thelastblackmoon

[thelastblackmoon]

Rest in Peace, Yuri on Ice :')

#cosplay #yuri on ice #yuri plisetsky #yurio plisetsky #yoi cosplay

[thelastblackmoon]

Anime Japan 2024 Review!

My Sailor Star Fighter Cosplay at Anime Japan 2024

I went to both days of Anime Japan 2024!

The con saw about 133,000 attendees this year, but despite the huge turnout Tokyo Big Sight had plenty of space to handle it. I arrived at around 9am and bought tickets at the door for about $18 USD / 1-day pass. I also picked up my tickets for the next day, so I spent a total of $36 for the whole weekend. I lined up when the doors opened and it took about 45 minutes to enter the con/building which is honestly amazing considering everyone went through a bag check. The weather was ideal, but I imagine if it was too sunny or raining then the wait would be miserable.

Inside I received a detailed floor map that also had English, so it’s convenient for overseas fans who don’t know Japanese but have English skills. The map was incredibly detailed and accurate and helped me find the booths I was looking for easily.

On the subject of booths, the industry presence was INCREDIBLY strong. All the big name Animation Studios had extensive setups. “Booths” is a complete understatement. Some companies had full on sets built with hallways to walk through/view exhibits. Others had complete stage setups with light scaffolding and multiple professional grade cameras & audio recording for live streaming.

I didn’t get tickets for the special stage events, and because my focus was cosplay I didn’t bother getting livestream tickets. The programming seemed extensive from what I saw in the pamphlet I was given as well as the gigantic wall dedicated to posting the schedule. I took a walk around on Sunday when I wasn’t in cosplay and it was honestly breathtaking. There were so many freebies, merch for sale, screens everywhere showing trailers for new releases or showcasing work that has been popular, and speakers playing anime themes. I think if you’re not prepared for an insane amount of stimulation it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

Photographers lining up to photograph my Sailor Star Fighter Cosplay

One the subject of Cosplay, I would have liked to have a little more space for the cosplay area. Cosplay tickets cost an additional $6 USD to participate/use the changing rooms. The rest of the con was so huge, so in comparison it felt cramped when trying to take photos/line up for a shoot. That said, the changing rooms were easy to find and spacious inside. I went as Sailor Star Fighter from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos and it was very well received. The dress code is more strict at this convention so while I was moving about (especially on the con floor) I was required to wear something to cover my costume. This didn’t bother me at all though since most cosplayers don’t venture out onto the con floor but stay in the cosplay areas and change if they’d like to walk around. There were a lot of really great cosplays, and I was able to see most of them since nearly all the cosplayers chose to participate in the cosplay parade that went around the con!!

All in all it was an extremely positive experience, and out of all the cons I’ve been to in Japan (which is only about 8 but I’ve been to some multiple times) I’ve enjoyed this one the most in terms of feeling fully immersed in anime/pop culture and really being WOW’d by the setups at every turn. I highly recommend anyone who enjoys anime/animation industries to visit Anime Japan.

A photo of my Sailor Star Fighter Cosplay taken by @ kokensns [Twitter / X]

#cosplay #sailor moon cosmos #three lights #sailor moon cosplay #sailor stars #sailor starlights #three lights cosplay #sailor star fighter #seiya kou #seiya kou cosplay #animejapan #animejapan2024 #japan #japanese anime convention #cosplay in japan

[thelastblackmoon]

My Handmade Sailor Uranus Cosplay!!

This was the second Sailor Fuku I'd ever made after Sailor Mars. The easiest parts of the suit were the bows, collar, and choker. All were incredibly straightforward and fun to make. The true curse was the goddamn skirt and hip rolls, but regardless of how annoying they were I think I managed to do a good enough job:

The hip and shoulder rolls also gave me a lot of trouble since i had to draft a pattern from scratch and it was my first time doing so, but I'm INCREDIBLY proud of how well it turned out.

The brooch and tiara were crafted by my friend @/boozeycosplay in Instagram. I asked them to include a gold foil inlay of Sailor Uranus' planetary symbol, which you can see when the brooch catches the light.

This Sailor Uranus Cosplay was entered into Queen City Anime Convention's Cosplay Craftsmanship Competition alongside @/kawaiikiwicosplay [IG] winning us First Place in the Beginner category!

#cosplay #queen city anime convention #qcac #cosplay crafting #cosplay contest #sailor moon cosplay #sailor uranus cosplay #sailor uranus #haruka tenoh #sailor neptune #michiru kaioh #sailor moon cosmos #Sailor Neptune Cosplay #costume making #sailor fuku #haruka x michiru

[thelastblackmoon]

My Handmade Sailor Star Fighter Cosplay!!

