Yu-Gi-Oh!: Pharaoh Atem / Yami no Yugi

The nameless pharaoh’s spirit who resides in Mutou Yugi’s body, Atem, more commonly known as “Yami no Yugi” or “Yami” for short, often appears in Yugi’s Duel Monsters battles, either to help him, or to completely take on the battle.

In ancient times, the young pharaoh sealed the dark magic of the Shadow Games with his own name and soul into the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi’s grandfather found this artifact and Yugi took eight years before he finally solved the puzzle, unlocking the Shadow Games, and Pharaoh Atem’s soul. The pharaoh resides in Yugi’s body, somewhat similar to the reincarnation of Egyptian Priest Seto as Kaiba.

Interesting hair. I wonder how much hair cement was used on that wig? It can’t be the cosplayer’s real hair, can it?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, yu-gi-oh!, yugi, yami, pharaoh, atem, egypt, nameless, duel monsters, ancient, dark magic, shadow games, millennium puzzle, artifact, soul, cosplay, cosplayer

Mario Bros.: Mario and Luigi

I found a very cute picture of Mario and Luigi from Idle Chit-Chat. I would guess they’re holding pumpkins because it’s Halloween?

Mario and Luigi are both plumbers and siblings. They exterminate the pests that come out of the pipes in different worlds/levels.

Aren’t they cute?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, mario, mario brothers, mario bros., super, luigi, cosplay, kids, halloween, children, siblings

Final Fantasy XII: Fran

A powerful Viera warrior who specializes in long range attacks using her bow and arrows, Fran handles the maintenance of Balthier’s airship, the Strahl. She is the wisest among the cast, a fitting role being her life span is much longer than the rest. She is the eldest of the group, despite her youthful appearance.

I’ve heard that I’ve been showing too many Asian cosplayers again, a pretty common critique now a days. I guess it’s a lot easier to find Asian cosplayers than Western ones. Admittedly, I am a fan of Asian cosplayers, but I also feature non-Asian ones like this when they catch my attention.

I apologize if my blog seems biased to some, if not most. It’s really not my intention.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, final fantasy, xii, 12, fran, viera, warrior, bow and arrow, long range, balthier, airship, strahl, life span, youthful, asian, western, cosplay, cosplayer, biased

Yu Yu Hakusho: Youko Kurama 03

I don’t know about you guys, but this image? I feel like I’m looking at the young version of Youko. Somewhere along the lines of, I don’t know, only a few years old? Long before he was known as “The Thief King”.

Also of note, the cosplayer is obviously female, don’t you think? A very cute one too. Probably the best looking Youko compared to this one with Hiei and the most recent one some people probably still remember.

I really love the hair and the ears on this cosplay though. The ears look so soft. Great job!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, youko, yoko, kurama, yu yu hakusho, fox ears, demon, thief king, thief, hiei, anime, manga, young

Saiunkoku Monogatari: Shi Seiran 02

Another cosplayer of Shi Seiran, but this time, in his full body armor. He became the official bodyguard of Ko Shuurei as ordered by his majesty, the emperor Shi Ryuki, which is actually his younger brother. Ryuki would want nothing more than to give his palace to his beloved brother, but being he was exiled, doing so may cause another war, something both of them do not want.

I think this cosplay is more accurate than the first one, although Seiran’s hair color can be interpreted both ways. This is the proper length and style though.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, saiunkoku monogatari, shi, seiran, ryuki, bodyguard, ko, shuurei, majesty, emperor, war, exile, hair color

Lucky Star: Izumi Konata (Seiyuu, Hirano Aya)

It’s one thing to have a cute cosplayer portrayer the anime character, but how about a cute seiyuu (voice actress) who looks like the cute character?

This is Hirano Aya, the seiyuu behind Lucky Star’s Izumi Konata. I’m not entirely sure about the story behind this picture, but you can’t deny her smile looks like Konata’s.

Aya is a voice actress and a J-pop singer in Japan. She has had many roles in TV commercials, visual novels, and of course, several anime series. Hello Kitty fans will also recognize her as the voice behind Emily in the 2007 animation film, Hello Kitty: Apple Forest and the Parallel Town. Aya is also the voice behind Suzumiya Haruhi, whom Konata cosplays as in the series.

All in all, I’d say Aya is pretty famous in the Otaku (anime fans) circle. In Lucky Star, she even made an appearance in the anime itself, shown in the icon on the left. I think the real Aya is a lot cuter though.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, aya, hirano, seiyuu, lucky star, konata, izumi, the melancholy of suzumiya haruhi, suzumiya, haruhi, voice actress, j-pop, singer, hello kitty, hello kitty: apple forest and the parallel town, apple forest, parallel town, otaku, anime fans, anime, manga

Gyakuten Saiban 4: Houzuki Akane

The young (and cute) detective of the 4th Gyakuten Saiban Series, Houzuki Akane, also known as Ema Skye, is a scientific investigator in her own right. Sadly, when she returned to Japan after studying abroad, she became a Detective, and assistant to Prosecutor Klavier Gavin. A lot of people identify Ema’s arrival with the sound of her munching on Karintou/ Sanckoos, a type of Japanese snack consisting of fried dough cakes.

