In Toronto last weekend, North American anime and manga convention Anime North was held. Anime North sprawled across multiple venues, including the Toronto Congress Centre, as a fan-run celebration of Japanese pop culture. The event ran from May 25 to 27. Wikinews’s Nicholas Moreau was in attendance to photograph the event.
 |  Binrand Cosplay as Shyvana from League of Legends. |
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Montrealer “Aileen Cosplay” was wearing an outfit of Rapunzel from the Disney animated film Tangled, when Wikinews photographed her.
Wikinews talked with her after the event, learning that she was one of the “Estrada Sisters“, who have been dressing up as pop culture characters for roughly a decade. “Cosplay is something we do together as sisters, as well as with our close friends. It’s a hobby and passion that we all share and have fun with.”
The cosplayer explained that the activity “integrates a wide range of interests for us, from makeup, to sewing, to crafting and prop-making.”
“When deciding on cosplays,” she offers, “we consider how attracted we are to the character as they were written, as well as their aesthetic. We tend to stray towards Disney, as we all share a common passion for the magic that it brings to its audience, and we love having the opportunity to bring that magic to life every time we put on a costume.”
Binrand Cosplay tells Wikinews that for her, cosplay “is a huge creative outlet whether that’s sewing, crafting, armour building, styling wigs, new makeup challenges etc. I love that it gives me creative freedom and that the end result I can share with hundreds of people that have a love and passion for the same character or series that I am cosplaying from.” The icy effect on Shyvana from League of Legends gave her reason to work with Transpa Art, a product from a company called Worbla.
She noted that the activity also allows her to “meet new friends that are just excited about something” as she is.
She chooses characters she’s become attached to, as her outfit. “Often it’s a combination of similar personality as my own, a character that has gone through similar struggles as myself, I like the look, and that they just plain badass! I also like a challenge. Having been doing cosplay for as long as I have I like to switch things up and learn something new every year.”
The Cybertronic Spree is a band that dresses like the Transformers.
Two people as Kurisu from Stein’s Gate, including Justin Bailey Kigurumi
Silent Snuggs Cosplay and Binrand
Stuffed toys of Totoro, a popular character.
A booth promoting Youmacon in Detroit.
Breathelifeindeeply as Weiss from RWBY.
Ariel the Little Mermaid
Transformers
Celty Sturluson of Durarara!!
Inspector Gadget
Queen Amidala and a haidmaiden, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
A cosplayer as Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas by Reiyume Chibi Cosplay
Tohru of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid.
Chibi Bara as Mercy and bobcat.in.a.box as Widowmaker
“Life sized” model of Lapras, a Pokemon
“Life sized” model of Rapidash, a Pokemon
“Life sized” models of Rayquaza and Trapinch, Pokemon characters
Model Show
Model Show
Additional cosplay
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This story originally posted here.
