| Megami Shiawase |
Megami Shiawase is an Ukraine cosplayer. As we see, her cosplay is excellent, costumes are well-made, and photographs are
beautiful. The reasons why she can cosplay well are many. Take it for instance, she has a cute face, good shape, and experience of model school. But there are two causes to make she outstanding: friends and attitude. Megami Shiawase has many good
friends in cosplay, one of the most famous one is Eva. Eva is not only a good cosplayer, but an excellent photographer. By her help, Megami Shiawase can having many cool ideas in cosplay, making exquisite costumes, and taking glamorous photos for her. It's lucky to have a good friend like her, isn't it? Next one is attitude. Megami Shiawase always glad to challenge different types of character, choosing good place for cosplay, and some hard postures like sitting in the water. It seems Megami Shiawase's cosplay is for great and perfect, not just for fun. I believe her sincerity in cosplay is deserved to be praised. Nice work!
Besides, Megami Shiawase is our first interviewee in cosplay. We are lucky to have a chance to interview with a great cosplayer like her. More importantly, her mother language is Ukrainian, not English. But Megami Shiawase showed her great attitude to tell her cosplay experience with English, and it touches us. The meaning of her nickname "Megami Shiawase" is "Lucky Goddess," she deserves it.
Heya, Megami Shiawase. Thank you to agree to my interview. Please say hello to our readers.
Hello everyone! I'm honored to be interviewed and to answer all this questions. ^_^ Hope you'll enjoy it!
Could you please introduce yourself?
Well, I'm a 18-years old college student. I'm studying at the Law school in Ukraine and in future I hope to be a good lawyer. I live with my grandfather in Kiev. Most of my friends are cosplayers too, so that's one of the reasons I enjoy cosplay very much! I like to travel and hope that once I'll be able to go to Japan and to China - I love Asian culture and hope to learn more about it from the inside.
You said you are studying at the Law school now. Could you tell me the cause why you choose the Law school to study?
There are many reasons. When I was a kid I loved detective stories, especially the stories about Sherlock Holmes. So it was something like a dream from the childhood to become a lawyer. And then when I grew up I just saw that there is a lot of corruption and other crimes in our country and someone should fight it. So I decided that I can try to make an impact on the situation even if not in all country but at least in my city. =)
Your nick name is "Megami Shiawase."It means "Lucky Goddess" in Japanese. Why you pick it to be your nickname?
Well, it's a funny story! Once when I was 12 I read a fanfiction based on Sailor Moon, and I really loved a character named Megami (in this story she was daughter of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune). I didn't know yet that it's translated as "Goddess" and for some reason I thought it's translated as "the Sea". And Shiawase came from my friend's nick name. She just said that I should have not only a name, but also a last name in my nick name, so I took it.
How long do you take part in the cosplay?
I take part in cosplay events since 2007, so by now it's been 3 years.
What started you on the cosplay path?
It was my friend Eva. Now she's my photographer too. She showed me some photos of Asian cosplayers and said that it could be awesome if we tried to do something like that. And by that time I wanted to make a cosplay of Sailor Neptune, so I agreed to try. It seemed to be a lot of fun, especially understanding that at that time there were almost no cosplayers in Ukraine and we were almost the first ones in our country - that was awesome!
Please tell us your first experience of cosplay.
As I said earlier, it was Sailor Neptune. The costume was made by Eva and her mother, because at that time I didn't know how to sew. I had no wig, wrong shoes, no proper makeup, but still it was a great experience! It allowed me to put myself on a place of my favorite character and it was amazing. Later I remade this costume with a wig, proper accessories and makeup and it's one of my favorite characters by now. =)
What is your most favorite cosplay subject matter?
I love Clamp and Final Fantasy series most of all - they have a unique style and many characters to choose from. Also I like Disney movies cosplay and soon you'll be able to see my cosplay of the White Queen from the movie "Alice in Wonderland".
Which character is your favorite one that you've cosplayed so far?
I think it's Sailor Neptune (or Michiru) from Sailor Moon. I liked this character long before starting my cosplaying and I still like her. Hope that in future I'll make a lot more of her costumes. Also I like Chii and Freya from Chobits and Lulu from Final Fantasy.
"The character you wanna cosplay, but gave up for some reasons."Do you have this experience?
