/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

http://jerrysphotos.net/2006/ax06/4_mon/20/index.html

AX 2006 cosplay contest photos. I just happened to be browsing this site last week seeking lost pics from some of my first cons.

Contests had a lot and I mean A LOT more skits. Not everyone had a costume. Performance was a much bigger aspect of it. I kinda really miss it, a lot.

>>10027459
This is a great example of how much cosplay has improved in just the last decade. This is the biggest anime convention in the US and I've seen stuff this year at my local cons that would blow this stuff out of the water.

They were magical.

Cosplay (like this board) peaked in '07.

>>10027442
It was magical.
IMO the biggest game changer was no smartphones. Without everyone holding a camera 24/7, there was more space for con shenigans.

>>10027459
beautiful

A lot more friendly, it wasn't a competition, it was just about nerding out with people who shared your interests. It was a lot less mainstream. The costume quality wasn't nearly as good, but no matter how good your costume was people would be happy to see you. It was a purer time.

Con orgies, lots and lots of Con orgies.

>>10028902
This...
Cosplays were mostly shitty but as long as you recognized someone / they recognized you, a few laughs and meaning convos were shared
Talking together with other cosplayers on how you managed to put together that on your cosplay or where you found that piece. Was very fun

>>10027442
sometimes i see moments like this and wish i could experience the not giving a fuck/it's all about me meow attitude of otakus/weeaboos. too bad i wouldn't do this shit in public nowdays, let alone with my boyfriend involved, no thankies from mcspankies

>>10027442
Perfect. They were literally perfect.

>>10027442
It was way more relaxed and fun than how things are now, that's for sure. Social media kinda ruined it for me.

>>10028732
Example of a faggot sucking the fun out of a lighthearted situation

Tell me about umbrella corp. why are they always present.

Less dance skits, more skit skits. There were a lot of baaaad skits, too. But people would stick around for the skits at the very end, because that's always where they put the good shit. You'd stick around because the one or two excellent ones would be absolutely worth it, hilarious, and because uploading to youtube was much less a thing (and generally in terrible quality anyways), you really did have to be there.

I found another archive.
http://www.balorn.com/ah/

2004 was the year A-kon finally moved to what was then called the Adam's Mark hotel/convention center and just by the pictures you can see how much smaller it used to be.

>>10032740
Oh. And every. single. person. wanted to have some witty sign. It got so bad eventually that they banned them, I think.

>>10032741
some peoples signs got too large it became a problem. got hit in the face with a
SORRY GALS IM YAOI sign
I can still feel it.

I wonder what all these early 2000s cosplayers & congoers are doing nowadays

>>10032740


I really want down the rabbit hole to make another video similar to his furry video on how far the cosplay community has come and what it was like in the beginning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aF2GxWi7Ag

>>10032741
I remember Egoraptor commenting about how when his wife Suzy was still a cosplayer, he would hold her sign. Confused the hell out of me, what's the point of holding a sign?

>>10033298
In my case, still cosplaying and going to cons.

these old photo galleries make me happy for some reason

>>10032741
I remember sign culture; quickly scribbling something dumb on a piece of cardboard or lined paper just so you have one. Good times.

>tfw no old trips to comment on old con culture

Man, this brings back all the Hetalia shit that was insane at cons before more cancerous fandoms like Homestuck got huge. Teen girls would bring flags to lay on the grass and pose with their yaoi paddles.

It was definitely a purer time. Smartphones changed a lot with how people acted in public. There was less of a reason to be reserved and untrusting because cons weren't mainstream and most everyone was a fan of the same things you were. It's not remembering it. I think I went to my first (local) con in 2005. I'm still mad I waited so long to start going, looking back.

Death Note.

Signs, paddles, and back when glomping wouldn't be considered assault

No thots around

>>10034210

what cosplays were as big as first season aot in the early 2000s and prior?

>>10035001
Inuyasha was HUGE.

>>10033298
Yeah! Where are Soni, Hanyan, Masa, etc.?

What have you done with my trip/namefags anon?!

Bring back to us!

>>10035001
Some that were big in my area around 2005ish and a bit before:

Of course the big ones like Inuyashi (so many "SIT, BOY"s)
Cowboy Bebop
Ah! My Goddess
Yu-Gi-Oh
Hellsing
Gravitation (hell, ANY yaoi show, like Loveless, etc.)
Eva, of course
Chobits was THE "frail, pale girl" cosplay
A lot of those shitty harem shows, like Tenchi
Elfen Lied (I distinctly remember the first girl/woman I met at the con I went to was cosplaying Lucy and was sad everyone was calling her a "cute cat girl")
Oh god, Bleach. I do remember that Bleach was getting huge around that time, but we didn't have the same resources we do now, so most were shitty Ichigos with no wig, jeans, and those huge duct tape swords and their chubby or lanky Rukia gfs.
FMA, but mostly just Ed and Roy. Not many armor builds around where I lived.
Princess Tutu
A lot of good ones like X1999, Noir, Witch Hunter Robin, Azumanga Daioh, Nana, etc. Then typical ones like Air Gear, CLANNAD, OHSHC.
I'm not even getting into games because there are so many and JRPG specific cosplay was popular back then, too.

There were more, but my memory is failing me. I need to get out my old hard drive and see if I can dump some old con pics.

One huge difference between then and now is that most of the cosplayers were actual fans of the series they cosplayed from, so you had much, much more variety. You saw people cosplaying from super obscure or never localized series because they were a huge fan. In the late 90s, we would save shitty low quality CD rips and find local fans to trade anime with.

I'm not saying that cosplayers now aren't real fans, but there weren't as many people racing to cosplay that FOTM character and a lot of people, once you complimented their costume, would gush on endlessly about how much fun they had making it and talk about a series with you.

It was a different time, but it was a good one.

>>10035020
I miss tripfag culture on /cgl/. I miss /cgl/ circa 2008-2012, honestly. That was the best time. I want to blame the new janitors for killing it, but I think it was the change in the cosplay community overall that changed this place.

tfw no more cosplay power hour threads

>>10035035
Do they all post somewhere else now?

