Friday, April 29, 2011

Cosplay: The Series (Episode 1–2 review)

If you still don’t know, Cosplay: The Series is a live action drama about a group of Cosplayers and their struggles in High School! Purely fan made and wholly produced in Indonesia by Bonni Rambatan.

I must admit  I was a little nervous before watching. Because I had so much anticipation after watching the trailer , it would be such a downer if the series turned out to be a disappointment. And being a Vlogger with some filming background myself, I understand the pitfalls. Video production is essentially group work and if the crew and actors don’t pull together, only a lacklustre film will be produced.

And verdict?  I was pleasantly surprised with both episodes!

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Firstly, offering high definition resolution is a definite winner (pun intended add). The style of the filming and post production is modern and helps bring the viewers into the world of the actors. There is nothing worse than boring camera angles and poor editing that detracts viewers from the storyline.

imageThe story starts off pretty typically, with Annisa who appears to be the female lead , running to save their Cosplay Club which is about to be disbanded. Because, let’s face it, how many schools in their right mind would allow a Cosplay Club?! Being forced out of their Club Room and on the verge of being disbanded, Annisa the freshmen comes up with an ingenious idea to save the Club.

As it seems, the story appears to roll out pretty typically with it’s focus on adolescents and the journey of how a bunch of nerds/otakus/cosplayers/outcasts gathered together to fight against the expectations of the mainstream society. I don’t foresee the story in CTS to break any new grounds but I’m definitely not complaining.

As a fan of the hobby, what I look forward to is truthful representation of the hobby and the real struggles faced by cosplayers. Not forgetting , the weird, funny and sometimes lame things Cosplayers do that sets them apart.

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Like little random snippet that only an Otaku would think of and appreciate XD

I enjoyed the first 2 episode of the series and would complain it is too short. Like how others have commented, I am eager for the story to roll out.

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My only other complain would be the obvious lack of professional lighting and audio recording set up. Personally, I think one of the most important aspect in professional filming would be the lights that not only illuminates the scene but most importantly, draw attention to the facial expression of the actors.

There are some slight technical glitches like the obvious line of difference in the scene where the cosplayers took turns to walk down the stairs and some slight panning jerks. But none detracts viewers from the story and CTS is a series I highly recommend to any cosplayer or non cosplayers who would like to know more about this elusive hobby!

So remember to subscribe to Cosplay: The Series and let’s await the next episode!

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P/s: Cosplay: The series also has a Facebook page!

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