Winter Cosplay for the Cold Cosplayer.

by Gaby

Now that the weather outside is becoming more frightful. There are still plenty of cold weather conventions to head to, but what are some good cosplay that are good for the cold weather? I am going to aim this towards female cosplay since they always seem to be lacking in the coverage department in most cases. When I looked on forums at what people had suggested for winter cosplay, most of the answer were guy characters, like Edward Elric, his outfit is nice because he wears a big red jacket, so does Vash the Stampede, or a bunch of other male characters that wear jackets and long sleeves, that's gonna be a lot, I mean like most of the male school uniforms are usually long sleeves, while girls freeze their booties off in skirts...yes they wear leggings I know... lets cut to the chase and list off some cold weather friendly female cosplay!

So ladies and gentleman here are some female cosplay outfits that are great for the winter season!

TOP 5 Winter Female Cosplay

5.) Vocaloid Christmas Outfits! 

Probably not the warmest thing, but 'tis the season!  The guy Christmas outfits are of course going to be warmer because they are pants and a jacket. But ladies do not fear, Miku has this cute little cape that covers her shoulders, in other versions she also has arm sleeves, but I prefer the cape, coupled with some long sleeves and leggings underneath the outfit and you may be able to keep the cold winter chill off your back decently.

4.) Long Sleeves Cardcaptor Sakura 
 

 Cardcaptor Sakura has many adorable outfits, there is bound to be one that you can add sleeves to for a warmer look, or something like the above, the red long sleeves dress with black leggings. Not too bad for a chilly day!

3.) Rukia from Bleach
 

This cosplay can probably work in all seasons. Very simple really, the secret is layering.  Wear as many layers as you need to, to stay warm under this cosplay. The black robes will do a good job at masking whatever layers you got going on underneath.  Plus the tabi socks will keep your toes warmer than a cosplay with no socks at all.



2.) Anna from Frozen

When her sister froze over the land, Anna got very cold, its a good thing she was able to get her hands on some winter clothes! Like this stylish cape and some nice warm boots that kept her warm.  Very good choice when it looks like you might see some flurries.






1.) Katara from Avatar the Last Airbender

Katara also has an outfit for both warm and cold seasons, for the cold season, that blue jacket with the white puffy lining looks like it could keep someone mighty warm even during a blizzard! So if you are planning on being a cosplayer in the snow, this is probably the one you should go with.

American Made, Otaku Embraced Top 5!

by Gaby

Being that today is an American holiday, Veteran's Day, I decided to give kudos to some American "anime" type shows or movies that are very popular around the general anime community!
Take a break from some Japan shows today and embrace American shows like the ones below!
These are just a few, there are many others but here is a quick top 5.  I based my list off of what I  have seen popular at anime conventions, cosplay, panels, and people talking about these series.

Top 5 American Made,

Otaku Embraced

5. Adventure Time

Take a look at the characters in the image above and tell me how many times you have seen these being cosplayed at cons?  A lot! The Adventure Time series on Cartoon Network gained a huge ray of fans especially the con goers.  Very simplistic cosplay also made it really easy to cosplay these characters.  Inspired by D&D, Adventure time was sure to be a hit with the nerd/otaku community, and it sure was!

4. Steven Universe

 Another popular choice for Otaku has been Steven Universe! Emmy Award nominated and cititically aclaimed for its design, music, voice acting, characterization and its sci-fi world building, its easy to see why Steven Universe has gained a huge fandom. Plus cosplaying the main character on here is not that hard. 

3. Avatar the Last Airbender

Primetime Emmy Award winner, as well as critically aclaimed by audiences and critics.  The Last Airbender became one of Nickelodeon's most popular shows in the mid 2000s, even spawning a sequel series, Legend of Korra.  Avatar the Last Airbender was so popular that it even had a live action move...but lets not talk about that one.  Getting back to the Nickelodeon show, ask any Otaku and they can most certainly vouch for this show, I haven't met a con-goer who hasn't at least heard of this show.

2. Teen Titans

Oh my dear Teen Titans, I am talking about the original Teen Titans no the butchered mess that's currently on TV.  Glen Murakami's Teen Titans, based on the DC Comics characters, was a huge hit on Cartoon Network when it aired back in 2003-2006, and people still embrace this show dearly. With a lot of anime-esque scenarios, themes, and Puffy Ami Yumi doing the main Teen Titans theme song, this series spoke to many American anime fans all over the states. Great cosplay was popping up everywhere and it even got people to become a fan of DC comics, heck it got me into super heroes in general!

1. Disney

Of course I can't leave out America's most beloved  cartoons since our grandparents! Disney of course! Whether its Disney Princesses, Disney Heroes, or the newest Disney movie cosplay, there is always some form of Disney that American Otaku love.  Don't forget its Disney's original animation that isnspired a lot of what anime is today, with the big eyes and the expression on the characters. We love Disney for everything that it is!

Want to learn more about how Walt Disney influenced anime? Check out this great article here. http://www.themovieblog.com/2013/how-walt-disney-influenced-anime/

Fall Back into Otaku Culture!

by Gaby


Happy November everyone! I must apologize for my long absence since Anime Fest, I got really busy after that, took a bit of a breather and then BAM! I ended up in the emergency room with appendicitis right as I was about to move to a new city. Finally getting my life back into my normal Otaku life, and I am getting ready for Anime North Texas this month!

In preparation for ANT 2016 and the ANT Maid Cafe, I've been in a very kawaii dance mood! So I am going to do a top 5 countdown of the most popular Maid Cafe Kawaii Dances that are usually seen at a lot of the convention maid cafes. Of course like most of these dances are maid popular by the Vocaloid movement, so have you seen these dances? How about learning them? Try! its fun!
without further ado here is...

My Top 5 

Most Popular Maid Cafe Kawaii Dances! 

 

5. Hello How Are You? 

 

Super cute sounding, sounds like a sleepy girl waking up to a new day, and that's basically what it is.  It's a cute melody with words that basically ask many little questions that make you wonder...how am I really, is everything ok? Can we expect more? 

4.  Nekomimi Switch 

A song about eating sweets and looking cute and dancing while wearing cat ears (Nekomimi) while its supposedly really hot outside and it makes you pant. LOL I love how these songs are just about cute things sometimes!

3. Viva Happy! 

A Hatsune Miku video that is very popular is Viva Happy and its got a great beat and very vibrant steps.   If you think the world is unfair and things have you feeling down, just remember Que Sera Sera and Viva Happy!

2. Mune Mune Kyun

 

I honestly didn't know how I could pick between 1 and 2 because they are both so popular of dances.  It just seems like maid cafes love dancing to songs about your heart going "kyun." Because "Kyun" is just so darn kawaii! The Dance itself is super upbeat and it makes you want to learn it right alongside them.

1. Happi Happi Morningu

I think Happi Happi Morningu is probably the most popular since it is basically about a maid waking up her master and just being a maid wishing the master well , making a special menu for master and just being the perfect maid! Heck I would love to wake up to a maid wishing me to have a happy morning with my breakfast ready and everything kawaii. ^0^  Perfect Service!

There you have some awesome Maid Cafe Dances! There are of course many more, perhaps I'll make another post of other cute kawaii dances in the future. Do let me know if you have other suggestions in the comments here or on Facebook or Twitter @PleaseAnime.