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According to legend, when asked during the development of Final Fantasy X why it was necessary for Lulu to wear so many belts, character designer Tetsuya Nomura replied, "It will give the cosplayers a challenge." Whether or not this apocryphal tale is factual, evidence of its truthfulness was hard to miss at 2007’s Square Enix Party. Around almost every corner there seemed to appear another Sora and Roxas, or Axel and Reno, while nary a Balthier, Ashelia, or Ramza was to be found. Even Shiki and Neku from the upcoming "It’s a Wonderful World" got greater cosplay representation than the admirable creations of Akira Toriyama, Akihiko Yoshida, and Yusuke Naora. At least as far as winning the attention of cosplayers is concerned, Nomura clearly has the edge.
If I had to guess what it is that appeals to cosplayers about Nomura’s designs, I’d say one aspect is androgyny. Check out the picture of Roxas standing before the Square Enix Party’s closed theater and one’s immediate visual response is likely to register "adolescent boy" before "girl cross-dressing." Or take the high school duo dressed as Reno and Zack. These are by no means effeminate character designs, yet two females appear quite naturally to assume their roles. Perhaps part of the appeal of becoming a Nomura protagonist is that in his designs the particularities of gender melt away and what matters is one’s keyblade and how it’s used. Evident by the Square Enix Party turnout, passing oneself off as the opposite gender proved little hindrance to female gamers who identify with Cloud, Tidus, or the unnamed protagonist of Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Until fans find a way to assume the roles of their favorite Final Fantasy Tactics characters by showing up to gaming events minus a nose, Nomura clearly will hold his lead in the Square Enix cosplay department.
Jerisaka is also an editor at Square-Haven "the venerable Square Enix resource".
8 Responses to “Cosplay at Square-Enix Party ‘07”
May 23rd, 2007 at 4:51 pm
No, they all look like geeks to me. Very very few people can hope to pull off arse length silver hair and not look like an idiot.
Are the Paine, Riku and Yuna cos-players all guys?
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:22 pm
No, they all look like geeks to me. Very very few people can hope to pull off arse length silver hair and not look like an idiot.
Are the Paine, Riku and Yuna cos-players all guys?
Yikes, I only looked at the FFIV shot, the other ones are butt ugly.
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:58 pm
These aren’t really the best cosplay from Japanese/Asian fans, I’ve seen some really beautiful girls dressed up as anime characters from Prince of Tennis, Death Note, and Naruto, and they all look unbelivably “handsome”. There are a couple of reasons, girls dressed up as their idols such as Light or L, and also only girls could pull off the look compared to your everyday scruffy guys (not counting the J-rockers that look like chicks).
I think one of the reasons why Nomura’s design is more attractive for cosplaying is they look “hip”, what w/ the leather-clad, chains, and all, while dressing up as Mario, Megaman, or wearing a rubber Gundam suit just sort of tacky, regardless of passion 
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:32 pm
These aren’t really the best cosplay from Japanese/Asian fans, I’ve seen some really beautiful girls dressed up as anime characters from Prince of Tennis, Death Note, and Naruto, and they all look unbelivably “handsome”. There are a couple of reasons, girls dressed up as their idols such as Light or L, and also only girls could pull off the look compared to your everyday scruffy guys (not counting the J-rockers that look like chicks).
I think one of the reasons why Nomura’s design is more attractive for cosplaying is they look “hip”, what w/ the leather-clad, chains, and all, while dressing up as Mario, Megaman, or wearing a rubber Gundam suit just sort of tacky, regardless of passion
My soul for one night with her: [IMG]http://i11.tinypic.com/63s0rpd.jpg[/IMG]
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:34 pm
These aren’t really the best cosplay from Japanese/Asian fans, I’ve seen some really beautiful girls dressed up as anime characters from Prince of Tennis, Death Note, and Naruto, and they all look unbelivably “handsome”. There are a couple of reasons, girls dressed up as their idols such as Light or L, and also only girls could pull off the look compared to your everyday scruffy guys (not counting the J-rockers that look like chicks).
I think one of the reasons why Nomura’s design is more attractive for cosplaying is they look “hip”, what w/ the leather-clad, chains, and all, while dressing up as Mario, Megaman, or wearing a rubber Gundam suit just sort of tacky, regardless of passion
My soul for one night with her:
i11.tinypic.com/63s0rpd.jpg
May 24th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
LMAO, this conversation took an unexpected turn. They all look like dorks.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
I’m not too crazed about cosplay, but sadly these are a horrible looking bunch and in no way represent the other awesome cosplayers in Jpn. Yep, there are lots of drop dead gorgeous sexy Kasumi and Shiranui Mai and geeky is the probably last word to associate w/ them.
Gaming Map
May 23rd, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Nice. Only Asians know how to Cosplay without looking like a bunch of geeks.