This design is a mashup of the Classic 90's anime, the Sailor Moon Musical Sera Myu, and a little bit of Cosmos/the manga thrown in! I felt like taking a bit from each would make it an awesome representation of all versions. It also helped me conceptualize a design that I felt would be more beautiful irl and on my own figure.

The colored tiara and hair tie calls back to Cosmos, and the ear piece with the star mic is also more manga accurate:

Most of the costume is based on the Sera Myu version since it offered the most support as well as a level of coverage I was comfortable with. I opted for thicker holographic straps and higher waisted shorts that both looked more flattering and made the suit feel more battle ready:

I used the coloring from the 90's Anime, leaning towards an ultra shiny black rather than a dark blue/navy. The entire look was based on the holographic effect that the fabric I used had, so each piece incorporated that flare. I also wanted to keep the original v shaped design on the shorts, and while the gold belt that the Musical version featured worked to break up the fabric, I opted to avoid it and instead put in slits to offer more mobility while helping the bottoms flare & look smaller.

I stayed pretty classic for all the props, using a 3D rendering designed by @digitalauge-de as a reference alongside official artwork and proplicas I have:

The Sailor Star Yell prop features remote operated color changing LED lights inside. I'll do a separate post breaking down the Sailor Star Yell prop, earpiece, and brooch later!

I'll also do a more in-depth breakdown of drafting & constructing the costume itself at some point, but there's so much behind the scenes material to go through it'll take a hot second to organize it into one post.

#cosplay #sailor moon cosplay #sailor star fighter #sailor star fighter cosplay #sailor starlights #seiya kou #seiya kou cosplay #three lights cosplay #sailor stars #sailor moon cosmos #three lights #costume making #costume design #costume details #sailor moon #pgsm #bishoujo senshi sailor moon #prop making

[thelastblackmoon]

Sailor Star Fighter~

#cosplay #sailor star fighter #seiya kou #seiya kou cosplay #sailor star fighter cosplay #sailor moon cosmos #three lights #sailor stars #sailor moon cosplay #sailor starlights #three lights cosplay #cosplay crafting #sailor fuku #cosplay photography #costume making #anime nyc 2023 #anime nyc #katsucon 2024

[thelastblackmoon]

✨💚Happy Birthday, Sailor Star Healer | Yaten Kou💚✨

After making Sailor Star Fighter, I went for a slightly updated version here for Sailor Star Healer– I originally designed the suit to be a mix of the 90’s & the musical, but now there’s a Cosmos twist! I LOVE the look of the colored coded tiaras, earrings, and hair ties (which you can’t see here, but it’s there) so I tweaked the design to incorporate them. The next time I cosplay Fighter I'll have the new Cosmos Tiara for them ^^

I keep talking about how one day I'll share all my behind the scenes/WIP photos, but I just haven't gotten around to doing it yet. I'm most excited to share my process for making the Sailor Star Yell prop, which lights up although it wasn't on in the above photo. I still have a LONG way to go when it comes to cosplay creation, but given my current self I'm so, so happy and proud of what I've done.

#Sailor Star Healer #sailor star healer cosplay #yaten kou #Yaten Kou Cosplay #sailor starlights #three lights cosplay #cosplay #three lights #sailor moon cosmos #sailor stars #sailor moon cosplay #sailor moon #Sailor Moon Stars #cosplay crafting #costume making #handmade

[thelastblackmoon]

✨Taiki Kou Cosplay✨

The Sailor Moon Cosmos Movie version of Taiki has me 100% sold, that mustard suit from the 90's can burn--

#sailor star maker #three lights cosplay #taiki kou cosplay #taiki kou #kou taiki #sailor star maker cosplay #cosplay #sailor moon cosmos #sailor stars #sailor moon cosplay #three lights #sailor starlights

[thelastblackmoon]

Sailor Uranus Birthday Countdown:

🌠1 Day🌠

TOMORROW!!!

#Sailor Uranus Cosplay #Sailor Uranus #Tenoh Haruka Cosplay #Tenoh Haruka #Sailor Moon #Sailor Moon Cosplay #anime birthdays #Cosplay #Sailor Fuku

[thelastblackmoon]

Sailor Uranus' Birthday Countdown!!

🌠2 Days🌠

Here's my cosplays to celebrate early!!

#sailor uranus #sailor uniform #haruka tenoh #sailor moon cosmos #cosplay #sailor moon #pretty soldier sailor moon #sailor fuku

[thelastblackmoon]

out of reach

(inspired by this trend on twitter)

[thelastblackmoon]

Sailor Starlights, Stage ON!!

