I can deal with anime,

I can deal with the rampant consumerism of otaku

I can deal with the weird looks of other people when I tell them I like Japanese cartoons

if it means I can continue watching art like this.

5/5 tears cried tonight.

-Simeón out

Animazement 14 was Simeon’s and my second time at the event, as I’m sure you all remember. The con was held at the same venue, the Raleigh Convention Center. Little changed about the overall format: the panel rooms were at the south wing of the building, the dealers’ room downstairs, and the main events in the huge ballrooms upstairs. Panels ranged from commentary on the industry to fandoms of specific series and genres to cosplay workshops. Guests included a number of voice actors, both American and Japanese, but the most prominent guest in my opinion was Kyoko Kon, widow of the late Satoshi Kon.

Overall, I came away from the convention unimpressed. Don’t misunderstand, I enjoyed the time I spent there and intend to go back next year, but the actual panels were generally lackluster. Unlike many of the anime conventions I’ve gone to, where I had to choose between events, I spent no small part of Animazement just walking around, waiting for the next thing to happen. And for the events that interested me, I kept leaving with the unified thought that I could have done a better job. Of note was the “AMV’s You Have To See” Panel. Technical issues which kept them from using sound aside, the choices the panelists picked were honestly NOT must-see videos. And rather than play them in order, explaining why they were so good, they left the list open and even asked the audience which ones they should show. To me this showed a lack of confidence in their content and a lack of ability to reasonably run the panel–I walked out as they showed this gem, which was made so much worse with the cringe-inducing censorship. Also disappointing was the ”Rumik World” Panel; I needed a quick shot of some old-school and hoped that I could at least learn about Maison Ikkoku and Ranma 1/2, but quickly left when the panelist needed an audience member to come help him out because he didn’t know anything about Inuyasha (which led to a hyped-up fangirl talking obsessively about her favorite show).

Don’t get me wrong–not every event I attended was bad. I thoroughly enjoyed the Visual Novels Panel, despite the same A/V problems that plagued the AMV girls. The guy knew his stuff and shared a few good resources for those wanting to get into the hobby. The Yuri Panel was also informative and fun, even to someone who’s not really into that scene. As always, Anime Hell was phenomenal, even though I miss AWA’s five-hour block of insanity. The AMV Contest was not as awesome as AWA’s either, but I still came out of it impressed with the showing.

Scheduled events aside, no small part of my weekend was spent hanging out with my friends and taking pictures of cosplayers. For the most part, though, if you weren’t a Black Butler or Vocaloid fan, you probably felt underrepresented. Personally, I feel if you weren’t one of the newer fans, the kids begging for attention in cosplay or the ones willing to give them that, you were underrepresented. The event calls itself a family friendly convention, and the absence of any porn rooms and a dearth of 18+ material in the dealers’ room (except for one booth selling boxes and boxes of Hetalia yaoi, categorized by country) backs that up; Simeon himself pointed out that the focus was on more mainstream stuff, particularly the Shonen Jump demographic. This didn’t really bode well for me, someone who is becoming jaded with the modern anime fandom. Perhaps I’m turning into that crotchety old man who wants the kids to get off his lawn, but I think Colony Drop summed up my feelings nicely in their review of New York Comic Con:

“Between the squealing, the chasing, and the desperate pleading for attention with paddles and signs, I can’t imagine anyone over the age of 16 sticking around longer than five minutes after stumbling upon this place. As an adult I felt, as usual, like I was at the wrong nerd party. As an anime/manga fan I merely endured the place, because that’s where the panels and the showings were. I don’t think anybody’s ever going to walk down into this ghetto— like my generation walked into the Animation aisle at Blockbuster Video— and meet and fall in love with anime. The niche culture is too deeply entrenched, and the scene on the con floor exemplifies anime’s image problem with the geek mainstream.”

I don’t want to necessarily discourage these kids from doing what they enjoy and being who they are; far be it for me to judge them. However, I find it very hard to take the fandom seriously under these circumstances. To compare it to PAX East, people at the gaming convention were there to play new games, to interact and socialize with new people, to meet and greet with the industry and learn what makes games tick; the anime fans were there to parade around in costumes and get the voice actors to say things their characters normally wouldn’t say.

