Name: Marygail Pilares
Cosplay Alias: Owen Miyabi
Age: 25
Current City: Sacramento, CA
When did you start cosplaying: 2009
Favorite convention: FanimeCon, it's my home Con!
(all photographers are credited in the gallery page)
Q : What lead you to get into cosplay?
A : I was a gamer since before kindergarten and an "otaku" since Elementary school. Video games and anime sparked the interest. Alongside that, I always thought that the idea of being able to express myself through costumes and dress was very attractive idea. I was a closet-cosplayer for years until my best friend of 20+ years encouraged me to go to conventions and dress up together. This hobby is an important aspect of our relationship.
Q : Could you sum up some of your likes and dislikes about cosplaying?
A : I love cosplaying because it involves a few of my favorite hobbies: fashion, role-playing, make-up and crafting. I honestly love everything about this hobby - there is nothing I don't like.
Q : Let us know what your top three favorite cosplays you've seen are?
A : More than any celebrity cosplayer I am impressed by the costumes and photos from some of my aquaintances from Cons and my friends. I love seeing the personal touches they come up with for their characters. Charmie Sweets (Sara Cocanour) as Ashelia "Ashe" B'nargin Dalmasca from Final Fantasy XII, Sean Cagauiat as her original character Akina and Kareem L. Jackson as Pyramid Head originally introduced in Silent Hill 2.
Q : So far what is your most memorable cosplay experience?
A : I would have to say cosplaying Babydoll at Sac Anime Summer 2011 was a very memorable experience for me because it was my first solo cosplay. Previous to this character, I've cosplayed as part a group with friends, or I would 'closet cosplay' and practice a look at home in front of a mirror. I was *so* nervous and scared trying something on my own for the first time and putting myself out there at a convention. The scariest part turned out to be the most exciting - I overcame a lot of my fears that day and went on to do my first solo photo shoot and be a part of a fan video. Those are moments I will never forget.
Q : What was the most difficult thing for you to create for one of your cosplays?
A : Almost everything about cosplay is challenging, but that's what makes it so rewarding: overcoming the difficulties. This hobby incorporates so many aspects into it so that it's almost impossible to do it on your own, but I've learned a little bit from each aspect like sewing, crafting props, make-up/ wig styling, photo/ video shoots and editing. It's a learning process between myelf and my friends that I cosplay with.
Q : Can you reveal any future cosplays you have in store?
A : C/Katherine from the video game Catherine at Fanime 2012 - I'll be cosplaying both characters. How, you ask? You'll just have to see!
Q : Do you have a dream cosplay and/or cosplayer to meet?
A : I just recently started this hobby so I never really stopped to think about my dream cosplay, but I do follow a motto for how I pick my characters, and it is this, 'We always hope that everyone can find true essence of love and goodness after seeing some dark side of humanity'. For me it means that I am attracted to cosplaying ill-fated or tragic characters. There's a beauty to them that's often overlooked and through cosplay, I try to bring that to life.
Q : Have you ever done group cosplay or group shoots?
A : I needed to be in a group cosplay for my first experience because I found the support of my friends, fellow cosplayers and photographer very helpful and a enjoyable experience. I'm not used to being in front of a camera, especially while trying to be in-character, so having your friends there is very important to me.
Q : Have you ever been to a convention not in cosplay? And how was your experience?
A : Going to a convention and not being dressed in cosplay allows me to focus on the costumes and crafts of others. It's usually the day I bring my camera and collect photos of cosplays or model figures for my online album.
Q : Who are some of the photographers that you've worked with? Are there any that you look forward to doing a shoot with?
A : So far I've worked with 3 photographers and they're all amazing. My first experience was with Jorge Antonio Rivera (alias, Darth Ryu) of AnimeCraft Entertainent, then I met Romeo Sarmenta Jr. (http://www.youtube.com/user/mamuro5254i#p/a/u/1/lPO-JBkmCjg) who is a photographer and talented video grapher who filmed my first cosplay fan video and lastly, Ray Papa who is a first-time cosplay photographer and experienced photoshop editor of about 6 years.
Q : What are some of the conventions you plan to attend to in the future?
A : Aside from Fanime Con, Kin-Yoobi Con and Sac Anime, I hope to go to Comic Con one day, but I'm also very interested Sci-Fi/ Horror conventions like Monster-Mania or the World Horror Convention. I love the horror genre.
Q : What's your biggest advice on cosplaying and conventions?
A : Cosplay is not always a competition. There's simply no need to look down on others for *any* reason, whatever they might be: if they didn't make their own costumes, props or if their costumes didn't meet your expectations. Be nice to one another. If you truly love the art of cosplay you should encourage, share your art and hopefully inspire other people with your passion. And most importantly, have fun with it. My advice for conventions is that it can get a bit overwhelming and very tiring, so prepare yourself for that. My biggest advice for photo shoots and videos is to PLAN. Schedule a time for it or set aside a day for any trials or last minute preperations. Pre-production is half the battle of a shoot or video; it's where you allow yourself to run into errors that you can avoid later on.
Q: Are you registered on any cosplaying websites, forums, etc.?
A : No, I'm not.
Q: Do you have a website or anything you would like to promote?
A : My public Facebook account for cosplay, gaming and other hobbies is facebook.com/owen.miyabi.cosplay. Animecraft Entertainment: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AnimeCraft-Entertainment/136630709707910