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Sources:
Yaya Han’s World Of Cosplay Chapter 15
The Dr who post
http://wow-lawbringer.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-life-as-villain-of-cosplay.html
Chloe’s Dr who response: https://web.archive.org/web/20160623034904/http://chloedykstra.tumblr.com/post/61607065635/in-response-to-this
Chloe’s “guide” tumblr post: https://www.tumblr.com/pinssnipgremlintrove/759073219509616640/the-guide-for-surviving-heroes-of-cosplay-filming?source=share
Mark Cronin’s TV guide article:
https://www.hannibal.net/archive/article/the-ultimate-con-job-syfy-trails-the-heroes-of-cosplay/article_f771a430-05c9-5c9e-8e97-eb50689ec49a.html
Yaya’s cosplay crunch podcast interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq3oQFilqPU
Origins of the word cosplay
http://www.hard.co.jp/cosplay_02.html
For Free Patterns or to support the channel
https://www.patreon.com/sarahspaceman
Merch!
https://www.bonfire.com/store/space-merch-1/
Join the discord for questions and community!
https://discord.gg/4CGBRsuR6U
Music:
Some Music by Lud and Schlatts Musical Emporium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIdLNUnYf10
Most tracks came from here:
Animal Crossing-esque Music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2EJJFUnJxQ
soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/trashkidd
Dramatic Brass Music:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoIyoWuQx_Ga7fQ35flEmQA
Some music courtesy of Epidemic Sound:
https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/featured/
Chapters
0:00 – Intro
3:13 – Episode 1
16:43 – What did cosplayers think?
18:11 – Episode 2
25:44 – Superman Scandal
31:33 – Episode 3
36:15 – Who was production?
42:58 – Episode 4
49:04 – Where did cosplay come from
52:08 – Episode 5
56:30 – Episode 6
1:01:56 – The Doctor
1:09:00 – Episode 7
1:14:10 – How this normally works
1:15:25 – Episode 8
1:18:56 – Episode 9
1:26:55 – How the Cast was treated
1:30:10 – Episode 10
1:35:20 – Chloe’s Guide
1:36:48 – Episode 11
1:40:59 – Episode 12
1:45:25 – Where are they now
1:50:35 – Reality
The Biggest Controversy In Cosplay History – A Heroes of Cosplay Deep Dive
source
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Truly felt like I was having a war flashback watching this video but also like DAMN CUZ YOURE SO RIGHT?! This show is directly responsible for me normalizing last minute builds cuz it’s what “real cosplayers do” and despite it repeatedly failing on tv, I felt more “seen” cuz of it cuz many of my last minute coses failed. Thankfully I’m now past that and also not churning out a build every two weeks but D A N G I missed the connection XD
Tea on Miguel – he was in my friend group (retroactive yikes) and he was actually yep super cancelled for saying problematic shit (and honestly just in time, cuz he was a predator and i was gullible and Barely Eighteen, but I literally have receipts of me being like “Miggy doesn’t seem to like me and idk why” and in retrospect, it’s because I was good friends with his ex and he was definitely worried she would tell me shit) and then it came out that he was gaslighty and abusive and a predator and I don’t remember all the deets BUT I remember it being Really Bad .TM). Y. I. K. E. S. I had fully totally forgotten about him O.o and this video conjured him like the shittiest Phoenix 😅
Also seeing Yaya’s thoughts on sexy cosplay FOR REAL after all of that in the show makes so much more sense because I remember being so baffled that yaya would be against sexy cosplay when she DOES sexy cosplay. And you know? She was absolutely right to be concerned for the kids! As one of “the kids” who did sexy cosplay cuz I saw more of it popularized by Yaya and Jessica, I also was subsequently harassed by Humans In Public. Thankfully I learned really fast how to handle myself AND I found a really great community of women who support other women and stand up for their safety at cons but dang if it wasn’t scary for a bit and I feel so bad for Yaya that her desire to protect a kid from shitty adults got spun so awfully.
Truly unsurprising that production was the way that it was and that all these guys were under NDA. I’m so glad Yaya was able to thrive despite all of it cuz I remember that backlash! And heck yeah she’s still the queen 🎉 Jess is truly right about Yaya always trying to put herself in front of cosplay in the mainstream to try to make it good, and dang Jess is also so right, that’s so much to put on one person, Yaya please rest!
TLDR; didn’t make the connection on how this show normalized the speed build mentality for me til now, miggy (Miguel) was in my friend group and he was cancelled for being abusive and a predator, it’s so shit that production took Yaya’s protective instinct for a young girl wanting to dress sexy and spun it awfully like that, and dang it’s no surprise the producers were shitty like that and I’m so glad they’re all free from the NDA
Also lol at the “sexy cosplay is cheap and easy” is the funniest shit cuz I also thought the same as ~a kid~ who then finally tried it and realized IT WAS SO HARD. Every sexy cosplay I tried to make has been hella difficult to make!!
