Anime NYC cosplayers were out in full force this year
A great variety of cosplay from Anime NYC '22
At this past weekend at Anime NYC 2022, the cosplay was fierce and creative, with designs as creative and varied as the world of anime.
Popverse caught up with a number of cosplayers to talk about who they’re wearing today and why.
Leslie and Keyla: Tamaki & Toga from My Hero Academia
Why these characters?
Keyla: I love a villain. She’s always happy but she’s a villain.
Leslie: His personality is that he’s very anxious.
Keyla: And that’s her.
Leslie: Yeah, I’m the same way.
Have you cosplayed before?
Leslie: We’ve done minimal cosplay, very basic.
Keyla: More casual, but to do full on, this was the first time.
Leslie: She made all her own props.
What made you want to do it?
Leslie: It’s awesome.
Keyla: It brings me excitement, having it come to life instead of just seeing it on TV.
Julissa, Chelsea & Taylor: Sasha from Attack on Titan, Sailor Jupiter from Sailor Moon, Boa Hancock from One Piece
Why these characters?
Julissa: Attack of the Titans is one of my favorite shows, and Sasha is one of my favorite characters.
Chelsea: I grew up watching Sailor Moon, and Sailor Jupiter was always my favorite.
Taylor: I’m a very obsessive fan of One Piece. Boa Hancock is a character I resonate with because she’s a really badass female presence. She’s one of the strongest women in the anime, leading the pirate world. I just love her.
Have you cosplayed before?
Chelsea: Last year we low-key did.
Julssa: It wasn’t as intricate as it is now.
Taylor: This is my first time, actually.
What made you want to do it?
Chelsea: I always just saw it as fun.
Julissa: It’s a great way to meet people.
Taylor: Definitely, meeting fans in the same fandom, and then also I just think dressing up is fun.
Jen & Abe: Violence & Beam from Chainsaw Man
Why these characters?
Abe: Honestly I just like the look of the mask, I just thought it would be really cool to wear that.
Jen: I just really love her. I really like her design and she’s really friendly and stuff. She’s just loyal to the main character.
Have you cosplayed before?
Abe: No.
Jen: First time.
What made you want to do it?
Abe: We just thought, why not. It seems fun.
Jen: We’ve been her twice before and we haven’t done anything, but we always wanted to. So then we finally got to.
Pyro and @Panamaairway: Pyromaniac from Team Fortress 2 and Nepeta from Homestuck
Why these characters?
Pyro: It’s the only cosplay that I actually had.
@Pan: Yeah, it was a last minute thing. And I chose Nepeta because she’s my favorite character. She’s very all over the place and I just think she’s a good friend to everyone. It’s really fun.
Have you cosplayed before?
@Pan: Yeah I was here last year actually.
Pyro: I don’t really cosplay that much.
What made you want to do it?
@Pan: It’s just fun. I get to meet people who have the same interests as me.
Pyro: I think it’s more fun with my friend.
Adam, Jackson & Jacob: Mokou, Eiki & Rinnosuke from Toho Project
Why these characters?
Jacob: He’s the only male character in the entire series.
Jackson: I like the photo shoots. There’s a meet up today.
Adam: This was his and he let me borrow it.
Have you cosplayed before?
Jacob & Adam: Oh yeah.
Jackson: Last year we did the same thing.
What do you get out of it?
Jacob: it’s so fun. People with the same interests as you will come up to you and talk about it.
Jackson: I feel a lot more included, I feel a lot more into it.
Adam: Half the fun is seeing people out in public and then confusing them. Like for me, I got dressed in my dorm and then I drove to the train station and rode the train like this. I thought that was a lot of fun.
Jackson: It’s a power move.
Adam: People were definitely very confused.
Nia, Whitson, Manon and Tania: Hawks from My Hero Academia, Tengen from Demon Slayer, Froppy from My Hero Academia, Reze from Chainsaw Man
Why these characters?
Nia: Hawks is a number two hero so I love him. He’s laid back. And I don’t really see too many black people do it, but I saw a lot today, which made me very happy.
Manon: I love her personality. I’m also very cute, but I’m also a badass, and I’m really focused on protecting people.
Tania: I kind of like a villain. I’m chaotic, independent, kinda don’t want to be good or bad. And I like female characters that are more complicated.
Have you cosplayed before?
Nia: Oh yeah. We’ve been doing it for a while.
Manon: We’ve been cosplaying for years.
What do you get out of it?
Tania: I work as a massage therapist, and you have to be professional. When you’re here you can loosen up a little bit and be somebody else for a day who has powers and stuff.
Whitson: It’s fun.
Manon: It’s also so much fun meeting people.
Nia: It makes you feel great. You get to be creative.
Cosplay and conventions: how being a fan helped me rediscover myself