Jesus this made me feel strange to realize I only just started going to cons in '07

They were full of annoying 12 year olds like me. Before the age of all dance cosplay skits. Everyone either ran around like naruto or someone from Ouran High School host club

people seemed more genuine about their hobby before social media. now it's more about making money out of cosplay lewd and begging for money on the internet. miss those days

>>10035403
This so much.
I honestly wonder how many of the patreon cosplay thots would be cosplaying at cons if it was just for fun and not making them money (my guess is very few).
It was so much easier to nerd out with people at cosplay gatherings because you knew they were fans of whatever they were cosplaying. Now you kind of wonder when you see someone in a popular costume because they might just be doing it for attention.
It was also way more common for people to make their own costumes because taobao and aliexpress weren't well known, so you had ebay, con dealers halls, commissions or make it yourself. Aside from some very popular costumes (Inuyasha, Edward Elric, Naruto etc.), you didn't see loads of people in the same mass produced costumes.

Does anyone have any old school cosplay they want to dump?

>>10035040
a lot of them are fb friends. also twitter

>>10035774
I have this friend who cosplays from anything and everything but seems to hate most of the characters. She's not doing it for fame because she doesn't sell anything, ignores half the people who contact her outside of close friends, and it comes across as a social thing more than anything else. But I don't understand why she's into it beyond the wearing of the costume. It's so weird. I enjoy getting pics together but it's very hard to nerd out together about anything when half the conversations become 'Oh haha I just liked the design, I actually hate this character' and even though I get that... it makes me sad.

I guess my point is some people are in it for the designs, and it's hard to tell. Usually by talking to them you'll quickly gather whether it's for fame or something else.

>>10035020
I killed them all.
You're welcome.

My area had a ton of cosplayers into Helsing, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Jo-Jo's Bizarre Adventure, Black Butler, and the weebos that were annoying (like Homestuck or Deadpool today) was Axis Hetalia cosplayers.

I was most active with the otaku community and cons during 2000-2006, then I dropped off the face of the Earth a while. The feelings of cosplay was very different back then. It was really exciting to see someone dressed up as a character you knew, but things were not as extravagant back then. The masquerades were also heavily focused on comedy. I just highly regret how bad my social anxiety was back then. I was going to attempt one cosplay by having my friend sew a costume, but her depression overcame her and I never got it (Touga from Utena, only had the red wig). I really do regret not cosplaying back then as I think it would have helped me break out of my shell at a younger age instead of breaking out in my early 30's.

>>10032741
>>10033403
damn I miss sign culture. They still exist here but not nearly as popular as pre-2010.

A LOT of FF-X2 cosplays.
But really, it was just a lot smaller, more chill, shitty wigs, posting to cosplaylabs when you got home.

>>10028960
Stop lying. There's no sex at cons.

>>10027442
It was mostly a weird nerd hobby and most cosplayers were around high school age.
Most cosplay was either bought or sewn by their grandma.
Usually the last one since not everyone knew where to buy stuff on the internet.
There were still cosplay trends like dozens of chiis, haruhis or those akazuki coats, but I feel like those trends lasted longer than cosplay trends do today.

Today cosplay is less frowned as weird nerd shit and has become more mainstream thanks to social media.
People who failed to become famous have found a way to get fame in this niche hobby.
It almost looks like everyone wants to become famous nowadays. Following cosplay trend such as Bowsette which only lasts a few weeks.
The quality of the costumes has improved. There are several webshop dedicated to selling cosplay material, people selling their stuff on etsy and sharig their knowledge. But the community also has become more comptetitive.

Sometimes I wonder if cosplay has turned into this 'degredation of a fanbase' image that get's posted a lot.

>>10027442
UNBRIDLED SENSUALITY 鉛欧域

shit was cash before 2008. not to many fags gave a flying fuck about pc bullshit and too much skin. was so much fun to hangout and chill with people

>>10033298
I don't cosplay any more because I was honestly never that good, but now I'm a staffer. On the board of directors, actually. Trying to build something awesome for a community that's been with me my entire adult life.

And apparently I'm still rolling around cgl whenever I really need to procrastinate.

Going to cons used to be cheap as hell back then. I remember going to Dragoncon back in '04 and spending no more than $250 for the whole weekend with hotel and travel included. Now with hotel and travel included you're spending over $1500 to attend Dragoncon.

Cons in general have gotten more expensive due to their rise in popularity combined with supply and demand of rooms and tickets.

>>10043102
Not to mention you gotta pay for those Marvel movie guests!

>>10043215
lmao <3

>>10043102
I fucking hate myself for not buying an eternal pass back in 07. It's high as hell now, I would have to go til I'm 49 to justify that price.

>>10027442

It was the wild fucking west.

Cosplay was still new and being figured out. Stuff that was incredible at the time would be laughed at now. It was more honest at the same time - people didn't have shop.

People were way more wound up and way more chill. Glomping was WAY more rampant than now, but you could also have two people in your lap and no one would give a shit.

Prices weren't jacked to hell and back. An expensive signature was like 25 - 30 bucks. A whole weekend could be $40 - 50. depending on the con.

Fuck I miss those days.

>>10028883
Proof that costhots are not a modern invention

>>10039590
I used to fuck gulls in costumes all the time, wtf you talking about?

You mean there was a time when cosplay was NOT about amateur models and normies dressing up to get followers on instagram?

Wow. You guys must be old.

>>10027442
>What were cosplay events like between 2004 and 2008?
They were phenomenal. 2008 was the beginning of the downfall of cosplay and 2012 was the death knell of cosplay (at least in the states). early 2000s to around 2008 were essentially when cosplay was peaking in terms of quality.

>>10046075
>2004-2008
>MASSIVE cosplay contests recorded between 1939-1954, with a huge resurgence in popularity during the 70s and 80s
>Cosplay was still new and being figured out
lol wake up son

>>10029937
>Social media kinda ruined it for me.
Social media kinda ruined it for everyone

>>10028960
We had a thread about this a while back and it as locked down and deleted when proof started to emerge. So let's just pretend that con orgies never happen.

>>10046214
>>10039590
Well I wouldn't say that sea at cons never happened or happens. The majority of female cosplayers have boyfriends so of course they are getting railed out in their hotel rooms. But random hookups with hot cosplayers? unlikely. And Cosplay con orgies? Nonexistent

>>10039875
>degredation of a fanbase
Well DESU while I have seen and understand that chart, with cosplay it was more of a sharp downward slide as opposed to a slight degradation. Cons have always been about separating money from the fans, and fans used to attend cons for the merch, panels, masquerade, gaming, cosplay and (most importantly) community interaction.