So there you have it: Animazement 14. Not much has changed since last year, which is either a blessing or a curse depending on how you see it. It really doesn’t stand out from other anime conventions in style or execution. What really drives it are the attendees, which can vary from nerve-grating teenagers to interesting, fun-loving fans who just want to share what they do and who they are.

Here are the standard reference photos.

Standing and detail shots

Action and under-boob shot

The five categories I use are: Details (All the small nit-picky things), Rifle, Attitude, Overall Appearance, and Zettai Ryouiki (Which will be graded purely on how accurate it is compared to the actual Yoko Littner’s Absolute Territory). These are presented in the chronological order in which we encountered the cosplayers. Also under-boob is always a plus but not necessary.

Case Study 1

Our first Yoko encounter of Animazement 14!

Front view

A shot from the floor

As a bonus we got a shot later of META-YOKO

Details: First let’s go over everything that has been covered well; The flames on both the boots and top are not bad but could be a little more dynamic, the shorts are great and even made out of a faux leather that goes a long way towards adding to the general shiny feeling Yoko has. The skull hair clip is present on the the proper side of the head as are the chopsticks (though they are not yellow). The gloves and bracelets are an interesting case; while the arm length glove is correct and the gloves have the proper squares cut out they are attached to and a part of the yellow studded bracelets. So what is missing then? The most obvious thing this cosplayer is lacking is tights of any sort; no pink, no thigh-highs, nothing which means there can not even be Zettai Ryouiki. The next part that needs work is the scarf. The scarf is lacking any white areas to contrast with the pink and red and it is also quite flat and could stand to be more fluffy. The final few details that are missing include the lack of large zippers on the boots and the fact that the zipper is on the inside instead of the outside. While the belt has two rows of studs they are round instead of square pyramids and it is also missing a solid rectangular buckle. The bottom strap on the bikini top should be red, and finally is a detail I just started noticing was missing thanks to a comment that was made to me. No ponytail! Yoko has her hair pulled back into a large full ponytail and big fluffy bangs. This cosplayer’s hair is a little flat.

Rifle: The initial two photos were taken in the dealer’s room in which large weapons are not allowed, so by necessity I was going to let the rifle slide. But seeing as we caught up with this cosplayer later outside of the dealer’s room to find our Meta-Yoko shot it seems she had no rifle

Attitude: While this cosplayer was more than happy to have some photos shot, her in character attitude seemed a bit lacking. I wish she would have struck a different or more dynamic pose.

Zettai Ryouiki: There are no tights here so there is nothing for me to grade, sad day indeed.

Overall Appearance: All-in-all this is an ok Yoko Littner cosplay. I really think the shorts are great as they are not just regular store bought shorts, but shiny and they even have the slit in the top center. The gloves are good but it is strange that the bracelets are built in, but I am glad to see the rectangles cut out. The most glaring thing left out here is the tights. They are pretty important to the cosplay and without them I can not even give a grade in one category, this combined with no rifle means big points taken off.

Final Grade: 2/5

Case Study 2

First we get to see Yoko AND Kamina! ANIKI!!

Check out that rifle

This is right outside the dealer’s room.

She’s ready to kick some gunman ass.

Details: Lets just start from the floor and go up shall we? The boots are a decent style but the flames are all over the bottom instead of just in the heel and toe areas, also again NO HUGE ZIPPERS; pink tights are there but a little low; the belt is there but the studs are in small groups of nine instead of two rows top and bottom and there is no buckle; the gloves are missing the holes cut out and the long arm length glove is on the wrong arm (and coming open?); the bracelets are well done but I question the use of gold instead of yellow on the studs; the flames on the top are really good but the top is connected by a ring in the center and the bottom strap is not red; this is a great scarf and while it may have been bought in the dealer’s room it still looks good; nice little skull on the left side of the head but no chopsticks. A lot of nit-picky things but the basics are covered pretty well here.

