Most people are okay with it if someone is filling out part of a group. If anyone asks or bothers him about it, he can just say that he did it to be part of the group, or that he was asked to do it.

I never understand this. When I see cosplayers I like, I don't take it as an opportunity to go up and give them a 20 question test on the character/series to make sure they're educated enough to cosplay this character.

Does this happen? If someone did an amazing cosplay of something and had no idea what the name of the character even was, I would not know that.

I would say get him reading/watching Soul Eater and have him finish as much as he can by the con. That will at least give him a sense of the character's actions and mannerisms, especially since Death The Kid is such a....how should I say....."expressive" character. LOL

I usually don't like it when cosplayers know nothing of the series or character they're cosplaying, so I would say catch him up on as much as possible.

>>2844583
>When I see cosplayers I like, I don't take it as an opportunity to go up and give them a 20 question test on the character/series to make sure they're educated enough to cosplay this character.
>Does this happen?

Only with neckbeards or real life equivalents of the Comic Book Nerd from the Simpsons. Nobody else gives a shit.

I mean yeah, it's nice to use someone's costume as an icebreaker, but you can't assume they're a huge fan. Gone are the days when people only cosplayed their most beloved characters.

If it's filling out part of a group, I don't mind. If he was Death the Kid on his own, without reading the manga or whatever, ehhhh... But in a Soul Eater group, it's okay.

When people cosplay someone they don't know, they end up looking stupid when people ask them questions or ask for specific poses. I see girls cosplaying Yoko all the time who have never watched TTGL. They just do it because they think she looks cool.

It might just be the elitist in me, but I think it's kind of lazy and camwhore-ish. It doesn't take that long to watch a few episodes of Soul Eater, much less read a volume or two of the manga at the VERY least.

But since the guy in OP's post is kinda new to cosplay and is in a group, just have him tell people "I haven't seen much Soul Eater yet, but my friends in the group are getting me into it. I was sort of recruited."

>>2844593
I see, haha, people sure take this cosplay thing real seriously.
To me, if the cosplay is nice looking and they fit it well, mission accomplished.

>>2844608
I freeze up on poses of characters who's Anime series I love to bits. -insertemomodehere-

Can't think of a single pose for Edward/Envy from Fullmetal Alchemist, Dio from Last Exile, Jotaro from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure...

>>2844587
He's still in high-school and has shittons of work to do for year-end exams,etc, so he doesn't have much time set aside to read/watch anything. He is, however, an amazing actor(Which comes in handy for his age, since my parents will each up anything he says) and can pull off DTK pretty fucking well. I'm just afraid that some rabid yaoi fangirl or 500 lb+ neckbeard will have a hissyfit/throw a tantrum if he doesn't know/forgets some key detail, like a name, event, etc, etc.

>>2844629
*eat. fuck me.

>>2844629
If some neckbeard taunts him for not knowing Death the Kid's birthday, measurements, and episode he made his first appearance in--tell them to stop bugging your friend and go back to fapping their fat folds in the Kingdom Hearts doujinshi section.

>>2844629
Then just punch them in the face if they do that.
cosplayers are cosplayers, and as much as people (including myself) would love to see the cosplayers portray the character as well as possible (which is, honestly, the point of cosplay imo) if they make a simple mistake it's no biggie, and no one should throw a bitchfit unless they're a fuckwad.

So I would say go for it, just educate him on some things that have happened to the character and how he acts.

If a person cosplayed a character they didn't really know about for the sake of attention, that would irk me a little bit. Other than that, lol I dun care.

>>2844629
Cosplayers are not obligated to be talking Wikis for anal retentive fans. The sooner people learn this, the better off they'll be.

I don't think I've ever encountered anyone, while cosplaying, who asked me extremely specific questions or got annoyed with me that I hadn't gotten up to date with a series. I cosplayed from Tsubasa years ago even though I'd only read the released volumes and nobody gave me shit for it. I've done video game cosplay without playing the entire game; I can still hold my own in a conversation about it, but nobody's ever asked, honestly. So realistically, I don't think there are that many people who care enough to engage with you in deep conversations about your character. They'll usually just ask for a photo and move on.

Yeah I'd atleast show him the moves or stances of Death before you throw him out there just incase someone asks to take your photos he wont have to stand there awkwardly and will atleast know a few poses or so

While I'm completely fine with someone cosplaying a character purely on design, I myself like knowing who I'm cosplaying.