While booth babes were always a thing, the moment that random normies saw an untapped market of horny nerds, an army of fake geek costhots sprang up overnight.....and of course so did their paetreons, instagrams, websites, and facebook profiles....the timing was obvious and that marked the death of the hobby as we knew it.

>>10047112

Uh huh. Please show me the huge, grand cosplays of those times. It was fans with sewing machines making Star Trek and Star Wars costumes.

2004 - 2008 was the natal phase of modern cosplay.

>>10047251
>Uh huh. Please show me the huge, grand cosplays of those times.
>what is google image search

>>10028883
HISCUITS

>>10033298
We're browsing this board on occasion to see how things have changed with the next generation. Sometimes we dig out our old photo albums and look at our shitty 90s anime cosplay and laugh about how there was so much less pressure and it really was about just having fun. We chat about the nights we used sit outside with a cold beer when the con was over and talk about the latest anime we got off kazaa. I'd trade US VHS with people who'd got region 2 ones and we'd post them back when we were done.

Good times

Photographers took pictures of everyone they could, instead of charging for photoshoots. They showcased everyone they could, instead of who could pay to play.
https://www.acparadise.com/acs/display.php?a=62186

People used to swamp to Lionel's site the day of a con to get the first glance of whatever cosplay was there. Masquerades and AMV contests were the bee's knees. Since the market wasn't so saturated with events yet, people seemed legitimately happy to see one another still, seeing as how it had been months since they had been able to, instead of the..maybe, weeks now.

Photographers took pictures of everyone they could, instead of charging for photoshoots. They showcased everyone they could, instead of who could pay to play.
https://www.acparadise.com/acs/display.php?a=62186

People used to swamp to Lionel's site the day of a con to get the first glance of whatever cosplay was there. Masquerades and AMV contests were the bee's knees. Since the market wasn't so saturated with events yet, people seemed legitimately happy to see one another still, seeing as how it had been months since they had been able to, instead of the..maybe, weeks now.

At least one constant since then? Cosplay.com is still not updated.

>>10035403
This so much

Ironic weebs and attention whores (thots/normalfags or whatever) who don't even care at the slightest with any subcultures/fandom are insufferable

>>10034210
God I miss the hetalia cosplayers everywhere. I never got big into hetalia but my friends were, and seeing them having such a pure and happy time filled me with joy. Never got huge into homestuck and a lot of the big groups were pretty cringey but they were all having lots of fun.

So badly do I want to go back to cons in 2009-2012... That was the golden age for me personally.

>>10027442
never was to one, but I guess they were "purer"
nowadays, everything went down the toilet, I guess

>>10053128
ETA is Christmas day for the rest of the overhaul changes to the site, including posting pics again. Admin is active and a brand new forum is live, albeit not quite what I was hoping it would work like. I'm still in shock, though.

Cosplay is no longer about dressing up for conventions. It's about cosplaying in your bathroom so you can take cute photos of yourself for instagram.

>>10058734
lmao true

Caramelldansen, Vocaloid, Death Note, Black Butler, Pocky Game. Generally good vibes and like everyone was part of a giant, spazzy weeb family.

>>10027459
god what i wouldn't give to experience this in person

i love the jankiness of homemade cosplays, seeing slight imperfections makes me incredibly happy. fuck me where has the grassroots feel went? it all feels so commercialized now.

it's honestly such a shame kids these days will just buy their shit on aliexpress instead of making their stuff any way they can.

even for the store bought ones, you know they're doing it for the fun and the passion instead of shitty instagram likes

IF WE COULD TURN BACK TIME

Man remember all the Haruhi cosplayers? I miss them.

>>10027442
>What were cosplay events like between 2004 and 2008?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP5lz2CYNR4

>>10063143
Many cosplays are still homemade. We just have better quality wigs and people know not to use their camera flash now.

I went to a con in Australia this year and friends still made me sit through a 2004-style masquerade. The winners were based on some real basic jokes that you couldn't run here at all. But at least they're having fun.

>>10063179
I still remember the old dance.
caramelldanses, Danjo, Hare Hare Yukai.
I miss it too.

>>10063179
Ouran HSHC was a fucking gem. God, I feel like I've lived through the anime renaissance and I'm afraid it's never going to be as good again.

>>10058689
That's what he said back in early summer when the search bar went missing. I do like this new layout for photo finding, at least. The previous one was very much not phone friendly. Here's hoping Kyle can pull it off!

>>10033298
I was more late 2000's- my first convention was MCM london
October 2008, and it was probably the most fun con I went to.
The halls were still pretty empty, and if you saw a character you liked or somebody liked your character, it was basically a ticket to get 'glomped'. People were wild with the Yaoi paddles, many people had free hugs signs and it was really easy to get talking to new people. Also everyone played 'THE GAME'. It didn't really seem to matter that not many people had wigs and if someone had store bought cosplays, it was just great to see a character.

I've gone to the same con twice every year since to this day, among most other cons in the country as well, and the mood is definitely different. Some things have been for the better, I don't think I'd want to be tackled by strangers for hugs anymore. But even though the con is busier than ever I end up going home feeling quite lonely and just meh at the end of the weekend. It might partially be because conventions are such a routine for me now but it's also quite sad to be blanked by other people cosplaying the same series as you when you smile at them. For a while I worked on making my cosplays better, bigger and more polished, but I didn't feel like I was having fun anymore. So now I've just slowed down and focused on putting together one or two cosplays that I really wanted to do in the past couple of years, as it's been these past few years especially have made me feel quite drained in the con scene. It's mostly just become a routine of shop, walk around, eat, walk around stalls again then go home.
Next year I'm not so sure how many cons I might go to, maybe just one or two. I found smaller cons like kita more refreshing and spirited still so I might just take it easy with one big con and one small con a year so I'll hopefully rekindle my love for con again.
I still love cons and will continue cosplaying, but I'm more focused on enjoying my other hobbies in my life right now too.

