Taking Photoshoot Requests for Anime Expo 2013

Okay, taking requests for photoshoots for Anime Expo 2013. As of right now Saturday and Sunday are for sure, and Thursday is a most likely.

Please send me an email if you want a Photoshoot: kriszphotography@gmail.com

Subject Header: AX 2013 - Shoot Request for (Insert Name here or Insert group name here)

Cosplay/Cosplay Group:
Cosplay Character:
Series:

Experience with shoots:
Availability during con:
Time Preference: Morning/Afternoon/Night/No Preference
Theme you want the shoot to convey:
Length of shoot you want? 15 or 30 minutes

Do you want your photos posted online? Yes/No
Do you have a fanpage you want tagged with your photos?
Yes/No If yes, do you have a link?

*Disclaimer* 
Sending a photo request does not guarantee a shoot due to the high level of photoshoot requests.

Final requests for photoshoots end at May 25th, 2013 at 11:59pm. Any submissions after that time will miss the deadline, thanks!!

Behind the Cosplay - Tomoyo-Chan (Part III)

Tomoyo-Chan aka Jen B. is a rising star in the world of cosplay. She has grown to become one of the premier Latina cosplayers in Southern California with her wonderful renditions of Sailor Jupiter, Shana, Rise, Luka and many more. I have had the pleasure of doing many photo shoots with her since we became friends several years ago. Here is a transcript of our three part interview that covers a variety of broad subjects, from the origins of her love of the hobby to how she deals with future cosplay.

In Part 1 she went over the anime that got her into the hobby and her thoughts of the decline of the manga market in the USA. In part II she talked about her experiences in anime conventions and her favorite cosplay. In this section, she talks about Infotakus and her favorite cosplay photographer. Hint: He has a master's degree and used to run Anime Expo.

Interview Part III

Kris: Let's go on to another topic, the group that you started called Infotakus.

Tomoyo-chan: Ah yes!!!

Kris: What was the inspiration for this group?

Tomoyo-chan: We started it due to con withdrawal. Primarily, we wanted to hang out more, not only at cons. My friends and I wanted to reach out and meet new people, we are based in the LA area and I know there are tons of otakus here; we just need to reach out to them.

Kris: Yes, some of the best ones in SoCal are in the area. What are the qualifications to join Infotakus?

Tomoyo-chan: That is the best part! There are not any, anyone can be part of it. Of course, we have staff and admin, but anyone can be a member. Our only golden rule is NO DRAMA. Otherwise, you are good to go.

Kris: Yes, that is a rule that should be heavily enforced, since the convention world is filled with it. So what does infotakus do over the course of the year?

Tomoyo-chan: We host gatherings for most of the major holidays: Valentine's Day, Easter, Summer, Halloween, Christmas. In other words, we get together when there is not a con going on, we also celebrate birthday parties

Kris: Awesome, have you considered expanding Infotakus beyond the LA area? Such as expansion into the Inland Empire, Orange County, or San Diego?

Behind the Cosplay - Tomoyo-Chan (Part II)

Tomoyo-Chan aka Jen B. is a rising star in the world of cosplay. She has grown to become one of the premier Latina cosplayers in Southern California with her wonderful renditions of Sailor Jupiter, Shana, Rise, Luka and many more. I have had the pleasure of doing many photo shoots with her since we became friends several years ago. Here is a transcript of our three part interview that covers a variety of broad subjects, from the origins of her love of the hobby to how she deals with future cosplay.

In Part 1 she went over the anime that got her into the hobby and her thoughts of the decline of the manga market in the USA. In this segment she talks about her experiences in anime conventions and her favorite cosplay.

Interview Part II

Kris: A perfect segway to the next segment, anime conventions. Can you tell me about your first anime convention?

Tomoyo-chan: Yup - Anime expo 2009. It was a date, my boyfriend took me, I had no idea this con existed, I had just moved back from Guate like a year before

Kris: Oh wow, so your first big event from coming back from Guatemala was an anime convention?

Tomoyo-chan: Yup!! I was so excited because while growing up in Guate we didn’t have that

Kris: Why did he decide to bring you to an Anime Convention for a Date?

Tomoyo-chan: He knew how much I loved Anime and we lived so close, so it was convenient. We only went one day and it was enough to get me hooked, just one day. I said: "I HAVE to go back next year" and I did, all 4 days

Kris: Wow, that is wonderful. What popped in your mind when you first saw cosplayers?

Tomoyo-chan: I was like WOW! "I'M HOME!" Finally a place where people could understand my geeky tendencies

Kris: That is so cool. So when was the first year you started cosplaying?

Tomoyo-chan: I want to say 2010, but I only wore like a school girl uniform

Kris: What motivated you to start cosplaying?

Tomoyo-chan: Seeing other people in cosplay and how much fun they were having

Kris: So a part of it had to do with wanting to join the fun.