Rifle: I will go ahead and say this now; This was the ONLY rifle any Yoko had at the ENTIRE CON. So lets look at it in detail. In general its missing details to the overall shape that would have been nice to have. This includes things like how the stock meets the barrel in a triangular shape and how the end of the barrel is round instead of square. There are the two pink stripes on the barrel but the focus knobs on the scope are incorrect as are the direction of the yellow and black stripping on the stock. I’m really into the pink strap being used and SUPER BONUS for having Boota along for the ride!

Attitude: Again I would have liked for the cosplayer to have engaged the camera more so I felt she was more in character. I feel like she is trying to embody the bad-assness of Yoko and her standard rifle pose is good but lets see some more!

Zettai Ryouiki: The tights are a good colour pink but they are riding a bit low for a solid Yoko grade B. And while technically anything between over the knee to most of the way up the leg is considered B grade I feel this cosplayer’s getting closer to a C.

Overall Appearance: While I have picked out a lot of things missing here I do feel it is a good cosplay. The main things I would like to see improved are the boots/zippers and that ring in the bikini top. It is really exciting that she had a rifle and I think the Boota plush is adorable. The shorts and top are shiny which I’ve always stated as a plus. With some attention to details this Yoko could go from a good cosplay to a great one.

Final Grade: 3/5

Case Study 3

And here is NUMBER 3!

I later saw this group with ALL THREE Black Siblings and regrettably did not get a photo of them all together.

Yoko at your service!

Under-boob bonus

Details: There is a lot done right here, least of which is the perverted stuff you guys are thinking about so PAY ATTENTION. I have looked and looked and looked for what is missing here and I can only find a few things, the largest of which is the lack of huge zippers on the outside of the boots. The other small things are the studs on the belt, there should be more of them but there are two rows of square pyramids which is good. The studs on the bracelets are gold instead of bright yellow and the shorts could have stand to have been lower waisted with a little slit in the top center. Oh, and a fuller ponytail would be good as well.

Rifle: Having a rifle really would have taken this to the next level of great.

Attitude: This is a a very happy Yoko, and her chemistry with her group was top notch. This is the Yoko that giggles at mole-pigs and cleavage but I feel like this is also the same Yoko that took care of her children as Yomiko Sensei. Again I would like different poses but I still could tell she was really having a good time and very much into it.

Zettai Ryouiki: Compared to the actual Yoko’s ZR this cosplayer’s is top notch. The only thing I could ask for differently is that the right leg be pulled up a centimeter.

Overall Appearance: This is a great cosplay. A decent rifle would have made this a 4.5 with no problem. Of course I’m a fan of the great under-boob but that is just a bonus for everyone, but having a Boota IN HER CLEAVAGE, now that is just classic. Great job, I hope I can see this caliber of cosplay more often. For another added bonus this Yoko should pick up some orange glasses.

Final Grade: 4/5

Case Study 4

Yoko number 4, also in the dealer’s room.

No, I did not sneak up on her!

Wait, Yoko is into Chucks?

Details: So of course I first have to point out that Yoko Littner does not wear Converse All-Stars. Because the boots are completely wrong I have no basis to judge flames, heels, style, zippers, or anything since they just do not exist. Next is the cut-off jean shorts, they wouldn’t have been as big a problem has the edges been cleaned up instead of looking ragged and this leads into the belt which is 1) in belt loops and 2) lacking the studs and rectangular silver belt buckle. The gloves and bracelets look great, I especially think the studded bracelets are top-notch. The top is well done but the flames are very skinny and tendrily whereas they should be thicker and there should be less tongues; also the bottom strap is not red. The scarf, skull (but the teeth should be facing forwards), and chopsticks are all good, especially how bright yellow the chopsticks are, but they should be sticking out of the left side of her hair only.

Rifle: N/A While I did take these photos in the dealer’s room I saw this Yoko cosplayer wandering around the con later without a rifle which means there was never one for her costume.

Attitude: This Yoko never really struck a dynamic pose and seems to be a bit timid. I would like to see her more in character and to interact with the camera more.

Zettai Ryouiki: These stockings need to be pulled up at least 10 more centimeters, maybe even 12. They are a good colour, but they are just hanging out around her knees and need to be visiting her thighs instead.

