Creator Interview: Shin' [1/2]

Recently, we interviewed TOM special creator Shin', a powerful cosplayer who creates amazing costumes and stunning props! Read on for the interview!

Creator Introduction
Name: Shin’
Experience: about 10 years
MyPage: http://otakumode.com/Shin
Other Sites: http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~shiba50/kaerudou/pege/kaeru_top.html
http://ameblo.jp/kaerudou50/

TOM: How did you get into cosplaying?
Shin’: I originally wrote doujinshi, and I came up with the idea of doing cosplay from JoJo and selling it.

TOM: How do you choose which characters to cosplay as?
Shin’: I choose characters who I resemble from works that I like. On occasion, I will also cosplay as a character who looks nothing like me because I like them so much. Usually though, I will search for cosplay that suits me.

TOM: How did you begin making your own outfits?
Of the five women I work with, three of them are cosplayers. Making my own outfits started with them teaching me how. After that, I began making everything myself.

TOM: What is the most important part in making outfits?
Shin’: Producing it in such a way that I can put it on and take it off by myself.

TOM: What is the most difficult part in making outfits?
Shin’: The cloth selection. I am always worried about picking the right material to match the original outfit of the character in terms of color, thickness, and texture. Producing the right pattern to match also gives me trouble, and it’s always difficult to make the outfit fit my body just right.

TOM: Could you tell us about your recent cosplay of The Five Star Story?
Shin’: I was able to make the costume and model it for a cosplay photography exhibit held by Kouichi Ochi’s (cameraman) photography circle “Akiba Optics Research Institute.”

Up until then, I wasn’t recommended by anyone else to cosplay as Fatima from FSS and I didn’t have the chance to make the costume. I was given the chance with this photography exhibit and I put my all into making it.

Continue to Part 2

“Akiba Optics Research Institute Harajuku Photography Exhibit” Official Site:
http://angelacamera.blog22.fc2.com/ (Japanese)