Do you watch/read/play what you cosplay from?

[~boogiepop~]

I've recently found that some of my friends don't watch or play whatever games, anime, or movies they cosplay from which kinda upsets me D: I was wondering what you kumoricon cosplayers do and how you feel about the issue.

I prefer to know my material so I will watch a whole series, play the whole game, or read whatever I cosplay from. If I happen to chose to cosplay a character from something I'm not familiar with, I will watch and finish a game or series before I start on the costume.
I personally don't like it when people do not know what they are cosplaying from. There have been instances where I see someone cosplaying from something I really like and I try to hold a conversation with them and they go "Oh, I have no idea what you're talking about. I just saw the opening of this anime." I lose a little respect for them for some reason or another.
Going through the whole media can also help you get many ideas for poses when you are cosplaying a character.

So let me know what you guys think and do!

[nikkiolie]

I typically do but now I am doing a costume from Princess Tutu with some friends and I haven't seen it. But I will look up information and try to figure out the basic plot if I don't find it somewhere to watch I wont go into something blind ^_^

[Jacob_Blackfeather]

I do I always do so I know the character so I don't screw up on cosplaying that person

[superjaz]

I am a firm believer in knowing (i/e watching read play whatever) what you dress as

Best example of why? I once talked to a guy who dressed as a character without knowing what the show was and he had to put up with people shouting "hey where's your harem of men?"

...I really should have gotten that anime title...

[Trumby]

I have to agree with you. I don't like it when people cosplay from something that they know nothing about. I can understand starting a costume then watching the show to cosplay with friends, but personally I'll just start watching the show then pick the character I like the most and do that one.

[Dubaby]

I always do costumes from shows that I have either watched or read. That's not to say that I wouldn't be willing to join in on a group for a something I'm unfamiliar with, but if I did I would make sure to become familiar with the series before con so I can actually properly enjoy wearing my cosplay. =]

[Shadow]

I think it's vital to know your character before you cosplay as them. I would never cosplay as anyone who I knew nothing about, I think if you did that would take away from the overall cosplay experience.

It's always good to know your character's traits, behavior, and mannerisms because it helps sell your costume to others, so to speak. It makes it believable. What if you needed to go in-character for a panel, event, or even on-stage?

If anything, the more I know about my characters, the more I want to cosplay as them. The more I want to portray them, bring them to life.

If you have a brilliant costume but know nothing about that character, then you don't have much of a costume do you? I can't express to you enough how much it helps to know your character before cosplaying as them.

[Malaria]

Generally, I choose my characters because I have watched/read the series they're from and I like them as a character or I think it would be fun to do a full cosplay of one particular group, even if that ends up with me being a character I like less/am less like.

However, my first major cosplay was Zexion, who I knew nothing about when he was assigned to me. (I don't play video games. My hand-eye coordination isn't good enough. >>) It was kinda fun trawling the internet for details about his character and his story, and by the time con rolled around I'd accumulated enough understanding that I could cosplay him reasonably well by acting almost exactly as I normally would.

[MiriaRose]

Nope!

I don't really watch anime or read manga anymore (lack of interest), and playing video games is difficult when all you have is a Playstation original and a Gamecube.

Before I cosplay a character, though, I usually scour the internet for information on them so that if someone DOES go up to me and talks about the character, I won't be completely ignorant.

Most of the characters I cosplay aren't because I particularly like them, but because I like their designs.

[Cassiopeia]

My cosplays are generally of characters from stories that I love, so yeah.

For CoaP we have chosen titles to cosplay from that I originally haven't known a lot about, but I have and always will make sure to read, watch, and if possible play whatever we choose to cosplay from. That's part of what I like about the group; the exposure to series I might not otherwise have ever gotten into.

[tofutakeout]

I tend to come from both sides in a small way. If it's a series I really am into I pick a character and go from there. Then sometimes I choose a character by their looks and get into the series that way. If I can't get into it then I drop the series and cosplay all together.

When it comes to games Janelle tends to choose for me then I play it a bit and she gives me as many pointers as she can. Unless it's a game that I've played in the past or something.

But it really irks me when someone does just cosplay the character without even knowing anything about it. Feels too fake to me. :<

[Fachion-pari]

Yes, I can't imagine cosplaying a character I don't know a thing about.
The only exception I could possibly have is a video game, where I might have played half-way, or can't beat it, but still cosplay it.
I know people who have cosplayed characters they've seen/researched, but haven't actually watched the anime/read the manga or something, and it doesn't bother me as long as they know about the character they are cosplaying.
That's my two cents, haha. :]

[superjaz]

so while there is nothing stopin peeps from dressing up with out knowing the characters they don't know, they will have to put up with people asking them weird question and people possibly thinking they are lame.                                  once i was wearing my trigun hoodie with a black cat on it, and a lady was like"you know what that's from?" i am like trigun... she is like"no its a shipping company" where there is a shipping comp of that name my jacket was from trigun

[Felix]

Ideally I would pick cosplays because I like that character, not only the costume but also their personality and story. However, it seems the ones I end up doing most are group cosplays, usually from series I don't know very well. I always make sure I know the character, and like Cassi I've been introduced to some great new series through this. Even if I'm not absolutely in love with the series, I think cosplay is a lot more fun when I'm in a group with my friends. I find that the groups for some series I'd like to cosplay just aren't people I would get along with. I still want to cosplay those characters someday, but I'm less motivated to finish them.

[NARUNIK]

Well I am going to cosplay Goku probably and I only read the three mangas.. Is that sort of bad or...

[The_Geek]

I don't think I would have the motivation to be someone if I don't know the level of their awesomeness... 