Tomoyo-chan: Yup, definitely

Kris: I remember that at first you had some apprehension about cosplaying, what was that final push to motivate you?

Tomoyo-chan: Yeah - well, me being Latina I felt like I would not be able to pull of the look, and I have always been very self-conscious about my body image, too tall - not too thin enough. I dunno - silly girl worries, but I really wanted to join the fun and make new friends so I just jumped and did it and when I did cosplay with a full on wig and everything people were taking my picture, and I was like: "WOW! Maybe I do look ok after all."

Behind the Cosplay - Tomoyo-Chan (Part I)

Tomoyo-Chan aka Jen B. is a rising star in the world of cosplay. She has grown to become one of the premier Latina cosplayers in Southern California with her wonderful renditions of Sailor Jupiter, Shana, Rise, Luka and many more. I have had the pleasure of doing many photo shoots with her since we became friends several years ago. Here is a transcript of our three part interview that covers a variety of broad subjects, from the origins of her love of the hobby to how she deals with future cosplay. Enjoy!

Interview Part I

Kris: Welcome Tomoyo-chan to my third interview

Tomoyo-chan: Konbanwa!

Kris: So let's get started, what drew you to anime conventions?

Tomoyo-chan: I have been watching since I was like 10 years old. I used to live In Guatemala so I grew up watching anime subbed in Spanish, they are really good dubs by the way!!

Kris: Nice! Can you talk a little bit about the anime that got you into the hobby?

Tomoyo-chan: SAILORMOON! It was the first anime I ever watched

Kris: Wonderful, so what aspects of the anime drew you in?

Tomoyo-chan: I want to say the storyline, magical girls with awesome powers. I was into Power Rangers at the time too.

Kris: I see...

Tomoyo-chan: so I wanted something more girly as a counterpart, hehehe

Kris: Did you want to be a Sailor Senshi when you were little?

Tomoyo-chan: Yes! I used to play Sailor Moon with my friends. We roleplayed and I was always Jupiter because I was tall, but I knew more about the show so I directed the roleplaying

Kris: So speaking of Sailor Jupiter, you have cosplayed as her and gained quite a reputation with her cosplay. Can you relate to the character?

Tomoyo-chan: I can! She has always felt in disadvantage with other girls because of her height and I feel that way as well. I also love sweets and flowers like her and she is a very quiet character but when she gets upset, the thunder comes out! I can relate to that.

Kris: Are there any other females in the cast that you could relate to?

Tomoyo-chan: Sailor Pluto, whom I will also be cosplaying at AX

Kris: Why do you like Sailor Pluto?

Tomoyo-chan: she has a motherly vibe - she is very protective of her friends, especially chibi-usa chan. I am like that with my friends. Come on, She can stop time!

Kris: That is quite an awesome power, with a rather unfortunate consequence. Ha ha ha

Tomoyo-chan: Yup, ha ha ha!!

Kris: You mentioned that you were born and raised in Guatemala. So can you give a little insight into anime culture when you were younger?

Tomoyo-chan: Of course! I was actually born here and then had to move to Guatemala

Kris: Oh my fault!

Tomoyo-chan: So I had built somewhat of a geekness here before going to Guate. I was exposed to American culture long enough to understand that awesomeness of being a geek. I moved to Guate when I was 8.

Neptunia V gets NA date and trailer

Today, Nippon Ichi Software America has announced the North American and the European Union release date for the third game in the Neptunia franchise. Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory will be released in North America on March 12, 2013 and it will get a European Union release on March 15, 2013. This announcement was complimented by a (fairly bad) trailer that gives the audience an idea of what the third installment of the Neptunia franchise will be about. Neptunia Victory is the sequel to Mk2 and uses references from the 1980's generation of consoles. Look forward to a full review shortly after the game is released in March 2013.

Links
Neptunia V Website
Neptunia V Trailer

Anime Los Angeles Photo Shoot Slots Fill up in Record Time

Photography is an art that takes endless practice to achieve a certain level of skill. Henri Cartier Bresson famously said, "your first 10,000 photos are your worst." I have been doing photography in 2004, and I have been improving as much as I can. In 2009 I started to go to the next level, doing photo shoots in conventions. Over time I have built a reputation as a fun and friendly photographer that gives really fun photo shoots. This hard-earned reputation is because I have gained the respect of many amazing and skilled cosplayers. It bears itself before a convention since I take requests for shoots before cons, on December 10, 2012, I hit a new record of sorts in taking photo shoot requests.