>>10063995
Tl;dr
I still go to cons regularly and cosplay, but it's not as fun as it used to be. Planning to go to less and hope it makes them more enjoyable for me again.

I really loved the old, silly, "amateur" cosplays, they were fun. The new ones, commercial, boring and souless ACCURATE ones are shit and I can't see how anyone could care for them.

>>10058734
This is so true. Honestly, fuck Instagram desu.
Also, I've found this gem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JtXF_esJbA

Might be worthless for everyone here, but that was my first con. That video is one of the few proofs that this con ever happened. lol

There was a lot more anime cosplay than now.

>>10027459
genius

>>10027459
> Performance was a much bigger aspect of it.
This. I'm the only person among my cosplay circle who went to cons pre 2010's and there's always this disconnect between dressing as a character and acting as a character. They all hated it when I wanted to sit in on a masquerade. Sucks because I've had some skits I wanted to do for a few years but I know I'll never have people who want to do them.

I saw an older Otakon video of a madoka doing a live band performance and its so rare to find that kind of experience now.

Anyway, some mid-late 2000's memories include
>Caramelldansen, Hare Hare Yukai, and the lucky star dance
>glomping hazards
>Kingdom Hearts 2 was still fresh and it was the top of everyone's cosplay lists
>Naruto was basically homestuck and were called Narutards
>that one couple who walked around with the guy in cat ears, a tight black tank top, a pair of trip pants if he were a rich man, and a spiked collar with a chain his chubby girlfriend was proudly holding
>cat/fox ear hats at every artist alley booth
>people actually giving a shit about the amv contest
>there would be one booth that would be a mix of overpriced low quality milanoo dresses and steampunk
>every ten minutes someone would scream about the game
>the death match was a must see event
>Badge pins were everything and always had some with mandatory chibi art that look like plump shiny eyed hacky sacks
>A lot of big, hairy dudes would dress up as girls, most notably man faye
>Videos of a conventions would be 1-2 candid minutes of horrible audio
>Pocky became your only nutrition and a way to force your high school friends to kiss via the pocky game
>lol so randum XD gimme cookie!!1 culture
>Manga reading areas so you didn't have to go on onemanga
>Internet memes and webcomics being the only tolerated non japanese thing but just barely

>>10027442
Objectively shittier than today but subjectively better

>>10027442
>very few cell phone cameras
>no easily offended puritanical SJWs
>no normies

It was heaven. It was the ultimate safe space for nerds.

http://fanboy.net/pictures/

Found pics from 2002-ish to 2004 lots of Animefest, A-kon, and Ushicon. RIP A-kon...

Now half-normie pretty girls go to conventions and I get to feel ugly even in my own space. It didn’t used to be that way. We were ALL outcast nerds and no one thought about looks.

>>10090906
>no one thought about looks
>implies only ugly people attended conventions 10 years ago

>>10090906
You'll feel much better once you take responsibility for your own insecurities, anon. You are being reminded of them through an external source but they are an internal problem, one only you can fix.

http://www.sinime.com/animepage/index.htm

>>10090909
Well costhots and insta attention whores care more about their looks than the average nerd so...

Good times... and a lot more recognizable Japanese guests outside of AX

There was a lot less focus on here and now.

It didn't matter that no one at the con recognised who you were, you would just post it later on your blog and someone would always appreciate it.
But if you go to a con, and no one knows your character, it's a failure.

>>10029940
^^^^ this

>>10033298
>Being "well back in my day" grandpas
>listening to caramelldansen on the commute to work
>still cosplaying sadly without the same childlike spark/enthusiasm
I just described myself

>>10047114
This

>>10035185
>Before the age of all dance cosplay skits

Oh honey.

Let me tell you about judging cosplay competitions in the early to mid 00's. I can't tell you the number of Songstress Yunas who did the same 3 motion dance to the full length of Real Emotion. I wanted to go on stage a commit harakiri with a fork.

At least 20 love live skits have some variety because there's multiple songs and more than 3 dance moves.

Almost everyone made their costumes back then. You couldn't easily buy your costume on Amazon. There were 4 wig styles and like 8 colors. There wasn't a wealth of cosplay information. It was called foamies before EVA. Cardboard props were common. You'd see people getting really fucking crafty and clever with costume construction because there were no guides out there.

The best costumes of that era would be shat on by newcomers.

We still shat on eachother. I used to be catty af online. (Anyone else from the catsonmars days?) But now I don't give a shit and will wear an Amazon costume to fuck around in.

Cosplay guests were entirely unheard of, and it was laughable if someone even suggested it. Anime cons were Anime / East-asian media at the very least. Marvel/DC was for comic cons, Star Wars was for sci-fi cons.

And to commemorate today, people lost their shit when Kingdom Hearts was announced because how DARE Square-Enix defile themselves with the likes of Disney. And now there's like 40 Disney Princesses just hanging out in a random corner.

Artist Alley was like here's my pile of prints and my portfolio, commission me. Not a skyscraper of prints and wares to be seen. (I did AA back then here and there for extra con money and do it now namely as a form of income)

Oh and the value of programming at a con was defined by the number of video rooms you had. That was how people were exposed to new anime.

>>10091833
>The best costumes of that era would be shat on by newcomers.
*Newcomers of this era

>>10027442
Imagine the smell.

anyone have extra roomspace for connecticon 2008? cant wait !! ^-^ XD

>>10035403

Or Dick Measuring contest between the Faux Japanese cosplayers. They got quality cosplay but they can be clique like and dont interact with the main community at all yet bask in the attention they get from others because they take their shit seriously

>>10071837
There used to be a wider variety of characters to cosplay as, age-group wise.

There seems to be a over-abundance of pre-teen characters in anime, and no more young adult or older characters as often. Stuff like Patlabor, Riding Bean, GitS, even the adults from shows like Ranma 1/2, whereas nowadays we have shows where the adults are just plain missing. I'm actually surprised shows like MHA show the parents, it's a nice change of pace. Shows like Macross used to be all adults too, for the most part.

There is less people cosplaying anime, because anime characters are becoming harder and harder for people to identity with when they're all underage characters. I love Ranma 1/2, but there's no fucking way I can pull off young Ranma ever again due to my age.

