his prison cell, a collection of his books, and golden footprints showing his walk to his execution site (several of which have been stolen).
I happened to have read an English version of Noli Me Tangere, the book that has permeated Filipino culture by Dr. Rizal. It is about Filipinos under Spanish rule, in particular about the corruption of the Catholic clergy. One of the main characters, Maria Clara (who represents the Philippines), engendered a unique dress called the Maria Clara. This book is required reading in all Filipino high schools, and is the book that angered the Spanish enough to call for Dr. Rizal's execution.
I haven't had the time to write a blog post about our visit to historic Manila on our first day. We visited the older part of the city in the afternoon, after visiting the open market. As many Americans are reading this blog, I don't expect many of you to know much about Filipino history. I myself only know recent Filipino history, mostly from WWII to present day, and even then I still have a lot to learn. However, I do know about Dr. Jose Rizal, which is what most of the historic memorials in Manila are about. First: the Spanish.
The Spanish were the longest colonizers, and their influence on Filipino culture is evident everywhere. Tagalog shares many Spanish words (I've noticed that many Filipinos interchange Tagalog numbers with Spanish numbers when talking about the time or prices). Catholicism is still huge here. Everything from religion, to fashion, to language was influenced by the Spanish, and many Filipinos have Spanish names still.
We visited Fort Santiago, where the remains of the Spanish forts are during the colonization period. Inside the Fort are the Rizal memorials, which include his prison cell, a collection of his books, and golden footprints showing his walk to his execution site (several of which have been stolen).
I happened to have read an English version of Noli Me Tangere, the book that has permeated Filipino culture by Dr. Rizal. It is about Filipinos under Spanish rule, in particular about the corruption of the Catholic clergy. One of the main characters, Maria Clara (who represents the Philippines), engendered a unique dress called the Maria Clara. This book is required reading in all Filipino high schools, and is the book that angered the Spanish enough to call for Dr. Rizal's execution.
 |
| In the memorial the Filipinos are shooting Rizal (though only one had the real bullet), and the Spanish soldiers are pointing their guns at the Filipinos. Behind them are the clergy. |
Dr. Rizal is the Philippines' national hero. I honestly think he is a fascinating historical figure. He died young, spoke several languages, and was just an all around interesting guy. I intend to re-read his books, maybe someday in their original Spanish. I hope that my visit to Manila will help me read Noli Me Tangere and its sequel in better historical and cultural context. And visiting all of these memorials for this influential writer is something that I like to do anyway, as I'm always interested in literature and its influence on history and culture.
Most of the tour (by Carlos the tour guide, while we rode on a Cartela in the middle of the crowded street) was dedicated to Dr. Rizal's memorials and more recent history (WWII). I had no idea that Manila used to be a walled city, which was the biggest surprise of all. I happen to like learning about the history of cities, especially since I have so many relatives in Manila. While I was sad that the cathedral is still under renovation, I'm glad I got to go visit the city. And I'm especially glad that I got to visit the memorials of another highly influential writer.
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