Luckily I've never had this experience. Sometimes I have some doubts but then I just go to the store, buy all materials needed and do it.
What are the good things of cosplay?
Cosplay itself is a great thing! You learn a lot about crafting, sewing, makeup, you learn to be a real actor on the scene, to be a model in front of the camera, make a lot of friends! Also if you're a good cosplayer you get a chance to travel on conventions to different places. I love cosplay for all these reasons. =)
What are the bad things of cosplay?
It's a rather expensive and time-consuming hobby. And when you're well-known, sometimes there are some people who are jealous and trying to make something bad to your clothes or to you, saying bad things about you to others, which are not true. But I think that people like this should be just ignored.
"Studio" and "event", which one do you like?
These are different things and there are great features in both of them. So it depends. If I have a difficult costume like Lulu from the Final Fantasy, I like events more, because I can show my work to many people in real life, they can touch my costume and see that it has a good quality. And if it's a simple costume I prefer just taking photos at studio.
Do you have any experience of taking a cosplay event in a foreign country?
Unfortunately I don't. But I hope that in future I'll be able to go somewhere to Japan, Europe or the USA.
I found you have very few male cosplays. Could you tell us why?
Actually, I also made Arakune from the Angel Sanctuary, who's also a guy, but thinks that he's a girl, and Shindo Shuichi from Gravitation, but that was a long time ago and no pictures left.=( I think that I don't make a lot of guys because my face and body is rather girlish, so it's hard for me to look like a boy. And usually girls have more interesting clothes, so it's much more fun to make them.
Generally we can get cosplay clothes and accessories by "purchase" and "DIY.”Which is your favorite way?
When I began my clothes were made by my friends and I just helped them as much as I could. Now I prefer DIY and never purchase my costumes. I think that cosplayer should bring his soul into his costume, not just buy and go to the convention in purchased clothes.
How do you get the materials for the clothes making?
Unfortunately there are no online stores for cloth making in Ukraine, so I go to tailor's shops and buy it there. Also sometimes I find just what I need in department stores or in second-hand stores, but usually it's easier to sew something than to find it pre-made.
Which material is your favorite one for the clothes making?
I love working with silk, but it's really expensive here, so I use it only for really expensive-looking costumes. Also I like PVC and taffeta.
How much money does it cost for you making clothes?
Oh, well, costs depend on many factors. The cheapest costume for me was my Michiru Kaioh's costume. It was something like 10$ for material, because the material I used was really chip and I needed just 1 or 1,5 meters of it, and I've already had my wig. In average I spend around 50-70 dollars for everything. And the most expensive costume cost me around 400 dollars. It was Princess Ai's Queen's dress and it was made of silk and velvet, and I had to make a crown and a lot of accessories for this costume. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of it yet, but I'll have them in summer.
Which clothes is your favorite one you have created so far?
I like almost all of my clothes, now the most favorite is the one I'm creating right now - it's the White Queen's dress from Alice in Wonderland. I love painting all those snowflakes on the skirt and the detailing looks beautiful so far, so I hope it turns out well!
Some special accessories are hard to get. How do you get
these accessories? For example, where does the mask and the fan come from in
you character Ayanami Rei?
All the other accessories I use for my cosplay except for this mask I either do by myself or my friends help me doing it. Oh, fan was just a random thing I had at my home for many years. We just decided to use it as an accessory to bring some kind of Asian spirit into the photos. The mask was made by my photographer's mother and I'm really thankful to her for this mask!
How do you store your costumes up?
I have a special section in my wardrobe where I store my new costumes and I sell most of the old ones so they don't occupy the place.
Is it okay for you to lend your costumes to other people?
Usually I just sell them but I don't mind lending. If a person can't make this costume but wants to make a cosplay - why not?=)
Are there any specials to clean or wash the costume you cosplayed?
Well, I prefer hand-washing of my costumes because there are usually some paint or other details that might get hurt in the machine. And other things like water temperature depend on the fabric I'm using. So there's nothing much special in cleaning and washing my costumes.
It is hard to exhibit the thoughtfulness and the spirit of a character, but you always did it. What a great job! About this, please tell me your secrets of success.