Overall Appearance: The words I keep thinking of here are “Casual Friday.” There are a lot of details missing here and that has a lot to do with the Chuck Taylors instead of proper boots. I feel like a lot of attention was given to the bracelets and would like to see that much attention given to other parts of the cosplay. The shorts also detract from the overall look and should have been cleaned up a bit. The scarf is well done, but at this point I’m sure many people buy it in the dealer’s room but I don’t hold that against a cosplayer too much because I cannot sew myself so when I cosplay I also buy some accessories.

Final Grade: 1.5/5

Case Study 5

Our final critique of Animazement! (number 6 is a special case)

Pierce the heavens number five!

Kind of an action sexy pose shot eh?

Details: Check out those HUGE ZIPPERS! Finally a cosplayer at Animazement has giant zippers on the outside of the boots, speaking of which I think they look quite good. The flames, zippers, and style of the boots match Yoko’s well. Next is the belt which does have two rows of metal, but they are not studs and it does not have a belt buckle. The flames on the top are also well done but the style is a bit off; namely the triangles go all the way to this cosplayer’s shoulders instead of stopping at about mid-chest and being tied with strings (which the bottom one isn’t red). The bracelets are pretty well done as is the arm length glove, but commonly enough the rectangular holes on the backs of the gloves are missing. I like the scarf as well and it looks homemade though I cannot tell for sure. The skull clip is obviously home made but I think it could have been a little cleaner and it is a smidge too large. The hair is also pretty flat and the chopsticks need to be sticking out of the left side of her hair, not the center.

Rifle: …of course not…but it was the dealer’s room again and I did not see this cosplayer again.

Attitude: When I first approached this cosplayer she seemed extremely timid but as soon as I asked for a couple or photos she took to her poses straight away. I always enjoy the “Pierce the Heavens” pose and she is doing it well. I’m glad she engaged the camera.

Zettai Ryouiki: I like the colour of her stockings though her Zettai Ryouiki is pretty low, especially compared to Yoko’s B grade. The problem could be that this cosplayer’s legs are exceptionally long and finding ones that fit could have presented a problem.

Overall Appearance: Overall this is a solid Yoko cosplay. There are definitely little details missing, but finding someone with over-sized zippers was great. I think they might be one of my favourite parts of Yoko’s outfit. Also this cosplayer’s willingness to engage the camera really went a long way and made photographing and reviewing her more fun. Again the hand-made elements of the scarf (?) and skull clip are welcomed and I enjoy seeing it. I think a better belt and different style top would really have taken this cosplay up a level.

Final Grade: 3/5

Special Case Study 6

Our final Yoko of Animazement 14 is not an actual review. More info later but first the photos!

Check out those bangs!

Check out those glasses!

This is the final Yoko we found at Animazement 14. After taking the photos and handing out flyers she came to the blog and made a comment requesting that she not be reviewed. After KT and myself corresponded via email for a bit we agreed that she would be posted here for the sake of completeness of our Yoko experience at Animazement. She will be attending Otakon later this summer and has volunteered to send us photos of her completed cosplay when Otakon is over. When this happens she will get her own before and after post here at The Yoko Critic! I must say that Tobias and myself were uber-excited with her response to the blog and even more excited that she will be sending us more photos for a more in-depth review! One of our goals here when we started this blog was to really push and encourage cosplayers to up their game and bring high quality cosplay to anime cons here in the states. Thanks to a suggestion from KT I would like to start sitting down with Yoko cosplayers and interview them to really get an idea of what part of Yoko they trying to emulate and what part of their cosplay they are proudest of; I think this will really help us in achieving our goals for both the blog and cosplay in general. Thanks again to KT for her enthusiasm and I hope everyone will be looking forward to her special post later this summer!

After a battle with real life getting in the way and photo software that didn’t work we’re finally at a close. Thank you everyone for tuning in and as I stated in my last post, now that Tobias and I have reunited IRL we are going to try harder than ever to bring you quality content on a more regular basis. I believe his post-con impressions of Animazement should also be up later today or tomorrow. As always I welcome your comments, agreements, disagreements, and hate mail in the comments section.

