2017 Old School Cosplay Gathering

Started by InsaneDavid, November 16, 2016, 03:30:46 PM

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Tomas Cosplay

I may have to do Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors one day if it doesn't conflict with the Disney gathering or the Welcome to Night Vale panel I'm hoping to host.
Fanime 2020 Cosplay List
TBD

For my full list of cosplays see this link: https://forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,21883.0.html

InsaneDavid

Quote from: TrashdomCosplay Haiden on February 22, 2017, 10:46:04 AM
I may have to do Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors one day if it doesn't conflict with the Disney gathering or the Welcome to Night Vale panel I'm hoping to host.

I'm really trying to keep a lean toward Japanese entertainment history as with the first Old School Gatherings I attended.  Absolutely no one will be turned away, obviously, because I wouldn't do that.  And let's be honest, old school cosplayers are like the geekiest fandom there (don't know about most but I wear that as a badge of honor) so we should all be celebrated.  :)
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Nina Star 9

The forums are freaking out on me. I hope this only posted twice.

Nina Star 9

Quote from: InsaneDavid on February 22, 2017, 09:41:41 AM
Lately I've really been trying to think of more "modern" stuff that I like and, although I'm not specifically trying to thumb my nose at anything, there's really very little I can think of.  I did really like Durarara!!  Um, I'm finally getting around to watching Angel Heart, and I am really enjoying the kind of alternate-reality take on City Hunter.  Ah, I thought Space Symphony Maetel was great.  I thought Sailor Moon Crystal was ooooooookay.  Patlabor Reboot was a really good modernization of Mobile Police Patlabor in current society, one-off short as it was.

Yeah, a lot of that is a modern extension or rework or the like but I just absolutely cannot get into any of the things that are super popular right now.  Then I remember there is so much older stuff I've been interested in that is constantly getting a re-release or a new fansub that I have plenty to watch heading the other direction down the timeline.

Ah, and still unofficial at this point as to final location, but with the announcement that Gatherings G4 is going to be unavailable for Fanime this year, we're going to more than likely move the gathering just a bit toward the main entrance to one of the tiered platforms by the stairs.  I think this is the best choice as it's closest to where this gathering has traditionally been located and it shouldn't be THAT hectic over there on Friday evening.
I feel the same way about a lot of things. Is it nostalgia (even if I hadn't seen that anime before)? Or do I just tend to like that style of anime better?

An example: if an anime came out next season about two cute bikini-clad cops in space, I'd probably write it off as generic moe fanservice type stuff. Even if I watched it, I probably wouldn't like it. But if a show like that came out in 1985, it would be (and is...) my current obsession. Not that all anime from the '80s and '90s and automatically good (oh my god I just watch the Megami Paradise OVAs and that's easily the worst anime I've seen in a long time...but the designs are so cosplayable!), but I tend to like that kind of thing better than modern things, even if it doesn't always hold, even for classics (never got into Urusei Yatsura, for example). Sure, something like Dirty Pair is silly and fluffy and has major issues, but the style of it and the way an anime of that era is told appeals to me much more than something newer, even if the premise were similar. There's something stylistically endearing about older anime that newer anime just doesn't have for me.

Maybe if I got into anime now, I'd like the newer stuff and in 15 years be lamenting that things aren't as good as they were 15 or 20 years before. I don't know. But it seems like even if older anime fell into a lot of pandering to specific otaku tastes, it was at least pandering /my/ specific otaku tastes. (I think it also helps that ~15 years ago [probably more like 16 or 17 now -- I was quite young] when I got into anime, it was much harder to come by, so what made it to the US was pretty much the cream of the crop, and things like Megami Paradise were thankfully filtered out.  It was also right at the start of anime entering at least somewhat into the mainstream, with Toonami, anime on Adult Swim, Tokyopop and manga sections in bookstores, DVDs becoming available at Suncoast, etc., most of which I remember happening, so that there was a richer history of anime to mine that hadn't been released stateside yet, so we could get the best of multiple eras rather than just the current era.)

Don't even get me started on video games! It doesn't exactly help that my favorite genre (JRPGs) have largely gone by the wayside in the form that I loved them in. The best game I've played in the past year came out in 1999.

As for newer anime, there's been a few things I've liked in the past several years. Eden of the East is a mess but I liked it. Mawaru Penguindrum is...certainly not Utena, but I enjoyed it enough to watch it a second time. (I've so far resisted Yuri Kuma Arashi.) I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed Yuri on Ice. It's not this amazing masterpiece that a lot of fans seem to think it is, but it's a pretty solid anime. This is coming from someone who generally does not like sports anime. Other things not quite old school but not new: I love both Red Garden and Kino's Journey. Watched them both around 10 years ago. RG is a mess, full of plotholes, and I'm really glad they did away with the musical aspect, but I liked it a lot. Kino is fantastic and was my favorite series for many years.

