by Reproduce the dignity of Nausicaa!
Cosplayer Ishiko’s cosplay of Nausicaa from “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind” is attracting attention on social media. We asked him about the secrets behind the production and his commitment to how he came up with such high-quality photographs that capture the atmosphere of the scenes in the play.
Why did you start cosplaying? I started seriously after I got an invitation from a friend and participated in an event. I’ve always liked anime, manga, and games, and even before I started cosplaying, I was interested in cosplay at events and online. I had learned about clothing in the past, and it was a very fresh and attractive way to enjoy expressing myself from 2D to 3D, saying, “I can make a costume for my favorite character! I can wear it myself!” Before you know it, you’ve been active for 15 years…! Why did you choose to cosplay as Nausicaa? Since childhood, I have loved Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films and watched Nausicaa repeatedly. From then on, she remembers playing with her and admiring the princess, such as turning over a child’s chair and pretending to ride on Mewe (laughs). Ever since I started cosplaying, I had a desire to cosplay Nausicaä, but since I had a powerful feeling for it, I thought, “I don’t want to make it happen with half-baked quality… I want to take on the challenge when my costume production skills improve…!” It was in the
Corona disaster was at a standstill due to the influence of, but after that, I was finally able to realize it in 2021 when I got the opportunity. One of my favorite scenes in the anime is when the castle uncles are in a panic when they are taken prisoner in a small cargo plane. Nausicaä firmly guides them, saying, “Everyone will help!” smiling and giving a thumbs-up reassure everyone. I was stunned by his ability to take action, judgment, and strength to lead the people, not just bright and kind. No matter how many times you watch it, it’s beautiful.
What kind of tricks do you use for your Nausicaa cosplay? First, I made the outerwear with the thick felt fabric listed in the official settings and made many adjustments to express the slim silhouette and exquisite length. I remember visiting many fabric stores until I found the right tone for the color and texture of the fabric. I wanted to express the hair blowing in the wind during the shooting, so I made the wig to give it a natural airy feel as much as possible. I always try to keep my makeup natural not to spoil the character’s image. The cute and lively Teto is borrowed from Yupa-sama (Mr. So Kitakami), who I worked with on the shoot, and brought him along.
I have seen Nausicaa cosplay before. How many times have you been shooting? It will be the third time at the location shooting the other day. The wig was renewed in the second location shoot, and the miasma made a mask. Light weathering and long guns were created with an airbrush to increase the three-dimensional effect of the overall costume and the world view for the third location shoot. I also paid attention to body makeup. I don’t have the data for the 3rd location photo yet, so I’ll post it in the future! Each time, the cameraman who took the pictures leaves us with magnificent pictures that look like scenes from a movie.
Ishiko’s cosplay is unaffected by recent trends and has the impression that there are many old masterpieces. There are many different ways to enjoy and express yourself in cosplay. Still, I enjoy cosplaying works that I am fascinated by from time to time because I want to recreate the appearance of my favorite character.
Thanks to my parents and older brothers, I grew up exposed to many masterpieces. When she realizes the cosplay of an attractive character she continues to look up to even after becoming an adult, she seems to have fulfilled her childhood dream, saying, “I can look just like that character!” It’s going to be a feeling. It’s the ultimate self-satisfaction that transcends time, but I like this way of enjoying it (laughs). It’s one of the happy events that people remember the works and characters with my appearance as a trigger.