Simeon out.

In other news, Tobias and myself have recently reunited IRL and he is now living in the same city as myself. This should help the updates come a little more regularly and the content should improve as well as we can collaborate face-to-face and not chat-to-chat.

Speaking of Tobias, he started doing this whole Tumblr tumbling re-blogging photo thing that is way beyond me. But if you are a fan of Gainax like he is then you should check it and re-tumble (?) his stuff: Gainax Fuck Yeah I’m sure fanboys/girls will rejoice at the tumble of images.

As a final note I thought it might be useful for everyone if I included a list of the cons we will be attending and have attended as of right now. This list could change later, and if it does substantially I’ll make a new post about it.

• WTH? Con February 4-6 (This was mostly to see MC Frontalot)
• Hoshicon April 23
• Animazement 14 May 27-29
• Sukoshicon Louisville July 30 (Maybe)
• Gen Con Indy 2011 August 4-7
• Anime Weekend Atlanta 16 September 30 – October 2

That’s the list for now, I hope we see a lot of Yokos out there! If you are interested in meeting us, or want to arrange to have your cosplay critiqued just comment here and we’ll start a correspondence. Until later this week.

Simeón out

The one aspect I wasn’t happy about was the trip up there. I live in Alabama, and Boston was the furthest north I had ever been. I have been to California and taken a cruise to the Bahamas with my family in the past, but this was the biggest trip I’ve planned by myself. I decided to join a few other people on the Penny Arcade Forums in riding Amtrak to Boston. Taking the train was also a first for me, and honestly, it will probably be my last train ride. Our initial train was delayed by four hours, which made us late for our connecting train in New York City. We were able to reschedule and leave Penn Station in two hours, thankfully, which put us in Boston at 1 A.M. instead of the rumored 8 A.M. delay. By that time, however, we were exhausted from the trip and I had realized, too late of course, the importance of bringing your own pillow, as sleeping accommodations were terrible. And maybe it was because me missed the “good” party train going out of NYC, but we were also underwhelmed with how few people were involved. We did meet one cool guy from Louisiana, but the only other people were a couple of teenage girls and their father.

The convention itself was amazing! Seeing all these big names companies and games on the Exhibition Hall floor, playing D&D with friends, and rocking out at concerts I could only dream about, living in the Southeast. I went to the RPG House Rules panel, run by Dave Chalker and Phil Menard of Critical Hits, and Quinn Murphy of  At-Will. I never got to hunt down and chat with Tycho and Gabe like I wanted, but they did eventually sign my Player’s Handbook, as did several other nerd celebrities at the convention. As I’ve said before, PAX really has its own special feel, where gaming as an industry melts away and the people passionate about gaming remain. Being able to stop and chat with people at the convention, as well as randomly jumping into games of Zombie Dice and Fluxx during the lines with complete strangers, was a refreshing experience I’d be happy to travel far to repeat. The connection of gaming as a community rather than a hobby defines the PAX experience, and I hope that trend spreads to other events as well.

It was our intent to attend PAX East ’11 as a blog, but as Simeon could not attend this year, it was just me, Tobias. I decided to take is solo and enjoy it–no interviews, no “coverage,” nothing special. It is my hope that we can not only attend East ’12, but also PAX Prime, together as bloggers and gamers,  to further commentate on our community. In other news, I’ve made some changes in my personal life, so hopefully more content will be coming shortly. For those of you still with us, please look forward to it.

to the usual fare…

to incredibly detailed.

Even the casual viewer can see some of the styles Gainax experiments with in the same breath as it alludes to Western icons like South Park…

and the Gorillaz.

Interestingly, opinions on Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt tend to be varied. It has easily made my list of favorites, among several other Gainax works of course, and several of the people I’ve introduced to the show also thoroughly enjoy it. However, a quick search of the internet reveals a number of people who flat-out hate this show. They cite the same reasons I do for liking it: the animation is different and the writing doesn’t take itself seriously. Another common complaint is the vulgarity of the show, something which the fans have taken the stride. I don’t believe the show really revolves around the toilet humor or sex jokes themselves as it uses them to create a tone of, well, nonseriousness. However, I can still see it as a valid complaint that would keep people from watching the show, even if it does not affect my enjoyment of it.