I went to canadian conventions from like 2005-2010

I don't think that our culture will ever go back. It is possible that its just nostalgia talking, but legit everything was better. Less people, but everyone was a fan. Dealer's room had a reason to exist because you couldn't just go online and buy everything way cheaper. Artist Alley was amazing. Meeting artists I saw on deviantart was amazing. Panels were just fans making content they wanted to see. New anime, anime hell, and game shows were amazing. I remember chilling in the parking lot outside the convention center and just talking with people. Fans just gushing about anime and our terrible costumes. Digging through these old albums are just making me melancholic.
I can't bring myself to cosplay anymore. The last con I went to in 2012 just lost all of its charm.
Im just staring at my last shitty cosplay, hanging in the back of my closet. I threw out a lot of stuff. But I still have this old kingdom hearts coat. The sword is long gone. I built it around a swifter handle, and the swifter needed it back. but this shitty coat I can't bring myself to throw out.

>>10093833
Man gameshows are so much easier now because they have to water it down for the western fags. I hate it. Why do we still have questions about FMA and Cowboy Bebop and Princess Mononoke?

As much as I miss the older wild west feel cons had back then. I do not miss random yaoi paddles spanks, glomping, or people being even more blatant about being creeps. One thing I do notice is there is a divide between people who do the bits for their characters and people who just wear the costume. Feel like more people did skits in-character back then, but biases toward looking for it now exist for sure. Social Media has ruined everything for everyone period.

I have been actively cosplaying since 2001 and can say there’s been a change in attitude. Back then it was more poor quality in craftsmanship. Sure. But people where genuinely cosplaying from things they enjoyed and knew about. Today people are cosplaying for likes and personal publicity. Today many people are not sure who they are cosplaying as but rather what’s popular and what will get them more likes on social media. There’s less cosplay help panels with genuine advice. And when there is, it’s usually some patron money cow talking about their cosplays and how they promoted themselves. I remember Eva foam workshops, and wig styling 101. But these are even less then before. MySpace was kinda the start to the downfall but it was more contained there. Facebook opened up and released the “ more likes=more popular” mentality that is the culture today. There’s a lot more cross style cosplays now and lesser authentic to the design cosplays. Look at all the slave, belly dance, gender bent, hipster style, ball gown, burlesque etc style cosplays you see floating around the convention floors. It used to not be like that. YouTube was still annup and comming thing and mostly full of shit like leeeroyy Jenkins memes and numa numa guy. YouTube poop and fan made AMVs where pretty popular then too. I remember we had a room just for people to play their amvs. It was a nice place to hang when you can get over the candy rave music. Now it’s like YouTube stars or cosplay models. No one wants to give you tips unless you subscribe to their channel/ patron and everyone is always side eyeing other cosplayers with the same cosplay. It’s become war zone more then a gathering of common interests.

>>10035403
Shame that seems to be such a prevailing thought. I had adored cosplay and just how fun it looked for years from about 2005 onward. Wasn't until recently that I actually began to do it myself due to cash and time, but I try to not concern myself with the drama and just go out to have fun. It's worth it when I go to a con and I can see someone's face light up in recognition. Hoping I don't lose that spark, but I keep getting more and more of my friends to cosplay with me and they help me to practice by building new props, so I think I'll be good for a while.

I found another gold mine of photos:
https://phoenixanime.com/cons.htm

>>10093883
God I miss AMV stuff. The real quality AMV contests.

There are some original takes on cosplays I like. Hell, I did them back in the day, too. But they are admittedly much less creative now and just... EVERYWHERE. I don't care half the time because I want to recreate scenes with friends the way they looked in the show! I wanna get pics of the way the characters looked in the show! It kinda takes half the magic away when it's just some rip off lookalike character.

>>10027442
All of you must be too young to remember the 2006-2009 cosplay scene. Reflecting on it like a peaceful time or some shit like it wasn't a ceaspool of internet bullying and cringey convention behavior.

/cgl would bully people into never cosplaying again. There's a reason vendetta posting isn't allowed anymore, moot was sued one too many times.

>>10094626
It's always been bad. I've been in the con scene since the late 90s, and been posted to cosplayfucks back when it was around and my cosplays were shitty. Doesn't mean the general atmosphere at cons wasn't different from now. Let people reminisce.

>>10094626
Yah we remember the times as nice because not everyone was over 18 and had their own computers back then boomer anon

>>10094626
I don’t see any one denying the fact the internet culture was not toxic. We are talking the general behavior at the conventions themselves. Something tells me you’re a desk gremlin and only leave your computer to get monster and use the bathroom and don’t actually attend conventions now or even then.

>>10094626
With the amount of bullying that went on at that time and the amount of mental health issues that are in the community I'm surprised a con hasn't been shot up by somebody that snapped.

>>10095446
You have been under a rock it seems.
There was the Phoenix comic con shooter:
https://amp.azcentral.com/amp/348697001
And the recent ala attack
https://abc7.com/7-vehicles-burned-during-possible-arson-at-ontario-hotel/5068170/

>>10063995
>But even though the con is busier than ever I end up going home feeling quite lonely and just meh at the end of the weekend.
This. Cons aren't fun for me anymore. I hope that cosplaying will help, but I don't think I'll ever get that 2005 magic back.

>>10092384
>Cosplay Duck, Duck, Goose

Thanks for reminding this was a thing that actually existed, anon.

>>10027442
In my city there was once a Hyoga cosplayer that snuck into the convention thru a window

>>10097969
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwV1Op8IIjs
Found it!

>>10035035
i miss the power hour threads most of all

>>10094626
thats why the 2003-2005 era was the best. No shop bought cosplays, everyone's was shit, but nobody cared because you were there to have fun and relax with people who liked the same stuff as you. Yeah there were still orgies and the parties were lame, but it was a fun lame. You could literally just start a conversation with anyone and nobody judged what anime you liked because there was such a small amount to choose from really. I look back at my cosplay photos with huge cringe, but eveyone looked as bad as me to be totally fair.

I miss that laid back less "im gonna post on facebook/twitter about what happened!" everything was just between buds on MSN messenger or kept to forums.