Oh, actually it's really pleasant to hear it from you because in Ukraine a lot of people criticize me for not exhibiting the spirit of my characters enough. Well, I just like my characters and I know their spirit, their manner of behavior and everything about them. So I just pretend to be my character and that's how it works!=)
Some characters have her expression- cry, smile or cold. Any ideas how to imitate her expression for your cosplay?
I'm not really good at crying for camera, but I think that you should pretend that you actually feel something that would upset you. My secret is remembering my poor hamster who died when I was a kid. Of course I don't cry anymore because of it, but my face gets sad expression. And if I need to laugh, I just remember some funny stories. Also you can try working with the mirror while photographer is taking photos of you.
There are some “hentai factors” in Japanese manga. Did you have the culture shock about that?
When I was about 11 I accidently got to the hentai website. When I saw all those pictures I thought it was a mistake and I didn't understand it right because I thought that anime was only for kids. So I closed that page and forgot about it. And some time later I found out that it was not a mistake and there is such a genre as hentai in anime and manga. Now it doesn't disturb me at all but when I was a kid I was shocked, that's true.
Like "hentai factors" we talked before, sometimes it may be “brutal.” How do you think about that?
I think that you should read about the anime you are going to watch or manga you're going to read and if there's something that may be unaccetable for you, you should just ignore it and consider watching or reading something else. As for me, I'm not really against hentai or violence but this kind of things should not be seen by little kids or by people to whom they're unacceptable.
We talk about it, they show me some pictures; tell me how to make right posture. Sometimes they take a photo of me in my posture and show me what's wrong on that picture. With face expression it's a bit more difficult because sometimes I have problems with showing my emotions but in general we go the same way.=)
What are your principles of cosplay? Let me guess... do your best? Or challenge every character?
Yeah, you just guessed! I'm trying to do my best and try a lot of types of characters! And also I never cosplay the same characters as my friends do because I don't want to argue with them because of cosplay. =)
For you, the meaning of cosplay is?
I believe that cosplay is a thing that allows you to discover a lot of hidden talents and to have fun doing it. Some people say that for them cosplay is a sense of their life but I think that it's just a hobby and you should get as much fun of it as possible and not make it THAT serious.
In your standpoints, what are your difficulties when you cosplay the male character?
Well, as I said earlier I have a girlish body and face, so it's difficult to hide it. And I'm not really good at making boy-like makeup, so even if I don't put any fake eyelashes and lipgloss I still look like a girl. So that's why if I cosplay boys I don't cosplay mature guys, more of girly-looking boys like Arakune or Ryuichi.
Some of your photos that you stand or sit in the water. It must be very hard for you and your clothes! Please tell me the story about it.
Oh, I like this kind of photos! One of them was with my first Ayanami's costume. We were taking photos near the lake under the bridge and it was actually really cold. It was a long time ago and my costume didn't have a really good detailing, so we needed some kind of idea to hide some non-perfect features of this cosplay and to make a good photo at the same time. And when we were near the lake I decided to go in the water to take that picture. I was surprised that after that I didn't get sick at all and we got a good photo of me in the water.=) And that costume... Well, I just threw it away after the shot because it was in rust and dirt and I didn't think it was going to come off. Sometimes these things happen to costumes and of course you feel sorry, but if photos turn out well and you're satisfied you shouldn't feel sorry for your costume - they did a good job for you.
It is important for some characters to their fingernails or toenails. Can you tell me any experiences about your nails in cosplay?
Unfortunately I don't have any kind of this experience. Usually I just use regular nail polish which matches my costume or which is used by the character I'm cosplaying.
Please show your make-up kit.
I don't use any makeup in my everyday life so I don't have a big make-up kit - I use it for cosplay only so it stays with me for long time. =)
In my kit I have just a foundation of two colours - one is natural skin colour Max Factor Colour Adapt and the other is the dark colour Kryolan body foundation. Also I have some fake eyelashes (on the photo are two pairs I'm using most of all, but there are some more I just can't find now). Also I'm using Avon Super Full Midnight mascara in black colour, black and white eyeliners, light powder, some eye shadows and the most important thing to me - a pallet of the Kryolan aquacolour makeup which I'm using to cover my eyebrows and sometimes instead of eye shadows. Also there are some lip glosses but I can't find any of them right now. =( What are your make-up principles?