I’m not going to continue the argument of whether Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is “good” or “bad,” but I do think it is important to look into the future and where this is going. A second season has been all but confirmed, but will other studios start dabbling with non-traditional animation themes? Will we start to see homages like the music video segment from Episode 10 cropping up in other series? Or will the other studios ignore PSG and continue to put out more light-novel-moe adaptations?

I would like to first make clear that we are not setting a precedent. This is the first and final time we will be removing a critique from this blog. As I have clearly stated in both of the posts thus far and I will continue to state each time I proceed in making these posts: nothing about these critiques is personal so do not get your feelings hurt if I pick you apart, these critiques are only about the costume so it’s not as if I have attacked the cosplayer themselves or said they are ugly or something like that. Second as I have also stated; this blog is about myself and Tobias’ interests and opinions. If you do not like them, please feel free to leave. Last and most importantly I would like to point out that the back of the AWA badge states, and I quote:

“In accepting this badge, the holder consents to being photographed (on film, tape, or digital) for exhibition in all media.”

Therefore we at The Yoko Critic do not need a cosplayer’s permission to take and post photographs to this blog. We hand out flyers and speak with cosplayers because we respect them and want them to be aware of what is going to happen. If we forget to hand out a flyer please do not tell us we do not have the right to do what we are doing, because legally we do. I do not know if this is true for all cons but be aware that we will check the fine print of the future cons we attend.

This has been a PSA from your friendly Yoko critic.

Simeon out.

Edit: (Tobias:) What Simeon said.

Too many people on the internet felt insulted that we dare critique cosplay costumes, even if it is a one-character shtick. To those people, I’ll say the same thing they said to me: Get a Life. A little constructive criticism never hurt anyone, except for the ones too immature to take it, but for those people, I’ll once again issue the above directive: Get a Life. We decided to take down this particular cosplayer’s pictures not just because she asked us to; she described to me a series of unfortunate circumstances beyond her control that negatively impacted her costume.

Once again, I want to issue my own sincere apologies to the girl in question and to her alone. I hope more of you guys wake up and realize we’re not doing this to pick apart anybody or hurt their feelings, but work toward better costumes and art. What’s so wrong about that?

The rise of Touhou’s popularity has both taken me by complete surprise and not really surprised me at all. The series is quite obscure as a Japanese independent shoot-em-up series, and really, as far as “bullet hell” games go, the games are among the easiest of the bunch and don’t really stack up to games like Mushihime-sama in terms of ridiculousness. The games themselves, as a result, aren’t really all that spectacular. What really sets it apart are the characters and the music. ZUN, the creator of the series, is a musician at heart, and his vast number of compositions, hit or miss as they may be, are a marvel to be sure. Every stage and every boss character has a unique theme, and with 6+ stages per game in over 12 games, ZUN’s musical portfolio is pretty substantial (and I won’t even go into his original works outside of the games). I think the characters really deserve their own paragraph.

There are a ton of characters in the Touhou series, but the secret to why some people flock to the series is an obvious one: there are over 100 characters, and of them, there are only three documented males. If you’ve ever wondered why a series like Queen’s Blade gets a following as big as it does, I can promise you that it’s not for the engaging dialogue. No, it’s because the series is full of girls that people find visually appealing. Touhou is no exception. The series covers a number of anime archetypes: maids, catgirls, all-powerful magicians, princesses, Sunny Delight crows, the usual. What’s more is that ZUN seems to love elaborate outfits, so you’re going to get a flurry of colors and some really silly hats. It’s definitely enough to catch your eye, and as a result, Touhou doujinshi and cosplay are becoming more and more common.

