Hello, I'm Kirisaki from Singapore. Nice to meet ya! This is around the third year I'm cosplaying. I hope to work with cosplayers or photographers from over the world. I look forward to meeting more people, whether it's at shoots /events!

Currently I'm attending college in Singapore. I'm still a year 1 student. I leave my age to your guesses LOL. I know there are a lot of people in the cosplay circles still schooling, it will be pretty cool to know someone who studies at the same place as I do. However, I do get people recognizing me on my way to/back from school. Which is actually a bad thing, because I'm sometimes not very image-conscious.

I'm pretty bad at naming things, including myself LOL. When I first started cosplaying, I had to think of a nick name. Unfortunately I was totally uncreative. Since I was reading the manga Black Cat at that time, and I really loved this character called Kirisaki, I named myself after her. Now I wish that I was more innovative. My name sounds uncool, I really think so. Also, because of its meaning, people mistook me for being aggressive, unfriendly and anti-social, though it's just a tiny little population ROFL. I’ve had people asking me the same question many times, though this is the first time I’ve answered it properly I think. I’ve considered about changing my name for quite a lot of time, and as usual, I’m out of brain juice and can’t come up with anything good. I guess it’s Kirisaki for as long as I cosplay LOL.

I would say that it is purely for fun ROFL. You have a list of deviant titles you could give yourself to choose from. I have moved from "yellow alien" to "deviously deviant" and finally settled on "self-proclaimed genius". I'm quite the nonsensical person around friends, and the title "self-proclaimed genius" fitted me quite alright since I'm always the one coming up with last-minute or crazy ideas. I can be shameless around close friends sometimes, though I really think I have some awesome ideas, hence self-proclaimed genius LOL since no one else ever called me one. Therefore I said it's really just, for fun haha.

BL literally means "boy love". I don't really have an answer for this. It's like how guys like girls, and girls like guys, homosexuals, etc. LOL.

I totally have a longer answer for this. I fell in love with the character ever since I saw it the first time, which I cannot remember when. It's fat, cute and has a variety of clothes and appearances in which it appears in. The typical kind of reasons girls will give when they like something LOL. I think I’ve crossed the borderline of like I’m practically in love with it. Almost 80% of the things I have at home have Rilakkuma on it. The way it looks at you is too hard to resist not falling in love HAHAHA. There’s Korilakkuma and Kiroitori too. The trio makes things perfect. Recently I fell in love with Kapibarasan too, because it has a cute nose.

I’m the only child in the family of 3, which consist of mainly just my parents. I don't have a family which is supportive of cosplay. Generally the feedback given to me by my family members are that cosplay is a supreme waste of money, time and effort. Also, my parents are kind of conservative and frown upon certain cosplay costumes which they regard as "inappriopriate" or "strange". It occurs to them that cosplay is a hobby for freaks, which I vehemently disagree. Well, different people have difference opinions, Sometimes I do wish to have older siblings who, cosplay as well. Maybe that way my parents will be more open to the idea of cosplaying, rather than shooting negative comments simply because it’s not something normal that they will see. They don’t disagree if I want to go see a cosplay event or anything like that though, as long as I don’t involve myself with cosplaying, it’s fine. I will just have to keep them in the dark about me cosplaying then, ROFL.

I first saw cosplay on a television show in China. It was around 2004. It was the season of ChinaJoy, a major cosplay event in China. I remember vividly that there were Naruto cosplayers on stage, and they looked fabulous. When I got back to Singapore, my friend had introduced the idea of cosplaying when she brought me to a local event. Since she had already tried it out once, she introduced me to the local cosplay forum. I was a huge fan of anime/manga/games etc. so I thought that the idea was worth a try. I bean joining cosplaying groupings, making new friends and gaining more knowledge about the hobby in the meantime. My first event in Singapore was End of Year 2005. Impressed with almost everything, I decided to pick up cosplay next year. The cosplayers I saw at the event gave me a big mental push to start cosplaying myself. So here I am today. My first cosplay was a disaster, so you probably won’t see pictures lying around anymore, at least not in my site haha. That was how I started cosplaying basically, through the influence of a friend. Now I’m even more active in the cosplay circle than she is, but she might have stopped anyway.