Otherwise, I've been watching a lot of anime in the past year and a half or so, more than I have in the past 10 or 15 years, but most of it has been older things I never got around to back in the day! It was all kicked off by my best friend forcing me to watch Utena, and...well, I fell in love. Easily my favorite anime of all time. I don't know why I never watched it sooner. I've watched Serial Experiments Lain and The Rose of Versailles since, and am currently working my way through Evangelion and the aforementioned Dirty Pair. I like to throw on anime in the background while sewing, and I've found that Golden Boy is good for that. Tried to do that with Lost Universe but it got plot heavy so I stopped because I couldn't pay attention to the subtitles /and/ my sewing machine.

Ugh. I'm too young to feel this old! I'm not even 30 yet!

InsaneDavid

Quote from: Nina Star 9 on February 23, 2017, 08:54:05 AM
I feel the same way about a lot of things. Is it nostalgia (even if I hadn't seen that anime before)? Or do I just tend to like that style of anime better?

An example: if an anime came out next season about two cute bikini-clad cops in space, I'd probably write it off as generic moe fanservice type stuff. Even if I watched it, I probably wouldn't like it. But if a show like that came out in 1985, it would be (and is...) my current obsession. Not that all anime from the '80s and '90s and automatically good (oh my god I just watch the Megami Paradise OVAs and that's easily the worst anime I've seen in a long time...but the designs are so cosplayable!), but I tend to like that kind of thing better than modern things, even if it doesn't always hold, even for classics (never got into Urusei Yatsura, for example). Sure, something like Dirty Pair is silly and fluffy and has major issues, but the style of it and the way an anime of that era is told appeals to me much more than something newer, even if the premise were similar. There's something stylistically endearing about older anime that newer anime just doesn't have for me.

Maybe if I got into anime now, I'd like the newer stuff and in 15 years be lamenting that things aren't as good as they were 15 or 20 years before. I don't know. But it seems like even if older anime fell into a lot of pandering to specific otaku tastes, it was at least pandering /my/ specific otaku tastes. (I think it also helps that ~15 years ago [probably more like 16 or 17 now -- I was quite young] when I got into anime, it was much harder to come by, so what made it to the US was pretty much the cream of the crop, and things like Megami Paradise were thankfully filtered out.  It was also right at the start of anime entering at least somewhat into the mainstream, with Toonami, anime on Adult Swim, Tokyopop and manga sections in bookstores, DVDs becoming available at Suncoast, etc., most of which I remember happening, so that there was a richer history of anime to mine that hadn't been released stateside yet, so we could get the best of multiple eras rather than just the current era.)

Don't even get me started on video games! It doesn't exactly help that my favorite genre (JRPGs) have largely gone by the wayside in the form that I loved them in. The best game I've played in the past year came out in 1999.

As for newer anime, there's been a few things I've liked in the past several years. Eden of the East is a mess but I liked it. Mawaru Penguindrum is...certainly not Utena, but I enjoyed it enough to watch it a second time. (I've so far resisted Yuri Kuma Arashi.) I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed Yuri on Ice. It's not this amazing masterpiece that a lot of fans seem to think it is, but it's a pretty solid anime. This is coming from someone who generally does not like sports anime. Other things not quite old school but not new: I love both Red Garden and Kino's Journey. Watched them both around 10 years ago. RG is a mess, full of plotholes, and I'm really glad they did away with the musical aspect, but I liked it a lot. Kino is fantastic and was my favorite series for many years.

Otherwise, I've been watching a lot of anime in the past year and a half or so, more than I have in the past 10 or 15 years, but most of it has been older things I never got around to back in the day! It was all kicked off by my best friend forcing me to watch Utena, and...well, I fell in love. Easily my favorite anime of all time. I don't know why I never watched it sooner. I've watched Serial Experiments Lain and The Rose of Versailles since, and am currently working my way through Evangelion and the aforementioned Dirty Pair. I like to throw on anime in the background while sewing, and I've found that Golden Boy is good for that. Tried to do that with Lost Universe but it got plot heavy so I stopped because I couldn't pay attention to the subtitles /and/ my sewing machine.

Ugh. I'm too young to feel this old! I'm not even 30 yet!

I have to agree about there being something stylistically enduring about anime of an earlier era.  The pacing, the way scenes are set up, the bad in-betweeners now and then, the way establishing shots lead into scenes, different mediums being used for backgrounds and cels.. but I can't put my finger on something really specific or explain it well.  I think a big part of it is a lot of anime of that era wasn't trying to create a massive media mania behind it - they were artists telling their stories, maybe sell a few toys to keep their studio going, and that was it.  Then onto the next story.  Little self-contained worlds that only had to play to their specific audiences, and in that way they could play to them wonderfully.

I will say that movement in animation is one thing that isn't what it used to be.  Modern digital animation makes movement way too sterile.  Clean art is great but movement in reality is not clean, that's not how humans see things.  Watching Angel Heart for instance, the fast slapstick type scenes or quick action sequences don't have the pop of City Hunter (1987 - 1991) because with modern and more digital animation you see everything all the time.  If something is intentionally under-detailed to give it less emphasis, it sticks out.  In older animation that would simply shift the focus to where the attention is supposed to be given.