My skin is far from being perfect so for the shoots and events I put a thick layer of the foundation and cover my face with powder so my skin doesn't shine. Also I'm always using contacts so my eyes have the same colour as my characters. If I'm cosplaying girls I always use fake eyelashes - if it's a young girl, these lashes would be just a bit longer than my own and if it's a mature lady they'll be long and thick. If I'm cosplaying a boy I just use some mascara and don't put any eyelashes on. I often put some white eyeliner on the inside corner of my eyelid and on the waterline, so my eyes look bigger than they are. And the main thing is covering the eyebrows. I'm always using Kryolan aquacolour to do it but a lot of my friends use eye pencils or eyeliners to do it, so you can choose any way which is more convenient for you. And also I put some clear lip gloss on my lips so they look good on pictures. Basically, these are the main principles of my cosplay makeup. ^_^
How do you get the wig for your need?
I've borrowed only one wig for my cosplay of Yuiko Hawatari from Loveless and all the other ones are my own wigs. Most of them are bought either on ebay.com or at the department stores. The ones which are long or have not a natural colour are from eBay and short and naturally coloured are bought in stores.
Tell me your experience about the wig.
I think that wigs are very important to make a perfect cosplay. Of course you may dye your hair for every cosplay and it may look more realistic but eventually you're gonna
loose your hair. And also usually wigs are more thick than the natural hair
and with them you look more beautiful. I never have a difficult hair style on my wigs so I usually buy pre-made wigs, but a lot of my friends use additional fiber or two or three wigs to make a difficult hair styles.
Oh! I was really lucky to get these contacts! Guys from the Coslenses wrote me at the deviantArt and proposed to send me any five pairs of lenses for free in exchange for my photo in these lenses and my opinion on them. At first I didn't believe that was true but then I accepted that proposal and they send me that lenses. And they turned out to have really good quality, so I enjoyed using them for my cosplay. And before that I had some other contacts which are not at that picture and that lenses I got at the optician shop in Kiev.
Tell me your experience about the contacts.
Contacts are important too. I think that if you don't have any problems with your eyes you must wear contacts of the same colour with your character's eyes. If it's the original character you can either wear contacts or not but usually it looks better when the character has bright eye colour. Also if you have small eyes I'd recommend you to wear big eyes lenses which make your eyes look much bigger and sometimes you even may look like an alien.=)
Does anyone help you to make up? Or you just do it by yourself?
Usually I do it by myself but sometimes Eva helps me with it. Like in Arakune cosplay I needed to put a fake tan all over my body so I couldn't do it by myself and she helped me.
① You cosplayed the Ukraine in the comic "Axis Powers Hetalia."An Ukrainian cosplayed Ukraine, that's cool!
Yeah! It's one of the most known of my cosplays. I also find it funny that Ukrainian cosplayer cosplays Ukraine=) I was glad to find this amazing background just few miles from Kiev (it's an open-air museum of Ukrainian architecture). My photographer and I did my best to fit in this character and to get really good photos.
You took a fork when you cosplayed Ukraine. That's suitable for your cosplay! Could you tell me where did you get this cool item?
Oh, Ukraine has a fork in manga so I decided to have one too=) I got it from the household goods store and they cost me something around $3 so it was a good idea to buy it.
② In my opinion, the great cosplayer of Chii is you. Especially in "Fallen" and "Fallen - ver.2."It is our ideal Chii. Thank you.
Thank you so much! Cosplaying Chii was my dream from the childhood and I'm glad that I could do it so good. I have plans on doing some other costumes of her and I hope that they'll be even better!=)
③ Freya is a twin of Chii, but they are different. Give you credit for the great performance, Freya has the outstanding charisma but differ to her sister, Chii. I believe Freya is one of your best cosplays.
Thanks again! I was afraid to make this cosplay for the convention because it's rather exposed but then I decided to make it and it turned out really well! I think that I look more like Freya than like Chii, because Freya is more mature and thoughtful. And if I have enough time I'll have one more photoshoot of this costume.
④ Actually, it doesn't like the cosplay, but like the stage photo- wonderful!
