annoying cosplayers

[Confound]

Am I the only one who gets really upset by these annoying little anime freaks who dress up in costumes like their favourite sword weilding, animated samurai? It burns me up whenever I run across their angsty photos, holding fake swords (in fact, fake swords get me hot under thr collar too) in ways that no one would ever even think of holding a real piece of live steel.

Then again, I'm also sick of hearing from those dorky otaku that my truthful answers to their questions about Japan are lies, because they 'saw it in an anime'. ("No! I saw it in Evangelion! You're lying!")

You know what they say, tapes never lie... poor old Nixon.

c

[Kingu]

Originally posted by Confound
Then again, I'm also sick of hearing from those dorky otaku that my truthful answers to their questions about Japan are lies, because they 'saw it in an anime'. ("No! I saw it in Evangelion! You're lying!")c


I guess it must be irritating, another kind of alarming people is those guys who try to imitate what they saw in films. The other day, one of them to the aikido class where I train, it was his first contact ever with a bokken.

When I told him he should not turn his back to me and hold his weapon the (odd) way he was, he just answered me:"that's something I saw in Star wars/Highlander" and kept doing so till the end of the lesson :alien: .

I guess these guys have the right to have fun, but the disturbing point is they think they know how to fight with a sword wich is obviously not the case.

[mingshi]

Not surprisingly, people are drawn to Kendo (or any other Oriental Martial Arts) simply because of what they've seen on Manga/Anime/Movies.

Best examples include:
1. Star Wars
- Notice how many people signed up for the new beginner's course every time the new one comes up?

2. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
- Based on interview of a beginner last year, who it now gone... Still haven't figured out why he didn't ended up finding Chinese Swordworks?

3. Kenshin
- Apart from those in this forum... this Manga/Anime is evidently phenomenal in Hong Kong when I was there. As there isn't a Iaidojo, most teenagers turned to Kendo.

I used to make Doujinji (homemade self-published Manga) and sell them at Manga fairs, which has a LARGE poportion of Cosplay. Main reason is that 1) Cosplayers gain free entry and 2) the so-called Doujin Matsui has now turned into the Annual Cosplay Competition. In fact there are so many of them... blocking my unpopular Doujin stall.

I lost count of how many Kenshin I saw there... But some of them are rich kids who can actually afford steel swords. You know it is quite competitive when it's a Cosplay Competition going on. Those with fake ones were performing fake fights between them on the main stage.

Next time if opportunites arrive, I would like to have the guts and wear my Gi, Hakama and/or Bogu there... Probably the REAL stuff wouldn't win me anything, but at least I still gain free entry :p

[stinkyKote]

Ok, you guys really need to stop being such 'budo snobs' ... sure it's geeky, but if some kid(or older, fatter, middled aged kid) wants to dress up like mickey mouse or kenshin or lord knows who, why don't you just leave them be? They're just dressing up! They're not pretending to know budo or how to fight, they're just having a little fun-- don't any of you grinches ever dress up for hallowe'en? ...now you want people to make fun of, check out these sorry bastards:

http://www.shinai.org/

[aru-ma]

I've seen that link before, what the hell are they up yo anyways? one guess is that they did kendo at one point or another and didnt really like it so they decided to make they're own stuff up, bunch of sorry 'tards.

As far as cosplaying goes, I dont mind them really, I've seen someone looked really good in one actually, its the shinai/bokuto/shinken that they use is what I feel sorry for, I cant belive how many shinai/bokuto are bought for cosplay purpose only, they should just donate those to a kendo club for a good use.

As for those people who joined a kendo club after watching such'n'such show its not really that bad, its the ones who quit because kendo is not like whatever show/comics they watch/read that gets into my nerves. On this note if you can, pick up this/last weeks shonen magazine there's a comic called "chanbara" in it, now thats something you can flame on (think slam dunk but with kendo instead of b-ball).

[James]

Originally posted by Confound
Am I the only one who gets really upset by these annoying little anime freaks who dress up in costumes like their favourite sword weilding, animated samurai?
c

I doubt if you are the only one who gets annoyed, but I would agree with Stinky and say it is time (for you) to chill out.