I was very fortunate during my adolescence to have a Hollywood Video with a good anime section and a store manager that would ask me what it should be stocked with out of their ordering list.  In addition to the mainstream stuff of the time like Akira and Devil Hunter Yohko, I was able to see Super Dimension Century Orguss, GunBuster, the later Project A-ko OVAs, Dancouga, Zenki, Hades Project Zeorymer (which I'll admit isn't good but I like it), Blue Seed, Dominion Tank Police, Detonator Orgun, Demon City Shinjuku (which I still FREAKING LOVE - I don't care what anyone says), 8 Man After, Magic Knight Rayearth, Mobile Police Patlabor, Urusei Yatsura, New Cutey Honey, and a ton more I don't recall until I stumble upon them somewhere.  They pulled in a lot of garbage too but heck, how were any of us supposed to know something was bad then until we watched it?  Then when the tapes were out of circulation he would put them aside for me so I could buy them for $4 a pop.

I think the most recent JRPG I really enjoyed was Dragon Quest VIII, but that game is kind of a celebration of the series up until that point.  It's not Grandia or anything, but what is.

Evangelion is a series I used to really not like but that was because I pretty much refused to give it a chance.  A few years ago I came across the original ADV DVD boxset for a few dollars and picked it up for the heck of it, and my opinion changed.  I still don't see it as the most incredible thing ever created the way some do, but it is a very interesting series in my opinion - very visually interesting and well written.  Hideaki Anno can say whatever he wants but the series definitely did go off the rails and run out of money - but it just kind of works.  It's like the last episode of the British TV drama The Prisoner - how could it possibly have any ending that would be satisfying with where the series eventually lead itself to?  So yeah, after many years of stupidity of shrugging it off, I like Evangelion - it's still no GunBuster though.


And the update for this week!

Good morning old schoolers!  Here we are, about to close out February, so about three months to Fanime.  I want to express a tremendous amount of awareness and support to all those affected by the recent flooding in San Jose and throughout California.  Those in San Jose truly deserve better from our fair city.  I do hope everyone is safe.  For today's OP, Go Nagai once again lends future influence to the anime industry as a whole.  I really wouldn't mind cosplaying from Cutey Honey but I know I'd sweat to death as a Panther Claw henchman.

Celebrating An Era - 1970's!  Cutey Honey (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiMnOsdv7xI
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Nina Star 9

I totally agree! There's something about the old hand-drawn cels that seem to have more...life, maybe? The imperfections tend to give it a bit of character and it seems more lively somehow. I think it helps that I tend to prefer the aesthetics of older anime over newer anime.

I was lucky in my youth that I just barely missed the days of sketchy 12th generation VHS fansubs copied off of some guy in the back of a comic store. DVDs were super expensive and streaming wasn't a thing yet, so we pretty much took what we could get. Anime fans getting into it now have it so easy. :P

We has a small anime selection at the local Hollywood Video, but nothing really groundbreaking. Of course, it was all stuff way too mature for a preteen/young teen to be watching, like Ninja Scroll, Akira, Devil Hunter Yoko, Vampire Hunter D, and Ghost in the Shell (which I hated the first time I saw it when I was like...10 or 11, maybe), and then some Sailor Moon movies, but the selection did expand some over the years. I'm sad that video rental stores are no longer really a thing, for many reasons. :|

The JRPG I played most recently was Chrono Cross. I know, I know, I'm late to the party, but I avoided it for many years because of my love of Trigger. I'm currently working hard on a Harle cosplay, if that means anything about how I felt about it after avoiding it for so long. :P It's actually quite a good game. Not perfect, but what is, really? I've mostly avoided Final Fantasy because none of them have held my attention other than 8. Legend of Mana is my favorite game of all time, and that's...really something. Such a strange game.

The newest JRPG I've played was one that came out maybe 5 years ago or so called Radiant Historia. FANTASTIC game. Highly recommended if you have a DS and like JRPGs and haven't played it. Really underrated little game. It really hearkens back to the glory days of the genre, and has fantastic Yoko Shimomura music to boot.

So far, I'm maybe...18 or 19 episodes into Evangelion? I'm pretty disappointed with it, actually. I know that I still have 7 episodes or so remaining, plus End of Evangelion (should I bother with all the subsequent releases? where do I even start with those?), but it's been built up so much as this masterpiece, and I really don't see it. It's good, don't get me wrong, it's just not as good as I expected it to be. It's also not all that weird so far. Everyone talks about how it's weird and kind of out there and heavily symbolic, but it seems relatively straightforward to me so far. I know the ending is supposed to go off the rails, and that End of Evangelion is supposed to go off the rails in a totally different way, but still, not really impressed so far.

Also, this week's song is one of my go-to karaoke songs. :D That's the best version of it, too.

