Otakon 2013 Coverage: Part 3 Cosplays

This is part three of our three part Otakon 2013 Coverage. You don’t need to read them all, but it’s worth checking out part one about Industry Panels, and part two our convention overview.

Completing our Otakon coverage, I am taking a look at all those costumed crusaders running around the Baltimore inner harbor that weekend. Cosplayers are what they are called, and Otakon is full of them. Seeing people running around dressed as characters ranging from Batman to Mario, Link to the Red Ranger, and Finn from Adventure Time to. . . well Finn from Adventure Time, oddly makes me feel at home. Whether they were put together over a few days or a few months, Cosplays are a key part of this convention. Out of the 230 pictures I took at the convention this year, about 150 of them were of cosplayers, and that barely skimmed the surface. Following here are a handful of my favorite cosplays I saw this year, as well as stories from past conventions.

Gotta love a photobomb

On the message boards leading up to the start of the convention, you can see all sorts of groups setting up plans for group photo shoots. They plan a place, day, and time, then meet with some new found friends. This is the biggest opportunity for a cosplayer to show off what they have. This year I walked passed two groups and one just amazed the hell outta me. Being a fan of Final Fantasy my entire life (and highly anticipating FFXIV), I was awestruck when I stumbled upon the Final Fantasy Photo groups. This was a huge group loaded with Clouds, Fangs, Aurons, and even a Red XIII(my favorite). This was the best group I came across. Looking at this group, you can tell that everyone is serious about their craft. From the time they stepped into the photo area, until they were called off, they stayed in character. For instance look at that Zach, he is so serious, it is just awesome!

There are a number of highly cosplayed characters and shows through out these conventions, that sometimes you can make a little game out of it. In past years I attended with a friend who always dressed up as Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist. That cosplay was so over done that we made it a point, to point out every Edward we saw that weekend. Naturally I turned it into a game and called it “There’s an Ed”. This year I only saw one Ed so I took to making a new game called “Find a Finn” as well as “Doctor?”. Just like “There’s an Ed” these games revolved around pointing out and counting how many Finns, from Adventure Time, and Doctor Who characters I saw. There were so many Finns I lost count and was way too uninterested to bother taking their picture. When it comes to the Doctor Who characters, there were some neat ideas. One person walking around as The Master with a Vote Saxon sign. There were a few 9^th doctors(as well as 10’s), a number of T.A.R.D.I.S. and Dalek dresses, and even a Weeping Angel. These cosplays were awesome, but very common to come by.

Cosplay isn’t all about being serious, it’s about having fun and showing off your fandom. I love seeing cosplays that are made just for the laughs. The costumes that are purposely made poorly just for shits and giggles. One of the funnier cosplays I saw this year was one person dressed up as a steam sale. The timing for this costume was amazing, since the summer sale had just ended. He was walking around with a giant mallet with the steam logo on one side, and 75% on the other. It made me crack up every time I passed by him. Another person dressed as Deadpool, was just lounging around at one point. It may look like I asked him to pose like that, but in fact I just stumbled across him going to get lunch. These people that are there just to have fun in costume, are the people to look out for.

Being a cosplayer myself, I always wanted to see how I looked in my costume. Unfortunately I was never able to easily find one of the hundreds of pictures that were taken of me. That’s why at these conventions I make it a fact to let them know where to find these pictures. Shown below are a handful of my favorite cosplays I had seen this year. In no way am I saying that some are better than other. All the cosplays I saw this year floored me. These were just cosplays that I really liked. These are not the only cosplays I saw this weekend. For a look at more costumes, check out our Facebook page.

There you have it guys, industry panels, general con atmosphere, and the cosplays you see there. Otakon is an amazing event that happens every summer. Although it will be moving in a few years, it is a constant that all nerds can return to. It has been going on for 20 years and I can not wait to see how it evolves over the next 20.

Walnut is our note taker, resident rager and rage quitter, and also occasionally writes stuff on One-Quest You can Email Richie or follow Richie on Twitter @B_Walnuts or Facebook

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