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[shattered_song]

I have noticed that a cosplayer can have the most amazing costume....but if there is a character that is incredibly popular they will get more attention. Like a soldier from saint seiya against an L...and the L wins! Are cons just run by crazy fan girls these days or what? What happened to appreciating great craftmanship?

[NekoMimiChan]

Hiya! ^_^

Unfortunately I have to agree with you - it seems that only the super popular characters get attention. Even a fail cosplay of a popular character gets mobbed by fangirls, while a slightly more obscure or, ahem, UNIQUE! characters get overlooked or sometimes even scoffed at "who is she supposed to be?"

If I see a great costume and I'm not familiar with the character, I'll ask the person and usually end up watching the show where they come from, because if someone is going to dedicate themselves to such an awesome costume, there must be a good reason.

[RaDragon76]

I've noticed that too. Bit annoying really since I'm normally more interested in unique cosplays than in whatever the 'flavor of the month' is. Don't get me wrong, I like well done popular costumes too but I'm more likely to take pictures of underrated costumes then the popular ones. I've always been this way though.

[shattered_song]

I agree with you I wish more people thought like you do! It is very disappointing to see an amazing cosplay overlooked because it is not popular enough.

[RaDragon76]

Originally Posted by shattered_song

I agree with you I wish more people thought like you do! It is very disappointing to see an amazing cosplay overlooked because it is not popular enough.

I wish more people looked at it this way too. There are a lot of really excellent costumes that get ignored because they are not popular even in various masquerades at various conventions. It's always bothered me.

[Aloe]

I believe that fan girls/boys are running cons. I do mostly unique, original cosplays and am quite nervous about cosplaying cause I don't do popular characters. So in turn i will proply won't get noticed/get picture took.

[RaDragon76]

Originally Posted by Aloe

I believe that fan girls/boys are running cons. I do mostly unique, original cosplays and am quite nervous about cosplaying cause I don't do popular characters. So in turn i will proply won't get noticed/get picture took.

I won't worry to much about it. Wear whatever costumes you personally like for whatever characters you like. I guarantee that there will be someone there that will know who you are and will enjoy seeing your costumes.

[shattered_song]

see, and thats not cool at all. you should be able to cosplay as whatever you want-and not be afraid of being acknowledged. i have seen countless situations where there would be an amazing obscure character......beautifully crafted and ALL, and the most the got where "who are you suppossed to be"-if even that. I just wish cosplays were judged more on beauty than on popularity. so many people deserve to be recognized-and they arent.

[VickyBunnyAngel]

I tend to do less known characters as well, and agree with everyone else's sentiment here. Although I do make costumes knowing full well only a handful would probably recognize me, and everyone else would ask for a picture because
1) my costume looks "pretty"
2)Someone else is taking a picture so they may as well jump in while I'm posing
3) they like to take pictures of everyone regardless.

It seems like this thread is talking about the combination of obscure + awesome (as in the design itself is standalone breathtaking), vs. popular + plain (I'm trying to say "cosplays that take less effort" or simpler designs, but I'm having trouble summing it up with the correct word. Plain is not meant to be derrogatory, mainly descriptive).

For masqs, I find audiences react a lot more to all the characters they're familiar with, which is totally understandable because any inside jokes or series-related wit, won't be lost on them. While an amazing cosplay may be next on stage, they'll still cheer because of the visual awesomeness, and in that way the costume will be appreciated, but any hope for appreciation for the character or anything is probably lost on most people.

Although it's hard to argue against cosplays that are awesome + popular ^^

[Blaizekit]

And I think, the people that do recognize your costume will be twice as thrilled to see you. :3

On the one hand it's not best to do anything if you're only wanting praise for it, but of course it hurts to not get recognition for your hard work. But if someone liked me just because of who I was cosplaying then I'm not sure how satisfied I would be in the end.

[VickyBunnyAngel]

Originally Posted by Blaizekit

And I think, the people that do recognize your costume will be twice as thrilled to see you. :3

On the one hand it's not best to do anything if you're only wanting praise for it, but of course it hurts to not get recognition for your hard work. But if someone liked me just because of who I was cosplaying then I'm not sure how satisfied I would be in the end.

Agree.
I'm a bit weird in the way, I sort of like being somewhat obscure because then I can walk around the con without getting stopped every couple feet =D

Another reason to not fret over not getting your picture taken a gazillion times, is you can probably take your own photos with a friend or photographer and get pictures that satisfy you and showcase the costume properly. In all honesty, it's flattering if I find like 10 pics of me in people's photobuckets, but I probably won't use any of them as part of my portfolio. Con lighting isn't the best, and most people use the auto-function in the camera. Sometimes pics turn out blurry, sometimes you're not looking at the camera and/or have a dumb look on your face.

[RaDragon76]

Originally Posted by VickyBunnyAngel

Agree.
I'm a bit weird in the way, I sort of like being somewhat obscure because then I can walk around the con without getting stopped every couple feet =D

That's exactly why I enjoy doing obscure costumes myself. I have a couple that are fairly popular and if there are a big group of us we get stopped constantly so it's nice to have some downtime. I don't think I've made anything from a popular series of late actually.

[WinterEffect_]

The cosplayers who do popular characters always seem to get bashed and harrassed at cons by the ones upset with situations like this...

As for me, (like someone previously stated) I will take a picture of almost any cosplay that I find well done and amazing. (I try anyway.. usually I'm just a tad too shy) And if I do not know what they are, I will ask stating that I am interested. Sorry that some people do not get recognized, but not everybody is only interested in popular characters and you will get pictures and questions. In fact, unique cosplayers who do characters that no one really knows should get more shots... just because of the curiosity, perhaps. I think I'm rambling...

[Yo-Yo]

I tend to have some characters I ADORE that are really popular, in honestly, I don't take any pictures of them since they're really... not special, to put it bluntly. I mean, I love the character, but if I took a picture of each one, I'd have 28957 pictures to sift through and find something new. I only take pictures if I'm really fangasming, because I'm normally busy doing something. If I'm not, I'll probably not bother since I'm just generally a lazy person.

For example, I LOOOVE Neji. I saw a few at one con, but once I saw a gar Simon, I fangasm'd and wiggled around until I got a hug&a picture. I ACTUALLY sat there and fanned myself, and Simon's not even one of my favorite characters.

I also see a lot of characters I don't recognize, but I stare in awe at the incredible worksmanship.

I dunno why, but I've always been worksmanship>character.

It seems most people that're dedicated enough get cosplay.com accounts and feel the same way, frankly.

[shattered_song]

you make an excellent point bunny angel!