InsaneDavid

I was on the edge of the VHS fansub era outside of some episodes of the later Sailor Moon seasons.  However I did buy many, many artbooks from "some random guy" in the back of many comic stores - including the absolute doppelganger for Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons in a tiny town in the central valley.  "Which book I like least I will allow you the privilege of purchasing from me."  I swear he said that!

I've never been able to really get into Chrono Cross.  I've tried a few times over the years, since the day it was released actually, but it just doesn't click with me.  It's just too different from what I expected it to be and I've never been able to get over that I suppose.  The only Final Fantasy game I've ever really liked was IX but I've never been able to definitively explain why.  I mean to swing around and play VII (I know, I know) and VIII but as with anime, there are always fan translation efforts coming out that pull my attention.  The fan translation of Lagrange Point is next on my list and that's been out for over two years at this point.

For Evangelion, after finishing the original run completely, I think I went back and then watched the director's cut revised episodes 21 - 24, and then The End of Evangelion as if I'm remembering correctly that's how the new continuity ties together.  It didn't improve or diminish my feelings concerning the show, but there are some really nicely animated sequences.  If anything, I don't feel like it was a waste of my time to do so.  Then again, Kaji is my favorite character in Evangelion, so no one cares about my opinions on the series anyway. haha
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Retro Cosplay, Easy As XYZ

InsaneDavid

Good morning old schoolers!  Another week passed already, where are they going?!  Fanime Cosplay Gatherings Department has released their gatherings form and the Old School Cosplay Gathering has been formally submitted.

Our target day and time is Friday at 6pm, the last regular time slot.  This will allow the most people to attend while still not interfering with Friday Swap Meet.  Due to Gatherings G4 (The Hub) being reclaimed for Fanime Registration as per the Registration FAQ, the plan is to move the gathering just a bit toward the main Convention Center entrance, utilizing Gatherings G2 or G3.  These are the tiered wooden steps that flank the main staircases just inside the entrance.  This is literally a twenty second walk from the previous location, so it should be easy to find.  Once the gathering has an official time and location they will be posted here as well as in the Fanime Forums thread.

The OP for today is my favorite "modern" mecha series, although it's from 1999.  A combination of a super robot and a real robot - Dai-Guard is loving parody to the genre, not quite as much serious wit as Patlabor, but cut from a bit of the same cloth.  Essentially a series about how ridiculous it is to use a giant robot for pretty much anything, as well as the bureaucracy that would come with it. It's kind of like Evangelion turned on its ear.  It also has a pretty unique approach to its conclusion.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's!  Earth Defense Corporation Dai-Guard (1999)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mSdp6PCWj4
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Angelx624

Friday is, of course, completely fine with me. XD I had already figured it would be the same time and day. :)

Looking forward to the gathering!!

(And I, too, love older anime a lot. But mostly 90s-2000s anime. So not too old, but still have aired at least 10 years ago. xD I should get back to watching Ghost Hunt and re-watching Matantei Loki Ragnarok....... >_> )
(ノ•ω•)ノ Cosplay List:
Rook Hunt
Ukyo (Ranma 1/2)
Kagome (Inuyasha)
Freminet (Genshin)
Giyu (KnY)
Rengoku (KnY)

InsaneDavid

Quote from: Angelx624 on March 03, 2017, 07:58:09 PM
(And I, too, love older anime a lot. But mostly 90s-2000s anime. So not too old, but still have aired at least 10 years ago. xD I should get back to watching Ghost Hunt and re-watching Matantei Loki Ragnarok....... >_> )

Funny thing is I have a mess of different series working against one another right now with what I'm currently watching. - Approaching about a third of the way in re-watching Dragon Ball Z.  Quickly going through the bulk of the 140 or so total episodes of City Hunter again so my wife and I can get our mannerisms down.  A third of the way through Angel Heart and that's the first viewing of that.  Always slowly chewing through Galaxy Express 999 a few episodes at a time.  And just quickly watched My Neighbor Seki - wow, a little modern series I actually really enjoyed!

All that and our current plan for the Old School Cosplay Gathering is to wear Motoki Furuhata / Makoto Kino, as last time we cosplayed as them I wasn't feeling well and was only around for a few hours.  Easily my favorite anime couple, and one that really never became a couple... except for that horrible live-action Sailor Moon series, and they made Motoki such a dope in that!


Anyway... the update for this week!

Good morning old schoolers!  Another Friday is upon us but at least the weather here is getting better, which means paint will actually cure in a reasonable time frame!  Why is it I always start planning future cosplay before the current projects are completed?  Hope everything is going smoothly for everyone.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's!  Kimagure Orange Road (1987)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTOZhZSr6RY
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Retro Cosplay, Easy As XYZ

InsaneDavid

Alright everyone, we are official.  Friday at 6PM, with Gatherings G2 as our new location.  First post has been updated, as well as the Facebook event page.
I'm ALWAYS active on the forums!

