Geek It! Cosplay Spotlight: Interview with Cosplayer AmenoKitarou (A.K. Wirru)

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Suz in Animation, Anime, Arts, Fashion, Gaming, Geek It!, Interviews, Reviews, Spotlight // 0 Comments

One of Australia’s charismatic cosplayers, AmenoKitarou (A.K. Wirru) is best known for his versatile cosplay portfolio. From Final Fantasy‘s Cloud Strife to various Pokemon characters, Wirru continuously wows his fans with his passion and talent for cosplay. Whether it is the details in his costumes or his desire to make complex props, Wirru takes pride in every costume he has produced and worn.

Chatting about the Australian cosplay scene and his cosplay-making process, we recently got the chance to interview Wirru. Check out the interview below!

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CGP: Your most popular cosplay is none other than Final Fantasy’s Cloud Strife. How long did it take you to finish the very first Cloud Strife costume? Do you have to constantly update the costume in order to perfect it?

Wirru: My Cloud Strife costume was actually built in 18 hours out of pure impulse — this was when the announcement of Final Fantasy 7 REMAKE had just came out. I usually aim to perfect costumes in the first go because I don’t like to alter many things once a costume is complete. I do make constant repairs to keep the costume in presentable condition though!

CGP: You’ve cosplayed many characters from Final Fantasy, Naruto, and Haikyuu!! What is your favourite manga/ anime/gaming series of all time?

Wirru: I have two favourites — Hideaki Anno’s Gunbuster and Evangelion!

CGP: Out of your many cosplays, which one is the most challenging costume to date?

Wirru: I recently completed ‘Tsumugi’, a character from the anime Knights of Sidonia. It is a fully moulded and casted latex dress!

CGP: You’ve dealt with many materials such as wood, foam, metal and plaster. What is the most challenging material to work with and why?

Wirru: I struggle the most with large moulds and casts, especially when dealing with plaster moulds, latex, resin, and silicone. Using the materials can be easy but they make a lot of mess, plus they smell and take up space.

CGP: How do you choose your cosplay projects? Are they generally based on your favourite characters, or the complexity of costumes and armours?

Wirru: Yeah! First and foremost, I like to choose my projects based on difficulty. I love a challenge and I love producing visually intimidating things. I usually commit to one or two projects like that a year. In between those projects, I fill my time with impulse projects, or projects where the love is in the characters!

CGP: You’ve probably created every possible costume including armour, angel wings, and swords. Is there a particular type of costume that you have a strong preference for?

Wirru: It’s very impulsive for me. I don’t like to limit myself to one genre or technique. The projects I choose are almost always an indicator of how I am feeling at that point in life.

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CGP: From the top of your head, how many costumes have you created in total?

Wirru: I think it’s nearing 100 costumes…

CGP: With the increasing popularity of conventions and pop-culture in general, the cosplay scene has changed significantly over the last few years. In your opinion, how has the cosplay scene changed?

Wirru: The cosplay scene has definitely changed. The community is much more connected now that the internet has become a major factor and tool to cosplayers. Resources that weren’t available back in the day are now a staple for everyone (e.g. quality wigs, materials, tutorials etc).

CGP: You actively interact with your peers and fans on a daily basis. This includes posting tutorials and updating your followers with your cosplay progress. Does this process take a considerable amount of time?

Wirru: It doesn’t feel that way because I mainly do all my online interaction when I am commuting (I commute a lot). I gain a lot of inspiration and energy from interacting with everyone.

CGP: We’re very curious about this — You’ve cross-cosplayed Sailor Neptune and Uranus. What made you cosplay these characters?

Wirru: I grew up with Sailor Moon, both the manga and the anime. It was a big part of my childhood. Recently Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3 came out and I was on the hype train. So I decided I should do it. The main challenge when cross-playing is to be convincing. It is the ultimate challenge of make up and posing skills because you are trying to be someone that you’re not –physically and genetically. I get a lot of jealous reactions from my female friends…because apparently my legs are nicer than theirs?

CGP: You’ve been invited as a special guest at various conventions such as Madman Anime Festival 2016; participated in the World Cosplay Summit; and judged many cosplay competitions. What has been a major highlight of your career so far, and why?

Wirru: The best moments of my career has been the times when fans come up to the guest table, and proudly showing me their costume and telling me that they’ve done it with the help of my tutorials. Moments like that tell me that my work is inspiring someone out there, and that my work is making a difference.

–ENDS–

Interested in Wirru’s cosplay journey and portfolio? Check out the following links!

World Cosplay: AmenoKitarou

Twitter: @AmenoKitarou

Instagram: @AmenoKitarou

Facebook: AmenoKitarou