Interview de Sairu Hoshi (Belgium)

C'est avec plaisir qu'on revient en Belgique pour l'interview de la très mignonne Sairu ! Elle n'est pas tellement cosplayeuse mais plutôt modèle photo, mais on ne lui en voudra pas car elle est très photogénique :D !

1. How long have you been cosplaying ?

Well I’ve been active in the modeling business since I was about 6 years old and I’m used to dressing up for assignments. When I was younger, I actually had to do some cosplay shoots but i didn't realize that it was part of cosplay but i always looked forward to do such photoshoots. I also followed 2 years in my school sewing class and loved to make costumes from movies and i was wearing them in photoshoots trying to imagine the scenes of the movies and trying to make the personage come to life on the pictures. Eventually someone popped the question 'since when do you cosplay?' and at first i didn't knew what it meant. I learned about conventions and got to know a lot of other people who shared the same interests. My very first convention was F.A.C.T.S in Belgium.

2. Other hobbies or passions except cosplay ?

In my free time i like to watch anime, playing mmorpgs such as World of Warcraft and Perfect World, going to wellness center to take good care of my skin but as you can see, most of my other hobbies revolve or have something to do with cosplay or can have something to do with cosplay. I have almost daily a photoshoot since the passed year which means i daily dress up. Before 2012 i cosplayed monthly. The requests have grown a lot. Going to Wellness center to visit the sauna is great for your skin and can do wonders for muscle pains, some think posing/modelling is easy but they don't realize it is like doing excersises non stop. Standing in certain positions, sometimes impossible positions that you can only hold for 3 Seconds. Imagine doing that for 3 Hours! 1 Photoshoot lasts averagely around 3 Hours, i sometimes even do 2 Photoshoots a day.

3. Are you going to local conventions ? And international ones ?

It depends where i get invited to, i never take the first step to a convention, they ask me to come OR a good friend has to ask me to come. I do have to say i haven't skipped any "Made in Asia' or "F.A.C.T.S" in Belgium yet!

4. Most cosplayers are making their costumes themselves, you too ?

Well, it depends, If you go to a convention and you see something so cute that you really want to wear it, then i'll buy it and will use it for cosplay if possible! But recently i have had a lot of projects with self- made costumes, the 'Kakashi Sexy No Jutsu" , the "Censored Neko" , the Pink Neko, all costumes i made myself, However i do have to say that my Chobits cosplay's dress is NOT selfmade, i just love the dress a lot and i realised i could use it for Chii since it is perfectly matching her style. Next year i'm going to do Chii again but with bandages as you can see her in episode 1.

5. From what is a costume made of ?

Oh... Mhmmm most costumes are made of clothing fabrics that fit the costume, finding the right fabric is more important then most think. However that my censored Neko and Kakashi sexy no jutsu were able to use the same costume because its both 'cloud' like and i had to think for a very long time how i was going to present that cloud effect. I decided to use cottons and just fill a brah and underpants with it. I had to do 3 Layers because cottons get destroyed fast. I'm thinking about doing it differently next year. Maybe some glue , no brah at all. Covering it all with cottons glued on. But i'm still trying to find the perfect glue for that ! So basically my cosplays are from clothing fabrics, i do know some cosplayers that are foam users.

6. Some costumes looks heavy or hard to be in, did you ever had to wear such problematic costume ?

Mhmmm, not yet, i must say i'm saving up for an impossible costume, I hope you saw "Accel World", i want to make the Black Lotus which is a hovering costume. I can not make it myself, i asked a big professional crew and it will be their first "Difficult" Project and it will cost a lot, it will be very heavy if they don't let it hover. It would be impossible to move. My cloud outfit is not heavy but it is sometimes difficult to move, even if it has 3 Layers of cotton, i'm scared of backpacks that will harm my outfit with their zippers.

7. Any favorite costume ?

My favorite costume, that is a very difficult question! Every costume has its charm, i guess it depends how i feel like, its the same with clothing, sometimes you feel like wearing a beautiful dress and sometimes you feel like you want to just run around with a big shirt and pants. But right now, if i'd have to choose what to wear, i'd put on the the Neko Maid costume!

8. Once a costume has been used, what do u do with it ? Trashing or stocking it ?

Is it broken? Did i put a lot of work in it? I'd never just throw away something that is unrepairable broken! I love the costumes, else i wouldn't have used it in the first place. Sometimes if i have very old costumes that i used to often that i got attached to it that i won't even throw it away if its unrepairable because it carries so many memories and i just can't get it over my heart to throw it in the trashcan.