If you ask someone who plays golf, they would probably think the quote above describes what kendoka do.

We do kendo, and agree to be bound by it's rules and work within it's structure, and for us that framework is a life-long training with its challenges, dissapointments and ultimately rewards.

If some people think curling, dungeons and dragons, tiddly-winks, real ale tasting, or badminton is the framework that they want to use to develop themselves in, that is up to them.
Their enjoyment, frustrations, successes are no less valid than yours.

If they are as passionate/engaged with what they are doing, or just do it sincerely, then I applaude them.

What pisses me off is kendoka, who seem to think that kendo has any relevance in the real world apart from personal challenge and self development.

You seem to believe in a so-called-Chomsky version (not sure if Noam would agree with you) of sport etc. as escapism, but magically exclude budo from this.

Kendo is an artificial activity, predicated on an outmoded, form of warfare.
I believe it has great benefits individually (that's why I do it), but if you are not narrow minded about other activities, it is no more skillfull, challenging or rewarding than, let's say a skilled fly fisherman landing his personal best catch with a hand-made fly, on a river whose every bend and shallow and season he has studied.

You may have decided that budo is the thing for you, but why do you write off others who have found their own ways, and pour their dedication into it?

Following your previous Chomsky debate, what you should do is give up kendo and dedicate all your time to entering the political sphere and changing the planet for real - is your kendo going to help others?.
(not that I am suggesting you are not entering politics).

Doing Kendo is about as Otaku as you can get, in case you hadn't noticed.

Live and let live,
(4 f**ks sake)

James

(also some of those cosplay girls look cute)

[munenmuso]

The town lunatic is another country's prophet.:D

[Paburo]

i don't have anything against kids or adults who dress up in costumes and have fun. actually i'm amazed at how skilful some cosplayers can be, they look just like the real humanised character.

i do, however, have a lot against demented people who go beyond just dressing like a 'superhero' manga/anime/comic/movie character.

i saw in the news a case of a kid who slaughtered his parents with a katana...

less dangerous but equally dishonorable, are some clowns who do ONE year of martial arts, then they dress up in a hakama, buy a sword and FOUND A SCHOOL. Innocent people who are unaware of federations and such join these schools and get miserably ripped off.

now, this kind of freaks i would like to give a good beating.

[Kingu]

Originally posted by Paburo
less dangerous but equally dishonorable, are some clowns who do ONE year of martial arts, then they dress up in a hakama, buy a sword and FOUND A SCHOOL. Innocent people who are unaware of federations and such join these schools and get miserably ripped off.


Do these things rereally happen????:puzzled:

I also have nothing against cosplayers/movie fans, what disturbs me is those who think they know how to wield a blade.

[Tato]

Kingu.

Unfortunately yes, I don't know if Paburo is thinking on the same case I do, but something like two or three years ago a deranged teenager killed is parents and another bystander with a "katana".

Was a famous case at the time. If I remember well it happened in Valencia, that's on the Mediterranean shore for the readers that don't know well the Spanish geography.

Since then, if you said to someone here that you practice kendo (and if you are lucky enough to find someone who knows what kendo is) you have a lot of chances to get jokes about the chances you have to start doing the same thing...

Next time you came to visit Spain, try.

Rei

[Atama]

Confound,

Different strokes for different folks......I don't watch cartoons but if people wanna dress up like them go for it, they ain't hurtin me or getting in my way. I dressup (in what to a nonkendoist looks like) funky japaneses armour 3 times a week and beat people round the head with a piece of bamboo, some might think thats strange but I couldn't give a rats arse what people think.
Maybe you should have a little bit more tolerence towards others confound.......never judge a book by its cover, coz that just shows ignorance.

[JSchmidt]

Confound just doesnt like other people having fun...it's that simple. (Unless they're at least 5th dan anyway)


Jakob

[AlexM]

Confound, you're starting to lose your edge. I mean c'mon, attacking cosplayers. . . why not knock little old ladies down in the street and steal their handbangs.