>tfw remember watching a video of AX back in 2007, the halls are empty and there’s a few people wandering around

It’s incredible to see how drastically it’s changed, now there’s people cramped like sardines in every direction. I hate it

>>10075810
>Narutards
>hare hare yukai dance

GOD I feel so old
I fucking still remember how to do that dance and loved showing off to other weebs that I knew the entire dance kek
Loved quoting Naruto abriged and those shitty naruto fanflashes. Toonami was fucking life too, this thread is a gem

No kpop

all my friends that i recently made was talking to me about the con days back in 2008-2012. it made me envy their time in the con scene where everyone knows each other. too bad i started going to cons in 2012 and been in the con scene since late 2016....

>>10098179
but then again if i was in the con scene between 2008- 2015 i would've been under age. Im somewhat glad i got into the con scene in 2016

>>10035035
We realized its easier just to post to each other on social media and stop using 4chan as a middleman

>>10075810
Nowadays it feels like the community sneers at anything performance related when it comes to cosplay outside static poses. Even then that stuff feels like its frowned upon outside of generic badass looks and glamor looks. Don't you dare get a photo taken of you looking silly/dumb as you gotta maximize your glamor points

>>10035403
This.

You use to be able to have meaningful interactions with people, now I feel like cons are overrun with vapid this. It's really not their fault entirely I think it's the safe space atmosphere shares some of the blame. I will say this though there are alot less creepy fucks now.

>>10100166
>alot less creepy fucks now
>less

>>10100236
Everything people don't like now gets called creepy, but back then the were alot more people that were genuinely disturbing

>>10028732
>how much cosplay has improved in just the last decade

You mean it got more professionally commercialized than being a passion hobby or a fun way to make friends. Sure we see a higher peak, but that's because a lot of folks entered into it for monetization reasons and even folks who were formerly skilled at making shit now just get prop guys and companies to do their stuff to compete with the output of content they need to make money from it. Plus Chinese bought stuff got so high quality that the lines blurred.

I've gone through so many social groups and eras man and when enough money enters a scene it just loses the human fun of it.

>>10027459
I love everything about the kingdom hearts group one
>Maleficent looking like someone's mom who's enjoying being with her kids
>Hades horrible chin and nose that look like they're gonna go flying off his face any second
>Axel's old shoes with some brand name on the front of them and possibly mama maleficent's makeup along with her hair gel and hair dye I imagine he begged her to buy
>them all looking like cute possible school shooters
there's something about it that just makes me smile.

>>10103100

>>10093895
This!

Once I get a job (and a sewing machine), I can hopefully construct cosplays for myself and I can cosplay with my friends again! I'm part of a cosplay group at Anime Boston thats been around for about a decade now, it feels like family.

Honestly, my advice is: stick with good trustworthy, kind friends. Cosplay who you like. Cosplay should be fun, not a popularity contest.

>>10033298
Mid~Late 2000s here. Still going to cons.
I just haven't been able to cosplay cause I'm unemployed at the moment.

shit sucks. i think the last time i cosplayed was like. Four or five years ago.

>>10027442
I think nerds have started taking care of their bodies and finally figured out makeup.

>>10029032
I think it's fine at cons or among friends, times like that i let my hair down and power levels show. Especially cons where even the staff and volunteers are fans.

I still feel awkward as hell, but its fun to goof off once in a while.

>>10027442
I guess the attendance was a lot more hardcore, you had to jump through more hoops for anime and manga - either you had to pay extortionate amounts of money for it, or you had to pirate it. Both requiring a bit more commitment than crunchy roll for $5 a month or the garbage free streaming sites out there.

Had that real nerd stank. I guess i'm a little torn on the accessibility watering down the audience issue though.

>this whole thread
I know what I'm reading when I get drunk tonight!
>>10106567
>Had that real nerd stank
I started rolling deodorant under my nose because no one else knew how to put their own on

>>10102917
>when enough money enters a scene it just loses the human fun of it.
That's the problem right there. Back in 03-08 most millennials were either still in high school or in college and were broke as hell going to these cons. Now that they got the money to attend cons, everything about them has straight up changed.

>*Hall and Oates - Out of Touch plays softly in the background*

>>10075810
God I fucking wish I was born a bit earlier so I could experience this. But oh well.

>>10094333
I went to AWA for the first time last year and spent so much time in the video room where they had 2-hour blocks of all the AMV contest entries playing, and it felt like every one blew almost anything I'd seen at my local con's AMV contest out of the water (last year two vids that placed had Kissanime watermarks for god's sake). I'm looking forward to going again this year the most out of all my cons just to watch AMVs again.

>>10039590
Bruh, sex used to be rampant at cons.
The good old days...

>>10033323
Fuck that would be amazing

>>10094333
The other day I found an AMV on YouTube made for a show that came out last year and it blew my mind. There are still some people keeping the good old nerd traditions alive.

>>10098067
Aww man, do you mean fioriparty and fun with akatsuki? Those were catnip to me as a young weeb

And for the Kingdom Hearts Fans out there... Demyx Time

This thread makes me so sad. I wish I could go back to my small hotel cons with less than 1000 people, and just sitting in a circle with some random people I had just met and just talk about anime and our lives.
It's a shame it'll never be like that again.

Things were a lot more relaxed and cheaper. I remember the hotel for AFO 2005 playing random anime (sgt. frog, angels egg, etc) on room TVs for the whole con. Simpler times for sure.

http://www.usagichan2.com/
This site has a lot of old photos from 1998 to present.

>>10102917

And the chinese cosplayer themselves who can pass off convincingly as Japanese Cosplayers as well.

>>10093848
I work on a game show that uses a large quantity of new content, and can give you some insight.

Most of the people who run game shows at cons are either old nostalgiafags who think all modern anime is moe shit and laugh at people who've never heard of Dragon Half or the people running the game shows are literally as lazy as fuck and constantly reuse material from previous years.

The lousy participants are another factor. Even most modern anime fans only really watch the super popular stuff like MHA, Yuri on Ice, or whatever the latest Fate anime is. Most of the people watching 5+ new shows a season aren't often show up at game shows, and the kind who watch 15+ new shows per season typically aren't the con-going type (with how many anime cons these days have become more "teen geek party weekend"s than anything else, can you blame them?). The consequence of using a lot of new shows is either a low answer rate or the same winners year after year.

