FITCON 2002

FIT Con 2002 was fun - even for being such a chibi-con. I've chosen a minimalistic interface in an effort to convey FIT Con's somewhat generic format. Check out the cool costumes we got to see on stage. The picture above is my attempt at a group shot. Heh hehe.

View 20 cosplay photos here .

Here we see the bizarre Cosplay Dating Game scene where today's Bachelor ( Ky Schweitzer played by Marachan ) must pose questions to 3 bachelorettes. Tsuzuki from Yami no Matsuei ( who is a guy on the show ), Asuka ( the firey redhead who hates fluffy animals ), and Sailor Star Fighter ( who turned out to be a part-time guy in the series ) Can you guess who won the chance for the date?

Here's the skit that won BEST SKIT AWARD. Crowd feedback definitely influenced the judges. Watch this one in QuickTime format.

The Official Con report - by Prof.Tomoe

For not doing any advertising, this year's FIT Con had surprising attendance due in part to the number of hard-core cosplayers. There may have been 40 or more people wandering around the campus of Florida's Institute of Technology in search of anime.

The good: Small con, cheap entry price.
The bad: Small con, cheap entry price.

You get what you pay for, and in this case it was more like a photoshoot than a real con. Did you spend anything in the dealer room? How many episodes did you get to watch? Did you play any new video games?

There were roughly 20 cosplayers who participated in the contest that followed the bizarre Cosplayer Dating Game show ( of which Florida's very own - Mara-chan was the bachelor ). The Utena Group took the BEST COSTUME award for craftsmanship, Asuka and Shinji for BEST SKIT, and Puchiko garnered the JUDGE'S AWARD.

Speaking of judges, I, along with Mara-chan, and FIT Con coordinator RabidChild, rose to the challenge of selecting the winners. You'll come to better appreciate what judges have to go through in reaching the final decision when you have to be a judge. Much of it boils down to 2 things - attention to detail, and has that character been done to death. We all agreed costumes that are primarily made of store bought, off-the-rack items are unlikely to win. You may have slaved to sew the exact shirt or jeans that your character wears, but if it looks like you could buy it any place - chances are slim it will make the grade.

Most of you said you chose that particular character either because you relate with them, or "just really love the show". If you are serious about winning a costume contest, keep in mind the minimum amount of work judges are looking for. If you do have store-bought items, make sure they're clean and pressed ( unless your character is a complete slob ). Exterior stitches should be done on a sewing machine to avoid the patchwork look. Get as close to the original as possible - particularly on things like jewelry, accessories, weapons, and wings. Providing a picture of your character is important to at least show you were paying attention.

For my costume, I gathered nearly 20 pictures taken from fan-subbed material to highlight detail areas. The images you can grab off the internet are a good starting place, but I would argue if you want to win - you want to "BE" your character. Get a closeup of the ring or special ornamental stuff your character wears. Pretend that you are auditioning for that role in the live-action version of the show. If there are 10 other people with that costume, what will make yours stand out?

Being a cosplay judge was a unique experience. I think I'd definitely do it again, but only for small venues like this one. I really prefer to be a contestant though - it's funner.