Cosplay Superstar Interview: Phoenix Kasai

Since you’ve cosplayed as C. Viper, I hope you can help me with something I’ve been curious about ever since her character design became public. Her hair… How does that work?

The C. Viper hair question… It really seems to be the million dollar question I’m constantly asked. The one full day I wore the costume I ended up loosing my voice by the end of the day trying to explain it to so many people. I’m tempted to just tape record it for the next convention I go to… *LOL*

I’ve seen a couple of other cosplayers do this character and most simply take a full wig and either add a second one to the top or simply braid it down the back. After seeing both of these I came up with a design and messaged Cora for her wig advice since she is very skilled with wigs. (She’s mostly known for her Kingdom Hearts wigs.)

When she confirmed my method was a good idea I just went with it. To simply explain it, its a giant braid on several clips, but making that braid was certainly the difficult part. It involved one of my bathrooms being unusable for 3 weeks while close to 20 bags of hair were either being straightened, cut, hot glued or braided. It only took about $40 to make it, but the process and time of making it makes it worth a couple hundred dollars in the long run.

Actually, the week of the convention there was an accident with the wig… Wanna hear about it??

Not at all. I mean, YEAH! (I hope this doesn’t involve fire!)

Well you notice those glasses I’m wearing for Viper?? They are actually being held up with spirit gum. Somehow the Monday before the convention nearly half of my bottle of spirit gum landed on my wig in a giant puddle and the point where the “head” meets the “tail” of the braid. I was freaking out so much I couldn’t even get upset. I ended up simply cutting it down about 4 inches and redoing part of it that night with lots of improvisations. In the end I think the final product ended up better than it was before.

Lesson: Hair for C.Viper $30
Clips for C. Viper $10
Saving your C. Viper wig from disastrous spirit gum and having everyone love the final product : Priceless!

Thank god it didn’t involve fire. I think spirit gum is flammable… Should I be worried about my next convention??

Just as long as it’s in a non-smoking building! How heavy is that ponytail? Does it weigh your head backward much? I can only imagine how someone would handle a street fight with one of those.

Its actually not that heavy at all! But by the end of the day it easily feels like 10lbs! It honestly didn’t pull my head back, but it does make it nearly impossible to turn your head. I really did want to make it as functional as possible without making it look extremely unnatural.

What’s your experience been while attending conventions in costume? Is it like a day-long photoshoot? How does it feel versus when you go in your street clothes?

Well there is definitely benefits to both. In street clothes I can walk around and look at other costumes, dealers, or go to panels. But in costume you have to be at the whim of the con-goers and photographers.

There have been many times where I’ve missed either a event or panel because I couldn’t get there in time. I either lose track of time or because I keep getting pictures taken. I’ve also noticed that it really depends on the costume. I can run around in my Asa Shigure (Shuffle!) school girl costume and I’m stopped for pictures once in a while, but not like it is with Viper.

With each convention it really depends on timing. For example: my last convention Akon in May 2009 Viper was very popular but it might have just been because Street Fighter had just been released. My next one in a couple of weeks may prove that Viper won’t be as noticed as she was at Akon.

How do the fanboys treat you while you’re in costume? Have they been gentlemen for the most part, or do you tend to get some creeps come up to you?

Overall most guys have been great and very cool with me. But, I think it depends on the costume/character I’m playing and how much skin I happen to be showing. When I’m Viper or Lady I physically hold myself differently than I do with Yuuko (xxxHolic) or Asa (Shuffle!), so guys approach me differently about getting pictures with me.

But with Lady I came to expect a different kind of attention, I think it really comes with the job of which ever character your playing. But I still try to stay in character! With Viper they would want a really close hug or a kiss and I would say, “Fine, but as long as I can punch you while I’m doing it!” Strangely, a lot of them went along with it

Gut punch for a smooch? Could be worth it… Lindze Merritt also mentioned that guys too often mistake the cosplayer for the character theyr’re dressed as. Even if that were true, it’s not wise to flirt with C. Viper, since she has shock gloves and flaming kicks.