Horrible. LOL. I mean, the experience wasn't bad. It was rather, I. I knew little about cosplay. I went to an event with some friends, and they were late. All I knew was to put on a wig, costume and shoes. I had minimal knowledge about makeup, character portrayal and all. But there I was being impatient to wait for help so I decided to go on and do the preparation myself. So basically I did everything I could and went around posing and taking photos while waiting for my friends to arrive. Time passed extremely fast. I was very stiff when it came to smiling into the camera, or looking at the camera for that matter. I had problem smiling properly, my smile was always crooked. So I decided I shall just not smile LOL. At the end of the day, I saw pictures and felt really ugly LOL. I had the most awkward expression, and body languages. I hunched a lot, an extremely bad habit. Overall, I just looked terrible on my first time, moreover an event. Utter embarrassment. I hope no one remembers me haha. However, the experience at the event was really good. I was glad that I managed to do everything myself the first time round, at least I had some hands on experience. It was rather fun putting makeup on my own face. Being the girl I am, of course I like looking pretty! I kind of liked the fact that photographers come up to you asking for photos, and sooner or later you make friends whom you can talk to about cosplay, those who share the same hobbies. I talked a lot with the cosplayers at the event. I knew a lot more friends who would guide me along the way, a newbie as I was at that time. I was glad I met people like them.

I don't have a favorite to be honest. I cosplay whatever I feel like cosplaying, because of the fact that I really love that particular series, or a character for that matter. Of course I will choose characters that suit me as well. For example, I really love Zack from Crisis Core, but that doesn't make me want to cosplay him for obvious reason (cosplay fail) ROFL. However, I generally like cosplaying characters with less props or weapons. I’m not particularly good at making them, unlike my friends. I prefer to cosplay series/ characters with doable costumes. I’ve cosplayed quite a lot of characters from Final Fantasy too, like Zidane, Serah, Rikku and Hope. It’s one of the series that I’ve cosplayed the most characters from. As you can see, generally they do not have epic weapons, only simple ones. I’m not someone who can make Lightning’s or Noctis’ weapon. Final Fantasy has been one of my favourite game series, there is no doubt I would do more characters from there, though I would not call it my favourite cosplay subject matter.

Alois Trancy. I spent hours watching/reading the Kuroshitsuji series (like many others). I bought the 2 art books and black tabloid for Alois' sake. Though I love Sebastian too but I can't cosplay him, so that's too bad HAHA. I got very excited with making Alois' costume, though I didn’t have the time to do it in the very end and sent it to a local tailor. I chose the prettiest shade of purple (I think), and paid notice to many smaller details. He was a character I have confidence pulling off. I really did a lot of research too, making the effort to read every single word regarding him. His character attracted me the most, and I love his wicked smile. He caught my attention at the very first episode, and from then on I’ve decided that he is definitely the one I will be cosplaying. I gave up my plans on doing Ciel for quite some time, and concentrated on Alois alone.I looked forward to cosplaying him, because I love him too much. He was someone I could do. I loved cosplaying him. Though he does not have a very fanciful costume unlike so many of others’ I loved every piece of my costume to bits. I guess you can call me biased LOL. I had no problem being a totally wrecked brat like he was, taking photos and stuffs during shoots and events. I particularly like the picture where I’m sticking out my tongue, though I was merely mimicking an action he did in the anime itself.

Cosplay itself is a form of enjoyment and reward to me. I get satisfaction from the way my costume is done by myself, and accessories/props that I make. Every time I try out something new, it's like making a masterpiece, though it turns out looking like crap sometimes HAHAHA. I like the way I get to portray characters I love, how I can be different from how I look usually, how there are so many others that have interests like me. In the process you get to meet new friends, who share your views and supports you along the way, since cosplay is not widely accepted as other hobbies do. You get to exchange ideas and try out things you thought you could never do. Builds up your confidence as well, and there's always someone up there you can look up to. I don't know, it's like a magnetic charm that I'm drawn to, and somehow can't get away from it.