Retro Cosplay, Easy As XYZ

Nina Star 9

Quote from: InsaneDavid on February 25, 2017, 03:57:20 PM
I was on the edge of the VHS fansub era outside of some episodes of the later Sailor Moon seasons.  However I did buy many, many artbooks from "some random guy" in the back of many comic stores - including the absolute doppelganger for Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons in a tiny town in the central valley.  "Which book I like least I will allow you the privilege of purchasing from me."  I swear he said that!

I've never been able to really get into Chrono Cross.  I've tried a few times over the years, since the day it was released actually, but it just doesn't click with me.  It's just too different from what I expected it to be and I've never been able to get over that I suppose.  The only Final Fantasy game I've ever really liked was IX but I've never been able to definitively explain why.  I mean to swing around and play VII (I know, I know) and VIII but as with anime, there are always fan translation efforts coming out that pull my attention.  The fan translation of Lagrange Point is next on my list and that's been out for over two years at this point.

For Evangelion, after finishing the original run completely, I think I went back and then watched the director's cut revised episodes 21 - 24, and then The End of Evangelion as if I'm remembering correctly that's how the new continuity ties together.  It didn't improve or diminish my feelings concerning the show, but there are some really nicely animated sequences.  If anything, I don't feel like it was a waste of my time to do so.  Then again, Kaji is my favorite character in Evangelion, so no one cares about my opinions on the series anyway. haha
I just barely remember the days of only being able to get anime and manga from comic book shops, and I think that it helped that I have an older sister (two years older), since I'm only in my late 20s and would have been in my tweens during the tail end of that era. I think my sister got some sort of weird promotional set of Ranma VHS tapes from a guy in a comic book shop. I do remember in my tweens or early teens when Tokyopop became a thing and then the local bookstores got manga sections and it was the /best/ thing ever. Whether luckily or unluckily for me, the right age for weebishness happened to perfectly coincide with the era of anime just beginning to expand into the mainstream and become available. These younger weebs have it so easy. :P (Oh god and I was an obnoxious weeaboo...)

I avoided Chrono Cross for a LONG time because I was mad that it wasn't Chrono Trigger, but then actually at last year's Fanime someone convinced me to play it, and I'm glad I did, since I ended up really enjoying it. I can see why it's the kind of game that wouldn't click with someone, though, especially if you are someone who played Chrono Trigger heavily (like I did), since it really is very different.

I think I might like FFIX. Never got into VII (the blasphemy!), or, really, any other FF game except VIII. That one's kind of an odd one, and I think that's what I liked it. Wouldn't mind trying VI at some point.

I got to I think episode 22 of NGE, and I'm pretty sure it gave me a migraine, so I need to lay off the old school anime for a bit haha (too many flashing lights.) It seems to pick up around episode 20 or so, but still seems like it's overrated and still is not at all what I expected. I would have taken the pretentious, convoluted, obscure anime that all the detractors say it is over what I've actually watched so far. It's not bad at all, but it's still not the masterpiece it's been built up to be. Well, I suppose I'll reserve judgment until after my migraine gets better and I can finish out the series. (I was hoping to hold off on replying until I finished, but who knows when that will be now.)

I can see why someone would like Kaji. Honestly, Misato, Kaji, and Ritsuko are the only characters I actually like in this show. I can understand the motivations for characters like Shinji, Rei, and Asuka, but I don't really feel any connection to them, and certainly don't feel anything resembling moe for them (especially the girls). We'll see once I finish. Still tempted by Misato cosplay, but probably not for Fanime. I think I'd also make a good Ritsuko, though.


Speaking of cosplaying characters voiced by Kotono Mitsuishi, whether I can attend this gathering depends on panels scheduling first and foremost, since I put down the timeslot that includes 6PM on Friday as one of my available times. My plans are up in the air, but my current plan (depending on things like weather and if I can rustle up other Utena cosplayers) is to wear either Juri Arisugawa from Utena (if it isn't too hot out) or Mink from Dragon Half (if it is too hot out).

InsaneDavid

Quote from: Nina Star 9 on March 11, 2017, 09:36:11 AM
I got to I think episode 22 of NGE, and I'm pretty sure it gave me a migraine, so I need to lay off the old school anime for a bit haha (too many flashing lights.) It seems to pick up around episode 20 or so, but still seems like it's overrated and still is not at all what I expected. I would have taken the pretentious, convoluted, obscure anime that all the detractors say it is over what I've actually watched so far. It's not bad at all, but it's still not the masterpiece it's been built up to be. Well, I suppose I'll reserve judgment until after my migraine gets better and I can finish out the series. (I was hoping to hold off on replying until I finished, but who knows when that will be now.)

I can see why someone would like Kaji. Honestly, Misato, Kaji, and Ritsuko are the only characters I actually like in this show. I can understand the motivations for characters like Shinji, Rei, and Asuka, but I don't really feel any connection to them, and certainly don't feel anything resembling moe for them (especially the girls). We'll see once I finish. Still tempted by Misato cosplay, but probably not for Fanime. I think I'd also make a good Ritsuko, though.