We all appreciate the effort to say something controversial and get an argument started, but cosplayers? You can find a better target than those poor people can't you.

[KhawMengLee]

Yeah...like clowns...Clowns are not funny...they are scary...

[Ares2907]

www.ihateclowns.com

[Paburo]

Originally posted by Kingu


Do these things rereally happen???? :puzzled:

I also have nothing against cosplayers/movie fans, what disturbs me is those who think they know how to wield a blade.

it does happen a lot Kingu.... fortunately not that much with kendo, because they are quite well organized in international and national federations. it's hard for a 'fake' sensei to found a school of 'kendo swordmanship' without being a yudansha kenshi (and without being sued by a real sensei).

However, those martial arts that are not so well known and federated, are the more susceptible to be denigrated in such forms. Here in spain for instance, there are LOTS of schools of 'ninjitsu'. I once assisted to one of their demonstrations and i couldn't laugh harder. They were doing tricks with katanas and fruits. Their 'mastah sensei' needed three gos to cut an apple in the air(and not in half, he could barely scratch it). Then they performed some group kata with broomsticks covered in aluminum foil paper (it was supposed to be a simulation of a sword). Imagine how many students join these schools thinking they will learn some real budo taijutsu, but instead they are taught some ninja movie acting by their fake 'mastah'.

these are the illegal cosplayers i'm talking about.

[Confound]

There is a reason for my current wrath against cosplayers. I have had to listen to too many otaku tell me all about how cool it is to study kendou because you're learning all about Rurouni Kenshin, and how to kill people. I find this really tiresome. These kinds of attituddes not only demonstrate a lack of understanding of kendou, they're downright silly. This brings up the age old question about shinais versus swords. It is my personal belief that learning kedou isn't the same as learning how to use a sword, but that's another debate for another day.

I knew the argument about cosplaying girls would come up, and I really don't care about them at all. Many cosplayers put a great deal of sewing skill into their costumes, and some are genuinely cmomendable for their efforts, but the 'sword' cosplayers drive me absolutely batty. They take pictures of themselves doing things with fake swords that would be absolutely impractical.

The worst thing I've ever heard was an otaku who claimed that he could beat any person because he had watched such and such a sword anime some ridiculous number of times. The attitudes of these people is what I call into question.

As for my attitude towards sports, I dislike them. In most sports, the hardest thing you can ever struggle against is another opponent, or the scores of your opponents. There isn:t much beyond the physical elements of sports. These comments will no doubt inspire great wrath, but I'm sure you won't say anything that hasn:t been said before. This is another debate entirely. Budo is not magically excluded, it is rather different. Again, it's a totally different argument not related to coslpayers. If you want to fight this fight, start another thread.

As to people having fun, I've never reallyhad the opportunity to do so in my life. For other people, that's all well and good, but some of us are a bit too busy for that.

c

ps- As to any errors in this post, I:m typing on a infernal Japanese keyboard. Tools of the devil, most certainly.

[AlexM]

It's just cosplayers and meaningless otakus, they're one step below trekkie on the social ladder. Don't be affraid Confound, they can't hurt you.

Unless of course they really can do the Shin-Ryu-Ken-Ryo-Kame-Goku-Super-Ultimate-Rising-Crescent-Moon-Setting-Sun-Slash, in that case God help us all.

[kendokamax]

Alex..

I used to be able to do that move..perfectly..be afraid.
but for some reasons since I start kendo, I struggle doing an other move, it looked way easier at first..but I still cant do it!...the name is kote..!

Confound,

I find these cosplay kinda boring too but they are having fun and it's a way for these people to express themselves...without having to hit other people on the head with sticks..
As for the kenshin wannabe...who cares!

[Confound]

I suppose I should take the 'who cares' attitude, but I'm so bloody sick of hearing them say, "No! You're wrong! It can't be that way, I saw it in <insert anime title here>!"

