Cosplay Made Easy: Black Lady

Alright~

So apparently, a lot of hits to my blog were from the last 'Cosplay Made Easy' guide for Vanellope von Schweetz. Since it was so popular and I wanted to do another, here goes:

This one is going to be from a more legendary/antique character in the anime/manga world: Black Lady, from Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon series. If you haven't heard of it, then chances are you don't fancy anime/manga. In which case, this probably won't suit your interests.

I've always wanted to cosplay Black Lady. Why? Because even though she is a antagonist and I hated her for trying to steal Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon, she looks awesome. I mean, Mistress Nine was just as sexy in terms of character design, but Black Lady was just very appealing to me. I can't quite put my finger on it either. I mean, I really didn't like her character when she tried stealing Damien and getting in the way of Usagi and Mamoru's blossoming relationship.

Anyways, this cosplay guide might be a little more expensive than usual(not to mention it might take a few crafting and sewing to get it done halfway decently), but let's just try to make the best with what we've got, m'kay?

Disclaimer: Keep in mind that these are supposed to be for a low-budget cosplayer, and the costumes may not be 100% accurate. Just remember: I've never tried cosplaying, so don't hang on to my every word. If you do decide to follow my guide, please tell me how it goes! Sends me pictures if you want so I can post them on my blog! :)

Cosplay Guide: Black Lady (Sailor Moon)

As I mentioned before, Black Lady is a antagonist from the shoujo anime/manga series, Sailor Moon. She is the daughter of the main protagonist, Usagi Tsukino (Serena in the English dub), and comes from the future to ask for help in saving her future world . She also later goes to the past in order to help her teenage parents fight crime and maintain justice.

Art by Rin54321 on DeviantArt

In any case, when Chibiusa (aka Rini) is first introduced, she goes through a strange mental crisis where she is very protective and affectionate for her father, and very mean towards her mother. This obvious invokes the jealousy of Usagi, who is barely a adult and is in no way ready to take care of her daughter from the future with Mamoru (aka Damien). Because of Chibiusa's naivety she is easily coerced by the evil forces, the Dark Kingdom, and is brainwashed into being one of them. She uses these powers to fight Sailor Moon and her friends, and to also kidnap her father so that he will be hers and hers alone.

Her character design is very elegant and refined.
As you can see by her image on the right, she wears a long black dress with slits on the sides, with a sheer turtleneck underneath. There is a jeweled black choker and wristbands attached to this turtleneck, and she has a long pink shawl. This, of course, covers just her costume and not the makeup and wig/hair products required.

As usual, I did some digging around and found some neat things we could do/use to cosplay her. If you've any other suggestions or great finds, please don't hesitate to share!

80 Slinky Black Dress (Price: 30$)

The main black dress is the most important part if you want your costume to look good. Why? Well, aside from it being the MAIN part of the costume, it has to be long and form-fitting. Black Lady has a thin waist, and her dress accentuates that (black makes you thinner, remember?), so you want a dress that is tight, but still comfy.

I've found many black dress with slits, but some are either too short, or don't have the design I need. If you look closely, Black Lady's dress is surprisingly simple. It doesn't have frills or ruffles, nor does it have sequins or flowers. In fact, you can buy a long, tight black dress and cut slits for yourself. Easy as pie.

The only tricky thing about portraying her accurately is the fact that your black dress has to be in a v-neck shape, and the cut has to be somewhat frilly. Of course, beggars can't be choosers so if it comes down to it, as long as you portray the general idea of Black lady (a long, slinky black dress and a mesh turtleneck top), I think you'll be fine. But I'm a stickler for details so chances are, I'll keep looking.

Black Semi Sheer Long Sleeve Turtleneck Top (Price: 15$)
When I first started looking into options for this costume, I kept trying to find a black dress WITH the mesh top already sewn into the costume, thinking it'll be an easier option. However, while it MAY be cheaper to but a black dress with mesh fabric already on there, it is insanely difficult to find these things. In fact, I don't even know if it exists outside of cosplay stores.

