Cosplay Resolution 2019: Gearing Up for Anime Japan

I’m cosplaying as the Count of Monte Cristo from the anime Gankutsuou.

Back in the US, I was a frequent convention-goer and panelist, trying to get fellow geeks excited about writing! Since moving to Japan in 2016, I’ve gone through con withdrawals. And it’s not that Japan doesn’t have its fair share of conventions – it just never occurred to me to try to attend because I’m busy teaching. I’ve neglected my pop-culture side far too long!

This March I’m attending Anime Japan at Tokyo Big Sight – my first convention in three years. It’ll be fun comparing how things are done in Japan versus back home, and my goals as an attendee are different. In the US, my primary motivation was giving panels and fangirling over the guests. Here in Japan, my main focus is pulling off an incredible cosplay in the land of incredible cosplay. Since this is a huge undertaking for me, I decided this would be my resolution for the year!

After doing some hard thinking, I decided to do a gender-swapped version the Count of Monte Cristo from the anime Gankutsuou. From 2004 and produced by studio Gonzo, this is a highly acclaimed adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo, except it’s been changed to science fiction and set far into the future, 5053. As ludicrous as that sounds, it strangely works and doesn’t alter the core story too much – it’s more like the science fiction elements are utilized for their visual impact and aesthetic than anything else. The series is told from Albert de Morcerf’s point of view and focuses on his relationships and idolization of the Count, who is portrayed as a mysterious, seductive, vampire-like character whose quest for revenge manifests as a supernatural malady. Again, this all sounds extremely bizarre as I write it, but the anime pulls it off, and well – there’s a reason it was one of the best-reviewed, award-winning series of its time.

Part of what drew me to cosplay as the Count was not only my love for the anime’s take on the character, but because of the unique story behind the design. You have influences from Gustav Klimt, Edo-era woodblock prints, 19^th century and 1960s fashion, and… how many productions can you name that brought on designer Anna Sui as a collaborator? Gankutsuou is a rare animation that dabbles in haute couture, so of course I’d have fun diving into putting something like this together.

Promotional artwork versus Gustav Klimt’s “The Virgin” (1913).

This isn’t my first attempt doing a Count(ess) of Monte Cristo cosplay. Back in 2013 I wore this cosplay for Colossalcon, and it was a great source of pride because it required a lot of sewing, customization, and creative thinking. I’d count it as successful, but there were some snags with accuracy and some shoddy last-second stitching (including an incomplete left arm the day of the con, oops!).

I decided to redo the costume entirely from scratch for Anime Japan in the hopes of making it bigger, better, fancier, and with more accurate detailing. I’m also going big on the makeup, too, wearing colored contacts and prosthetic ears this time around!

A collage of the materials I’m using and the image references for my costume.

At the time of writing this, the convention is in two months, and I have so much work to do. I started gathering the pieces for the costume in December and January, and while I have all of my materials, the grunt work has only just begun.

I am a crappy seamstress and I’ve never made an entire costume myself. What I like to do is buy the basic clothing pieces, and then I add embroidery, additional fabrics and designs, etc.

The clothing components for this costume consist of:

• Dress Jacket
• White Blouse
• Vest
• Cravat
• Skirt
• Gloves
• Shoes

I am making the cravat from a pattern and customizing one piece of the costume: the dress jacket. I don’t have a sewing machine here (and I hate using them), so this is all by hand. Here’s what I have to do for the jacket, which is the most complicated piece:

• Add black embroidery across the shoulder and bust
• Add flames up the sleeves
• Line the flame edges with black satin piping (to hide the fraying fabric and my yucky stitching)
• Create giant red velvet cuffs with gold satin spiral detail to add to the sleeves (I am totally stumped on how to do this part at the moment!)
• Trim sleeves with gold lace accents

In progress – the first sleeve fame and half of the embroidery!

In two months, this is a tall order, but I look forward to sharing my progress with you as I prepare for one of Japan’s most famous conventions!