9. Making a costume requires some skills like sewing. But other skills are needed to make a weapon for example. How do you do your stuff ?

Sewing is no problem for me and i am in a big cosplay community with 1000's of cosplayers that help each other with everything. If there's something that i still have to learn such as making weapons, we'd meet and they'd teach me!

10. A cosplayer buying costumes on ebay, is it evil ?

Of course not, some people just try to find something to complain about, If you work very hard on making a costume yourself, it might look better then the costumes on E-Bay but some make a costume and are not so experienced and see it as a competition. They then call the E-Bay costumes 'Evil' and 'Not real cosplay' just to feel themselves better about their own costume. I must admit i have a few friends like that to, i just let them be because cosplay is not about making all your stuff yourself. Are you going to make your wig yourself? Why is that okay to buy a wig but not a dress for your cosplay? Cosplay is about being a creation ,bringing a piece of art to life, bringing a creation to life, dressing alike and acting alike a creation from a art, movie, manga, anime or game. It has nothing to do about being skilled with sewing or crafting.

11. Cosplay requires a lot of time. Is it hard to combine it with everyday life (job, studies…) ?

Well, luckily for me not because my fulltime job is modelling so its easy to combine but i can imagine some people have problems with the part of combining cosplay with work since not many people really understand what cosplay is about which is sad.

12. You have a budget for cosplay ?

If i really want something, i'll get it, Money can never win from my will. Even the Accel World Project which has a 5 Digit Cost is upcoming.

13. Do you buy PVC figures ? Or GK (garage kits) ?

Maybe in the future, but i kind of like a classic house style like living in a castle, not in an anime statue world or in rooms filled with posters. Maybe i will dedicate 1 room for it in the future. I did buy some weapon artifacts because i really find them cool.

14. Any favorite anime or paper manga ?

Kotoura-san is a new anime and is definitely a must see ! Accel World, Sword Art online are also great animes in my opinion. But i also like classics like Chobits and Fairytail.

15. Any future cosplay idea ?

Definitely revolving animes such as accel world, sword art online, fairytail and chobits!

16. Playing on PC or console ? Playing MMO(RPG) ?

I love playing on an old playstation 2 games such as need for speed underground 2 and drakengard. On PC i play mmorpgs and very sometimes the Sims but i have to watch out because time flies when you are playing the Sims.

17. Is your boyfriend/girlfriend jealous or upset when you wear sexy outfits for cosplay ?

I have no boyfriend/girlfriend, single and free to do whatever i want but even if i'd have a boyfriend this person should be happy if he sees me smile. I love ecchi cosplays and he should accept that.

18. Does your family help you in your coslayer life ?

I actually don't really have much family and i don't see the family i do have. I ran away when i was younger. Now i only visit my family to see my little brother but it took years to get the courage to visit them and i don't feel at ease there at all. Difficult story.

19. Ever encounter problems with other cosplayers (jealousy for ex) ?

A lot of times actually but i try to not be bothered by it. I try to not let it have any effect or impact on my life.I'm living the way i want, i'm doing what i want and i don't think anyone should have an impact/effect on what you want to do. You are so young and later on when you're 60 you might hate yourself for it that you never did what you wanted yourself and were manipulated by others their opinions and jealousy. I had in the start of cosplay alot of friends, boys and girls but most of the girls left me due jealousy and most of the boys left me because they don't seem to be able to handle the fact that we are just friends. But that was especially the first years i cosplayed. I'm slowly getting to know people who can accept the fact that we are friends and nothing else and i'm getting to know girls that PM me to join me into my cosplay adventure, i'm really looking forward to working together with other girls on ecchi cosplay projects *giggles* but yeah, let the haters hate, Most of them just talk bad about you to boost their own self esteem or because they are scared that their friends will give you more attention then them. I'm not doing this for attention, i'm doing this for fun and because i really want to. Nobody is going to stop me from what i want *crosses her arms with a smile* But i'm not like that, i find it sad that some girls don't dare to do what they love to and hide themselves in their room with their 'secret love' and i'd be glad to let them join my projects or even let them decide a project for us both.

20. If you wanna say something to the world, here is your chance !

Don't be chained by others. Think about how you'd want to be and what you want to do. Don't be chained by religions, family, friends, your work or anything. Be yourself because else later you'll regret it. They'll have to accept you the way you are and not the way they want you to be. You'll feel a lot better without a cage and people poking you with a stick to their wants and needs. If friends don't accept the way you want to be, then they are not real friends but just selfish people that need you the way they want you to be. Don't waste your time on that. You have only so little time to do everything you want in life! Time is ticking!

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