I want to sit them down with a large stack of dreadfully dull history documentaries, or show footage from Nazi concentration camps, and scream, "This is reality! NOT ANIME! This is the REAL world, in all it's ugliness! It is constrained by the laws of physics, and the horrible brutality of human nature. Killing is not 'cool'!"

c

[aru-ma]

I would've thought someone who's doing martial arts would have a better control of themselves, oh well I guess I thought wrong.
As for those people who says "No! You're wrong! It can't be that way, I saw it in <insert anime title here>!" you cant do anything to them, they've detached themselves from reality so far off whatever you say is irellevant to their ears. one thing's been bugging me since you started this thread though, how old are these cosplayers that you find annoying?


sidenote: killing is not cool but sometimes its necessary eg. mosquitos, flys, pompus bastards, just joking

[James]

Originally posted by Confound

The worst thing I've ever heard was an otaku who claimed that he could beat any person because he had watched such and such a sword anime some ridiculous number of times. The attitudes of these people is what I call into question.


I have heard childern excitedly talk about the tooth-fairy and santa clause, but I tried not to let it piss me off.




In most sports, the hardest thing you can ever struggle against is another opponent, or the scores of your opponents.


If you look on an Olympic scoreboard you will see the letters PB
(I'll give you a hint, it stands for personal best).




Again, it's a totally different argument not related to coslpayers. If you want to fight this fight, start another thread.


I dont' think anyone wants a fight, they want you to check your blood pressure. And I doubt if it is totally different, I think your antipathy, to sports, cosplayers, having fun, any activity that isn't budo seems to be related.




As to people having fun, I've never reallyhad the opportunity to do so in my life. For other people, that's all well and good, but some of us are a bit too busy for that.


I'm no psyclologist but I would guess that having fun is an important part of any well-rounded humans development.

Try to have some,
and that's an order.

jd

Meanwhile I am develping an activity of my own, to be played in backrooms in bars around the world, it involves cards, a bottle of Jack Daniels, a combat scoring system and cosplay girls, I call it 'Strip Pokemon'.

[KhawMengLee]

deal me in! ;)

[AlexM]

Confound, why don't you just not talk to them? Who the hell talks to otakus anyway? (I didn't know they had verbal skills) Ignore them. Or are you being assaulted by wave upon wave of anime freaks.

You can't have fun? Bummer. No fun in kendo even? Double bummer. Have some fun. Get your mind off the concentration camps, Cambodia, Indonesian sweat shops, the nature of capitalism, colonialism, intolerance, religious zealots, the uncertainty of existence, anime freaks, kendo message boards, environmental destruction, overpopulation, the inability of humans to make things better, greed. . . . . great now I'm depressed.

Max, you should try doing the Super-Ultimate-Rising-Dragon-Setting-Tiger-Kote. That's what works for me (trust the mastah').

James, what are the rules to this "strip pokemon"?

[James]

Originally posted by AlexM
James, what are the rules to this "strip pokemon"?

The dealer - that's me, has a large bumble bee costume and .... are we off topic yet?

[Confound]

hrmpf. That's all I have to say. While you're out playing "Strip Pokemon", I'll just be in here studying. I'd rather do something productive.

c

[AlexM]

Confound, I hate to repeat myself but, you've lost your edge.

The old Confound would never have let me get away with my remarks ("Have fun! Do you live in Disney World or only wish you did?!").

What happened to the old Confound that would have torn me a new one for saying that people could have fun in kendo? I miss that Confound.

James,

Please write up the rules for "Strip Pokemon" so we can start our own league. "PIKACHU!"

[James]

[/B][/QUOTE]What happened to the old Confound that would have torn me a new one for saying that people could have fun in kendo? I miss that Confound.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Be careful of what you wish for...

[/B][/QUOTE]
Please write up the rules for "Strip Pokemon" so we can start our own league. "PIKACHU!" [/B][/QUOTE]

Well according to the STNR (Strip Pokemon no Renmei) that should actually be spelt PEEK-AT-YOU, until you are san-dan, Goliathon,or Dungeon Mistress, whichever comes first.