The cost. But I guess every hobby/interest requires you to spend money somewhere, just how much on it. You buy cloth for costumes making, beads/jewels for accessories. Wood, plastic, foam sheets for props/weapon making. For me, I spend a lot on cosmetics too. You pay for tailoring fees, for wigs, for shoes etc. It might not seem much at first, but as it accumulates, it's actually quite a remarkable sum. I don't really want to calculate on how much I've spent LOL. As long as I'm happy with the way it goes, I don't see the problem. It's not as if I've spent my fortune on cosplay or anything like that. I know my limit. I won't compare such amounts to those whose hobbies as photographer, BJDs or anything like that. Because to them, the amount we spent might seem like peanuts LOL. So there's nothing much to complain about really, if you are doing something that you love.

Yea of course. I had many plans, which I slowly cancelled out. The problem always lies with me not being to portray, or I simply don't suit such characters. There are characters that I can cosplay, and others I can't. I'm unable to pull off cool-looking characters and tall manly ones for obvious reasons. LOL. I can't do tall and sexy characters either, they aren't my type ROFL. Sometimes I look into the mirror and just find myself not good enough and don't have the confidence to cosplay that character. Either the portrayal problem or that I've lost interest in that character. It happens when you've not touched the particular series for a long time, and you really don't feel like cosplaying it anymore. Usually it's the first case though.

Face shape, body shape, and the looks. Male characters tend to have a more angular face shape, sharper chin, etc etc. The body structure is different too. They have different way of behaving, and anime/manga makes them look awesome and cool HAHAHAHA. I always look too girly. Therefore I only choose shota, or girly ones to cos. I really can't pull off manlier ones. I don't look like a guy, full stop. The exact reasons why I've been cosing so many more female characters since last year. LOL

I've had quite a lot of shoots involving water. Personally, I do not like shooting with water around, or worse, in water. I've had a beach shoot once with some friends. It was horrible. Although our makeup was meant to be waterproof, the fact that it will run in seawater doesn't change. Halfway throughout the shoot, my foundation was gone, I was crying black tears, and my spiked wig was going limp. My phone even drowned in the process. My friend borrowed my sunglasses and went into the sea to take some shots, and she came back without it LOL. Yes, I'm still very amused at the fact that it swam away in the water even though it happened around 2 years ago? Besides that, your costumes get ruined for good sometimes, especially the ones I sew myself. It gets wet, heavy and at times out of shape. It's really irritating when you are soaked in water and trying to take shots. Some costumes tend to drop. Well, and the epic moment of awkwardness happens, I shall not continue on to that LOL.

Accuracy and portrayal. I cannot stand OOC (out of character) things. LOL. However, that's just my opinion. I'd like everything to be followed exact to the reference I have, and how the character should be. I don't know about others, but I do know that some cosplayers do not take accuracy into consideration. In addition, of course I will give my best in every cosplay that I do. Although I tend to rush things out very, very often, I still give my best to cosplaying. I dislike slip-short efforts and work done; it makes me feel rather troubled. Lastly, I choose characters that I can pull off. I mean, I'm really not suitable for tall and manly characters LOL. If I can't do it, I won't do it. As simple as that.

Fun, laughter, joy, and everything nice. LOL. Without cosplay, I won't be the happy go lucky person I am today. I'd say cosplay helped me a lot along the way. I began to interact with more people, I had friends who can understand me, and everyone was connected by a common interest. I was lucky enough to meet wonderful friends who helped me get on the route of cosplaying, although not many stayed as it went. The ones I had when I just began cosplaying to those around me now, I'm grateful to them. Cosplay brought fun to my life. Before I began the hobby, I was full of books, and more books. I was someone that liked books more than people. LOL! I learnt many things through cosplay, mostly ones that are aesthetically beneficial, like the very important - make-up LOL! Cosplay won't be cosplay for me without friends, that's my cosplay life. Wouldn't it be rather meaningless if you were doing everything by yourself?