Fortunately, I found what I was looking for on good 'ol eBay. The turtleneck looks scrunched, but that's nothing a pair of fabric scissors can't take care of. All you need is to put the slinky black dress over top of this top, and it'll look halfway there. The only thing you'll be missing are the accessories.

Earrings and Forehead stud (Price: 28$)
These are the beautiful earrings that all the members of the Black Moon clan wear. After Chibiusa becomes a part of their clan, she wears similar ones, and also has the moon on her forehead inverted upside down and turned black, like the rest of the other members.

Of course, the earrings are too essential, and you can really wear any black, dangly earrings you have. But these look more authentic. The moon on your forehead could also be easily painted instead of gluing on a black gem. Much less work, I'd imagine, but pictures often reveal interesting detail that you might overlook, so it'll be up to you. 


Shoes (Price: 10$)
In the anime, she has red heels, but I prefer black ones. You can really find any kind of heel to go with this costume. If you're looking for cheap ones, here are some 10$ heels. They give you some nice height, if I may say so myself.

Pink Shawl (4$) 
Again, any shawl should do just fine, even if it's just a long pink strip of fabric left over from whatever.

This guide is flawed! This is my idea of how to make the wristbands and choker.
Now, I realize that when you buy all these items (or items similar to it), you will be missing a very core piece of your black Lady cosplay - the wristbands and the choker. My solution for this would simply be for you to buy black fabric (you don't need much, jsut enough to make the wristbands and neck piece, and then get some crystal bling to glue or sew on the black fabric. Then, sew the wristbands and neck/choker you've completed onto the black mesh top you'll be wearing. Use either velcro or zippers if you want.

This is obviously just one solution, and I have no idea what your wallet size is, but it shouldn't cost more than an 20$ for this craft project. Once you're done, everything should be in order (mostly). 

EST. TOTAL COST: 85-90$ (without wig and accessories)
I make no guarantee that this is exactly how much you will be spending. It is a estimate of the costs from the products above, give or take. If the products above are sold out or out of date, I apologize but I can do nothing about it as they are not associated with me in any way. 

Actual Cosplay Dress: 82$ (without accessories)
In reality, it might be less work if you bought the dress itself from online, as it comes with the mesh to, dress, choker, and wristbands in one package. But it doesn't come with shoes, earrings, or the moon sticker on your head. You'd still have to go out of your way to buy those. But with this official cosplay costume bought, you'll be spending around 125$, and you'll probably need a wig as well.

Perhaps you don't even need to wear a mesh top!

Also, I rather enjoy looking at fanart and the like when I browse the internet. I found quite a few good works I can cosplay off of. After all, Yaya Han did a art nouveau Chun-Li based off a art piece she found on DeviantArt, so why can't you do the same? :)

Here are a few more ideas that might help. They aren't the original costume for Black Lady per say, but they give some nice twists to the character design without actually ruining her aesthetic.

I really like the choker and shoes she has on in this one.

So there's my cosplay guide post!
As usual, suggestions are welcome, and I look forward to seeing requests!

Hope you enjoyed reading, comment and suggestions are welcome, as always!
-ADL

Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo Snippet

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So here it is! The third installment of the Rebuild of Evangelion!

I know, I know. It's been years since the last two films were out, and the third has been out for quite some time now. But for some reason, the pirated copies of the film were just unbearable for me when the movie first came out, and I found myself saying 'Fuck it, I'll just wait for a Blu-Ray rip.”

Well, I finally got around to getting a well-edited and subbed blu-ray rip of this before it came out in America, and I can honestly say that I was disappointed in this latest installment. Yes, that's right. I said it was disappointing.

Prepare to be disappointed, Mari fans.

