PROFILE
Shizuka / RainerTachibana Cosplay: Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII) Years of Cosplay: 4 Auckland, New Zealand rainertachibana.deviantart.com tachibanashizuka.wordpress.com
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Cosplay Gen: How long did it take to make this costume and what was the most difficult part? RainerTachibana: I had actually planned this Lightning cosplay very early on, in 2007, but never started it till very much later, choosing instead to debut Noctis Lucis Caelum (FFVersusXIII) first. Sketches, drafts and blueprints weren’t actually worked on until 2009, when I decided (on the very last minute, as usual) to attend an end-of-year event in Singapore as part of a Final Fantasy XIII team. Total time spent on this project was probably around 60+ hours. I needed to spare extra time on my schedule to complete the Blaze Edge (Lightning’s sword) for the cosplay, so I enlisted the help of my personal tailor (who is awesome) to construct the base of the costume, and I would later add detailing and make accessories/props/armor. Some time was also set aside prior to that for sourcing for fabric and making and compiling sketches, and for analyzing the costume itself. The Blaze Edge, made from lightweight wood, small metal components, plastic, and foam, took about two days, on and off, to complete. The rest of the costume and accessories, such as the leg pouch, straps, boots, and other miscellaneous details took longer because I hand-stitch very slowly. The most difficult part in making this cosplay was perhaps getting the overall look right. Lightning is
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a very tall and long-limbed character, and so I had to modify the sizing and length of my costume to ensure that my overall proportions didn’t deviate too far from hers. Also, as is the issue with every Final Fantasy character I do, I had to adapt my makeup style to suit the character - nothing too heavy and overdone, but at the same time reshape my features to match the character’s. Another difficulty was working on a tight timeframe. Sadly, because of this, I wasn’t able to complete every single detail to perfection (or satisfaction), but this will be resolved since I’m reworking the entire cosplay in the near future. CG: You also cosplay male characters; which do you enjoy cosplaying most and why, male or female? RT: The traits that I admire in a character are almost never gender-related, and so I like cosplaying both genders an equal amount. People who haven’t met me face-to-face often ask about my gender. I believe that when it comes to cosplay, gender doesn’t matter. Female cosplayers often cosplay male characters effectively, and the opposite is also true. A lot of male cosplayers also cosplay female characters, and a number of them do it very well. Characters are becoming so diverse and unconventional; and can’t simply be classed according to