But do whatever you want, really. its all suppose to be about fun anyway.

personally i only cosplay characters i love and the blah blah blah such

but i think if he would be able to get into full character and to learn a lot of death's typical mannerisms he could pull it off.

>>2844608
This. If the person's going to do a character that they're recruited for I would at least tell him the character's general mannerisms/storyline/ect. It's annoying seeing someone doing a character that they don't know shit about.

If it's part of filling in a group, I say go for it; if anyone asks just say he's trying to do his part and fill in with the group.

This'll be my first year cosplaying myself (granted I finish the costume), so I'm not sure if people ask questions about knowing the character or not. I'm paranoid so I might try to watch the series before I go to convention, but I guess if nothing else, go ahead and show him what his character is like. Find some Youtube clips with Death Kid only in it, and/or his biggest moments in the anime. That way he'll have at least a background idea.

I think that if a friend asked you to do it for a group then it's all cool.

But you should at least know something about the character. Don't be like the Vocaloid cosplayers that ask what Anime Miku is from.

I got into Soul Eater via a DtK cosplay. I saw someone in that outfit at an expo about 2 years ago and thought it was awesome. So I watched a few episodes and found it to be ultra-awesome. I then my own cosplay of the character, and finally finished the series.

I don't really mind it.

I think it's okay if it's for a group.

A group of my friends were talking about a Lucky Star group. I don't watch the show, but skimming through the characters, I decided to be this crazy chick if they ever get around to it. Because of that, I watched a few bits where she shows up and got to know her character so I could pose.

I say show him a little bit of the manga or anime where the character shows up, at least, so he knows how to pose. Otherwise, screw people who don't know that he isn't a ginormus fan. It's not a crime to want to be a part of the group.

Hahaha. DO IT.

Just don't let him say anything.
I cosplayed Saber from Fate.Stay Night in armor because I found the picture really cool.
Got to the photoshoot: 7 sabers, 3 archers, 1 shiro, and one chick in some kind of purple cloak. I was thinking "why is she crashing our shoot?" ... but didn't say anything.

Good thing, too -- turns out she was Caster from Fate/Stay.
Now I read up on the series when I make pretty costumes.

Honestly, I've cosplayed 3 characters in the past 2 years who were from video games I haven't played (don't own the systems either). I did some research on them, loved their costumes, and so that was that.

No one has ever assumed I was not a die-hard fan. I tend to cosplay rare characters so when people see me they're excited that someone is cosplaying that character instead of worrying about whether I got the secret weapon on the 10th playthru or watched all 26 episodes of whatever. Questions I get are always the "How did you make it?" type.

The only disadvantage would be if a group of people start talking about something in the plot or a joke and maybe your brother wouldn't get it.

Aside from that he should be fine. People generally are not as assholish in person as they might be on the internet to someone who isn't a diehard fan (yet).

I realize everyone will have their own opinion on it but personally, I couldn't cosplay a character I didn't truly like.

That's not to say that much like all other cosplayers, I find myself researching a character with a really cool outfit simply because the outfit is cool...but I would have to actually watch the series/play the game to find out if I like the character.

I get super irritated when I go to gatherings and find that I'm the only (or one of very few) one who knows jack about the character/series I'm cosplaying.

>>2845953
>I get super irritated when I go to gatherings and find that I'm the only (or one of very few) one who knows jack about the character/series I'm cosplaying.

Unless people are specifically talking about that series etc. how can you even tell if someone "knows jack" about the character/series!

I go to gatherings and can have conversations around costume construction or talk about other things not necessarily related to the series/game.

Seems like it's just a way for some people to look down on others. "I know the series or am a bigger fan of that character than you!" Very juvenile.

>>2845077
>I cosplayed Saber from Fate.Stay Night in armor because I found the picture really cool.
>didn't recognize Caster

ugggggh.

Thank god you didn't say anything, you would've looked like a complete tool. It seems like half the FSN cosplayers out there know nothing about the series, or have only seen the shitty anime. God fucking damnit.

>>2846182
Could go both ways though - sometimes people show up in shittastic cosplays that are unrecognizable and you find yourself wondering what/who they're supposed to be or if they're at the right gathering. That's always lulztastic.

