'In the spirit?'

[Yunalesca]

Is it really 'in the spirit' of cosplay to cosplay as a character you don't really like?

I'm going as Yuna (who I think needs a whack to the head) and later I'm going as Anthy (who I think is empty in the head).

I think they're sexy/pretty and that's why I want to look like them, but as characters I don't like them.

[Genki Chan]

I think it's alright, as long as you like the costume. Actually, when you cosplay a character you don't praticularly love... you might find that changing as you cosplay them. I've done characters I didn7t like just for costume quality, or as a favor. And while in costume, I suddenly found myself falling into character as the pictures were taken, and by the end of con... if still not liking the character... then at least being stuck with some newfound respect for them.

Good luck with your costumes =D And if they don't sweep you up with 'cosplay spirit' don't worrk; con fans have pleanty to go around.

[Maester Seymour]

I've liked all the characters ive cosplayed so far, but i didnt even know lucifer and ive never seen angel sanctuary but i did it cuz i liked the design. so doing a costume just for the look isnt a bad thing i dont think...btw...i like ur icon! :bigtu: seymour!

[Emiko]

I did my BT costume mostly for the look, rather than for love of the character, and it got me more compliments than any of my other costumes. Hmm...

[DaphHime]

Does cosplaying as characters you don't really know much about count? I've cosplayed as Satella from Chrno Crusade and I only saw a few minutes of the seires. Though it was at a friends suggestion and she already made the costume for me.

I might wind up doing it again, a friend of mine wants me to cosplay as a character from .hack. I know nothing about the character but the costume looks lovely.

I don't see anything wrong with it. I personally prefer cosplaying characters I know about, but I can't say no when a friend asks me to cosplay someone. ^_^'

[Claire]

I can understand cosplaying a character you don't know much about because you like the outfit, but... why would you cosplay a character that you don't like? O_o; Unless you neeeeed to be that character for a skit, or something...? Why not put your money and time into a costume for a character you LIKE?

[kiwi]

I can understand cosplaying a character you don't know much about because you like the outfit, but... why would you cosplay a character that you don't like? O_o; Unless you neeeeed to be that character for a skit, or something...? Why not put your money and time into a costume for a character you LIKE?

I think it's just like people who do it for the experience of "being" a character they love (in a commissioned or purchased costume) vs. exhibiting good costuming skills - just a different motivation. If the beauty or look of a costume is much more important than the character, then it makes sense that you might end up doing characters you don't love simply because you love their outfits. (I'm more of a "do characters I love" girl, but so many of the characters I love just wear schoolgirl uniforms, so I empathize with the "do it for the costume" folks.)

I've done costumes of characters I didn't initially like, but for some reason cosplaying as them engendered a particular fondness for them in me. I could probably cosplay as Belldandy and almost come to like her, even though I loathe her more than any other ficititous character ^^;

[laerry]

Well, I don't see anything wrong with that - whether you like a character for their costume, or for themselves, those are both legitimate reasons to want to cosplay as them. There are characters for anime/manga/games that I haven't even seen or played, but I'd LOVE to try my hand at making and wearing their costumes!
Now if you don't like a character, AND you don't like their costume, then you've gotta start asking, "Why?"

[scandia]

I am not so sure if it is in the spirit of cosplay. Regardless of how cute you think the costume is, if you dislike the character, your heart will not be into it and you may not do as good a job as if you liked the character. Plus you won't have as much fun wearing that outfit. It happened to me last year. I was running out of characters to cosplay and tried making a Mew Mint outfit even though I did not like Minto that much. It flopped majorly.

If you like a character's outfit but do not know much about the actual character per se, I would definitely recommend watching the anime/reading the manga/playing the video game. For example- I fell hopelessly in love with Sara Trantoul's costume the moment I saw it in someone's Cosplaylab.com profile. So I rented and tried playing Castlevania: Lament of Innocence in order to see her in it. Could not get too far the first time around, but a few months later I got the strategy guide and rented it again. This time I found a way to not only get far enough in it to see her, but also to beat the game. I cannot wait till this Saturday to show off my costume. I think it will be my favorite of the year.

Personally, I do not think it is right to cosplay a character from a work that you have not watched/read/played. I'm not talking about cosplaying FFX-2 Yuna in early 2003 if you had already played FFX and knew what Yuna was like. I am talking more in the fashion of "I have never heard of this series, but the character's costume looks cool so I'll do it even though I barely know the character's name". I'm pretty sure everyone has a repertoire of characters he or she likes. Pick one of those instead- you'll enjoy it better.

[Yunalesca]

I'm goign as Yuna so I can propose to my boyfirend who's goign to be Seymour.

Rikku and PAine would make sense, 'cause htey hardly ever met and I can't bnd down in my Lulu costume.

Anthy is because I'm white nad my boyfirend is black and we wanted to flout this by him goign as Saiyonji with me.

I can understand cosplaying a character you don't know much about because you like the outfit, but... why would you cosplay a character that you don't like? O_o; Unless you neeeeed to be that character for a skit, or something...? Why not put your money and time into a costume for a character you LIKE?