Personally I go to event to meet up with friends and catch up with cosplay mates. I won't say I go to event to solely cosplay. To me, it's where I can interact and meet new people of the same interest while in costume. For studio or shoot, it's where I can take proper photos and cosplay to get what I want. Meaning, the two are on a different level all together. I won't mind going for either one of them, neither will I compare them, because both are just as enjoyable as the other. I love cosplay regardless of where it takes place.

Sadly no, though I will really love to. I've been asked to go for overseas events and so on, the nearest Malaysia. Due to certain restraints and so on I haven't had the chance to travel for cosplay at all, partly because I have a very disapproving family. But yea, I will definitely attend a cosplay event overseas whenever I can!

I prefer doing them myself. I like choosing from cloth, accessories, laces and the basic stuffs. Afterwhich I will put them together myself. It gives me an immense sense of achievement. Sometimes, the harder the costume is to make, the more motivation it gives me. I like challenging myself to do things, and cosplay costumes are definitely one of them. I’d spend days if not weeks doing them.

We have streets and “designated areas” in Singapore to get fabrics, accessories and so on. Like “Arab Street” and “Chinatown” are the most common places. You can get them from textile centre and many other places as well. I tend to visit the cheaper option. LOL

It depends on the costume really. If I’m making a gown, I will prefer using bridal satin. If for normal uniform or simple stuffs, cotton is fine. I’m a sucker for pretty fabrics, and I love brocade for their beautiful texture and patterns, though they are sometimes too expensive for good. I like working with velvet the most, since it requires no hemming, I guess I’m just lazy LOL. Costumes involving PVC will usually be thrown to my tailor since my sewing machine can’t handle them, but PVC is good too, especially for certain outfits.

Since I make most of them myself, the price differences are really quite a huge gap. I have had costumes which are hand-made costing me only 20 SGD, and tailored ones up to 200 SGD, that’s 10times the difference. Well that is why I really prefer to DIY if possible. Most of my gowns will cost up to 100 SGD for the materials I buy – stain, brocade, jewels, lace etc. And that’s about all I will spend since I will be tailoring it myself. My most expensive costume that I ordered through my supplier will be my PVC Allen Walker 2nd uniform. It cost around 200 SGD because of the fact it’s made with PVC and is kind of complex with a lot of details involved. Thus, the price. I will say that the average costume will cost me around 40 – 60 SGD max, if you exclude other costs like wigs, shoes, props etc.

Please don’t make me choose. I love every one of my costumes and they all are equally precious to me. LOL. Reason being I spend days making them, they are all my prized possessions.

I suppose the accessories you are talking about are props etc? Well most of the time it’s in the reference picture I have, I just make them with accordingly. When it comes to big weapons and stuffs I’m no expert, so you won’t see a lot of my cosplays with hugeass props and stuffs. Haha.

Talking about traditional costumes like Kimono and others, I’m definitely interested in wearing one of those soon for my cosplay. However, I’m not experienced in tailoring such costumes. Also, they tend to have more difficult patterns on the cloth and designs that I can’t find in stores. I’m planning to do them when I gain more experience on my side along the way!

Well I fold them and put them neatly in drawers or hang them up in the wardrobe LOL. I don’t do long term storage of costumes, since I will sell most or throw away most of them. I think I’m one of the very few cosplayers that actually throw away their costumes.

I make my own costume, so I don’t spend hundreds of money on it. In terms of monetary values, they aren’t high at all, since I only spend on basic materials like cloth. More often than not I wear my costumes a maximum of thrice before selling or throwing them away. I tailor most of my costumes, so they will most probably be of a lousy condition to sell or wear anymore.

I dry-clean PVC based costumes since they can’t be put into the wash. I’m a frankly lazy person, so I just throw the rest into the washing machine. Of course I’ll remove the accessories on them before doing so. If not, I just send them for dry cleaning.

It has to look nice, suit the character, cover your flaws and make yourself presentable. I cannot stand cosplaying without makeup. I don’t know how others feel. I don’t have a face awesome enough to be shown to the world without makeup on. LOL. I spend a lot on my makeup, because the makeup you use can really make you a different person on the outside.

Yes of course. Characters I cos have different eye color. I wish I had pretty natural colors like purple, blue, green, etc but that just doesn’t happen in real life, at least to me LOL. They make your eyes bigger and brighter too!

