My Other Hobbies ;)

So...along with being completely obsessed with Lolita fashions...I am also into Cosplaying & with that, manga & anime ^_^

Growing up, I was at first only familiar with the anime series that were shown on tv: cardcaptors, sailor moon, dragon ball, etc...but I really got into anime around 2006 or so when I was in college & I could download all the subbed eps I wanted ^^

After that, I slowly gravitated toward japanese culture, listening to less american music & opting for jpop/anime songs instead XD  I also started slowly building my collection of manga when they started appearing in bookstores ^^  I also went to my first anime convention, Kawaii Kon, which was in it's 2nd year at the Ala Moana hotel.  A classmate & I took the bus after our classes were over & stayed for a few hours & then went back to campus...it was short & super crowded, but I had fun anyways & vowed to keep going every year...if they had it.

Luckily, they eventually moved the convention to a much bigger venue, the Hawaii Convention Center  ^_^  So, the next step? To cosplay, of course XD

The first couple years i went, i didn't cosplay, but i would wear somewhat anime~ish looking outfits & maybe cat ears if anything...but by 2008, after meeting other anime enthusiasts, i wanted to try actually cosplaying ;)

I was taking sewing in college by then, but I still wasn't very confident in my skills...so, I ended up buying one outfit...a VERY well known & popular one...& I partly made/embellished the other 2.

From the super popular series, Naruto, I was Hinata & my friend was Sakura ^^

 My first "made" cosplay: Real Mayer from the anime, Ergo Proxy

And, just an embellished school girl dress I got from Hot Topic ;) 

I guess this was my first attempt at the Lolita trend as well XD

I ended up having LOTS of fun dressing up & it was exciting when people wanted to take pictures of me & my friends XD 

here's a few more pics over the years at Kawaii Kon ;D

 This was my first mini group cosplay with my friend ^^ Me as Lukia & Gina as Mary Weather from the manga, Godchild...& This was my first ALL HANDMADE by me cosplay...I even cut my hair to be like the character ;)

By this time, I also kept experimenting with Lolita items I had bought or found(the white dress was a garage sale find)

Along with dressing up at Kon, I had met a bunch of Photographers through mutual friends & started doing random cosplay & non-cosplay photoshoots ^_^

 The first 2 were from my very first Photoshoot with 2 other models...I was kind of thrown into it by my friends, but it ended up being lots of fun & probably was the start of my "modeling" life ^^

Next, are some pics from the Mass Open Cosplay shoots that I always try to go to ^^ These really helped me to become more comfortable in front of a camera...especially when u have a lot of photographers trying to take ur picture at the same time ;)

I've done a lot of one on one shoots as well, including re-doing shots of older cosplays...my Real Mayer again ;D

And now...I just want to keep cosplaying & doing photoshoots ^_^ Plus, I'm STILL very much into anime & manga...even branching out to games & fashion trends, which of course includes Lolita XD

As always, there IS  a downside & that is that cosplaying can be a VERY expensive hobby...but when the outfit is complete & people actually recognize who you're trying to be...it all makes it worth it ^_^  I've also started thrifting my cosplays & altering outfits to look like the character instead of buying or making ^^ But, I really hope I can keep cosplaying as the years go by & I'd like to one day visit other anime conventions as well ^^ I also hope that i can continue doing more photoshoots...like the one this weekend ;)

Finally, last, but not least...more random pics from various photoshoots/photographers...featuring old & new cosplays, handmade or not, lolita & other fashions ^^