[chelseahavoc]

i usealy do something i've seen, read, or played. everyonce in a while a friend will ask me to cosplay from a game ive never played and i'll watch a playthough of it to see how they fight, talk, and act. i try realy hard to know my charactors well and protray them as best i can

[Sutie]

Everything I've done I've seen, read, or played. Sometimes I'll find a character that seems interesting but I have not read, seen, or played the series and that makes me look into it. Then I'll decide if I'd like to cosplay them still.
There are a couple cosplays that I do because of the love of that character. A good example would be Rena. I am not a 12-14 year old but I fell in love with her character and I just couldn't help it!    Same goes for the Holo cosplay I'm making.

Even though I have already enjoyed the series of the character I'm cosplaying, I go back and investigate farther to study them. It's like playing a roll for a play.

[DooFeRthePanda]

I would prefer to watch or read the anime/manga i'm cosplaying from so i can get into character while cospalying. and if someone asks me aout te anime, i could give them some info on it and i wold feel proud about i yupp

[princessmoon]

What? You're kidding! I didn't realize that people cosplay things they know nothing about! That's kinda sad!

Cosplay --> Passion!  well, for some, I guess...

[sakata1]

I typically cosplay things that I connect with
"but for all, his own" I suppose

[Mei Long]

Personally, at the bare minimum I will look before I leap.

Can't always watch/read an ENTIRE series or play an entire game before the cosplay bug bites, though.

And if 25 episodes in the character I planned to cosplay ends up being a horrible pedophile or something I just drop it like hot coal. Hahaaaa.

But cosplaying without knowing at all? Totally foreign to me.

[oslapedo]

I always cosplay characters that I love. If my friends want me to join a group cosplay with them then I get aqcuainted with the series at least enough to fall in love with a character.~

Unless I'm doing a dorky crack cosplay, then it shouldn't be taken seriously in the first place

[soundninja12]

I have only done it for a few games, as I do not have a lot of game systems at my disposal. If I do get the chance to watch or play it, I will.

[the_toll_of_death]

I usually cosplay from things I know and love, but I can understand being pulled into a group cosplay of a series/game that you know absolutely nothing about. (My friends wanted me to cosplay Suki of Avatar, but I filled up my schedule up with cosplaying guys instead.)

At that point, I would at least heavily research the character and read/watch part of the the manga/anime if there is one if I could not read/watch it throughly.

I feel sort of bad because in our Nabari no ou group, we're recruiting my friend's little brother to be Miharu (the main character)... needless to say, I don't even know if he knows he's being forced into this. We'll probably make him at least watch part of the anime (or read the manga I have...)
We're also asking another friend of ours (okay, making) to be Yoite... he's only watched part of the anime (which doesn't count because the mangaverse is the REAL DEAL... the anime is just lies for the second half of it.) and I don't know how we're going to tell him... certain facts... about his character. :| AND the fact that fangirls are going to think of the two as a 'couple' might be sort of awkward as well.
OH WELL. :'D It's all for the sake of cosplay! (I'll make sure their cosplays are great, that they can pose amazingly, and can at least manage a decent conversation with a rabid fangirl.)

I feel kinda bad because though I love Prussia to death, I haven't actually seen him appear in the anime yet. o: (I can't watch anime online because I get distracted. Shiny, shiny internets.) Soon. Soon, I promise.

[squall leonheart]

Agreed my friend.  It's one thing if the anime is still coming out, and you're doing a costume from what you've seen and don't know the rest of the characters, but when you haven't watched at least the portion your character is from then it's a crime.  I HAVE however been guilty once of WANTING to cosplay Noctis from final fantasy XIII versus, though the game is neither out, nor is any gameplay available.  I was going to do him this year but have 2 costumes I decided on before then and am going to stick with those first.  Though I do intend on cosplaying him someday, this year is not him.

[Man of the Public]

Seeing as how I only cosplay characters I love, yes I always watch/read/play what I'm cosplaying from

[MiriaRose]

I feel kinda bad because though I love Prussia to death, I haven't actually seen him appear in the anime yet. o: (I can't watch anime online because I get distracted. Shiny, shiny internets.) Soon. Soon, I promise.

He appears a few times in the anime. France's wangst episode and the Switzerland and Liechtenstein episodes. Dunno about any after that, though, 'cause that's when I stopped watching.

Like I said, while I don't watch/read/play most stuff I cosplay from, I do do research on the characters so I won't be completely clueless if someone comes up to me and begins talking to me about it. I don't see why anyone should feel guilty about cosplaying from something they don't know about, though.

[Felix]

Hahaha, I've read/watched very little Hetalia... but I think that may be a special case because I do know the characters, and the most important part of the series is how the countries are personified. The series itself is just historical events so if you know history you can get away with not reading the actual series.

And the real reason I cosplay Hetalia is for the awsome people involved, not the series itself.

Other than that, all of my cosplay plans are from series I've read and enjoyed.

[Aero]

I ALWAYS either read the whole series/beat the whole game, or get very close and look up what happens. Mostly because I choose characters that to me, personally, I can have fun being IC with. I guess I'm just weird like that.

[NARUNIK]

I am just going to say that if you going to cosplay Naruto and have no idea about him I will slap you and say believe it in your face with a microphone.

I change my mind about Goku. The series is DAMN to BIG.

I read the whole series/watch/ but with games usually I finish unless it's a big damn Final Fantasy I would get close. Usually I finish my games. Especially my MGS's which always pull you in like reading Harry Potter.

[LtCommanderRichie]

Why wouldn't I?

I mean, that's how I develop the frankly quite creepy love I have for all the characters I cosplay, so without actually watching/reading a series I would be kinda SOL in the character department, yeah?

I don't care if people don't read/watch what they cosplay from, though. It ain't my problem.