Usually I get them online, through websites and suppliers. One web that I visit often for wigs is www.taobao.com. It has almost everything I need. If time is short, I don’t mind sourcing for wigs in the second hand market as long as it is in good condition. Usually I don’t borrow unless I have no other alternatives.

Wigs. I actually really hate characters with long wigs. They are forever getting tangled, if not messed up by the wind, or simply frizzy and get stuck everywhere you go. I prefer characters with short hair because it’s really better to manage, for myself and for the wig. It is easier to comb, easier to wash and easier in almost every other aspect. I’m not good at styling wigs, so I do get help from my group of friends. I cut my wigs myself, though sometimes it may turn out to be disastrous. I guess you learn along the way. LOL

Yes due to the fact that I have extremely ugly nails, I tend to pay a lot of attention to them during cosplay, LOL. The fact that you look all good but have ugly nails, really bugs me. Having decorated nails are just a bonus to me during cosplay. It’s mostly because of personal interest and preference I will say. I don’t want to have a splendid costume, but a pair of ugly hands. So I do put in some effort to decorate or make some fake nails to wear to add on to the glamour (?), though I don’t think it is very necessary to all.

Of course. I suppose no matter where you go, there will always be a group of people regarding cosplay and cosplayers are weirdos, freaks and simply kids with problems. I don’t really care about these since my parents are already one of them. Most people in Singapore, especially the older generation often look at cosplay with very judging eyes. I guess it’s about the mindset and attitude that people have.

I don’t consider myself outstanding since I have friends who are so much better than me! I can give you some of their website links here, hopefully you can get to know them as well! Some of them aren’t very active in the cosplay scene anymore, but nonetheless outstanding! They are really great when it comes to making costumes and props too.

I feel narcissistic for saying that I actually have a lot of them. LOL I really can’t choose. I either like the photo because It reflects the character that I’m cosing really well, or because the lighting and angle is awesome, or simply cause I look nice. Depends really.

I won’t deny the fact that I process my photos, and that almost everyone else do. Photoshoping or processing your photos are ways to supplement your photos, or to make them even better. It helps me correct errors like messy wig, falling costume parts and of course, my face. To the photographers, they use it mainly to correct lighting and the desire effects that they want. If there is a way to better present/showcase your work to the world, why not?

So far the most “exposed” costume I’ve worn will be most likely my Rikku from Final Fantasy X-2. I don’t wear these to events for obvious reasons. I do them for shoots, and only trusted photographers will be invited of course. I do get troubled when I get too fat to wear “exposed” costumes. LOL

To speak the truth I only dare to cosplay when there are people around me doing so. Example like during conventions and photoshoots within the group and stuffs like that. Although I do solo shoots most of the time, I’m quite hesitant to do it where there is a lot of people around. I don’t even dare to go into shops in full costume to buy a packet of juice LOL. This is why my photos are always taken where there are little people around, or no one around at all for individual shoots. One thing I’ll never do alone is taking the public transport with full costume on. I admire those with the courage to do so LOL.

Thanks again for the compliment. I don’t think my character portrayal is right on the spot most of the time, though I do my best in pulling off their expressions and poses as much as I can. There are also restrictions on the amount and type of characters I can do, so more often than not my expressions are more or less the same LOL.

I research quite a bit on the poses and gestures of the characters I cosplay, and do my best to imitate the same pose. Occasionally the poses they do are really a little bit of impossible in real life, but I try anyway LOL. I suppose everyone gets better at posing over time. I began with a stiff body and a forced smile. It just becomes more natural after a while. It comes naturally for me along the way.

Facial expressions are really hard to make LOL. I’m only good at smiling and not having much expression on my face. Personally I admire those who can pull off a variety of expressions on their faces. It really puts much more emotions into the photos. Other than that I don’t really have much to say, but appropriate facial expressions are really important.

