Delve deep into the cosplay scene with an exclusive interview with Emerald King!
During DreamHack 2024, I was lucky to see Emerald King, Australia’s premier cosplayer! She got her PhD in Japanese women’s literature from the University of Tasmania in 2012, and started cosplaying in 2007. She helped judge this year’s DreamHack cosplay competition, as well as starred in some panels. Down below I had a chat with her about Australia and the cosplay scene.
1. What do you think of DreamHack as a newcomer to Melbourne’s convention scene, compared to other cons?
2024 was my first DreamHack, even though it was the event’s second year. As someone who predominately works with anime and manga cosplay, going to a gaming event was a big change. Indeed, I would say that while Sydney still has SMASH, Melbourne has yet to fill the hole that Madman and Crunchyroll left (although I’m excited to see how Animaga grows – it looks like it’s selling out fast!). As a gaming event, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much support there was for creators, artists, and indie developers. The Creator Lounge and Artist Alley were bustling hubs and the Cosplay repair room always seemed to be full of cosplayers catching up and resting. That being said, I didn’t get to see that much of the con floor due to judging commitments, but what I did see makes me want to come back! So that’s a good thing.
2. What inspired you to start cosplaying?
I started cosplaying in 2007. I was doing my PhD at the time and the local anime convention asked me to do a panel. I did a talk on magical girls and decided that I needed to dress the part and 17 years later I’m still doing the thing.
3. How do you choose which characters to cosplay? Do you prefer to cosplay from anime/manga or video games?
Since the beginning, my cosplay has been guided by my research interests. A lot of my early cosplays were from Koei fighting games like Samurai Warriors (Sengoku Basara) and Warrior Orochi. I think I’ve made three different Nohime, two Oda Nobunaga, and a Tamamo no Mae from the series. I like to look at modern interpretations of characters from Japanese history, myth, and legend. More recently I’ve fallen into the Critical Role rabbit hole, but before that I predominately cosplayed from Japanese sources.
4. How do you think Australia’s relation to Japanese pop culture has changed over the last 20 or so years?
I was at ANU this week giving a talk on Akira, the Olympics and the World Cosplay Summit and I realised that I’m part of a what could be termed the second generation of Australian cosplayers. I would say the first one is pre 1999, second gen is the early 2000s to mid 2010s, third gen is pre pandemic, and fourth gen is post 2020/online/Tiktok. Early cosplay was very much focused on Japanese source material and there was something of an underground feel to it. If you wanted to watch anime, you either needed to wait for a week for an episode to download on dial up internet, or order bootleg VHS tapes from Hong Kong or America. But even this was cheaper than going to Japan. Scholars at the time suggested that Japanese pop culture was a way for Australians to own their bit of Japan even though they couldn’t afford to travel there. With anime and gaming being far more accessible there has been a democratisation and a normalisation of Japanese popular culture which I think is a great thing – it means that there is now space for everyone, and a freedom where people can find the right THING for their interests. (see also my book chapter in Australian Fandom: Online, Offline and Transcultural Spaces).
5. What’s the most challenging videogame cosplay you’ve worked on, and why?
Do mobile games count? During 2020 I started working on a version of Tamamo no Mae from Fate Go. I entered her into an online competition but I hadn’t worn her to an event until DreamHack this year. The garment is a kind of long, sexy kimono thing with fox ears and three massive tails. I made the tails so that they could be packed for travel so they are designed around three inflatable pool toys in the shape of koalas. I didn’t have anyone to help me dress at DreamHack so I left my koala tails at home – and I’m so glad I did!! I’m really proud of this costume – I made her on a strict budget using the cheapest satin I could find to prove that cosplay doesn’t have to be expensive to look good – but she is a nightmare to wear in public for long periods of time!
6. How do you balance accuracy with personal style in your costumes?
For the past couple of years I’ve been on a historically plausible kick. This is particularly important for the characters who wear fantasy kimono or are based on historical figures. I often use vintage or antique kimono silk in my work, as well as upcycled fabric sourced from my local TipShop in Hobart. So I look at how to minimise wastage and preserve traditional sewing techniques wherever possible.
7. What has been the most rewarding part of being a cosplayer?
I’m an old cosplayer – both in terms of how long I’ve been doing this and in terms of my age. I started comparatively later (as a PhD student) and it’s been a privilege to watch people grow and develop their taste and skills, to see them go into cosplay adjacent spaces, and to come back, or find other creative outlets. I think we are really privileged in Australia to have such a diverse range of cosplay – one that is really based on region and state.
8. Do you have any upcoming projects or cosplays you’re excited about (that you can mention)?
As part of my research into cosplay in Australia, I’ve been running the ICoN Cosplay Photo Festival. This will be held for the third time in September and it will be our biggest event yet – we capped participation at 100 and that was filled within the first half hour! I’m excited to see what new events develop for popular culture fans and that reflect different people’s interests.
9. How has your approach to cosplay evolved over time?
In my early years of cosplay I could not imagine dressing outside of my gender – but the first time that I wore Gladio from Final Fantasy XV to an event, I realised how freeing it was to wonder around a con as a big beardy dude with their man nipples out. Since then, I’ve been able to experiment more freely with the characters I dress as – everything from fox demons and fauns to beardy dudes and sexy ladies. I think we are lucky to be in a space and time where conventions no longer have rules banning cross dressing (and where states no longer have legislation on this! Tasmania still had laws regulating cross dressing after dark in 2001! France only overturned their laws on women wearing men’s clothing in 2013). I’m hopeful that we will be able to continue to create spaces that are accessible and safe for all fans of cosplay and gaming, regardless of gender, ethnicity, body type, and that reflect neurodivergence and accessibility.
If you have a favourite cosplayer, please leave a comment below or join the chat on the official Qualbert Discord. To find out more about games these characters came from, be sure to check our reviews for more.