Yuuki is one of the most difficult characters for me and now I know that I don't look like Yuuki at all. So as you said I think of it as of stage photoshoot and it was my prom dress too. ^___^
⑤ You usually cosplayed a beautiful girl ordinarily. But in this series, you look like a playgirl! In my first view, I was doubted about this, "Does the girl here as same as I have seen before? That can't be!"
Actually this character is a boy who acts and looks like a girl. I tried to put on a new image for me and a lot of people said that I didn't look like myself at all at these photos. I think it was a success, because trying on new characters is always difficult thing and I'm glad that it turned out that way! =)
You took a cigarette when you cosplay Arakune. Are you smoking?
No, I don't, but the character does, so I've decided to take a cigarette as an accessory for this cosplay.
*____* Thank you! We planned on a big cosplay team for Loveless but no one except for me did it in the end=( Yuiko was so cool in this anime so I wanted to cosplay her from the very first episode of "Loveless". And I also love cats ears and pink hair, so that was one of the reasons of doing it ^__^ And no, you can't take her home, because everyone else would be upset. Sorry^^
You kissed the frog when you cosplay Yuiko Hawatari. Who is that lucky guy!
Oh, I still feel sorry but I kissed an unknown guy who just stays in a park. I hope that my boyfriend is not going to kill me. xD
⑦ Your Os-tan looks like a noble doll. It’s beautiful. White color brings the cold atmosphere to the watchers, but the colorful apple can balance it. I think the color this series is marvelous.
All thanks to my wonderful photographer! She was the one to give me an idea for this photoshoot and she also gave me that apple=) I think that these photos look more like fashion photos than cosplay but I loved them from the first time I saw them ^_^
⑧ Your Michiru is as beauty as a goddess. Ah, the violin? Does it mean you played violin when you cosplayed Michiru?
Thank you so much! Unfortunately I don't play violin and actually a lot of people say that I even hold it in a wrong way. T_T
You took a flask when cosplayed Rebecca, and there is the mysterious blue liquid in it! What is that?
Oh, you make me reveal all the secrets! It was just a dish washing liquid, nothing chemical or illegal=)
I like the place you cosplayed Mokona! That's fantastic! Where is that place?
It is the roof of one of the abandoned buildings in Kiev. We asked the security guardian to let us in and luckily he allowed us to get there and take some pictures. And actually that was a really scary experience!
The photo that you and Eva sit together. This living photo is cool but...who took this photo? Could you tell me?
Oh, that photo was taken by Stan Kochubey. He's a good Eva's friend and he assisted us with that photoshoot.
I found some living photos in your Facebook. I am confused that there is the pattern in your face. What is that situation?
Actually those photos are not actually "living photos". They were taken by Mika Jazz for some kind of contest where he showed his artistic makeup and photography skills. So that was just a makeup for the photos, nothing more.
There is a funny image in your blog. What is the story about this image?
Lol.=)) I love this image=) When I put the original photo online a lot of people said that it looks like Lulu's having a headache. So one of my friends used it as a fake advertisement image for Panadol. On the bottom it says "Say NO to the headache" and lists the indications for using Panadol=)
I found that many of your great cosplay photos are photographed by the cameraman "Eva."You said she is your good friend and an excellent photographer. Can you tell me more about her?
Oh, she was the one who brought me into cosplay. I know her for 7 or 8 years by now. She is a very creative person! Not only photographer but also a cosplayer, artist and a singer! She's well known for her cosplays and photos in Ukraine and Russia and I enjoy working and being friends with her.
A cameraman is important for the cosplayer. It's lucky to have a great friend to be your cameraman (I mean Eva). Do you have the other cameraman to help you to take pictures for you?
Yes, I do. I work with an amazing photographer Nekudza. Eva and I once had a photoshoot with Onkami. With Mad.Indigo who took pictures of two of my Michiru cosplays. And also with Pugoffka.
Your Lulu is excellent. Costume, accessories, qualities... all of them are great. Nice work!
Lulu was also a challenge for me. I've never tried such mature looks on me before her. And also it was one of the most difficult costumes and accessories to make. I'm still proud of myself to make everything by my own hands*___* And I was lucky to have such a beautiful building for the background just two blocks from my house. *_*
It is the central park of Kiev, it's named "Mariinsky Park" after the name of the Russian Queen Maria whose palace is in this park.
