An interview of DR-Games judge: Maiju
How did you first encounter cosplay?
I first heard about cosplay back in 2003 when I was asked to join a trip to Finnish convention by a friend of mine. In the convention I went to see the cosplay competition, was amazed by it and wanted to try making a costume myself - and staying true to the reference picture this time, as my "costume" in the convention wasn't really cosplay. That's how it began, and quite a few years later I'm still doing this.
(Picture by AG Photography and Cosplay)
What is your favorite cosplay and why?
This is such a hard question! I think my favourite could be my Berserker-Paine from Final Fantasy X-2. I made the costume back in 2011, I enjoyed making the armour parts greatly and learnt a lot of things while making the costume - techniques that I still use very often. The costume is a pain to wear, it has a horrible color scheme and the design makes absolutely no sense at all - maybe also because of that it's still by far one of my favorites. Getting to be a badass character and wear fangs also helps.
What makes cosplay a unique hobby for you?
The diversity. The possibility of integrating so many different skills into one hobby is what I love the most. You can sew, build, mold, sculpt, act, exercise, write, direct, design sounds and lights and whatnot in one hobby, which I think is amazing. The problem solving part is my favorite thing in cosplay - how to make something you see in a picture into an actual costume in real life. Also I get to spend as much time as I want sanding things and working on small details, which I might love maybe a bit too much.
(Picture by AG Photography and Cosplay)
Do you find that there are differences in Danish and Finnish cosplay?
In Finland we often talk about Denmark as the land of amazing skits - because your skits and performance skills are just awesome. You put so much thought into your skits and the stage presence you have is amazing. In Finland we've been very craftsmanship-oriented and easily focus on the costumes more than we do on the performance. Luckily there's been a change in that and we're slowly getting better with our skits.
Is there something you find unique in the Danish cosplay community?
The thing about performing I mentioned is one of those things, the ideas in your skits and the way you execute them on stage is phenomenal. I think another one would be the teamwork you have when working in groups, knowing each other's strengths and using them to the team's advantage.
(Picture by AG Photography and Cosplay)
