COSMO Review

Review of “COSMO: Costume Model Magazine”:

On a recent excursion to Kinokuniya Bookstore, we stumbled across this cool magazine. COSMO is a new cosplay mook, featuring the latest trends in cosplay, worn by pretty Japanese women. First, there is a section on "Gothic & Lorita" cosplay, which illustrates the different costumes that fall within that popular category. Next, a COSPA fashion section, with examples of their best sellers. The "COSMO 6 BRANDs" section is a photo gallery of hot cosplay models - Sachie, Izuru Nekou and Kasumi Minazuki. This magazine contains a photo gallery of the Comic Market 2002. There are costumes from Mobile Suit Gundam, Chobits, Final Fantasy and Vampire Saviors to name a few. Every Cosplayer was asked what part of their costume was the most challenging and/or of interest to them. If you want to make your own costume, instead of buying it... there are useful tips on constructing Natsu, Sheris and Briged costumes. The "Costume Shop Guide" highlights costume, fabric and prop shops throughout Japan. A good resource, with photos and URL contacts for each business. An interesting section, "How to Hair & Make", provides instructions on how to recreate anime-style hair and apply makeup. There is a large photo section about booth girls, including the official models for G-Taste and Chobits. The magazine also includes manga, anime character designs and cosplay model URLs. Our only complaint of this slick magazine... no male cosplay models pictured. It would have been nice to see male cosplayers, since COSPA and other cosplay businesses make costumes for men as well as women. A minor complaint, that didn't prevent us from enjoying the magazine. We happily recommend "COSMO: Costume Model Magazine", for its generous amount of information and high quality photography.