WCS 2010 Round 3: Brisbane May Preselection Finalist Profiles

• Contra Mundi
• Another World Breathing

Contra Mundi

Team Member 1 – Jenny Yu

Brief Cosplay History:
I began cosplaying in China at the age of five (more being dressed up by my then anime/manga-loving cousin), I did a few cosplays in China with friends and a couple of professional craftsmen. I began cosplaying in Australia in the 2004 Animania competitions. I organized the members of my manga team then to do FFX (Tidus, Yuna, Lenne, Auron), the cosplay went well and I’ve been addicted since. I’ve cosplayed regularly at Animania, and done private cosplays over the years.

Favourite Anime & Manga? Trinity Blood, X/1999, Code Geass, Kuroshitsuji, Gantz

Why would you like to visit Japan? I’m currently very interested in Japanese fashion as well as the new tools available to cosplayers there. I would like to expand my skill set and knowledge of new techniques by meeting other competitors in WCS, and try awesome snacks.

Self Introduction: I’ve been attending Anime conventions since they first started up here and have since settled on my goal of becoming a mangaka. My main hobbies are playing computer games, watching anime, and making costumes. I met many friends at conventions, and cosplaying is a great ice-breaker at events. I love the reaction from people when they see and recognize one of
their favourite characters at first sight. It’s a lot of hard work getting things to look right, but I think the overall satisfaction of walking around as my favourite characters makes it all worth it in the end.

Team Member 2 – Jonathan Krygier

Brief Cosplay History:

• Animania 2006: Fuma Monou, Kamui (costume)
  • Nominated for best skit.
• Animania 2005: Vincent Valentine, Cloud (costume)
  • Best group
• Supanova 2005: Vincent Valentine +
  • Best skit

Favourite Anime & Manga? Battle Royale, Monster, Ergo Proxy, Noein, Trinity Blood, Kuroshitsuji Gantz, X/1999, Death Note, Studio Ghibli (all of it!)

Why would you like to visit Japan? My father's parents were Polish Jews who were saved from the holocaust by unauthorised visas issued by the Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara. Since I found this out, I've been interested in Japan. I visited Japan once in 2002 and found the experience fascinating. I have a longstanding interest in anime, manga and Japanese popular and traditional culture.

Self Introduction: I have a lifelong interest in making things, beginning with basic woodwork and a clown suit for my sixth birthday party. I supplement my university classes with jewelry and silversmithing classes, and I do leather-work and mail (both armour and decorative weaves) in my spare time at home. Although I have always enjoyed crafts and costumes I got into both in a big way when I joined the SCA (medieval reenactment society) upon entering university. Lacking the funds and tools to do wood or metalwork at home I focused primarily on leather and chain when making armour and other items. I came to anime relatively late, accumulating my first collection through my school anime club in year 10. However for the past 5 years the majority of my television consumption has been Japanese anime and films. Despite this interest I did not begin official cosplaying until my first Animania in 2005.

Wearing the costumes to conventions is of course half the fun of cosplay. However I particularly enjoy the challenge of making armour, weapons and costumes that mimic in real materials the unrealistic proportions that can be achieved in drawing, and yet are practical, durable and (relatively) comfortable.

Another World Breathing

Team Member 1 – Shona Gray
Brief Cosplay History:
I began cosplaying in 2009, and my first convention and cosplay competition was Brisbane Supanova in April 2009, shortly followed by WCS Brisbane Preliminary round in May. Since then I have tried to squeeze in as many costumes as I can, working around university study, part time jobs etc.

Favourite Anime & Manga? Pandora Hearts (manga only please!), Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (ditto! Although the OVAs are love), Gintama, xxxHolic, DOLLS, Kuroshitsuji (again, manga only), Trinity Blood, DOGS: Bullets & Carnage, Higurashi no Eden, Macross Frontier, Ghost in the Shell, Skip Beat…etc!

Why would you like to visit Japan? I have always been interested in Japanese culture, particularly historical personalities,
events and costume; but in the past few years I have also gained an immense love for pop culture in Japan, and the amazing phenomena it produces! To be able to immerse myself in a country where two such rich streams of inspiration flow together in creative ways would be absolutely wonderful!

Self Introduction: I’m Shona or zimiel. When I’m not sewing yet another costume for a character I’ve fallen in
love with, I’m bogged down in law textbooks or 18th century novels for university studies… or just reading, writing, catching up with friends, singing karaoke, eating icecream or whatever takes my fancy! ^o^

Team Member 2 – Jemima Cowderoy

Brief Cosplay History:
I tumbled into cosplay the way a lot of Brisbanites do—a sideways topple from fandom into a crazy, never sewn before, improvised costume of my favourite character for the enormous Supanova convention. Cosplaying Ayanami (from Evangelion) to that first con and meeting tons of people for the first time offline who understood the significance of a mudkip, didn’t think fanfic was a dangerous cult activity and actually understood why one would invest in red contact lenses to play dress ups at the ripe old age of over-18…well, suffice to say I was hooked ;D Since then I’ve really focused on trying to bring different kinds of cosplay performance to convention stages in Australia (something we’ll hopefully be doing in a totally new way this year!). The challenge and thrill and friendships of WCS have made a great environment in which to do that!

Favourite Anime & Manga? First and foremost Code Geass, above all else :D After that, in manga I love Tsubasa,
Loveless and currently very into 07-Ghost… in anime favourites are Wolf’s Rain, Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. and several Gundam series. Endless devotion to Full Metal Alchemist and Death Note in both anime and manga forms, despite the differences XD D.Gray-Man, Air Gear, Ouran High School Host Club, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gintama… Yu-Gi-Oh? :P Too many!

Why would you like to visit Japan? I’ve been interested in Japanese culture since I was small—I began studying Japanese when I was nine, and while I no longer know much of the language, I’ve never lost the sense of wonder at how beautiful it is both written and spoken. As I grew up I studied Japanese religion and history and then, in my first year of high school, discovered anime… even now, many of my research directions at university come from ideas I discovered through their strong presence in Japanese pop culture. Japan has such a strong place in my creative self that visiting Japan is like coming to a second home. It really is a different world in so many ways, even as so many things are the same—the chance to visit and explore the cosplay side of Japan (and the Japanese side of cosplay!) would be a brilliant opportunity.

Self Introduction: I’m J, and once upon a time I had a life, but it now belongs to cosplay ;D Nonetheless, I manage a few other things—I’m about to become a qualified teacher, though I’ll be sticking around uni writing about books anyway! I like to write, read and play the piano, particularly the sound tracks of my favourite anime, and I own a probably unreasonable number of Code
Geass and Gundam SEED figurines XD I bake a mean gingerbread and a very girly cupcake. As evidenced here, opening my mouth often leads to embarrassment!