On to the fandom! The world of Touhou doujinshi really hit total exposure with Marisa Stole the Precious Thing, a remix of one of the boss themes from the seventh Touhou game, Perfect Cherry Blossom. In the game that follows, Imperishable Night, one of the characters, Alice Margatroid, is loosely, and I mean LOOSELY, interpreted as being in love with her friend Marisa Kirisame. This comes from one sentence that appears in one ending. As a result, people often pair the two characters together; Marisa Stole the Precious Thing reflects this in its lyrics, and when combined with a cute flash video and a catchy tune, you’re well on your way to love-colored stardom. Fast forward to years later, and the doujin world is flooded with remix albums from talented electronic artists and comics of varying natures, from the comic to the highly erotic. One of the most popular (and morerecent) doujin works is a video to a song called “Bad Apple!!”, a remix by Masayoshi Minoshima, sung by the seiyuu nomico, of a song of the same name featured in the games. The video features the characters as black and white silhouettes, dancing to the rhythm of the song, and it has received millions of views on both YouTube and the Japanese video site NicoNicoDouga. It’s a very visually impressive video, no doubt the result of a lot of time and effort, and it is but one example of what the fandom is capable of. Other feats include Touhou Time Crisis, a Time Crisis parody made with MikuMikuDance, a program designed to choreograph dance moves for the Vocaloid Miku Hatsune.

Of course, with elaborate outfits comes people who want to dress in those elaborate outfits. As with any fandom, there are cosplayers, and some of the outfits in this series are by no means simple. Touhou has to have one of the most dedicated fandoms I’ve come across, because the clothing alone is so outlandish and colorful at times that a real-life creation of it is no easy task. What’s more is that there are so many characters to choose from, it’s easy to find a character that works best for you, but many in the fandom want to dress up as a majority of them instead. This isn’t cheap or simple, but we love Touhou. I’ve included a handful of cosplays from the series in my AWA 2010 Pictures album, which has pictures from the Touhou photoshoot held on that Sunday. It’s but a small sampling of what can be found within the world of Touhou cosplay.

This is only scratched the surface of what Touhou has to offer. Perhaps I can return once again for another installment of this piece. There’s so much to say and so little time to say it all. I guess if you have any questions about the world of Touhou or its fandom, ask away! I’ve got plenty I can write about, after all. Thanks for reading!

In the beginning there was Astroboy.  Perhaps not what most people would consider as Mecha, but he was a robot, and his design greatly influenced his larger siblings.  Also, keep in mind that Astroboy was modeled after the character designs of Walt Disney.  This is not the only time we will find Japan looking across the Pacific for inspiration.

After Astroboy, Mecha became bigger, but they were still human shaped.  This left open the possibility for kaiju monster shows, though this rarely ever happened from what I have been able to tell.  The Mecha were very blocky, with sharp lines, stovepipe arms and legs, etc.  They looked very bulky at the beginning.  A big reason for this kind of look was Robbie the Robot, a very popular robot in Hollywood movies such as The Forbidden Planet (which is a great movie if you have never seen it).

Over time, Mecha became less blocky and more organic.  This largely had to do with toy manufacturing.  Towards the beginning, toy companies could only work with die-cast metal, and no one wanted to design a Mecha that could not be marketed as a toy.  That’s because Mecha shows were originally marketed towards children.  A prime example of this design are the Gundam mecha. Why else would a top-secret military weapon be colored bright red and white? Over time, technology gave toy creators more flexibility.

Originally, Mecha had no pilots.  Gigantor and Giant Robo, for instance, were both controlled remotely.  However, the pilot eventually moved inside. Mecha also began to transform and combine, as the toy technology improved of course. At first, transformation and combining involved pieces mashing or crashing together to meld into something else.  Over time, fans demanded that transformation and combining became more logical, and the Mecha were designed to fit together or have some kind of obvious transformation animation, which would be greatly overused.

The audience watching these shows had grown older as well.  From the 90′s onwards, there was a huge wave of remakes of older shows, trying to update them for newer audiences and allowing them to become involved in the phenomenon.

All in all, it was a very informative panel, but I am not doing it justice at all.  If you are interested in the evolution of Mecha Design, please visit the people of Anime World Order if you see them at a convention, or check out their podcasts.  I’m sure you will enjoy what you find.