Meanwhile, Confound. Play is often productive, a primary source of learning, and studying isn't always productive, and studying isn't always learning (have you read Jude the Obscure?). It depends what you do with it, out in the real world amongst real people that you are going to have to socialise with. Maybe you are going to go on to do great things, I hope so. But if you can't have fun or play, you probably won't understand humans very well.
Don't you think what you (er.. sorry we) do here on the forums is a type of play?
Your posts seem dogmatic, to say the least, that you find no value in sports and play and yet value budo I find strange. I think it is self-evident that these activities overlap, in their methods, training, and goals.

You deride Otaku, but sound like you spend all your time in your room studying and doing kendo? Doesn't Otaku mean people who stay at home engaged in obsessive activities.

BTW I don't really keep up to date with these forums, apart from the odd sniping comment. I would be interested in knowing what you are studying?

James
because I care

[Confound]

James, AlexM, and all others who think i'm losing my edge,

I do socialize, when the mood strikes, but I don't do frivolous things. I actually travel quite a bit, as well as doing kendou, reading, studying, playing video games, and working. Right now my study is self-directed, it's more of an effort to keep up with academics during the lull between now and grad school. (If you haven't fallen asleep yet, that includes such not-so-titillating things as reading up on sociology theory, catching a few books here and there about history and computer interfaces, game design and playability. nothing exciting.)

As for Disneyland, AlexM, I can't say anything about it at the moment, since I'm absorbed in Kingdom Hearts, against my best intentions. Being nasty about disney would be hypocritical. As much as I dislike Disney (though I rather like good od Walt, he was honest and unpretentious, unlike those who came after him), their joint effort with Squaresoft ended up being a pretty nifty little game.

As for having fun in kendou, I've largely given up on trying to convince anyone that kendou is serious. I've agreed to disagree with most of you, except kendoukamax and silly 'crazy kendou'. That's a whole seperate issue. (That and the fact that I"ve been far too sick and tired lately to charge into any new crusades.)

re: my edge
I'm sick, I'm tired. Too many commitments on weekends (free English lessons for my kendou sempais), too much extra training. Who cares? My statistical significance is so small as to make an amoeba look like a giant.

c

[Old Warrior]

Confound:

I am more than twice your age and my youngest son is older than you.

Take a deep breath and notice the smell of your surroundings. Be thankful for your good health and the lack of limitations on your capacity to enjoy life. Remember that these gifts are fleeting and that they will lost sooner than you can presently imagine. Make an effort to take pleasure from each moment and set aside some portion of each day for yourself.

If you have taken too big a bite of life, endeavor to change your ways. Never, never forget that you cannot re-live yesterday as it is gone forever. Be thankful you have choices and attempt to use them wisely. Your destiny is your own to write.

Until you have seen your health fade and life's limitations foist upon you - the value of what you have will not be appreciated. And by the time you are wise enough to understand, you will never be able to recapture today.

[JSchmidt]

http://members.aol.com/deedlit799/chunli/chunli7.jpg

Just to keep Confound happy :D

[AlexM]

Make her stop! She's being nice with me! HOW DARE YOU BE ALMOST COURTEOUS! She can't even bring herself to hate Disney now! DISNEY! (Walt was a Nazi!)

I refuse to let this farce go on: My only questions are "Who are you and what have you done with the real Confound?"

[Confound]

O, can it already, AlexM. Enough about me not being nasty enough. I never can please the critics, especially not the silly ones.

look how nice i've been lately! I was refraining from biting Phorest's eager puppy head off for his long and irritatingly bubbly updates, he seems to be under the impression that this forum is his personal online diary. I've carefully policed myself, being unwilling as of late to let the acid flow, mostly since there was already enough of it in my stomach causing me problems.

As for cosplayers, I've had enough of being sought out by ignorant little otaku who visit my website, and being absolutely bombarded by their dumb little requests. When I deny their inconsiderate impositions, they get huffy and offensive.

