Customer Reviews

Cosplay: Catgirls and Other Critters (Anime Costuming Handbook)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I originally purchased this book as a reference for a speech I had to give in a college course concerning Japanese animation (anime) conventions.

This publication is good because it easily makes anime conventions and cosplay accessable for people who don't necessarily know what any of these things are.

The cosplay creation instructions are simple and easy to follow. Even when the author gets more in depth with the catgirl ear creation instructions it is very easy to read and stay on track.

What I appreciate is that the author chose to describe what sort of role a cosplayer plays at an anime convention. You are told what sort of competitions are usually made available to you as a cosplayer, as well as what cosplay judges will be looking for and how to give photographers a great photograph.

As far as the author's credibility is concerned (as a previous reviewer mentioned), it's true that the author is described more as a photographer than a costume creator. However, the costuming steps are pretty much foolproof, making the credibility not a huge concern in this publication. There are a few pages at the end of the book giving resources and general information, but these don't actually appear to be references that the author himself used. Or if he did, it isn't very plainly mentioned. It seems that the references are more for the needs of the cosplayer. There are artistic resources given, cosplay sites and forums, convention sites and forums, and general catgirl studies references and links. These are placed in the book for the reader to find the things they need quickly and easily.

Again, I am not sure precisely how the author earned the knowledge of costuming, but the book itself is very well made, and lt is a good piee of reference material. I would definately recommend this book for anyone who wants to have a handy cosplaying book at their disposal.

I own this book and I have read it. It is a well-written, well thought out book about cosplaying as a cat girl. It goes through how to make the perfect catgirl costume in great detail. I would recommend this book to beginner cosplayers because the steps are simple and clear. Nearly every page is illustrated. The photos of actual cosplayers are also great. :) Nyan!

This product is very good. Exactly what it was advertised to be with good prices. However, it took much longer to arrive than was estimated. This greatly annoyed me but was made up for by the awesome book!

This book arrived in exelent conditions and with a small gift tnx a lot i love it!!

I saw this book at (Bookstore chain name) and after taking a reading of the book, I have to say, the author knows NOTHING about Japanese Anime or Cosplay.

For starters, the "ideas" contained in this book is about as cheesy and lazy as they come. No self-respecting newbie cosplayer should be privy to such horrors as how to make the "cat ears" that are in the book. I think your better off buying them from a shady dealer on eBay than attempt to use the "tutorial" enclosed in said book. Or the ways to "combine" street clothes to attempt LARP (Live-Action Role-Play). And what were they thinking with the "suggestions" part? A Panda Cowgirl? A "Demon" costume that is only a bathing suit? Oh-kay.

And the misses keep on coming folks!! The cover art doesn't really showcase the interior artwork. Heck, I would sue for misleading advertising if given the opportunity. Most of the drawings inside are drawn in a western style instead of anime style, and some are outright creepy. The girls are big, beefy, and extremely masculine looking. Not the kawaii-DESU look you'd find elsewhere.

And to add a final insult to injury, there's also a section called "Popular Catgirls in Anime," and some of the characters listed are mislabeled and just thrown in haphazardly. Apparently the author or editors of the book can't tell the difference between a rabbit (Misha from Pita Ten), a robot (Ropponmatsu from Excel Saga), and a cat (Rabi en Rose from Di Gi Charat).

I strongly suggest you look elsewhere for your cosplaying needs. There are tons of free cosplay advice on the net, from [...] section is much more better than this book, and they have a very slanted view of cosplay, but at least their brutally honest about it and are upfront about it.

Only buy the book if your willing to milk out enough of a laugh worth the price of the book.

Still waiting for this book to be published. I own other books released by this publisher, so I'm fairly confident it will someday happen. They'd better get the lead out or "the cosplay craze that's sweeping the anime con scene" will pass them by. They're already a decade behind the trend.

As for the book itself, I'm curious about the author's credentials as a costumer designer, since he's described as anything but. Does he do more than take photos of costumes and talk to cosplayers? Has he won contests at the upper level, such as Anime Expo, WorldCon, or CostumeCon? If he doesn't actually make costumes, where is his information coming from?