Speaking of cosplaying characters voiced by Kotono Mitsuishi, whether I can attend this gathering depends on panels scheduling first and foremost, since I put down the timeslot that includes 6PM on Friday as one of my available times. My plans are up in the air, but my current plan (depending on things like weather and if I can rustle up other Utena cosplayers) is to wear either Juri Arisugawa from Utena (if it isn't too hot out) or Mink from Dragon Half (if it is too hot out).

Yeah, I wasn't in any hurry to re-watch Evangelion right after finishing up but I did go back and watch it a few more times and I can sorta see where the genius in it lies.  The way it settled in my mind in the end, is that all the main characters - all the protagonists, are really the "bad" guys.  They're who are trying to upset the natural progression of things for their own selfish ends.  I see Kaji as what I refer to as a "Yamucha character" - completely out of place among their company, eventually the odd man out, deep connections to critical characters, however due to circumstance an outsider.  I also sorta love how it trolls just a bit on toy merchandising with "mecha" designs that are anti-mecha and pretty much says "Even if we pack this full of crazy visuals, not much has really changed since this genre began with Mazinger Z."

My cosplay plans are pretty scrambled right now as well as Saturday / Sunday depend on when the Jump gathering falls as my wife and I are doing Ryo Saeba and Kaori Makimura from City Hunter this Fanime.  There aren't a lot of Jump published characters we'd be interested in doing so I want to make sure that works out this year.  Although we are planning on doing very early Dragon Ball Z era Yamucha and Bulma down the line, so I guess that would work too.  I'm hoping not to have the allergy attack from hell like last year as I spent most of Fanime sitting around, which wasn't all that great.

Current plans are to do Cyber Formula on Thursday, Sailor Moon on Friday, Patlabor on Saturday (because I freaking love it and with the Reboot short that was released in October it's kinda relevant again), City Hunter on Sunday, and then dust off the shinkansen suit for Densha de Go! on Monday.  Don't like missing the Sailor Moon gathering (especially since I felt like the walking dead at it last year) but I don't want to double-duty on Saturday or Sunday.  That said, after City Hunter is finished up the next plan is to do either Rival Schools or another Sailor Moon cosplay so there's always another time.
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Retro Cosplay, Easy As XYZ

InsaneDavid

#33
Good morning old schoolers!  Welcome to all those newly interested in attending the gathering.  Everything is rolling right along, however I am going to be doubling down (x2 on top of that) on the amount of OPs I post as I have a ton of them that I want to get through!  If I could nail down a specific aspect of anime I enjoy most, it would have to be the openings and endings.  They're like the titles to a Bond movie, so important to set up what lies ahead and get you in the mood for what you're about to watch.

So moving forward I'll be posting two anime OPs every Friday and two anime OPs every Saturday.  The Fanime Forums weekly post will simply be edited so I'm not spamming the boards with the gathering thread.

With that in mind, let's kick off Friday with a little old and new, starting with a little Go Nagai.

Celebrating An Era - 1970's!  Mazinger Z (1972)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR2JlePDgpg


And then about twenty-three years later, a genre-breaking modern equivalent.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's!  Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-QSmNReDyI


And for Saturday OPs I went a little overboard.  Let's do battle teams of legend today.

Celebrating An Era - 1960's! Cyborg 009 (1968)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U97ZXoqdopg


Then another classic staple a few years later.

Celebrating An Era - 1970's! Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sxKcF4VE9s


Ah, let's get crazy and run down the decades. Ever played the Sega Master System games Zillion or Tri-Formation? Ever own a Zillion laser tag set? Ever see a Sega Light Phaser? Well here you go then -

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Akai Kodan Zillion (1987)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la-lgb-BPhI


One of these days I'm going to say to heck with vertical door clearances and cosplay as an agent of Big Fire. I do simply adore the first dub of Giant Robo.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Giant Robo (1992)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBxC7Gm8UDM
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bebop

I will be doing Rurouni Kenshin and Yuyuhakusho, and I have a friend who might do Shenmue or something else old school. I'd like to join!
Awakening to otaku inside. ^-^

Barely5feet

I'm super looking foreard to this gathering! I'm cosplaying Ichigo one of my favorite Magical girls from Tokyo Mew Mew. I don't know if she qualifies as "Old School" (2000) but it'll always be the nostalgic first anime I got into. 2 more months everyone

InsaneDavid

Quote from: bebop on March 22, 2017, 11:23:58 PM
I will be doing Rurouni Kenshin and Yuyuhakusho, and I have a friend who might do Shenmue or something else old school. I'd like to join!

Outstanding.  As I posted in your Rurouni Kenshin gathering thread you're well within our pre-2001 gathering charter of sorts.  Same with Shenmue, 1999 in Japan and 2000 abroad.

Quote from: Barely5feet on March 23, 2017, 11:51:25 AM
I'm super looking foreard to this gathering! I'm cosplaying Ichigo one of my favorite Magical girls from Tokyo Mew Mew. I don't know if she qualifies as "Old School" (2000) but it'll always be the nostalgic first anime I got into. 2 more months everyone

Yup, Tokyo Mew Mew is just within the gathering's pre-2001 limit (with the manga beginning in late 2000) so you are more than welcome!