>>2846225
Yeah, there's that too.

There's just something so awkward when you show up to a gathering cosplaying something you love really dearly and hoping that others are there because they share the love, but they're just a bunch of "cosplay-for-the-design" fags who couldn't even be arsed to Wiki the other characters. Like, it's a gathering. I'm there to meet other fans, not airheads who don't even recognize major characters and cosplay solely for the attention. A conversation with them would barely get past generic compliments.

>>2846132

Because I, unlike the other people at the gathering, actually like the fucking series and wanna talk about it. It's not an excuse to look down on people, if anything it's a reason hob-knob with people of similar interest--but then I realize that the other people know shit about what it is they're cosplaying.

If anyone is making an excuse, it's the people who watch two episodes of a series and cosplay the character because they are OMG KAWAII DESUUUUU

Damnit.

>>2846379

Oh and to clarify, it's not a battle of "who knows more." It's not like if I'm obsessed with something and someone else isn't, then they don't deserve to be cosplaying that character. It's more like "Hey remember that time in the anime when your character died?" Or "Oh hey I really like using your character in this game, how do you feel about how this event turned out?" And the other person is like "LOL WHUT."
That's what pisses me off.

>>2846379
>>2846390

thats because no one on /cgl/ actually plays video games or watches anime.

Use wikipedia to read over what they have for death thekid, also the manga is online- have him start reading now, unless the con is this weekend he could easily catch up. Just do 10- 20 chapters a day, it's not hard unless you read really slow

>>2846421

This. You don't need to be a genius or living encyclopedia on the series/character...but at least no something otherwise you look like a tool.

>>2846390
>>2846379

>>2846268
>>2846182
here,

If they've watched even a little, I'm glad they've made the effort. Lord knows I've cosplayed from shit without finishing the original source, like one game I didn't own and could only play at friends' houses, but I had mostly completed my character's route. "I haven't gotten that far yet" sounds a bit better than "I haven't played/seen/read it yet," at least.

Saber upthread still makes me rage though; no effort was put into at least knowing the other characters. Spoilers are one thing but HURR WHO'S CASTER is entirely another. She's a major character! She appears in the OP! fff

>>2846390
Hmm, yes... I get annoyed by people who cosplay people they don't know shit about, I admit.

BUT.

It annoys me even more when someone who OMG LOVES the character cosplays him, and doesn't look a THING like him.

I don't care if you know everything about Yoko, think she is the greatest female character ever, and can quote all of her lines by heart. If you are 180lbs, flat-chested and don't even have the right wig or stockings, you are worse than some pretty bitch who has no idea who Yoko is but is cosplaying her in a group.

Really, don't sweat it. If he's got IRL shit to do and he's filling in a group, who cares. Like, as long as he knows the characters basic poses and mannerisms to convey in group shots, it's cool.

I mean, like, it's one thing if you're recruiting a friend, but family members are different.

>>2846487

I agree but disagree with this statement at the same time.

While I agree pretty yoko is a better cosplayer, she would still get on my nerves for knowing nothing about TTGL.

Though to be honest Yoko cosplayers get on my nerves in general. Not because they're dressed the way they are, I actually think the outfit looks cool, particularly her gloves...but why would anyone want to? XD I mean had yoko not been in the series, TTGL would have been absolutely no different. She was such an empty character. I'm a lean, attractive female and I've always said if I do someone from TTGL it's gonna be Simon. That's just my opinion though, I doubt anyone else feels the same way.

>>2846510
A friend once described the process that went into designing Yoko's costume as "the character designers put a bunch of random clothing parts on a dartboard and took shots at it." I'm inclined to agree. Cowboy boots, stockings, booty shorts, studded belt, bikini top, retarded scarf, sniper rifle. Just... what. Admittedly I liked the character a lot when I watched it in late '07, and probably wanted to cosplay her after that, but thankfully the deluge of Yokos in '08 and '09 saved me from making a horrible mistake.

>>2846510
Poster of that statement here.

I actually agree with you. I get sick of TEH POPULARZ cosplays quickly, but if it helps at all, remove "Yoko" and insert "Kamina" or "Nia" or "Char Aznable."

Looks add up to better cosplay, but brains/love of character make up for better FAN...? It's kind of a paradox I can't quite decide which is worse/better.