I showed this photo to a friend of mine and she exclaimed, “she doesn’t look real!” I would have to agree on that. This girl must be very cute IRL. It makes me wonder what that Karintou tastes like.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, gyakuten saiban, apollo justice, ace attorney, ema, skye, houzuki, akane, scientific investigator, detective, prosecutor, klavier, gavin, garyu, kyouya, karintou, snackoo, japan, fried dough cakes, japanese snack

Loveless: Agatsuma Soubi and Aoyagi Ritsuka

I’ve received a request to find a male cosplayer of Agatsuma Soubi from Loveless. Sadly, I wasn’t able to find one from my collection or on google, so this will have to do, I guess?

Aoyagi Ritsuka’s brother, Seimei, died early because of an accident, thus giving Ritsuka amnesia.

Ritsuka meets Agatsuma Soubi on his first day of school. Soubi claims to be his brother’s “fighter” and because of his death, he was now Ritsuka’s. The world of master and servant and spell fighting is later revealed to Ritsuka as Seimei’s world.

I won’t divulge further about Loveless since it’s a shonen ai anime. I hear the manga is yaoi too. I prefer to get out of the Sanriotown Moderators’ way. 8)

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, agatsuma, soubi, aoyagi, ritsuka, seimei, anime, manga, cosplayer, loveless, beloved, master, servant, sanriotown, moderator, yaoi, shonen ai

Sailor Moon Supers: Helios / Pegasus

The Guardian and Priest of Elysion, Helios has different roles in the Sailor Moon Anime and Manga series. The manga shows Helios to be a simple priest who can transport himself between worlds. A curse was placed on him by Nehellenia, forcing him to become part of his favorite horse, Pegasus. He is also portrayed as Chibiusa’s future prince.

In the anime, however, Helios willingly became Pegasus and lends his power to Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi Moon to attack Lemures. He is also the Guardian of the Golden Crystal; unlike in the manga, where he guards Elysion and not the Golden Crystal directly.

So pretty. I miss watching Sailor Moon. Perhaps it’s about time I pick it up again…

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, anime, manga, elysion, priest, guardian, golden crystal, sailor moon, sailormoon, supers, helios, elios, pegasus, unicorn, chibiusa, chibi moon, nehellenia, lemures

Ranma 1/2: Saotome Ranma and Shampoo

Saotome Ranma can come across as arrogant, selfish, and a braggart. But he’s actually awkwardly immature. He also has a secret. Because of his training accident back in China, he transforms into a girl when he’s splashed with cold water. He can only turn back into a guy when he’s drenched in hot water.

Similarly, the Chinese girl on the right named Shampoo becomes a cat when splashed with cold water, and can only return to being a girl when drenched in hot water. She’s in love with the boy Ranma, and once tried to kill the girl Ranma for defeating her in her village’s annual Martial Arts Tournament.

Ranma 1/2 is such a classic anime… I’m surprised to have still been able to find cosplays of the characters. Cute isn’t it?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, anime, manga, saotome, ranma, ranma 1/2, shampoo, china, martial arts, classic, accident, curse, spring of drowned girl, spring of drowned cat, chinese

Card Captor Sakura: Li Syaoran

Li Syaoran is the distant relative of Clow Reed, the creator of the Clow Cards. Because of this, he believes that he is the rightful inheritor of the Clow Cards, not Kinomoto Sakura. Thankfully, Sakura eventually proves herself worthy to Syaoran, who later becomes her ally.

I’m not sure how the cosplayer looks, but this is a beautiful shot. The green lake looks good on picture, though I’m not sure I’d want to see it in real life. I can’t imagine what moldy lake smells like…

Technorati tags: nanao, research, card captor sakura, ccs, cardcaptor, clow reed, clow cards, li syaoran, li, syaoran, cosplay, cosplayer, mold, lake, kinomoto, sakura

Kin’iro no Corda: Hino Kahoku, Hihara Kazuki, and Yunoki Azuma

Hino Kahoko had never played the violin in her life, until a fairy named Lili gave her a magical violin. This allows her to play any music on the violin for as long as she knows the tune of the piece. This gave her the chance to meet Hihara Kazuki, a who plays the trumpet, and Yunoki Azuma who plays the flute in Seisou Academy.

I haven’t seen this anime yet, but I heard it was based on a game Kin’iro no Corda and was later adapted into a manga series by Kure Yuki. It’s also commonly known as “La Corda d’oro”. Either way, this is a very nice picture don’t you think?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, la corda d’oro, hino, kahoku, hihara, kazuki, yunoki, azuma, music, instrument, trumpet, violin, flute, lili, seisou academy, kin’iro no corda, the golden string

Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses: Kaiba Seto

The young CEO and major shareholder of the multi-national company, Kaiba Corporation, Seto Kaiba is arrogant and self-centered with very little time for other people aised from himself and his brother. Being a rational man that he is, he does not believe in magic and dismisses any magical encounter as tricks or illusions. Nevertheless, he eventually accepts Yugi’s concept of “The Heart of the Cards” and becomes more compassionate by the end of the series.

Really beautiful armor for Kaiba. Though I wonder, why is he holding a white rose? Hm…

EDIT: Thanks to MomoXIII for letting me know this Kaiba is from the PS2 game, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, yu-gi-oh!, kaiba, seto, yugi, kaiba corporation, armor, duel monsters, heart of the cards, rose