It was Anime Magic!

I debated a little bit about attending either C2E2 or Anime Magic, but ultimately Anime Magic won out. C2E2 is a comic convention, while Anime Magic (as the name would suggest) is an anime con. If you’re not a big nerd that might not sound like much of a distinction, but to put it bluntly, anime conventions are where the parties are! There were both indoor and outdoor late-night raves, a 24 hour gaming section, and plenty of con-goers hanging out until the wee hours of the morning, talking about their favorite shows and having a good time. They also had a huge, well-organized Artist Alley and a car show; I didn’t attend any of the celebrity Q&As, but they had several interesting guests including voice actors Lauren Goode, Brian Beacock, and Jennifer Chi, and cosplayers that I follow like Buff Bunny Mika and Yaya Han.

I forgot my DSLR at home (boooooooooo!) but I still managed to get some great photos with my phone. One Punch Man ranks high on my list of favorite anime, and Tatsumaki is one of my favorite characters - she’s a little bitchy, a little bossy, and one of the most powerful characters in that world, so how could I not love her? She’s also got a great costume, which I customized a little bit to show some battle damage.

While I love this character and this cosplay, one of the things that I don’t love is how some people react to it. The character in the manga and anime is supposed to be about 30, but is often drawn to look childlike, and is even mistaken for one in universe on occasion. I’m not going to get into the undeniable weirdness that exists in some anime around sexualizing young characters, which I think One Punch Man effectively avoids by making her canonically a grown woman. No, what annoys me is that half the people who see me tell me I should cosplay her sister, Fubuki, instead. I know I look like a grown woman (and considering what this costume shows, THAT’S A GOOD THING), but I’m not exactly a busty vamp! It’s genuinely puzzling, but also, who cares? I look a million yen.

Costume details: you can find this one on Amazon for under $50. The size chart was accurate, although I’m a broad shouldered so cutting off one of the sleeves drastically improved my ability to raise my arms. Speaking of cutting off a sleeve, the costume held up very well despite me not doing much to keep it from falling apart. We singed the edges with a lighter, and that was about it! The costume comes with wires to hold the panels of the skirt out; they’re a bit tricky to insert, and I made the mistake of snipping a couple of them in half before realizing that you don’t need to do that and the edges will be sharp if you do. Whoops! Still, this one feels like a top tier cosplay, and I’m excited to do another shoot with it.

Cosplay: Tatsumaki (Terrible Tornado)
Anime: One Punch Man
Costume: Cosfun, bought from Amazon for $45