>>2846379
Oh - forgot to mention that my 3 cosplays from games I didn't play were filling in groups. As I said, i did research and watched some youtube vids for speech, mannerisms, and poses.

All seriousness aside, no one came up to me and was like,"Bitch, I can SMELL that you didn't play those games fo' reals. GTFO".

I guess, I don't worry about what other people do. If they don't know anything about who they're cosplaying, it's not at all my problem. If it happens to be my favorite character, well, I'll be disappointed that they don't know who they're cosplaying, but it's nothing worth a second thought. There will be other more well-versed cosplayers to replace that.

>>2846536
I think that's the difference between just walking around at a con, particularly in a group, and going to a gathering. If you're just walking around people are likely just going to ask for photos, and they probably won't single you out for conversation if you're in a group. If you show up to a gathering it kind of implies that you want to interact with other fans.

>>2846510
>I mean had yoko not been in the series, TTGL would have been absolutely no different.

Three words: Kiss. Of. Death.

http://www.youtube.com/user/kemuel0512

>>2846551

Yeah, still insignificant. Kamina didn't even like her, just wanted a piece of ass.

>>2846761
>Kamina didn't even like her, just wanted a piece of ass.

Did we watch the same show?

>>2846551
>>2846779

Obvious yoko cosplayer in denial

>>2846796
I never cosplayed as Yoko, but I liked the character.

>>2846182
Psssh. Fate/Stay is tedious. I wouldn't even have looked at it if it didn't have neat designs. I gave up on the anime and the manga, it was too boring.

I chose it because I wanted a nice ballgown for the Masquerade Ball. I looked great and didn't embarass myself.
Personally, I pick all my costumes because I would enjoy making them, not because the character has OMG personality. People who wander around acting like their character all the time annoy me.
"Dattebayo! I'm Naruto! Believe it! SASUKEEEEE..."

As long as you aren't being obnoxious, I don't think it matters if whomever knows Death the Kid from a hole in the ground.

Cosplay is supposed to be about an appreciation for a series. Its like having a huge billboard over you that says "I AM A REALLY BIG FAN OF THIS SERIES"

People who like to make stuff for the sake of making stuff? Fine. So why not make it for somebody else?

Cosplaying for the sake of trying to make YOURSELF look good is pretty bad, its no surprise then that 90% of these people have issues or cause drama.

Welcome to /cgl/.

>>2847128

true facts, I lol'ed.

>>2847013
>Psssh. Fate/Stay is tedious. I wouldn't even have looked at it if it didn't have neat designs. I gave up on the anime and the manga, it was too boring.
>anime
>manga

Well there's your problem. Read the visual novel, twerp.

It's not about being in character. It's like what Masa said. Would you wear a team's jersey in public just because you liked how it looked, when you don't give a shit about the team? Oh wait, people already do that with bands and shit. Derrrrr.

So how would you feel about cosplayers who's never played the game and has only seen the movie?

I'd really love to cosplay from this movie I like but it's based on a game I haven't played before. I don't even own the system. I'm on the fence on this one 'cause personally I don't expect cosplayers to know EVERYTHING about a character but it would be nice if they actually knew the character aside from the name, series or manga it was from.

>>2847438

>twerp

Prepare for trouble.

>>2846532
People still cosplay Char Aznable? I haven't seen one in quite a few years, I thought the new generation had forgotten about Gundam, except for SEED and Wing lol

>>2849285
What game/movie?

I would say Go for it. People cosplay what they like. No one said that you had to know all the details of that character. Sometimes you may even LIKE the series but don't know all the nuances that are involved. BUT if you do it is Icing on the cake. I enjoy when I do a certain pose or move or say a catch phrase and hear "Oh you remember that". But I don't think it is necessary. It doesn't hurt though. I think he will like the show so... ;) go for it.

>>2844629
If those rabid fangirls happen to appear and do that to him you can tell him to do what is portrait here >>2844571
and the run away yelling looking scared as hell.

>>2849285
Look for the game in you tube. videos, scenes or even the video game itself to watch how the character moves, talks or sounds. That way you do not need to have played the game.

I talked my best friend into cosplaying Juri with me since I'm cosplaying Viper. She's a hot Asian girl and will pull it off nicely. She doesn't play SSFIV, though.

Don't really care as long as they pull it off well.