Robotech and Carl Macek: A small tribute

Carl Macek.

In the anime community he is both loved and hated. He introduced anime in the western hemisphere, and to do so (thanks to western cartoon requirements and standards that were totally different from Japan) spliced and diced three unrelated sci-fi anime into one giant space opera we recognize to this day as ROBOTECH.

Here's a news snippet that i found in Anime News Network:

"American producer Carl Macek passed away due to a heart attack on Saturday. Macek and Beck had co-founded the anime importing company Streamline Pictures in 1988.

Macek is best known for producing Robotech, the 1985 redubbed and edited adaptation of three different anime series — Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada. He also worked on the dubbing of many anime projects from Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years (redubbed and edited adaptation of Captain Harlock and Queen Millennia) to more recently, Bleach and Naruto. His other dubbing production credits include Vampire Hunter D, Robot Carnival, My Neighbor Totoro, and Aura Battler Dunbine. Although Streamline Pictures did not dub the 1988 film Akira, it did release the film in theaters and on video tape in the United States. "

Cosplay Thoughts: Character Knowledge and Original Characters

Last PCC, the organizers gave me a unique opportunity to be part of the judging panel where we could ask questions towards the top 20 cosplay finalists. All them were deserving of being part of the top 20, and I personally had a hard time choosing which of them would be the best of their category.

The question and answer portion, although quite lengthy at times, had shed some light on some contestants, especially on parts where i had to ask them to perform characters they seemingly chose for themselves.

Part of being a cosplayer is knowing the character you are cosplaying. How much you know can determine how good your performance is when trying to impress the judges (this applies if you are joining a contest). In non-contest situations, having a sizable knowledge of the character would help you generate a certain "authenticity" to your cosplay, not to mention a huge sigh of both relief and glee from fellow fans of that self-same character you are cosplaying.