Still haven't locked down my personal cosplay plans for Fanime but they're better coming together.  Of course my biggest goal for FanimeCon 2017 is not to have the allergy attack from hell knock me out the Wednesday night before con.  Seriously... on the third to last stitch of a small cosplay alteration on that Wednesday night I felt my throat get a little scratchy - and that was it.  I was fine during the gathering but blew my energy out after that.  Spent Saturday sitting around and standing in autograph lines - then went home.  Went home at like 1pm on Sunday after the Sailor Moon gathering but came back that evening to poke around the halls.  With the exception of Friday, it frankly sucked because I was so out of it. haha
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Nina Star 9

Well, I finished Evangelion. Haven't bothered with End of Evangelion yet (I suddenly got myself into The Jojos and have been bingeing a little), so I'm not sure how much it'll change my opinion on the show, though considering that it replaces the last two episodes, it might improve my opinion a bit.

I have thoughts. And they aren't good ones.

I honestly think that this show is generally good, and that it's important (if it resonates with someone or as a historical artifact), but I don't think it held up, and I think that it's WAY overrated. The fandom side of things and how much it's been held up in the anime community over the years as an example of ~weird deep philosophical anime~ really doesn't seem to mesh with the show itself for me, and without that, I may have enjoyed it more. Though, the last two episodes and how it feels the need to explain itself to me really rubs me the wrong way, fandom or no. Still has one of the best OPs of all time, though. I'll give it that. I've always loved that song.

Wow, I can't believe I'm on internet forums talking about '90s anime with people. This brings me back!


Update to my schedule: I have a panel from 3 - 4 on Friday, though I'm not sure if they've set all of the panels times yet (last year my two acceptances were staggered by about a week), but at least so far, I'll still be able to attend the gathering. Yay! It's looking more likely that I'll be doing Mink from Dragon Half, since I started making her sword and I'm not sure if I want to risk overheating in Juri again, but we'll see.

InsaneDavid

#38
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on March 24, 2017, 09:11:17 AM
Well, I finished Evangelion. Haven't bothered with End of Evangelion yet (I suddenly got myself into The Jojos and have been bingeing a little), so I'm not sure how much it'll change my opinion on the show, though considering that it replaces the last two episodes, it might improve my opinion a bit.

I have thoughts. And they aren't good ones.

I honestly think that this show is generally good, and that it's important (if it resonates with someone or as a historical artifact), but I don't think it held up, and I think that it's WAY overrated. The fandom side of things and how much it's been held up in the anime community over the years as an example of ~weird deep philosophical anime~ really doesn't seem to mesh with the show itself for me, and without that, I may have enjoyed it more. Though, the last two episodes and how it feels the need to explain itself to me really rubs me the wrong way, fandom or no. Still has one of the best OPs of all time, though. I'll give it that. I've always loved that song.

Wow, I can't believe I'm on internet forums talking about '90s anime with people. This brings me back!

I've always felt Hideaki Anno and company really hit their peak with Aim for the Top! / GunBuster which I still love to this day.  Yeah it may not be as grand as Evangelion in scope but its tighter length makes for a better narrative and I've always found the whole thing much more interesting.  I know I'm in the extreme minority with that opinion, however.

Quote from: Nina Star 9 on March 24, 2017, 09:11:17 AMUpdate to my schedule: I have a panel from 3 - 4 on Friday, though I'm not sure if they've set all of the panels times yet (last year my two acceptances were staggered by about a week), but at least so far, I'll still be able to attend the gathering. Yay! It's looking more likely that I'll be doing Mink from Dragon Half, since I started making her sword and I'm not sure if I want to risk overheating in Juri again, but we'll see.

Yay!  I'm thinking of dropping out of the Sunday evening Jump gathering and doing Motoki Furuhata and Makoto Kino on that day instead and attending the Sailor Moon gathering Sunday morning, since I plan on rotating those out after this year.  That would mean Ryo Saeba and Kaori Makimura from City Hunter (30th anniversary of the anime this year) for the old school gathering.  It also means I won't be tempted to try to get into speed dating completely in character, and as my wife says, probably get my badge pulled.  :P


And the Friday update for this week!

Good afternoon old schoolers!  We've got about two months to go at this point, I hope your convention plans are starting to fall into place and the craft stores aren't out of stock of whatever it is you need but forgot.

Today I present a pair of OPs from two series that I really wish had some form of an English subtitled release.  As massively iconic and influential as the first is, there seems to be very little interest in it these days, which is a terrible shame.  That series features anime's first crime-fighting cyborg superhero and is, of course, Eight Man.  Grab your energy cigarettes!