Exactly! One of the most memorable things said to me was, “Wow! You’re may favorite to play as”, or “My brother loves playing with you!” I get what they were trying to say but I think they could find other phrases sometimes… *LOL*

With your gallery of costumes still growing, are there any characters on your wish list? Which characters would you most like to become?

Oh I always have a wishlist of characters!!! Well, I would love to do the Major from GitS, but that costume will have to be completely flawless before I show that in public. I just wouldn’t feel right otherwise. I’m planning on Lightining from Final Fantasy XIII, but the character my friend and I would LOVE to do from FFXIII is Shiva (pre bike formation of course). But I haven’t been able to figure out how to lose enough weight out of the headpiece to make that possible.

I’m also planning on Nono from Gunbuster/Diebuster2.

Since you have a background in theater which has helped fuel your projects in cosplay, is costuming something that you do professionally or is it something you do purely for fun on the side?

Costuming is something I do for fun currently, but I am in the process of trying to get on with the local theatre group and help with their costumes in order to improve my skills. I would love to open a store eventually for costumes, cosplay, and clothing… But I haven’t won the lottery yet.

Until then, it’s a labor of love?

Mostly. I do have some people that I am commissioning costumes for, but they are mostly local kids who know me one way or another. But still mostly a labor of love.

Do you have any knowledge that you’d like to pass on to fellow aspiring cosplayers out there, based on your adventures?

Wow.. tough question! I can think of several pointers I would tell each cosplayer starting out. But more than anything, please stay true to the character. Understand that while you have chosen to do this character because you like them for one reason or another there are many other people who have also seen this character and may have a different interpretation than you. Therefore, you need to 1. do research into the character and 2. do the character justice make sure to leave yourself at the door and bring only that character to the con.

I don’t mean to take this from a theatre perspective, but I hope people remember that other people love that same character for a reason and that a bad interpretation of the character could make someone very sad.. I think its happend to all of us who have been to a few conventions

But more than anything… Cosplay is about having fun and expressing yourself through another character! So have fun and pic a good character!

Would you say that your presence as the character is as much for your audience as it is for yourself dressed as them?

Absolutely! Do you know how upset I would be to see a Major Kutsunagi (GITS) flirting up and acting dumb in front of some people. If I see that I think a little piece of me would die inside. So my rule is: No cosplay character death!

If you are taking on the responsibility of creating a costume for a character, at least take the responsibility to portray that character correctly for the rest of us.

On a similar note, many fans recommend, “Choose a character that also best suits your body type,” but it’s hard to not sound offensive by it. Until I lose my spare tire, characters with a midriff are off my list.

I know that the weight subject is a sticky subject with a lot of cosplayers. The argument is either A. Stick to your body type or B. Just have fun and cosplay who you want to cosplay as. Honestly I know there is no way I can physically ever imitate the Major, just as there is no physical way some guys can imitate the Street Fighter guys. Minus Rufus.

But I think trying to stay close to your natural body type is a good idea. If some people naturally want to dress in smaller cosplay I think that’s great! Though maybe they should also consider having a healthier lifestyle.

Well, PK, I appreciate you taking the time for us here. Do you have anything else that you’d like to share your experiences?

Well, I would just like to say that I’m still a pretty fresh cosplayer and I am still learning a lot everyday, so I most certainly don’t know as much as some of the seasoned cosplay veterans. While I offer critcism of my cosplay I expect people to be critics of my work or I’ll never get any better. People can check out my MySpace or my Cosplay.com profile if they want to check out my costumes.

Oh and I feel very lucky that so many have liked my interpretation of Viper! She really is a great character! One of my next ones will be Elika from Prince of Persia and I will have a Prince to go with me so hopefully it will be just as well received.

I really want to thank Phoenix Kasai for spending some time with me and sharing her views with gamers and otaku everywhere. I recommend you all stay tuned to her web pages for photo gallery updates within the next couple of weeks!

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