Mr. AlexM, I shall gladly yell at you should you desire it, but as yet you really haven't said anything worthy of my ire. I do wish however, to correct your opinion of me. I absolutely detest those goody two shoes who are always asking me to think of starving children in North Korea.

Lastly, and o so appropriately, to Mr. Schmidt: you couldn't even find a cosplayer who knows not to wear hosiery without abdomenal support when wearing a costume that exposes her thighs. If you're going to get my goat with cosplayers, at least try to show me ones that are competant. This poor deluded woman doesn't have an iota of costuming sense, let alone common sense.

c

[AlexM]

Yup, I'm convinced that's her. Good to have you back.

[Confound]

I'd take a bow, but I'm too lazy.

c

[munenmuso]

Yeah, welcome back Confound. For a minute I thought you joined a newly founded religious organization and became their group leader. :)

BTW, I saw a Japanese book recently on NHK and I noticed that the cover design is the same as of your webpage. Is there a connection?

[Confound]

What?! I designed that image myself, by hand, from scratch. I'm no artist but still. What book, and where?

c

[Phorest]

look how nice i've been lately! I was refraining from biting Phorest's eager puppy head off for his long and irritatingly bubbly updates, he seems to be under the impression that this forum is his personal online diary.

Just out of curioisity...what would you have told me? Lets have it...right now. If my posts really are annoying to people then I'll stop altogther. My last wish is to be a nuisance around here. It just helps me personally to be able to share my experiences, since I'm really the only person I know who does Kendo. And I thought that perhaps some of the more experienced Kendo folks would enjoy the perspective of a beginner.

But, if this is seen as an annoyance or just a "forum filler" or ""personal diary" then I will stop. Really. I don't want to offend anyone, and I'll go back to just reading.

[JSchmidt]

Phorest, just ignore Confound....or at least dont take her serious.

Jakob

[nodachi]

Occassionally she has constructive, informative things to say. The rest of the time she likes to make comments about other people's comments that are often not pleasant.

Just keep writing whatever you want, and eventually when she chooses to respond to you, you can find some humour from it. Or perhaps you will catch her in a good mood and she will say something of value to you.

[Confound]

That's what people used to say about Orson Welles too. I'm a curmudgeon in the grand old style. Though I take myself deadly seriously, far be it from me to impose such things on others. As far as the value of my comments: ego deflation is always undersold.

At least we've gotten past calling me a man. That's progress.

c

[JSchmidt]

You like to compare yourself to Orson Welles?
Oh my..

[AlexM]

Phorest,

It's an honor to be sniped by Confound. It's sort of a right of passage.

[Paburo]

i should start a poll asking the grade of annoyance/liking the following cosplayers cause you according to the paburo love-hate scale:

pathetic loser 1--------------------------------10 hot-as-wasabi®

one: http://www.mandarake.co.jp/cosplay/fko/hal_11/haru_41.jpg

two: http://www.cosplaylab.com/pics/7666.jpg

three: http://www.mandarake.co.jp/cosplay/fko/hij_16/hij_15.jpg

four: http://www.mandarake.co.jp/cosplay/fko/tmk_04/fujii_42.jpg

five: http://www.mandarake.co.jp/cosplay/osk/grg_18/grg_11.jpg

six: http://www.mandarake.co.jp/cosplay/osk/jak_07/jacky08.jpg

seven: http://www.mandarake.co.jp/cosplay/sby/qtr_39/qtr_12.jpg

eight: http://www.mandarake.co.jp/cosplay/sby/heb_40/heb_15.jpg

nine: http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/suehaley/8samurai.jpg

ten: http://harlie.idsfa.net/~john/photos/halloween/john-ninja.jpg

[Kent Enfield]

Originally posted by Paburo
ten: http://harlie.idsfa.net/~john/photos/halloween/john-ninja.jpg Ack! That's one of my college suite-mates outside our suite. I'd recognize that lovely beige cinderblock architecture anywhere.

If we're going to add dressing up for Halloween parties to being a cosplayer, then I'll have to dig out some old photos.