Sailor Star Fighter @thelastblackmoon

Sailor Star Healer @ jessicarosecosplay

Sailor Star Maker @ rbenzieart

Photo @ iShinobiStudios

All cosplays were made by the person wearing it!!

#three lights #cosplay #sailor star fighter #sailor stars #seiya kou #seiya kou cosplay #sailor moon cosmos #sailor starlights #three lights cosplay #sailor moon cosplay #yaten kou #taiki kou #sailor star healer #sailor star maker

[thelastblackmoon]

Sailor Moon Cosmos Movie - The Three Lights new song 「Star Line」 English Translation Breakdown Pt. 1

So I just finished translating the lyrics of the Three Lights new song 「Star Line」 and I wanted to break down all the nuanced language that was used (that machine translation won't tell you lol) because OH BOY does it add SO MUCH. Disclaimer that I'm no professional translator, so if there are any mistakes or additional meanings that I missed, please let me know!!

Let's jump right into it and start off with the first verse:

Amai koi no kaori matotte mo sono kokoro wa mitasarenai no kai? Oh you... oh you…

Even if I’m wearing the sweet fragrance of love Is there no way for me to satisfy your heart? Oh you… Oh you…

Here the Japanese uses the sentence ender "no kai" which is typically used towards children or...girlfriends. Just who is it we're talking to so intimately, HMMMM??

The next verse is more poetic:

Kimi no te ni sotto fureru dake de Sono hoshi no hikari de wakarunda It’s you… it’s you…

With just a gentle touch of your hand I can tell by that starlight It’s you… It’s you…

Now this is a very literal translation, but there's more to it than "I can tell by that starlight/the light of that star it's you..." We're not talking about the light of the stars above. In this case, that starlight is a direct result of the hands brushing--it's more akin to sparks flying. A more poetic translation would be something like "I can tell that you're the one from the sparks that fly when our hands brush" but I didn't want to wander too far from the original.

Moving into the bridge, we see something interesting going on with the kanji/given reading:

Hate shinai [sora] wo koe deaeta Furueta kimi no hāto wa hanasanai We fatefully met across an endless galaxy I’ll never let go of your trembling heart

Again, I went with a literal translation here according to the official lyrics as they were written. I chose to include "fatefully" as it sounded nicer than "per chance" which "deaeta" implies.

However, what's more interesting is what's going on with [sora] which means sky. I put it in brackets because the in the song they sing "sora/sky", but the official lyrics assign the kanji "galaxy" to the word. This adds context, clarifying that this meeting happened not only underneath this very sky, but rather across the entire universe/within this specific galaxy.

In case you weren't sure who this song is about, this detail gives you another hint: It's someone from a totally different galaxy.

I want to chip away slowly at the chorus because this next line holds so much meaning there are literal articles on the one phrase used here:

Koikogarezu ni kono ai ni Oborenayo oborenayo Longing so deeply for this love Don’t drown in it, don’t drown

The phrase "koikogareru" has VERY deep meaning. On the surface, it just means to be deeply in love with someone. HOWEVER, it also carries a strong sense of longing. There is sometimes the context of that love being out of reach or impossible, like with an upperclassman or even a teacher/instructor. This intense yearning can cause pain because of how overwhelming it can be, but in other cases it can simply be considered admiration. It depends on the context, which the rest of the phrase provides:

The second half of this sentence references that intense feeling of love, and follows up with the repetition of "don't drown in it [those feelings]" / "don't lose your head over it" doubling down on the sense of struggle against the feelings. This isn't just admiration, it's a feeling that is so deep they have to tell themselves over and over again that they mustn't drown/lose themselves in it.

This is the phrase that set me off on picking apart the nuances of the translation because it adds SO MUCH MEANING that English speakers would miss if they were just running things through machine translation, or just looking at a literal translation.

Anyway, I'll break down the rest of the chorus and get into verse two soon, but I'll leave things at that for now. If you'd like to see the whole translation I posted it here:

https://wikimoon.org/index.php/Star_Line

Please let me know if I missed anything or got something wrong!! I'd love to hear what other Japanese speakers think ^^

#sailor moon cosmos #three lights #sailor moon #セーラームーン #美少女戦士セーラームーン #sailor star fighter #sailor stars #seiya kou #pretty soldier sailor moon #bishoujo senshi sailor moon #yaten kou #taiki kou #sailor starlights #Star Line #Star Line English Lyrics #translation #japanese #japanese to english #美少女戦士セーラームーンcosmos #Sailor Mon Cosmos Movie

[thelastblackmoon]

I translated the lyrics of the new Three Lights song 「Star Line」 into English!! Check it out here: https://wikimoon.org/index.php/Star_Line I'm absolutely OBSESSED with the soundtrack. I ordered the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos Movie Limited Edition DVD set that came with all the bonus content, and I haven't stopped watching/listening/reading everything since it was delivered on the 20th!

