Natsuki Kuga (Mai Hime) Cosplay

A while back I cosplayed Natsuki Kuga and today I found the guns I customised and took some photos:
I don't usually feel the urge to pose with a gun, however, having just discovered my boyfriend of two years has been cheating on me with another woman for a year and a half, I'm feeling understandably angsty.

I'm masochistically giving him one last chance to prove himself, otherwise I think anime will become my boyfriend and girlfriend, why do I always fall madly in love with the wrong people?!

Any recommendations of feel good anime, (or involving violently maiming men) would be appreciated!

London MCM Expo May 26th 2007: Event Report and 70 Photos

On Friday I sat my last university exam ever, (well, unless I do a Masters), so MCM London Expo was a great reward the following day! Thank you so much to all the cosplayers who posed for me, and thank you for being patient as the camera I borrowed took a while to warm up and let me take pictures! I took about 170 photos and the best ones are below.

I thought the layout was so much better than the previous few times I've been. I could see the DDR, and apart from the anime corner I never felt trapped or unable to get to things. I was excited to see the Hazel Gundam, I wanted to see the mecha that shared my name, and was excited to see there were three types. I was a bit upset about the cosplay masquerade tickets, I didn't find out until all the tickets had gone, and later when I went to see if I could get in, it wasn't as postponed as the staff had estimated, so I missed some of it. Never mind, I still enjoyed standing at the back.

I subscribed to Neo, and got a free Initial D manga, and picked up a copy of Tokyopop Sneaks. I also bought Gizmo the Gremlin slippers (they are soooo cute), a poster of a manga from Sweatdrop Studios (pictures below), and a random comic. I thought about buying a Bincho-tan poster, but decided it wasn't cute enough in the end. There was still a stall selling posters in a messy heap of thumb prints and creases, I mean, who wants to buy a poster someone else has damaged? Mad. They should display them properly.

I only attended on the Saturday, I planned to go back the next day but I was feeling ill, hiding under the duvet, with some Ibuprofen, think I was just exhausted from exam stress! I would have liked to have seen the daleks and the guy in a Halo costume. I think next time I go I will get the fast tickets, try and get a free bag of 'stuff', cosplay as someone like Lenalee or Yoko, take even more photos with a better camera and draw some manga! I'm looking forward to Japan Ex July 21-22...even if I'm not quite sure what it is!

This was my favourite cosplay, it looked stunning!

Shinku (Rozen Maiden)

Allen Walker! (D. Gray-man)

Princess Mononoke!

I want her stockings!

Haruhi wins the award for most 'in the role' cosplayer. She was yelling at the guy in character, but I think he was enjoying it. ;)

Nice wings! She came 2nd in 16+ I think.

(All my masquerade pictures are poor quality because the digital camera ate through 6 AA batteries, so all I had left was the camera-phone, and I was right at the back!)

The Elite Beat Agents! Awesome :)

I can't believe they did the YMCA song! YAY, someone has put a video of it on youtube!

Most enjoyable stage act for me, these guys were ace!

Sephiroth.

Sephiroth did great poses.

This took a while to get on stage without poking people to death!

Hide it's Sadako from The Ring!

SpongeBob won the Entertainment award. Thought he might knock Hugh off the stage, hehe.

Help! The Rangers are going to get me.

I really expected that girl to kick the trooper in the nuts, she didn't look impressed!

Alice in Wonderland...and a random pirate?

She should have been carrying pocky on a silver tray!

Vic Mignogna signing stuff. I didn't have anything for him to sign, I should have asked him to sign me!

Spike Spencer and Vic Mignogna chatting to their fans.

I was not going to get excited about English language voice actors. I've always felt happy reading subtitles, I love the sound of the Japanese language, and I've only seen a couple of anime episodes dubbed out of curiosity. However, Vic Mignogna was charismatic and funny, I liked the story about when he did voice acting for Those Who Hunt Elves (one of my favourite comedy/fantasy anime I highly recommend). There was a character that looked like Yoda, so he did a Yoda voice impression for fun...and the sound guys picked it up and made it louder so you can hear it on the final DVD. *Giggles* I don't know much about Spike Spencer - but I laughed when I found out he did the voice acting for the little greenonion in Gantz!

The marketing guy from Manga wasn't actually singing!

I was over the moon that Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (The Wallflower) will be released in the UK by ADV! That series was one of my favourites last year, every episode made me laugh so much. The bishies, the nose bleeds, the goth-goth-loli-loli's and the horror girl= genius. I was expecting to hear 009-1 and Welcome to the NHK were also licensed...but Pumpkin Scissors? I thought the majority got bored with that series, but Orlando and the kittens were exceptionally cute! I'm sure the huge tank/army element will appeal to guys; it's just that I found Alice annoying and the series lacked a sense of direction.

Emma Vieceli.

Look, she's been shrinking people who haven't read her manga yet! So you better buy Hamlet. Look out for her on TV, the first UK Anime channel (195) airs on June 3rd (my birthday woo!) So everyone must watch it so we get moooooore anime! I can't wait to see Coyote Ragtime Show on TV, and yes, I'm one of those lame anime fans that hasn't got round to seeing Neon Genesis Evangelion yet, but I've read the manga, and I've only seen episode 1 of Guyver, and Elfen Lied in the background of a noisy Manga Cafe. So it shall be cool!