Celebrating An Era - 1960's! Eight Man (1963)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE6V_PLn2IU


And second for today, a series that was reworked with a few very significant changes to become Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs.  To be very honest Saber Rider is an interesting example of how to redevelop an anime series with a relatively small cast to make a secondary character into the main character.  Of course they cheated just a little and hand a handful of new episodes animated to better force the narrative change, but Saber Rider is still fondly remembered by many to this day.  That all said, it is far past time for the original to get a proper subtitled release.  Also contains one of my all time favorite endings, which I've included as well.  Isn't that like the total prototype for a Sailor Moon ending?!

Celebrating An Era - 1980's!  Star Musketeer Bismark (1984)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA8OYMwqkM8 - OP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVKNA13C3yI - ED


For Saturday OPs this week, let's do two that feature a pair of professional heavily armed ladies, beginning with a classic of the genre.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Dirty Pair (1985)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ4qMgIz6x0


And follow it up with another ten years later!

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Gunsmith Cats (1995)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7HPyUcy37I
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InsaneDavid

#39
Good morning old schoolers!  The last Friday in March is upon us and I'm still in the embryonic stages of building a prop specifically for Fanime.  Costuming is pretty much done though, some wig work to do and a few dozen pleats to press.  I do hope all your plans are rolling along smoothly and that you enjoy the weekend ahead.

Back to random choice for today's OPs, although we're going to do something a little different with this first one.  I would assume that pretty much all of us attending this gathering have at least a passing familiarity with Project A-ko.  My favorite film in the entire series is Project A-ko 3, as it's just a short little self-contained story that I feel shows how the films would have worked as a TV series.  It also has a unique intro.  I can't remember if it has ever officially been credited to Yasuomi Umetsu (who you may know from the Presence short in Robot Carnival, Megazone 23 Part II, Lily C.A.T., Kite, Mezzo DSA, and lots more) but if it isn't him then it's the most perfect recreation of his style possible.  No one designs hands or eyes for animation like Umetsu, especially fingers.  Wow, that's an odd thing to say - but it's true!  I so wish this stylized alternate dream take of the Project A-ko universe would have spun off into something more.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's!  Project A-ko 3: Cinderella Rhapsody (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F73M_DyZGW8

How about something that's kinda just really stupid and over the top for the sake of being such? While it can kind of drag on (which is strange for a seven episode OVA), I've always liked Aika for how little it cares to be any more than what it is. The opening here is actually the second opening (episodes 4 - 7, and specifically episode 4 in this case) which aired in 1998 because I like the song more than "Silent City" from the earlier opening.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Aika / Agent Aika (1997)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcbUPOkovrg


How about a couple more OPs today?

While not my favorite slice of life romance series, Kare Kano / His and Her Circumstances was certainly a popular one - especially at the peak of the western anime boom. I still haven't read much the long manga series but the anime adaptation is really like two takes on the same material. It was a case of Hideaki Anno, who was serving as director originally, wanting to steer the ship his own way - while Masami Tsuda, the original manga creator, wanted to better reflect the source material. This results in the series having kind of a weird break in the middle that ultimately lead to it not having the most satisfying ending. My apologies for all the release group garbage atop the beginning of this one!

Celebrating An Era - 1990's! His and Her Circumstances (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X00MpQERaPA


Followed up by my favorite slice of life romance series!  Marmalade Boy also had a really nice DVD release by Tokyopop as four box sets but unfortunately it hit retail right as the old guard of media stores was breathing its last breath.  This means that volumes three and four are generally fairly scarce, tend to have their barcodes defaced, and sometimes command insane money in the secondary market.  However if you keep an eye out it can be found for a fair price, the last good deal I saw on a set was $177.55 shipped - amazingly with no RTV damage to the volume 3/4 boxes, which really isn't that bad for a 76 episode series - essentially fairly close to retail.  One of those rare series to meet the trifecta of being currently unlicensed, relatively scarce, and reasonably in demand.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's!  Marmalade Boy (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVgsNYfAdO8


And one more to round out the evening.  For whatever reason videos featuring the OP to Blue Seed are next to impossible to find and are pulled down quickly.  It can't be the theme song that is the problem, because it can be found in its entirety fairly easily.  So the included video is the best compromise I can post - but I REALLY wanted to include this one last year and decided not to due to the availability problem - so here it is finally.  I do believe this one is out of print but it had a couple of releases (one including the OVA sequel) and at last check it wasn't too expensive and pretty easy to find.  It blows my mind to think how little this series is talked about these days when I can remember in late 1990's it being one of those "staple series" that everyone had seen and had a high regard for.  To that end this seemingly popular series has become a nearly forgotten piece of 1990's anime - which is a terrible shame - as it is well worth seeking out.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's!  Blue Seed (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV4rRlyFmgQ


And now some Saturday OPs - beginning with what I consider to be Hideaki Anno's master work, GunBuster. Always awesome to see that this series is still remembered by many.

Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Aim for the Top! / GunBuster (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE5c7_5mLvI


How about an absolute institution in Japan, probably best known in the west as the basis for the early NES game Ninja Kid.

Celebrating An Era - 1960's! Gegege no Kitaro (1968)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWAtSxvoe4g
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