>>10098067
Side note, I never saw MHS until last week and I couldn't get past the 3rd episode. Haruhi is honest to god the worst character I've ever seen and nobody calls her out on it?

How the hell did this show get so popular? Half the characters look like they're melted

>>10033298
still going to cons (though not as often), and still cosplaying (and looking a lot less bad).
i do miss the vibe of how conventions used to be, and i hate that they just dont seem as fun now, but im happy with the improvements i've made since then.

>>10046000
>I fucking hate myself for not buying an eternal pass back in 07.


First..nice GET
Second...me tooooooo. Eternal passes have always been just outside of my price range. Back when it was $500 that was more than my rent. So it had to wait. Back when it was 700 I just couldn't justify it yet, I didn't know if I would be attending for the 7 or 8 years it would take to pay for itself. Now I'm like....nope never gonna be able to justify $2500

>>10075810
>>that one couple who walked around with the guy in cat ears, a tight black tank top, a pair of trip pants if he were a rich man, and a spiked collar with a chain his chubby girlfriend was proudly holding

I swear I still see this and my face still reflexively scrunches in disgust. I should be used to it by now.

It's just amazing how old the trope is and how someone still manages to think they are being new.

>>10102917
>when enough money enters a scene it just loses the human fun of it.


Yeah. I'm sitting here still angry that money and sex effectively ruined a really good creative way to meet fun people.

Now people are posting for the likes, shooping their pics to high heaven, scheduling 4 photoshoots per con, whining when their newest post only got 200 likes, posting in panties and pasties and calling it cosplay, thinking they have to have 3 new cosplays per con to even be worth it, only wanting to hang with known people....

Ugh it's so sad and so sickening when I think of what this hobby was like before.

Nigri had a huge hand in this and I'll never forgive her for it either. Couldn't hack it as a talented fan or in circles that are meant to be sexy, had to insert her tits into everywhere they didn't belong.

Organization XIII coats as far as the eye could see

I went to my first convention in 2010. I was too young and naive to know anything that was going on at that time. What was the meta? What were the fads? What was that timeframe like with regards to the state of the cosplay and covention scenes? Transitioning to mainstream? Full blown mainstream?

>>10110509
>Now I'm like....nope never gonna be able to justify $2500
Eternal memberships are at $3k now. Which is more than my fucking mortgage. The only I'd buy an eternal membership is if it came with 100% guaranteed first pick and choice of host hotel rooms.

>>10111913
Akatsuki and L cosplay everywhere

>>10110564
So you're blaming the standard and value of cosplaying changing for why you have no friends?
Cosplaying was always about getting attention. You don't remember the videos on youtube and the shit people did to get recognition? Plus, genderbending was always a popular thing.

There's plenty of cosplayers who aren't like Nigri. It's a shame you're not as into cosplay as you think you are to only know about the most popular and easy to know ones.

>>10111913
Bleach

The mid and end 2000's was the best time!
It was a good balance between good cosplay quality and community feel. Early 2000's and before was the most costumes shitty but very great community feel. Today the opposite, cosplay quality is much better but no commuinty feel. Mid and end 2000's = BEST! I really miss it...

>>10033298
I still visit cons but no longer active as cosplayer. Currently I only wear military/army costumes. More reenactment than cosplay.

I have the feel the community was back then more talkative. On cosplay.com you got maaaany comments for a really amazing cosplay and even for normal good cosplays you got a lot comments.

>>10111938
>So you're blaming the standard and value of cosplaying changing for why you have no friends?


Oh please honey, baby boo. I've been cosplaying for 20 years. I made my best friends already. See, because we were all crazy about shows enough to really try our unskilled hands at sewing, gluing, painting, ect and being really excited at SKILL. We bonded over that, not who got 2000 likes in one day.

What I am talking about is that it's no longer easy for people to make those fun connections anymore. It's more about sex, likes, and who you know now.

>Cosplaying was always about getting attention. You don't remember the videos on youtube and the shit people did to get recognition? Plus, genderbending was always a popular thing.

We got attention will skill. Not who took the most clothing off. We had sexy cosplay. But it wasn't the only thing people did. You'd have a sexy Naga the Serpent cosplayer who also made a really detailed Hinoto.
I remember before youtube my sweet child.

Alas the rest of your post is not worth getting into. You know you're just grasping at straws.
Sit down when the adults (who were here well before you) are talking.

>>10112012
> My favorite years were around 2010-ish area
I have to agree.

Protip: If you miss the atmosphere of older cons, go to a smaller local con, specially comic book centric cons. More non-cosplayer attendees than cosplayers. Lots of store bought Halloween costumes. Mostly casual cosplayers. “Career cosplayers” tend to ignore these smaller cons because it doesn’t benefit them, no cosplay elite to network with, no experienced photographers to shoot with. Plus these local cons are dirt cheap.

You know how a lot of the old "big" conventions feel like they've gone down in quality? Maybe it's because a lot of the senior staff are still stuck in the early 2000's mindset that their cons are still small to midsize and haven't adapted to the fact that times and trends have changed.

>>10047114
Tbh social media kind of ruined everything in general, not just von and cosplay, everyone's a model now.

>>10112781
>honey, baby boo
Cringe

>>10112032
>On cosplay.com you got maaaany comments for a really amazing cosplay and even for normal good cosplays you got a lot comments.
Well people now get more comments on Instagram and twitter

>>10112781
I'm from your era and you're embarrassing me. Please stop. I'm sorry you're not happy with how things are now, but some of us just keep going and putting back into the community what we originally got out of it. Becoming bitter and jaded just makes any new cosplayers decide not to care about the past cause no one likes that.

As nostalgic as I am, I am pretty happy for the friends I continue to make to this day. I think there is a wider variety in the types of fans I befriend, so not every single one may geek as hard as I tend to, or be as crafting inclined, but because cons are so widespread now that at least I can still find others who definitely are. If the attendance was as large back in the day as it is now, then some people you run into would still not always be the kind of person you'd get along with. And as someone who's been sewing since 1998, I greatly appreciate that between the stressful complicated costumes, it's much easier to just buy shit when I don't have time to do others.

>>10112810
This. I go to a small summer con every year and always have a damn good time because you're there to have fun, drink, people watch, connect on being a god damn nerd.