I started taking requests from cosplayers I am close personal friends with a couple of days ago. After that, I moved on to then next tier for photo shoot requests. That is when something special happened, in under 4 hours I had all available photo shoot slots for Saturday and Sunday of the event filled up. It was 16 slots. Here is how I do photo shoots, for those of you unfamiliar with my scheduling system:

• Tier 1 Close Personal Friends: I hang out with you and you know me personally, you know my style and we hang out in and out of cons. You know who you are 
• Tier 2 Facebook Friends: You guys know my style and are familiar with it on some level. We interact on some level so there is familiarity in the shoot. 
• Tier 3 DeviantArt followers: They know my style and like it, so they know what they are getting. There is less personal interaction so there is less familiarity. 
• Tier 4 Cosplay.com requests: they don't know me, they just want a photographer that isn't a creeper and a perv. I normally use this for events that I don't have many friends in, like Wondercon and Comikaze Expo. 

Typically, for most conventions I at least go down to tier 4 before all my slots can be filled up for any convention. It also normally takes around a month to fill up my photo shoot slots. Even with events as large as Anime Expo, it takes a while to fill up my slots. I can say with no hesitation that I have never ever had my slots for photo shoots fill up as fast as they did for Anime Los Angeles 2013, it is quite a record. The question on my mind is whether this is special to Anime Los Angeles or if my scheduling will be this crazy for the rest of the 2013 convention season, time will tell.

Kris Zoleta, B.A., M.B.A., started working in Anime Expo as a staffer in Manga Library. He worked in Staff Service in Anime Expo 2006 and became the manager of Manga Lounge from Anime Expo 2007-2010. He was serving on the Board of Directors for the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation as Treasurer and Interim CFO for the 501(c)(6) non-profit behind Anime Expo, and he was Co-Chair of Anime Expo 2012. He works in the con world and is one of the most recognized cosplay photographers in the West Coast.

Fall Anime Season 2012 - Midterm Review

Chunnibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!

Japan has a large number of anime studios that launch new anime every season. Watching all of them is not only time consuming, but also a waste of bandwidth. As with every fall season, the number of anime that is released is quite impressive, but there is a fair number of poorly made anime mixed in with some golden series. This list only covers a small fraction of anime released in the fall season, but they are the anime that I have been watching. See which anime is worth your time and which ones are worth skipping over.

Busou Shinki 
One-sentence Synopsis: Cute tiny figure girls living in an apartment.

Review: This anime is the epitome of anime as a tool for marketing purposes. In this case, an anime is made to promote shinki figures. The anime itself is a poor excuse for an anime. The character design of the lead character is poor and off-putting to represent a generic avatar that its target audience can relate to it. The Shinki girls are full of personality, but they are as generic as they come. One is the caring character who is pure of heart, the other is the big sister type who is clumsy, another character is the tsundere type who is mean but cares deep down inside, and another character is the cool loner girl who cannot relate to others, it reads like a checklist of overly done characterizations. The worst part is that they never go beyond those set characterizations and there is little to no character development of worth. The storylines are short vignettes that follow a theme and up to now, there is no main story in sight. As a tool to market a product, it had the potential to be good, but such pointless pandering wastes such potential.

Who will like it: Shinki Enthusiasts, Moe fans
Who won’t like it: Everyone else

Btooom! 
One-sentence Synopsis: It is like Battle Royale, but with different kind of bombs.

Review: This anime does some things right, and it does some things wrong. As with Battle Royale, this sort of anime can excel in strong characterizations since human nature cannot really be seen unless it is put in perilous situations. With Btooom, it delves into the human psyche and the main story of the main cast, but it never really delivers a fulfilling backstory of the side characters. Personal motivations are not really developed, and it leaves the watcher unconnected with the murdered people as the body count starts increasing. The different kind of bombs makes for an interesting dynamic when people fight each other, kind of like Bomberman but with body parts flying all over the place. The lead characters are all likeable to a certain extent and they are relatable to the audience. The anime does have very uncomfortable moments where certain female characters are put in situations of near rape, and frankly, for something made in 2012, it is unacceptable.

Who will like it: Violence and action buffs, battle royale fans, bomb buffs
Who will not like it: Feminists, Religious types, people who hate sex and violence

Chunnibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai 
One-sentence Synopsis: High school kids pretending that they have superpowers.

Review: This is the anime done by the “golden child” of the anime world, Kyoto Animation, so expectations were high of this anime. I can safely say that they succeed with probably one of the best anime series this season. Chunnibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai is an anime that focuses on Yuuta, a former chunni, and his interactions with Rikka who has a bad case of eighth-grade syndrome. The characters are all very likable to a degree and are relatable. The script and the pacing are top notch, with each episode flying between drama and comedy with ease. The production values are sky-high, being one of the most beautiful looking anime this fall season. It also has an incredible attention to detail that most anime does not have. It is this mix that makes Chunnibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai one of the best anime this season, if not one of the best anime this year.

Who will like it: Mostly everyone, especially Moe and Romance buffs
Who will not like it: People who hate moe or bromances