Also truly me laughing at my “kids these days have so many resources to start cosplay!” and it’s so true that heroes of cosplay made a lot of the mainstream energy and resources possible.
(Also dang you’re so right, a few of my friends are in alter egos and I’m STILL TERRIFIED to watch it so that’s for healing me a bit so I can maybe perhaps watch)
“We will die soon.” – Jess 😂😂😂 (what a mood)
Yeaah, this show made me feel like I shouldn't cosplay because I'd never be thin enough. 😒
I'm sorry. Did they say a new cosplay each week during episode 7? That is impossible. If I'm fast I can make one in maybe 3 months
44:38 HELLO ROSS O'DONOVAN!!!! holy shit I did not expect to see him here
absolute banger long form video sarah we all say in unison
I remember when this aired on syfy. I had always wanted to cosplay but as a mixed black girl back in the late 90s early 2000s poc we told to only play characters of their skin tone and that thought really hurt and puy me off from cosplay.
Glad that oyu point out the misandry even if you dont name it
Everytime someone talks trash about sexy or ero cosplayer I get so angry. Like let them have fun and do what makes them happy. Some people really enjoy those aspects and feel very secure in their own sensuality. That's so cool and every cosplay style has. And everyone should play the character they want, no matter their physical appearance. That's why it's Costume PLAY
1:37:30 ….No.
this show came out when I was just getting into cosplay! I remember wishing it had more about the making procces. I wanted the same from project runway. made me realize i wasn't a reality tv person.
I remember seeing this show and being completely disenfranchised with any reality show. Every one is scripted even if it's a "loose" script. Never believe anything you see on tv made for entertainment purposes. 90% of it will be lies and false drama.
I remember this show and holy shit wow
The fact you don't know how important Wendy f-ing Pini is to cosplay astounds me. She was doing cosplay before cosplay was an actual thing. Look up original Red Sonja.
EVA foam was being used well before this, and is still used today. Thermoplastics are still used for detail
I really loved watching this, i really enjoy the long videos<3
You're doing a great job playing a female InCel
Riki still does cosplay but she doesn't have a lot of time because she makes costumes for the Marvel and DC movies.
I’m so happy to see this video. I was a person that thought that fat shaming was from Yaya and seeing this video has completely changed my views on her. She seems pretty dope tbh.
Thanks for the breakdown! I need some advice: My OKX wallet holds some USDT, and I have the seed phrase. (alarm fetch churn bridge exercise tape speak race clerk couch crater letter). How can I transfer them to Binance?
I like the idea of introducing cons to a new audience. It could have dispelled a lot of the rumors surrounding them. They should have used them as qualifiers to the grand finale. If none of the candidates won, they could have made a judge's decision.
I had no idea Grant from MythBusters had died 🙁
Holly conrad also cheated on her husband rubber ross
as a cosplay photographer for a couple years and doing video edits since about 2017, the way this show portrayed cosplay and cons in my experience is so far off the actual reality. yes its dramatized, but holy hell did they miss the mark entirely. im curious how many things were really fed to them, cause i cant really see cosplayers talking genuinely like they do in a lot of these scenes
I remember when I was younger and I watched this for the first time. I was super excited as a preteen that loved anime,comics and other )at the time) nerdy things. I was also very interested in cosplaying at this time. Every comment about the weight of cosplayers made me never wanna ever attempt to cosplay, not until this last year did I finally make my first cosplay. And it was the best time I've ever had. Please never be discouraged by anyone professional or not. Cosplay is for everyone
Omg…rewatching this makes me understand soo many of my old ‘’bad’’ habits….its insane! Never thought that damn show had so much influence on me in the end 0-0
What Jessica said at the end really hit home for me “cosplay is costume play, we will die soon just live your life cosplay is fun”. I’m not some person who is like cosplay is serious or some stuff like that, but I am at a con right now and honestly just have been feeling empty ( a feeling that’s slowly been growing the last few cons I went to ). This line just really hit home for me, just letting me know to have fun and play and not worry.
Yes Bioshock is overrated but what does the comment “of course she likes bioshock” mean?
I never watched the show when it came out, because the backlash around it was SO intense, it was so immediately clear that this was not being made for cosplayers themselves to actually watch… I'm so glad enough time has passed that it seems like most of the people involved can move on from the manufactured drama and find what makes them happy!! I 1000% feel like people who complain about how "toxic cosplay is these days" in the tiktok era are doing a really bad job remembering what the culture was like a decade+ ago…. the shaming and bullying was so intense, the community had a lot of growing up to do back then.
also, trekkies mentioned 🗣🗣🗣
People always have so much trouble giving artists credit for our work. -_- If anyone knows where I can find the list of artists that worked on Bojack Horseman I would be really grateful for it. I've been trying to remember the name of one of the artists but I forgot, I know that worked on BH but I can't find too much info about the artists that worked on that show.