In the last film, Evangelion 2.0: You can (not) Advance, Asuka is admitted into a test run of the new Eva Unit 03, which becomes possessed by the ninth angel and Shinji is forced to fight it. Obviously, Shinji didn't want to fight Asuka and hurt her, so Gendou used the Dummy-Plug system on Shinji's Eva to get the job done. (I was yelling at my TV when I thought Asuka died.) Then, Shinji tries to quit piloting for a while (what's new?) but ultimately comes back when Rei is in danger. He uses Eva Unit-01 to save Rei from an Angel, reaching inside the Angel's core to save Rei. Once that happens, Unit-01 becomes a divine being due to Unit-00 and the Angel being absorbed into Unit-01. This starts the Third Impact and the credits roll. But luckily, after the credits we see that a lance is launched into Eva Unit-01, neutralizing it's transformation and simultaneously halting the Third Impact. Kaworu then descends from the moon in Eva Mark.06, and we can only assume the interruption was his doing.

But... as we all know, Asuka didn't die and is back in action – this time, with a awesome new eyepatch (as if she couldn't get more badass). Mari is seen as a new addition to the team again, and Shinji and Rei.... well, they're still there, I suppose.

Now, I said earlier that I was disappointed in the movie. And I have good reasons why.

The last movie left us off at a climactic end, which I appreciate if I were to get back into the Rebuild series. Similarly, ROE: 3.0 starts off in a action-oriented battle scene from the very beginning. Some fancy 3D graphics are displayed to make it seem new-age, and the art style is very similar to that of the earlier films in that it really hasn't changed a bit, which isn't a bad thing at all.

But that does nothing to the story, and here's why:

SPOILERS START HERE, SO IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED IT AND PLAN TO, PLEASE STOP READING.

From the beginning you are completely confused and maybe even a little bored because you have no idea what is going on. Explosions are everywhere, rockets are launched, technical terms thrown around in the air in a frantic atmosphere, fancy display of explosions and gratuitous blood and gore, but nothing really makes sense. In essence, it is the very thing that turns me off from most Mecha and makes me yawn. That's right - It made me yawn.

Anyways, you see Asuka and Mari fight some Angels and retrieve Eva Unit-01. It turns out Shinji was in it and they bring him out of his slumber shortly afterwards. From the beginning of his awakening, everything seems different and everyone acts oddly cold towards him, even Misato and Ritsuko.

So apparently after the events of the last film, Misato and Ritsuko deviated from NERV to form a new group called WILLE, and their purpose is to destroy all Eva Units. Shinji has just come out of slumber within Eva Unit 01 after 14 years, but that doesn't become very clear until you get deeper into the film. He is given some kind of tracking device on his neck, making him looks like a BDSM yaoi stereotype, and he is told that the collar around his neck with detonate and kill him is he tries to pilot another Eva ever again. At this point, it's obvious that everyone blames him for causing the Near-Third Impact and want to prevent it from happening again.

Why don't they just kill Shinji and be done with it? Hell if I know. You don't get any answers as to what the hell is going on, so try not to smack your head against the wall too hard. I guess to that extent, you kind of feel lost like Shinji in the film, so kudos to the directors for that.

The functions of this ship in the air are unclear, but they explain that it has the power to 'kill god' (yet somehow it has trouble fighting off angels. Pfft.). It also turns out to be a part of Eva Unit-01, which no longer will be piloted by Shinji. We are not given any details to why or how at the point, but they do mention that Eva Unit-01 can no longer synchronize with him anyway.

Needless to say, You Can (Not) Redo takes place in the future, 14 years after the events of Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance. Now, I understand suspense and mystery has charm and allure for most viewers, but there is a certain point where the audience just needs to be taunted and teased by some sort of answer. But Evangelion 3.0 does that very sparingly, and it can be very frustrating. All we can do is sit down and watch, frowning and confused.

Anyway, Evangelion Mk. 09 comes out of the blue to the Wunder (the big flying ship they're on), and snatches Shinji away before he is taken away to Quarantine. The pilot of the Mk. 09 turns out to be Rei Ayanami, who Shinji was told no longer existed, and he is taken to the ruined remains of the GeoFront to meet his father. Gendou tells Shinji that he is to pilot the new Eva Unit-13 with Kaworu, who is also in Central Dogma with him and Rei.

