When I met my future best friend in a Japanese language course at university, they persuaded me to go to Tracon in 2005 or 2006. It was one of the first Tracons, held in Hervanta at Tampere University of Technology, and tickets cost 2 euros for the cloakroom. My friend suggested cosplay because they themselves dressed up, and the night before, I built a costume of Reno from Final Fantasy VII from my dad’s suit and swimming goggles since my hair was already red. That’s where it started, and since then, I’ve made costumes for myself and my friends from our favorite series! Nowadays, I recycle old costumes because they’ve accumulated over almost twenty years. (b. 1986)
In 2010, cosplay was a joke, and for example, no teacher in the fashion industry appreciated the hobby. Now it’s different, and cosplay is valued. Often, I still have to correct and explain things about Japan or cosplay even today. Street fashion and cosplay are often mixed up, and this actually arouses anger within the scene. (b. 1989)
My first con was Kawacon 2013; I was 11 years old and wore a terribly homemade Sonic the Hedgehog costume on the first day, and my aunt made a Mewtwo costume for the second day. Competing isn’t a big part for me yet, but I love being on stage, and the prizes interest me. (b. 2002)
I heard that anime events were being held in Finland where you could express your admiration by dressing up as your favorite characters. That’s how my cosplay hobby started, and it’s been going on for almost 15 years now. (b. 1993)
I admired cosplay enthusiasts who were more experienced and skilled than myself. They inspired me to improve and continue with the hobby. It’s kind of a funny thought because I’ve been friends with some of my ‘idols’ for about ten years. (b. 1993)
In middle school, I attended my first con, which was Tracon 4 in Tampere. This led me to apply for the fashion industry in high school, and since then, I’ve made all my costumes myself, and now I also make cosplay costumes as customer orders. I’ve also been to cons every year. I try to make a lot of tip videos, for example, on TikTok as a professional seamstress. (b. 1993)
Inspired by anime and manga, I started studying Japanese in 2002 and began cosplay in 2004. I’m still actively cosplaying, and through cosplay and international cosplay competitions, I’ve been able to travel around the world. I’ve also visited Japan thanks to cosplay. (b. 1987)
I got into cosplay and Japanese culture in general in middle school through a friend at the time. I was in middle school from 2012 to 2015. I attended my first con event in 2014, and this event was Tampere Kuplii. Before that, I hadn’t traveled much by train to other cities, so the trip with a friend felt exciting. I was wearing a closet cosplay of the creepypasta character Clockwork. I had studied making SFX makeup for the costume to cover one of my eyes with a wristwatch. I also made my first homemade costume in middle school. The character was Kiku Juon, and I made the costume in the ninth-grade elective crafts class as my final costume when others were making graduation dresses. I was interested in making costumes from the start, although I got most of my first costumes from my parents as birthday and Christmas presents. I was also interested in competing because I wanted to get on stage to perform and show my craftsmanship. After starting the hobby, it felt like I finally had a place to showcase what I could do. I competed for the first time at the Popcult event in 2016. Over the years, I competed a few times, maybe around five times in total. I never placed in any competition before the pandemic. Before the pandemic, I had already stopped competing, and my enthusiasm for costume making had waned. I took a break from cosplay for a few years, but I didn’t give up on any of my costumes. I also continued to collect figures. At this point, the last years of high school and plans to go to university weighed on me, so the hobby went on hiatus. During the pandemic, there were no events, so competing was completely out of the question for this reason as well, but during the pandemic, I started making more costumes myself. After the pandemic, I finally got inspiration to compete again after all these years, and in my first competition after the con/cosplay hiatus at Hypecon’s 2023 cosplay competition, I placed first. This gave me new enthusiasm and desire to compete and engage more in the hobby. This year, I’ve made a record number of costumes and I’m looking forward to the new convention year and new events like Kotae Expo. (b. 1999)