You said this dress is made by yourself. That's great! Show me your story about this dress.
I wanted to make this dress for a long time but I thought that it was too difficult for me to draw all those flowers and things on the skirt and sleeves, to make right accessories and everything else. And also I thought that I was too young to make it. But once I tried to put on her makeup and I was suprised by how much older I looked then. So I've decided to put as much effort as possible to make this cosplay and I believe it turned out pretty well. And also at that time it was the most difficult of my cosplays so I was really proud of myself ^_^
You took a stuffed toy when you cosplay Lulu. Does it make by yourself too?
No, this toy was made by my friend Anelia Asare.
The accessories here are suitable for you. Where did you get them?
Usually I make all my accessories by myself but sometimes I find something suitable it shops or markets and modify it a so it looks perfectly the same.
Actually that was not a cosplay. I came to Eva's house to help her with making a background for our next photoshoot, and she just got new studio lights she wanted to try out. So she gave me her kimono and a wig, got some flowers and made this photos.
Gee! The black cotton kimono is beautiful! Does it make by yourself too?
No, it was Eva's kimono she made by herself.
The cosplay is great, but I cannot found it in any other places like DeviantArt or Facebook. I almost miss it! Any reasons about that?
Well, I'm not sure what those symbols on photos mean and neither does Eva, so I don't want to look stupid if they mean something weird or don't mean anything at all.=)
It's a good idea to put a cute girl and the epiphyllum together. Does the epiphyllum in your hands are real?
No, they are not. We used them for many other photoshoots too, because they are beautiful and really helpful.
Please introduce your family, and their opinions on your cosplay.
Oh, unfortunately my family is not big. I live only with my grandfather. Also I have father who lives in the USA and a grandmother who also lives in Kiev but not with me. My father seems to be proud when he sees my interviews and photos in magazines but he doesn't understand why I need to spend so much money on this hobby. My grandfather always encourages me on doing more beautiful costumes and always shows my photos to his colleagues. He's also proud of me but he thinks that I should take more care of my studying at the college than my cosplay. And my grandmother doesn't exactly understand what's the cosplay all about but she likes my photos and costumes. =)
I checked your name and found it means "eugenia" in English. Beautiful! Who gave you this great name?
My mother gave me this name. She named me after a woman who introduced my parents to each other and without whom I would probably never be born.
Ahh! Your favorite movie is "The Shawshank Redemption," as same as me! Tell me the reasons why you love it.
Oh, it's one of the greatest movies in the world! At least I think so. It tells a story about a guy who was in jail for many-many years and finally could escape it thanking to his calmness, being brave and being able to fight for his freedom. I think that this story can teach many people about fighting for their rights, about friendship, about being smart and brave, about never giving up and finding ways out of troubles. But it's my point of view and I believe that everyone should watch this movie and make his own opinion on it.
In deviantART, your description is "I am a Deviant of Many Talents."What is this mean?
Well, I'm interested not only in cosplay. I'm fond of drawing, taking photos, writing poems... But I usually don't show anything on deviantART except for my cosplays.
Your brief statement in facebook is "False tears bring pain to those around you. False smiles bring pain to oneself." In my memories, these are the words of C.C. in Code Geass. What is your viewpoint of these words?
Yes, these words are from Code Geass and I think that they are really wise! I think than nobody should put masks on just to pretend that he feels something he doesn't feel - it can hurt you and the people around. And it's hard to describe my viewpoint of this world... World is a very complicated thing and I'm trying to understand as much as I can, but to my mind nobody can learn everything. So I think that everyone should try and learn as hard as he can to get as much knowledge and understanding as possible.
Although in Japan, some people have the prejudice against cosplay and cosplayer. Are there any prejudices in Ukraine?
In Ukraine cosplay is not as popular as it is in Japan. A lot of people find it an interesting thing, but many adults think that it's childish thing and normal teenagers would never have such kind of hobby. And also there is a lot of prejudice about anime - in Ukraine many people think that it's either cartoons for little kids or hentai and nothing in between, so it's difficult to explain why we're doing it.
If a girl is locked by a camera, she would be very nervous
and may have a poor presentation. But you always cosplay naturally, and have
no tense mood. I believe it is one of the reasons to be a great cosplayer
like you.