This is where everything got interesting for me. And no, I'm not talking about the nice piano scene (although it was nice). I'm talking about Rei and Shinji. Now, you probably know that this Rei is just one of the many clones of Yui Ikari, but Shinji doesn't know that. Or does he? If you've watched the original anime series, you'll remember that Shinji never truly finds out anything about the connection Rei Ayanami has with his deceased mother. But in this film, he finally finds out.

This was actually my favorite scene in the entire film.

After bonding with Kaworu, Shinji finds out that his awakening of Unit-01 into a divine being 14 years ago caused the Third Impact, which killed everyone and cause catastrophic damage. Kaworu explains that the Human Instrumentality Project's purpose is to destroy all life on earth so that everything can be reborn. (Wow, Shinji, it took you that long to figure it out?) In addition - and this part I found the most interesting part of the entire film – when Shinji agrees to play a game of shogi with Fuyutsuki, he learns that Yui Ayanami – his mother – is sealed inside Unit-01's core, and that Rei was a clone of his mother, one of the many created. The Rei who brought Shinji to the GeoFront was obviously one of these, and Shinji realizes this now. He is driven back into a crazed, depressed, mental state. where he refuses to pilot the Eva ever again (big surprise).

At this point, Kaworu comes to unclip Shinji's collar to put on himself to make Shinji feel better (why couldn't be just throw it in the trash instead? Whatever.) and explains to Shinji that if they can manage to pilot Unit-13 into the bottom of Central Dogma to retrieve the Spear of Cassius and the Lance of Longinus, they can undo the Third Impact. Shinji obviously thinks this is a good idea, so he goes with Kaworu to pilot Eva Unit 13 together – that's right: two pilots in one eva unit. How awesome does that sound?

Well, prepare to be disappointed. Even though it looked cool at the beginning, nothing spectacular happened. In fact, Kaworu doesn't even do anything while inside the Eva. It isn't any different than Shinji being in a Eva unit by himself, and let's be honest – no one cares about Shinji's whines and gripes. 
 

TWO pilots for one Eva. Sounds cool? Well, it wasn't that great.

As they descend down a green tunnel, you'll notice it's mock similarity to the scene in the original series when you see Lilith. Along with Rei in the Mk. 09, Kaworu and Shinji reach Lilith's corpse and the abandoned Eva Mk.06. Kaworu immediately realizes something is wrong, as both lances are Longinus. But regardless of Kaworu and Asuka's advice, Shinji retrieves the two spears and Rei releases the Twelfth Angel when she kills the Mk. 06. This twelfth angel is absorbed into Unit-13, which becomes divine just as Unit-01 had years ago, and starts to fly, opening the "doors of Guf" for the Fourth Impact to begin.

At this point (and you should've anticipated it if you've watched anything Evangelion to begin with), Kaworu realizes that he is the Thirteenth angel, and Unit-13 is revealed to actually be an Adam. Rei is helpless in the Mk. 09 as it primes itself to be a Vessel of Adam and flies to wreak havoc on board the Wunder in an attempt to reclaim Unit-01. Asuka stops it with her self-destruct mechanism, and Kaworu plunges the two lances of Longinus into his body before exploding inside Eva-13 himself.
And so, with the destruction of Eva Unit-13. the 4th impact was stopped. 
 

And that's the end of the film. The summary was long, so I apologize. I just wanted to share every boring detail of the film with you guys. Honestly, if I could restate it into one sentence at the end, I would conclude it with: Gendou is still sure everything is going the way he planned, somehow.

That's it. No answers. Just a lot of questions. In fact, all this movie did was give you more unanswered questions, and it left things hanging in a way that made you very aggravated.

The end scene just has all the Eva pilots walking off into the sunset, like everything is still fine and nothing catastrophic happened at all. Of course, that's Hideaki Anno for you I suppose.