Sonia Leong was there with Sweatdrop Studios. Random steward in the background!

I bought a poster of the cover of one of her manga, I always notice it when I see the Sweatdrop stalls at events and it's so pretty. Also got a Kiddy Grade and Gunslinger Girl postcard, yay!

Andie Tong. I felt bad; the camera flash went off while he was drawing.

I was glad there were more comic artists. Just a shame they weren't situated somewhere more central. Andie certainly looked like he was getting more attention than May 2006 when he seemed to be randomly stuck in the middle of nowhere! I enjoyed browsing the comic stalls. I liked the one with the stuffed duck toys, and bought a little comic from a tiny stall called Vampire Free Style. It has cute cat pictures inside...but not much in the way of plot! I felt sorry for some of the artists; people clearly didn't know who they all were!

4 favourite over 16 manga (Saturday)

3 favourite under 16 manga (Saturday)

I bought gizmo the gremlin slippers for £10. I just had to have them! Aren't they adorable?! Bit of a contrast to my New Rocks. I've been shuffling round the house in them. I will not feed them after midnight or spill water on them...

The anti-free huggers' weapons of choice. Mmm, shiny.

I don't mind teenagers wandering round with a little free hug sign. However, I do worry about guys over the age of 18 who want to hug 'cute little girls'. It's just pervy. Perhaps more disturbing are pre-pubescent girls with free hug signs, where are their guardians/parents/concerned older siblings? It's going to attract, well, the wrong sort of people to Expo.

I worry about people who boast on forums that they 'glomp' people. I feel sorry for anyone who is grabbed without their permission, by squealing huggers damaging their expensive costume/clothes and putting stickers on them. I did have one 'free hug'. Was it good for you?

Sugar! Mmm, must resist temptation to go sugar crazy.

Watching DDR gamers' feet is a kind of hypnotherapy I swear.

I felt happy I wasn't jumping about like a deranged ferret, but I'd like to have a go sometime! I was impressed the DDR was raised off the ground in the centre of the Expo, instead of squished in the corner where I couldn't see! I never see female DDR players at expo, I wonder why? Is it a 'guy thing'?

Drum Rhythm game, it looked lots of fun! I'd like one of those whack a crocodile games you get at seaside funfairs.

Artwork on the Brodie's Law stall. Stunning.

Grr!

All things Totoro make me go 'Eee!'

Gender Bender! This made me laugh sooo much.

Cute character designs.

Anime Tattoo.

This Caught my eye. Love this stall; I still want a David Mack print.

'Day Watch' truck. I loved 'Night Watch' and I'm highly anticipating 'Day Watch'. Watch Trailer!

I was having a rest on a bench and this little caterpillar appeared crawling towards me. It was very colourful (the poor lighting dulls the colours). There's no time like crawling around on the floor in a mini skirt to watch a caterpillar, for a bunch of townie/chavs to come along and usefully inform you they can see your pants. Then stand across the river and shout various insults at the 'freaks'. I wanted a bazooka, I really did.

This picture would have looked great if the camera I borrowed did close-ups. I need to save up for a good camera. I wanted to show its smiley face!

(not my picture) This is what I could actually see. Malacosoma neustrai, which turns into the plain lackey moth.

It has a kawai little face! My friend is a gardener and said it's best to avoid nests of them in the trees because they release the little hairs on their bodies which can cause irritation...but still, I think they're cute. For hundreds of weird and wonderful little caterpillar pictures click here.

Outside Excel

So, while I was taking pictures of trees, which are a calming contrast down by the river, the fangirls where hording around Vic Mignogna behind me on the steps. I had this funny manga image of them turning on him on mass and ripping off his limbs as a memento, like when they used to decapitate bodies in history, and people would rush in for the tiniest souvenir, or grab the head from the basket and run away. Creepy.

I'd really like to photograph cosplayers here.

Reflections

Me. Cold and tired!

I hope everyone enjoyed London Expo and that Japan Ex will be fun. Now I must start job hunting so I can afford lots of anime and manga in October! :o)

Afro Samurai Screening, London, June 5th *UPDATED INFO*

Just got the official flier from the academic Japan Society. There will be 2 episodes of Afro Samurai being screened, followed by a talk from executive producer Arthur Smith (president of GDH International) and a Q&A session.

For those not familiar with the storyline:

Deep in the badlands of a mashed up world of samurai meets ghetto sci-fi, a young child sees his father, the Number One samurai, cut down by a man named Justice. As the thought of revenge burns inside Afro, he changes from innocent child to vengeful warrior, hell bent on finding the man who rolled his father's severed head in the dust before him. Afro battles to find the Number One headband - not for its power, but for a final, bloody showdown with Justice.

Tuesday June 5th
5pm-7pm
Khalili Lecture Theatre
Russell Square Campus
SOAS University
WC1H 0XG

All Welcome (please note Afro Samurai is only suitable for viewers over 15)

For map and screenshots see below.