Well, when I was 13 I was in Model school and worked as a model for about a year, so probably that's the reason. I love camera and camera loves me. I think that learning not to be afraid of the camera is one of the most important things for any cosplayer, so you should practice a lot to look natural on photos - ask your friends to take some pictures of you or practice with the mirror. You should find the poses in which you feel the most comfortable and like yourselves the most, so you'll be ready to pose for the real photographer.
You said you were in model school when you were thirteen?
A lot of girls at the age of 10-15 dream about being famous and I wasn't an exception. I thought that I had all the features needed to become a model so I decided to go to this school to study and to become a real model. I studied there for 6 months, learned a lot about makeup, walking on the runway, about style, working with the camera and all the other things model should know. After that school I started working as a model but it didn't last for too long because fashion world is really difficult to understand, at least for me, and girls always find for the place and you can never know if a person really likes you or just wants to use you. So I decided to quit it and I'm happy with that decision.
You are an outstanding cosplayer in Ukraine. I hope I could have a chance to know more cosplayers in your country. Could you introduce some of your cosplayer friends to me?
Sure! In Ukraine we have a lot of outstanding cosplayers but I'd love to share with you my TOP-3 Ukrainian cosplayers:
iI's Akuma Kawaii - my personal #1 choice.
Eva - you've read a lot about her in my interview.
And Bellatrix Aiden - one of my best friends and a person whose cosplays I adore.
You have many cool photos in public. Which one is your most satisfactory photo?
Ah, I can’t choose one, I'm sorry.=( I think there is at least one "the most satisfactory photo" in every shoot. So here are my most favorite
ones! And many other =) I'm sorry that I didn't choose one((
It is popular for a cosplayer or a photographer to process their photos to be more beautiful. What is your opinion about that?
I think that it’s ok to process photos as long as you don't add any missed details to the costume and don't change your face or body. It's ok to play with colours, to remove some skin defects or shadows from the face if the light was bad. So I don't mind proceeding photos as long as it looks natural and doesn't change real appearance of the cosplayer.
Your cosplay is wonderful! All of your cosplayed characters are lifelike. But I cannot find any living photos, even your original looks. Could you show me some living photos about yourself?
Unfortunately I don't have many recent photos of me, so here is one from the last summer.^_^
Some characters you wanna cosplay wear the "exposed" clothes. Does it trouble you?
No, it doesn't. I think if you have a good body and if your cosplay doesn't cross the line of decency and if you're not nude on your photos it's ok.
I have visited your facebook, and I found your description is "The pessimist is never disappointed."What does it mean?
It means that if a person doesn't think that everything is going to be great from the beginning he would not be disappointed if anything goes wrong. He's gonna be ready to some problems and can face them.
In our stereotype, Russian and Ukrainian cosplayers are
always beautiful, but has a straight face. How do you think about it?
Thank you for the compliment! =) Well, it depends on cosplayer. Some of our cosplayers need to practice more to show their emotions and some of them look like real actors on their photos, so of course some have straight faces and some don't. It's ok to have some kind of stereotypes, because you see what you see and you make your own impression about it. =)
Did you have the experience traveling to the other countries?
I have traveled to the US once but nowhere else. I hope to go to Asian countries when I'll have a chance!
You said English is not your mother language, but your English is as fluent as a American! Wow! Awesome!
Thank you for these words! I've been studying English since I was 3 and I had great teachers. Also at the age of 14 I went to the US for one year and went to school there, so it made a great impact on my English skills.
You went to US and went to the school there for one year? Tell me more.
My father lives in the US and I came to visit him and let my grandfather with whom I live in Kiev take a rest.=) And also I wanted to improve my English and get the experience of studying in other country so I went to High School there. It was a great experience because I met a lot of interesting people and learned a lot. And also the educational system of the US is really different from the one in Ukraine so it was really interesting for me to study in different way. And also I didn't have to wear school uniform as I did in Ukraine so it was a great pleasure for me to be able to dress in any way I like.
You have the good shape. It is satisfied for me to enjoy your great cosplay! But I have a question: Ukraine is very cold in fall and winter, but sometimes you wear too few in cosplay. You must be very brave to do it!
