Junji Ito Index

Featured cosplay | ero-de

Flesh-Colored Horror

A cosplayer who has done some fantastic gore cosplays, including some from Tomie, Blood-Bubble Bushes, and Flesh Colored Horror.

Tomie

Blood-Bubble Bushes

► What was your first Junji Ito story?

-Uzumaki. Thanks to my friends.

► Favorite story?

-It's hard to pick just one. Earthbound, Anything but a ghost, Graveyard, Scarecrow, My Dear Ancestors, The Hanging Balloons, A Deserter in the House, Love as Scripted, ... Lovesick Dead has really scary fangirls, Tomie, The Bully (it can happen in real life), Uzumaki, Gyo, ... should I really be mentioning just one? (haha!)

► Favorite characters?

-Misaki, A-kun has an amazing job, Tomie, Souichi's son and the Gashunk Shark <3 I love sharks.

► What inspired you to get into gore makeup and cosplay? 

-Horror, gore... I think I was born with a heart for it. My earliest memories were all of falling for skulls, ghosts, etc. 

Cosplay for me is just like making a fanart. It's like showing my appreciation towards the work and its creator. Also, it's also my way of 'owning' the character. >: ) Even so, I'm an inactive cosplayer. It's not my priority so I easily cancel cosplay plans that are too expensive and time consuming.

My undying LOVE for eyeballs is what initially inspired me to cosplay again. MPD Psycho Nishizono Shinji was my first. [link] I thought it should be easy for me to since I am Asian, though I still have to buy a black wig (I have colored hair) and other SFX supplies like liquid latex, fake blood that's mouth safe and scar wax. However, I had to buy them all online since nobody sells SFX makeup in my country. I enjoyed the shoot and thought this is the sort of theme I've always wanted to do.

Another inspiration of sorts is my cosplay peeve: when a cosplayer is unable to project all the characteristics of their cosplay in the entire photo set. I don't want a just-a-beauty shot of Tomie,..that doesn't embody Tomie as a whole (no pun intended) and I don't want just an exact copy of Nishizono Shinji (MPD Psycho) from a manga panel. I want to take things to a whole new level: Make a pretty Tomie in a creepy setting and have Nishizono actually gouge his eyeball out. 

Cosplay gives viewers the privilege to see how a drawn character is in real life, ...so why not do things beyond what people witnessed from the manga, anime, etc.? 

► What do you enjoy most about doing it? 

-I rarely have extra money and time for these so I always figure out ways on how I can still portray the character perfectly while not spending so much time and money. Basically, it's being able to exercise my resourcefulness. ) My Tomie cosplay is the best example (for the trash bin). [link] 

Also, I get to train a lot of different skills for myself since I'm not only the cosplayer, but also the photographer, set designer, lighting director, prop maker, art director, EVERYTHING ..all at the same time (even the cleaner). ...pretty masochistic but I really enjoy it.

► Any special skills that go into it?

-I'm not sure. I've always been driven by my desire to do my best at everything. I am a perfectionist (and it's annoying at times), in fact, I can pinpoint all the mistakes in my photos which probably most people missed. But the basic, I think, is to have an eye for detail.

► What's the most challenging thing you've ever done? Your favorite?

-Most challenging: Blood Bubble Bushes! Left hand is all wet and bloody, right hand has to remain dry for the camera, lights, props, etc.! I didn't have the right lens either (since my brother took it with him on a trip). The blood fruits were all made by myself as well. I suck at craftmaking but I did my best with it. 

Favorite: Probably my Kawabe Maya cosplay? The makeup did take a long time to do but I got all the shots I wanted in under 5 minutes! Although there were mistakes like forgetting to draw eyebrows, needs more ripped skin,... I think it's pretty good,..especially for my first time. 

► What is the most interesting gore do you think he's drawn? 

-My Junji Ito gore favorite is Tomie. I find her prettiest when stabbed, mutilated and just all bloody. She's so cute when devouring with great gusto too. :3 Bloody Misaki from Anything But a Ghost is pretty as well.

► Will you be doing many more Junji Ito cosplays?

-Yes! I have a lot in my to-do-list. So please wait for more.

If you're interested in seeing more, check out ero-de's deviantart and cosplay tutorials.