>>10113034
Childish insults get spoken to like a child. Pretty standard here.

>>10113175
Cosplay.com is pretty dead or more like undead or vegetative state. I miss the active time...

>>10113175
Heck, I don't even see that many comments on IG anymore. Reach there is such a crapshoot. I'd rather post to where my shit is gonna be seen in order.

>>10113683
Me too. Gosh I remember waiting to post after 3PM cause that's when everyone got home. It was such a good place to see cosplay. Now people stick to their own FB pages and IG shits on your reach.

a little out of the date range you're looking for, just wanna say, here's a photo of Yaya hosting a cosplay panel literally 18 years ago

>>10035035
I miss them too, I haven't spoken to those friends in years but have very few who mutually follow me on social media but never really speak too.

I can't believe it's almost been a decade since then! I practically met my husband on there lol.

I really miss hanging out with cosplayers from the same series for the rest of the day - the most recently I got to do this was like 2013ish? But just goofing off together walking around and making in character jokes was so much fun, especially during my weeb days. You still get this nowadays with lesser known series but I always get bummed when cosplaying from a more popular series and I get either entirely ignored by people cosplaying from the same series or asked if I’ve played/watched it. The whole point of cosplaying is to broadcast your appreciation of a character or for the series to other congoers.

>>10091833

>catsonmars

Oh hell yes. We were horrible bitches but goddamn it was really fun.

>>10116016
>The whole point of cosplaying is to broadcast your appreciation of a character or for the series to other congoers.


Louder for the people in the back.

>>10039236
What a strange time that was where all the now dyed and shaved headed, they/them, antiwhite ex-friends, were still cool with Hetalia fandoms pda & yaoi racism.
I don't miss the Sexual Predator Russia's

>>10027442
girls were pretty much in thongs (seen several girls with pasties). then some fucking mom or dad complained and now we have 'rules' and cops everywhere. sometimes volunteers stop people and 'request' to see the photo some guy has taken to make sure it doesn't violate convention rules.

this is in houston.
nowadays some girls actually sneak thru or change into more revealing inside the bathrooms. only one time did i see a couple staff talk to a girl about her outfit and she responded that she has her badge and they already saw her in the front. if there was a problem they wouldn't have given her pass and let her in.

>>10034210
I miss homestuck cosplayers. Fandom was cancerous but the homestuck friends I did have were the funniest people I've ever met.

>>10095451
>https://amp.azcentral.com/amp/348697001
I... I was there then and I didn't hear about this?!

>>10038849
Playing dress-up for grown women and getting attention for being “pretty”/competing with other women for attention.

>>10112810
Anime USA fills this void for me as it's right after Otakon and right before Katsucon.

>>10033298

i dont know if youd consider 2005 early but im currently working on three costumes.
just started, get deployed in a few weeks and will hopefully return at least a week before the con.

why dont i get out of this stupid hobby KILL ME PLEASE!

>>10033298
Still going to cons, but definitely starting to prefer faires more with the fantasy element. They're more relaxed and I love the whole outdoor festival kind of thing. But I'm still cosplaying.

>>10035033
How could you forget Naruto!?

>>10119371
Do not remind me of that. I hate Naruto.

>>10027442
can't believe no one pointed out this was from the 4chan panel

So the take away from this thread is everyone looks better, smells less and are less rapey?

>>10120482

What now or then?

Cause now:
Looks matter TOO much and we shoop everything to hell
Nope, people still smell as much as they ever did.
Nope, plenty of rapey questionable behavior only now people also put it in text messages and on video.

>>10028883
Yatta!

>>10091833
I miss CoM!

Y’all remember when basically every con booklet stated that caramelldansen and glomping were banned from the con?

>>10120968
Don't forget the yaoi paddle bans.

>>10032740

> Ushicon 5

the con i met ao at :^)

>>10033298

started mid 2000s but im old and fat. trying to lose weight so i can finally couple cosplay

A bit earlier, but obligatory when talking about pre 2010s cons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZmRw9o63RM

>>10033298
Finally make good money to go to as many cons as I want but cant go to many because time.

>>10027442
https://discord.gg/CXf5z44

>>10120971
YAAAAOOOOOIIIIIIII!!!!!

Remember that annoying fucker that would shout that shit from his stall in the dealers room. Shit that store was the one hawking those paddles.

>>10038398
Yours truly, as Vash the Stampede c. 2004

>>10121675
2006 A-kon
Chat, from Tales of Eternia
I wanted to fuck her so badly, but her boyfriend was there and he was cockblocking shit so hard.

The rose tinted glasses in this thread are intense. I think y'all are letting your nostalgia cloud your judgement.

It's true the motivation was more genuinely, but people were also far cringier and even more autistic acting back then. There was no sense of boundaries hardly and it wasn't uncommon to be glomped or paddled on the ass by a complete stranger without permission. It wasn't uncommon for people to try to force themselves on you as your new BFF just because you liked the same series. People felt more bold hitting on each other and since we're dealing with really socially awkward people, getting them to back off was a challenge without being a dick. There no standards for costume quality unless you were competing and the merch at cons was pitiful to say the least.

>>10121679
3/3
Some Outlaw Star cosplay
God Anime was good at one point...

>>10047251
there's pictures of Mamoru Nagano as Sailor Venus in the 80s

Fuck, this makes me remember my first cons, probably 2010 or so?

I tried cosplay, along with my mate, and we looked awful and mildly self conscious but it was mad fun.

I bought a black fleece, beret and white tie and looked vaguely like Yang Wenli, he had borrowed a bomber jacket and was some background character from Gundam X. Nobody had a clue who we were, but we yelled our way through Yuusha Ou Tanjou and Macross at karaoke, bought gunpla and talked endlessly about mecha like the nerds we were.

This is one of my favorite groups from around that time. Paper mache was more of a thing than worbla and foam, but it still could look good and I love that Sizer's whole cosplay.

>>10121089
Thank you so much for this. Im about 3 minutes in and this is nostalgic, heartbreaking, and cringe all at the same time.

>>10121682
>People felt more bold hitting on each other
Nobody wants to get #metoo'd in this era.

>>10121675
I wonder if the people these days recognize my Wolfwood cosplay.

>>10121675
I miss all the Trigun cosplays.