Usually I take pictures when it's warm so I don't get cold. And if it's cold and I have to take pictures I usually have a warm coat and a lot of hot tea with me and it really helps.=)
Ukraine in the country, Yuuki in the town, and Eureka in the lake. You always cosplayed in the beautiful place! Could you tell me the experiences about place-choosing in cosplay?
Thank you! Usually it's my photographer who chooses the place, so I'm really thankful to all of them! We're lucky to have all those beautiful places in Kiev or around it so we don't have to go anywhere far from home. Ukraine is so beautiful and I hope that a lot of people will be able to see it!
I don't really know. I just enjoy putting my ideas on paper. When I was a kid I was one of the best in class in writing essays and short stories and it was fun for me. Now I don't do it as often as I used to but sometimes I read my old stories and I think that they were really good as for a kid.
You are also interested in poetry. That is a good accomplishment. Please show me the reasons why you like that.
Just the same as writing. Also it allows to show your ideas in interesting form and to develop your creativity. And also it's not only about writing but also about reading poems. There are so many types of poems, so many themes, so many poets who have their own styles! It's a great pleasure to find something that's interesting for you and to read it.
You love sweet? In our stereotype, sweet is equal to fatty
and bad shape. But you have a great shape. That can't be! Show me the knacks
how to eat sweet without getting fat.
Oh, I'm not sure why I'm not getting fat=) I eat A LOT of sweets every day - candies, pies, cakes, chocolates etc. and I just don't get much weight and If I do it's enough for me not to eat sweets for a week and I get back in my shape. I think that I'm just lucky=)
I believe manga and anime are famous in many other countries, of course in Ukraine. Please introduce the culture of manga and anime in Ukraine.
Unfortunately we don't have any anime or manga artists here. Of course there are a lot of people who like drawing fan art but nothing has been published in Ukraine yet. And a lot of Ukrainian kids, teenagers and adults enjoy anime and manga. They can watch some series on TV and online, they buy a lot of figures, posters, toys and other fan things - just as in any other country where this culture is popular.
Do you have any religious beliefs?
I'm not sure yet. I think I need to think more about it. Maybe later I'll be able to tell, but now I don't know.
If you get the magic lamp, what wish do you promise?
I'm not a kind of person who makes wishes. I make goals and do everything to achieve them. So probably my only wish would be an ability to set the goals I can achieve by myself.
What is your most interesting language?
I'd love to learn French and Japanese. French is so romantic and Japanese is so different from any European language! If I have time I'll try to study these two languages.
Did you have any experience in Japanese food?
I love Japanese food! We have a lot of Japanese food restaurants here and I often go there on weekend. I love Japanese soups and sushi. But a lot of people say that Japanese food we have here is different from the real Japanese food, so if I go to Japan it'll be the first thing I'll check just to feel the difference.
There are many cute creatures in manga and anime. Which is your favorite one?
Mokona Modoki! They're extremely cute! I have a plushie toy of it and I also made an original cosplay of this creature. *_* If Mokonas were real I'd love to have one at my house.
If it's possible, which character do you wanna be a friend in real-life?
Oh, there are so many characters that I can't choose, I'm sorry. But I think that I'd like to communicate with all the characters I cosplayed and with their friends from anime and manga.
In our country, it's not good to show your private profile in public. But I found that you displayed your private profile in Facebook. (cell phone number, real name...) Could you tell me the reason about that?
Oh, well, I don't think that my real name is something I should hide. And my cell phone and most of other information is visible either for me only or for me and my friends, so I don't think that there's gonna be a problem.
What do you want to challenge in the future?
I don't really know yet. I hope that I'll be able to do my best in everything I'll try and I'll succeed in all my goals.
Tell about your aspiration.
I'm a superstitious person and I think that if you tell a lot of people but your aspirations it might not happen. So I'll prefer to leave it with me and you'll be able to guess my aspiration by what I'm doing.
It 's close to the end. Say something to your readers.
Thanks for reading my interview! I hope that you liked it.=) Also I hope that I gave you some useful tips and maybe some inspiration for your future cosplays. The main point I'd like to say is that you must do everything to achieve you goals. And never be afraid of what you're dreaming - there's nothing impossible it this world! Good luck and happiness to every one of you!
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me and for sharing his experiences with our readers.
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