[Zephyrs]

To each their own, I suppose. But like others said - it's really not as fun running around a con as a character you really don't like too much. I also wouldn't do a character I hated just for the sake of a "couple's cosplay" since again... yeah it's cool you and the boyfriend/girlfriend are cosplaying a couple... but it'd kinda lose the fun I'd imagine if you hate the couple or character you're being, you know?

How about a compromise then - you cosplay Yuna or Anthy, and then he cosplays the love interest of one of YOUR favorite ladies with you?

[Hanyaan]

I wasn't all that into Ruby Moon, and I did him/her for my boyfriend. I still am ambivalent about him/her...not because I don't like him/her, but because s/he doesn't have enough of a real personality for me to get into character. But will that stop me from doing Ruby Moon? No. I feel like a princess in the dress and it makes Mike really happy to see us together...I might not be OMG TEH BIGGEST FAN of the character, but darn it if that isn't one of my favorite costumes.

That being said, my real favorite costumes (Loki and Peruru as of now) are ones where I love the design and the character. And my absolute fave of all time was Xelloss (I've said in other threads why I won't do him anymore), and I just ADORED his character because it was so much like mine when I was totally manic. So there you go.

[FoxPhyre]

Really i would say it depends on your personal tolerance for it. i mean, if i couldnt stand the character's personality so much that the thought of trying to roleplay that character made me sick, obviously i wouldnt cosplay that character, conversly, if i loved a characters personality and wanted to cosplay a role as that character, yet every single costume they wore was crap and/or ugly, I wouldnt cosplay them either. to me, the spirit of cosplay is whatever makes you happy. you gotta make yourself happy first before making everyone else happy... and if you put on a costume that you made with your own hands and love it, then thats in the spirit, liking the character is just something else that can broaden the experience for you!

[Cactuarsama]

one of my first costumes was chocolate misu, i really only did her cause i thought we where gonna do a group. i wasn't to crazy about the costume, i dind't like how it was so reavealing , after that i kinda refuse to do groups where chars i can be are limited cause i know if i say yes it and i don't wanna do it im gonna do a crummy job and wasting my time and money not to mention space in my con bag on somthing ill probably never wear again.

even though i believe if you like a costume design that much it doesn't matter what the chars personality is, my hamel costume, i made it before i even saw the series. When i finally did i was deeply disappointed cause hamels char in the series is a ded hed and there nothing in any way, shape, or form interesting about him, he's alot more my style in the movie, but no matter what personality he has it's not gonna stop me from still wearing the costume.

[Eleryth]

I agree with Kiwi and FoxPhyre. Does it make you happy? Then go for it.

Myself? I don't 'cosPLAY' - I don't act one bit in character, unless the chara happens to act like me. I make the costumes because I like them; I am (usually) more interested in the costume-making aspect, so the charas personality isn't a big concern for me.

That said:
Right now, I have at least 2 costumes in the works from series I have never read or seen, and I don't care. I like how the outfit looks. Yes, I have done a little research, but only for more pictures. I have no idea when I'll be able to see the series, so it doesn't bother me any. The costume is cute enough.

I have a few costumes I am sorta abivalent about, in the middle. But I chose them for certain reasons, and I don't mind - they're just not my fave, but I certainly like them enough to make them and wear them. I have another costume in the works because it looks cool and I really enjoyed the 'funness' about it - and I don't like the character.

My current fave and can't-wait-to-finish costume is for another character I have never seen outside of images. It's from a game I would never be interested in, but it was too adorable to pass up.

So, really. It's good to have research, but if you like the costume as opposed to the character, no big deal (to me). If people talk to you and find out 'I only cosplayed Yuna for this reason, I don't even like her, so please stop talking to me about how cool she is', they'll be confused and disappointed, but that's life. We all have our reasons for doing something. Just find out what yours are, and judge if they are good enough for you.

Good luck with whatever costume you choose.

[avskull]

Ignore cosplayer that bash you because of the amount of knowledge you have about a character. If you feel there a problem with the lack of information you know then go on the internet and learn more. Fandom shouldn’t keep you from being happy in costume or in life. Your not a copy of the character so some of your own personally going to show through the costume so watch yourself.

[Scrapped Neko]

If it's what you're into, then go nuts. Personally, I think it's weird to cosplay as a character you dislike. I wouldn't waste my time, money, or effort on anything like that. Cosplay is bloody expensive, so I make darn sure I really like all the characters I dress as.

[sefie_tilmitt]

I chose to dress as Lulu from FFX before I had ever played the game and before it was out here in the states, because the moment I saw her outfit for the first time I was drooling with the anticipation of making it. I wanted the challenge, and if I loved her or hated her, I knew I would love *making* the costume.

That's generally what inspires me to make something. Would I learn anything new from it? I chose my Kozi Jester costume because it looked so hard to do and amazing, and chose Ayane from DOA2 because I wanted to try a gravity-defying bow.

I do *like* the characters I cosplay, but it's not as important as I what I can learn.