The Japanese lyrics for 「Star Line」 were included on the last page of the official booklet that came with the DVDs, so I translated that text into English.

I'm not 100% fluent in Japanese so there's bound to be better ways to translate some phrases, but at the very least this is better than machine translation!

#seiya kou #seiya kou cosplay #three lights #three lights cosplay #sailor moon cosmos #美少女戦士セーラームーン #星野 光 #スリーライツ #Star Line #english translation #sailor moon ost #cosplay #sailor stars

[thelastblackmoon]

"Penetrating the darkness of night, the air of freedom breaks through! We are the three sacred shooting stars: Sailor Star Fighter! Sailor Star Maker! Sailor Star Healer! Sailor Starlights... stage ON!"

Debuting our Sailor Starlights Cosplays at the Anime NYC 2023 Sailor Moon Meetup went AMAZINGLY well!! We weren't on the con floor for long, but even so we had the chance to take so many pictures and meet even more amazing people.

This was Sailor Star Healer/Yaten Kou's (JessicaRoseCosplay) first time making a cosplay and they truly hit it out of the park.

Sailor Star Maker/Taiki Kou (Rbenzieart) did an amazing job helping us work through the more challenging bits of making all our patterns from scratch and being the first to take the plunge for a lof of the components.

Sailor Star Fighter/Seiya Kou (TheLastBlackMoon Aka Me) took on the job of organizing this whole group, deciding on costume design, helping source materials, and taking care of all the logistics. It was a super challenging undertaking, but everyone did so goddamn well with it I couldn't be more proud.

#cosplay #sailor starlights #sailor stars #sailor starlights cosplay #sailor star fighter #sailor star maker #sailor star healer #seiya kou cosplay #taiki kou #yaten kou #sailor moon #sailor moon cosplay #three lights cosplay #three lights #anime nyc #anime nyc 2023

[thelastblackmoon]

Merry Crisis from Sailor Star Fighter!!

It's already Chrysler here in Japan, but it's not particularly festive save for the snow outside. I plan on making Tacos and rewatching the Sailor Moon Cosmos Movies. You know, to really keep with the holiday spirit.

I have so much planned for 2024 and Sailor Star Fighter isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I want to keep posting ALLLL the Sailor Starlights content until I'm sick of it and hyper fixate on something new. As if that's ever gonna happen--

Photo by iShinobiStudios, Editing by me! Costume hand made by Me ^^

#sailor star fighter #cosplay #seiya kou #seiya kou cosplay #three lights #three lights cosplay #costume making #sewing #cosplay photography #cosplay photoshoot

[thelastblackmoon]

My hand made Sailor Star Fighter Cosplay!! Photo by iShinobiStudios

I’ve ALWAYS loved Seiya Kou and feel like they’re the character whose personality matches mine best in all of Sailor Moon. Moreover, their non binary identity is something that really resonated with me, much like Haruka’s does, and so I was super excited to embody them in my image.

That said, I feel like I was really able to do this whole look justice. There are some pieces I can improve, but it was an incredibly challenging project that I feel is an accurate reflection of my current skill level as a cosplay craftsman. I can’t believe I’ve only been cosplaying for 3 years yet I’m still able to make work that I’m wholeheartedly proud of/don’t feel the need to immediately fix, remake, or make excuses for.

Anyway, I look forward to sharing more from this shoot. Everything is SO incredible, and I hope I was able to be the Seiya Kou / Sailor Star Fighter that everyone deserves.

I'll be sharing more behind the scenes content on how I made this costume as well all the accessories & props. I'm so so so passionate about this project. I hope everyone loves it as much as I do!!

#sailor star fighter #sailor starlights #sailor moon cosplay #sailor stars #sailor star fighter cosplay #seiya kou #seiya kou cosplay #pretty guardian sailor moon #sailor moon cosmos #bishoujo senshi sailor moon #three lights #three lights cosplay

[thelastblackmoon]

Sailor Star Fighter Cosplay made by TheLastBlackMoon Photo by iShinobiStudios

#sailor stars #sailor star fighter #seiya kou #sailor moon cosplay #sailor moon cosmos #Sailor Star Fighter Cosplay #Seiya Kou Cosplay #sailor starlights #three lights #cosplay #sewing #costume making