LEEEELOO
I competed in the New Orleans episode and I remember spending six hours in line just to do a walk on. I remember one person passing out and several people just leaving.
Between this and Jenny Nicholson's video on Opposite Worlds, I'm convinced that if Syfy approaches you to be in a reality show, you run the other way
I’m glad things can be said about what happened now, but I can’t help but wonder why it took prompting from an outside source for much to be said.
I feel bad because I feel like Holly has been set up from the moment she entered the cosplay world, like she's just so awkward and wants to dress up
This was around the time I stopped cosplaying because of the fat shaming was spreading throughout the cosplay community. I was already self conscious so being made fun behind my back when people didn’t think I noticed because of my size hurt like hell and took away the joy of cosplay for me. Now I’ve started to cosplay again and have decided that size will not stop me from cosplaying characters I love.
I love that you are covering this. A few of my friends were in one of the contests that this show filmed and it was an absolute nightmare… to the point that one of them could not get to her inhaler because of crew of this show. It was ROUGH
So, i was dating a guys at the time who believed that if you werent the same size as the character you shouldnt cosplay them. We watched this show together and he pointed out that he was right. This made me give up cosplay because I wouldnt never be thin. It stopped me from persuing my dreams of making beautiful things that make me happy.
I have since learned better but life has gotten to busy for me to take this up again. I really wish it hadnt been so disheartening. Thank you for showing its flaws.
"Its a docu-series" Cackling
…I suppose they didn't want to be like Face Off, and that is why they took it to already existing events?
Honestly the show featured really great cosplayers who did well. Then it featured a cosplayer who got famous for big boobs and yellow bikini and ears. And another one who has talent yet is a genuinely HORRIBLE person. Ive met 5 of the featured couples/cosplayers, and of those. Jessica Nigri and Yaya Han were by the far the most horrible toxic people I've ever met. Jessica gave me a dirty look and actually said " you know you should've just bought it if that's your skill level" and Yaya actually said "you're not the right size for that character"
For Jessica I just said "at least I can sew." And for Yaya I said "you're not either so thanks for the advice" and walked away. They were the reason I left the community. Because no matter what is said it is very much a "stick to characters your size and race" and very much not inclusive at all. Yaya actually told a Belle cosplayer that she should stick to her own races characters because her skin was to dark to be Belle. The girl in front of me just said "and yet unlike you I can pull the look off"
The amount of interactions ive witnessed with her that were less than what you'd expect for someone of that stature in the community is pretty bad
really cool breakdown!! i liked the storyline you built, showing how it was portrayed in the show and then ending with the interviews. wild to see how badly they skewed what yaya was really concerned about, which was warning female cosplayers about the severity of harassment and assault. just evil to not only make it into something she didnt mean, but also make sure her intended message (which was rly important) didnt get out! i was cosplaying around 2010 and i remember how bad it was. it makes perfect sense to want people to be warned about the hostile environment before choosing to do a sexy cosplay.
I…. just. cosplayers can be really toxic. So saying these people don't exist is a stretch. Even in 20 10s…I use to be friends with a girl who was exactly like this. HELLA TOXIC and had a toxic mentality about- being cut throat and putting herself in unhealthy work schduels. lol
Its sad that this show highlights That? Makes something that is fun and nerdy and shows the most shallow parts of it that no one enjoys and thank go things have somewhat gotten better since then.
HEY NORMIES! THIS IS THE meangirls and nerd fusion that you didnt know existed!
I find like its the choice of these adults whether they wanted to behave and talk that way in that show. Its a choice. It adds to the damage towards the community to show big cosplayers have no integrity just for alittle fame lmao. No one would of watched this if they weren't being insane stereotypical narcy toxic cosplayer with main character syndrome like it was project runway. It would of bee a good show if it didnt try to be top model.
Its crazy how the show is ..so stupid and unrealistic though. Very invasive when other people in cons might not have wanted to be appart of this.
People just think cosplayers were weirder.. thanks show.
aLSO JUSTIC FOR MY MAN JESSE ;;
Why don’t they just make this more like forged in fire where they least talked about the techniques the black smith were doing and things to be aware of when using those techniques.
As someone who has never cosplayed I don't have much to add. AS a person who loves long ass videos by interesting people. This is genius, I've watched it twice, and will again great job Sarah!
1:42:15 You're right — that's not remotely Edwardian. It's vaguely ancient Greco-Roman-ish instead.
44:38 ROSS what are you doing here ??!!