I believe that a location for shoot should always suit the character I’m cosing when it comes to photoshoots. As for events, I guess we don’t really have much choice LOL. I scout for locations and research online most of the time, and I have friends who are really good with places. I may or may not ask for advice, but most of the time if I have a partner with me I will discuss it with them. Sometimes my photographer may suggest a suitable location and I will just go along with his decisions.

Nope, different people have different cultures. You respect mine, I’ll respect yours. Simple as that, haha.

Brutal? I don’t have a lot of opinion on that. I generally don’t watch a lot of animes and so far has not come across any that can fit into the above category, though I won’t have much of an expression since I’m quite used to seeing them almost everywhere regarding anime/manga LOL

Of course! The most common photographers I go to are: William Wong, ~swift-wing, Shiro Ang.

First of all thank you very much for the compliment LOL. Well I’m not the kind to dress up for every day. I’m most probably the girl walking off the streets that people won’t take a second look at because I really look nothing special as compared to others. Maybe that’s because I’m always hanging around friends who know how to dress up and look much better than me in real life!

Niji!! It’s an animal from the manga Karneval. It’s really cute! I can’t stand it LOL.

The book is actually a cosplay magazine called “Cosplay Gen”. It is rather new and gaining immense popularity over the release of new issues. I was offered the chance by the director of Cosplay Gen, was really fortunate then. Here is the official link: They feature worldwide cosplayers that are so much more experienced than me! I was rather reluctant to get myself published in an issue with such brilliant people really. Do take a look!

At first I was very much fine with copyrights and stuffs along the line, until things got out of hand. I’m not a person to quarrel over such rights because I believe that since that I share my photos over the internet everyone and anyone would have the opportunity to look at it, so I’m usually ok as long as I’m credited at places where my photos are posted. However, some “very considerate” sellers for wigs, costume and even contact lens decided to rip my photos off my site and post them on their own. They even put their own watermark on my photos, which are clean from such marks because I really don’t think watermarks make my photos any nicer. Not only did such people use my photos and not crediting, they even claimed it as their own and watermarked it. I feel very offended at times because they are also stepping on the efforts of my fellow photographers since they are also the ones who have put much effort behind every single photo. Here is one stubborn site on eBay which took off my photo after a first email regarding copyright issues, and then put it back up again for unknown reasons. Obviously they have not even tried contacting me regarding the usage of my photos for commercial purposes. Here is the link. They also have other photos stolen from other cosplayers as well. It’s a shame to see such shops do not even have the dignity to take pictures of actual products to post on their own websites. Just a clarification, I’m fine if you want to use my photos for any commercial/advertising purposes, but please do let me know and ensure that sufficient credits are given before anything happens. Other than that I’m pretty much fine with copyrights and stuffs. And yes not forgetting the photographers too LOL.

Yes, quite often actually. This is usually because of the fact that either my partner or me is not ready yet. Sometimes we have to arrange our props and costumes for it to look nicer to photos, therefore when someone approaches I will reject the offer, kindly of course. There are also times when you are shooting with your own photographer but rude passers-by just take their cameras or phones and snap pictures of you. It makes me very uncomfortable. Cosplayers are not public displays or entertainments, just because we tend to stand out more from the crowd does not mean that people have the right to do so. If you walk down the street one day and some stranger just comes up to you and snaps your photo right smack in your face without saying anything, I’m sure everyone will feel that it is extremely rude. In situations like this, I will just turn my back and walk away. Well that’s my way of rejecting photos in public sometimes.

They have amazing art and designs. Their storylines and plots are also very well developed. I believe those are criteria’s that people will look out for in a game as well. Other than that, well the BL part to some extent LOL.

I’ve thought of it more than once, but I’m not a person to update my homepage or blog daily. I believe that even if I had a homepage it will just slowly collect dust and rot away LOL. DeviantART is my main page for now, since I can upload photos and post journals at the same time. It’s a good interacting platform as well, I guess it’s good enough for me.

This is a very challenging question. LOL I’m still schooling and very far away from graduation any time soon. Well, I guess I will think about it when the time comes.

I’m so sorry I took so long to complete this LOL. I really hope people might find my answers interesting and worth reading. It was really nice working with you and I hope to have made some contributions to any readers in terms of cosplay! Thank you.