[Phorest]

one: 10 (shes foxy! ad the sword/costume aren't overdone)
two: didn't load
three: 3
four: 7
five: 2
six: 2
seven: 1
eight: 2
nine: -1000089675
ten: 1

[Confound]

What is this, 'Am I hot or not'?

As for entry number one:
No, no and no. If you're going to photograph yourself trying to look scary with a sword, don't do it while standing on a couch, with huge light behind you. Also, do a bit of research on how a saya should be held. I have only this to say, "Asian girl = cute phenomenon strikes again." I am so blasted sick of hearing how 'cute' Japanese girls are. I hate to inform most of you, but most of them are brainless conniving little... I won't finish that. It suffices to say that of the many, many, many Japanese women I've met, I've only liked a handful. If you like easy girls, or women who laugh at everything you say, then please, take a second helping of Japanese girls.

Entry number two:
Is this a picture from Hags Anonymous? I've seen some ugly yukata in my time, but that girl looks like she's related to Yubaba, and the yukata isn't helping matters. Put a tsuba on that thing too, while you're standing there smiling like a git.

Entry 3:
So you've acknowledged that boys cosplay too. This fellow can't seem to make up his mind who he wants to be, or at least I've never seen this character before. The hair makes my eyes sore. As for the rest, I suspect he might be needing a bit of help, he looks constipated.

Entry 4:
The return of the 1980s. Someone forgot to tell Ms. Colour Blind that pointed shoulder pads went out of fashion in the mid-80s, and really weren't a trendy item outside 50s and 60s B-grade science fiction films anyway. She's holding that saya like it's a wine glass. A cheap, poorly made sword is not a piece of art, it's a disgraceful piece of rubbish! Furthermore, socks with tights are a definate fashionable no-no, as any dominatrix will tell you. Personally, I'd never wear socks with my garters, but I'm not totally tasteless. The super-cute face has to go. Are we endorsing pedophilia here? I can't help but notice that all these 'cute asian girls' men keep pointing out to me are all very juvenile looking. . .

Number 5:
O! It's the visual kei ninja! I wonder if she went to that great school of 'Marital Science' we heard about so recently. I doubt that the art of stealth is at all enhanced by the dangling, jangling chains she wears. I do give the girl props for being nasty, rather than cute, but the shoes are awful. Oddly enough, I like the gloves. This one isn't so bad, though she looks positively anorexic.

Entry 6:
It's that guy from one piece, who wields a sword with his teeth. I told you he existed. As I actually know this character, I can say something credible about the costume itself. The swords are all wrong first of all, secondly, the shoes are wonky. However, I can't complain too loudly, it's not made of ugly materials, and it's a pretty reasonable costume, no lame or seven story hair. However, holding swords in your mouth has to be bad for your teeth, not to mention the fact that it looks dumb. As for the way he's holding the swords, what can you expect? He is an otaku. The vast majority of otaku are depressed or hyperactive people whose brains have been coasting along in neutral for years.

Number 7
Is this supposed to be Shaka Zulu? Kitchen utensils should not be part of cosplay, unless you're impersonating that great old fellow, Pasquale, from 'Pasquale's Kitchen'. Did I ever tell you about that cooking show, it really was great, I used to watch it as a kid. The guy was really funny.

number 8
Platforms and swords do not mix. No, no and no! $15 'ninja swords' from e-bay are evil!

Number 9
Is that the guy from Usagi Yojimbo? That was a really good manga, I liked it. Neat idea, decent art, mass appeal. It was a pleasant change from the usual blood, gore, guts, end-of-the-world, my parents screwed me over and i'm scared for life, story lines. I'm impressed by the mask actually. The sword is most likely a cheap piece of garbage, but the work put into the mask makes up for it. The hakama, however, are a bit weird.

number 10
O boy. I'll let someone else handle this. If he's mot from ninja burger, I don't want to know. I love ninja burger.

Paburo, your interest in cosplay is disturbing. Hopefully the urge to post didn't come from that conversation about photos and words. That would disturb me beyond all measure.

c