USA 🇺🇸

Rose Blue (solo): Hiya! I’m Sadie, online I go by Rose Blue Cosplay. I’ll be 21 at the time of ICL 2025, and I’ve been cosplaying since I was a kid. I’ve been taking it more seriously since 2021, and started making my own cosplays in 2022! I am currently a college student, majoring in Fashion. This is is my first time as a USA representative and I am so honored. I love meeting other cosplayers with the same passion for creating as me, so I’m very excited for September!

Tohma (duo): Hello! I’m Tohma and I’m the leader of Last Minute Cosplay. Last Minute Cosplay actually consists of almost a dozen members from three different states and I’m excited that we get to represent the LMC team and the USA at ICL.  I am 43 and have been cosplaying since 2002..  I’ve made several hundred costumes at this point and love all types of costumes from anime, live action dramas, television, video games and more!   This is my first international competition and I cannot wait to meet everyone in Spain.

Mew (duo): Hi! I’m Meghan or MewSakura, I’m 30 and from eastern North Carolina. I have been cosplaying since 2008. Outside of cosplay, I work in healthcare and I enjoy spending time with my 3 dogs. I love making very detailed and elaborate cosplays so I mostly cosplay from Sakizo artwork, Hannah Alexander artwork, or things that have a lot of embellishment. This will also be my first international contest and first time traveling outside of the USA!

How did you discover cosplay and what made you start in this hobby? How long ago?

Rose Blue (solo): I became interested in manga and video games as a child through family and friends. I got really interested, and made my first costume and went to a local comic con, I believe that was in 2015? After that, I discovered Youmacon in 2016, which was my local anime convention, and the same event I qualified for ICL at. And the rest is history!

Tohma (duo): I started late since I only discovered anime when I reached college but it was full steam ahead once I became addicted to making costumes.  In 2002 the anime group at college decided to go to a convention and asked if we wanted to cosplay for it. I didn’t know what it was but they said they were going to make costumes from the anime “Gravitation” and since i had just watched it, I was excited to cosplay as the character Tohma! Which is how I got my cosplay name. 

Mew (duo): I started cosplaying officially in 2008 after attending Animazement, my first anime convention. Once I learned that you could dress up as your favorite characters I was officially hooked and haven’t stopped since. My mother made my first costumes since I was only 13, but once she realized how detailed I wanted them I took over making them.

What does cosplay mean for you? And what is your favorite part of the hobby?

Rose Blue (solo): Cosplay is more than just a hobby for me. It is a vast social network, a pass time, a challenging puzzle, a place where I can experiment with myself, and much more. I’ve learned so much and broadened my horizons greatly thanks to it.

Tohma (duo): Cosplay is a wonderful creative outlet for me.  My work life is very stressful so being able to come home and be creative is a great relaxation…even when in con crunch mode!  I love being able to figure out how to create a piece and watch it slowly come together.  My favorite part is being able to share my love for a character and a costume with others and share in the creative process. And my absolute favorite part of cosplay is being able to get up on stage and perform in that costume.  Bringing skit ideas to life is so much fun and very fulfilling.

Mew (duo): For me, cosplay has been a way to express my creativity and gain self confidence. Like Tohma I work a very demanding job which is very stressful and does not have any creative freedom. It’s always nice to go home and spend time sewing or beading. My favorite part of cosplay is learning new skills to incorporate into costumes. I’ve always been the person to ask if I can make something, not if I should (shoes, straw hats, custom lace) which leads to some funny reactions from people.

What changes do you see in the cosplay community in your country compared to when you started?

Rose Blue (solo): I started cosplaying pretty recently, so I can’t say I see a huge change as of recently. But, more and more people are becoming interested in making their own cosplays, which I think is wonderful!

Tohma (duo): A lot has changed in 23 years!  In the beginning there were very few areas to get wigs. My first ones came from actual wig stores in the area. Now it is so much easier with so many online shops!  We didn’t have all the thermaplastics and useful tools that we have now. Mostly it was hand painting and satin stitched appliques if you wanted to create details and cardboard or wooden props!  The availablily to new techniques and also to buy finished costumes is far better now and has made the cosplay community completely explode and expand! It’s wonderful to be able to welcome everyone into the cosplay community whether they are making their costume or buying it online.  We all get to share the love of the hobby with more and more people.

Mew (duo): The biggest change I’ve noticed is how the cosplay community is available to more younger cosplayers now. When I first started cosplaying at 13, there were very few other cosplayers my age. Now I see many more people at conventions that are cosplaying at the age I was. I love that we are able to have a safe environment where younger people can express themselves.

Why did you choose that project for the ICL national selection? Have you already decided on your finals project for Madrid? Can you give us a hint?

Rose Blue (solo): My final project for Madrid will be the same as my qualifier, with more work done to it! I originally made this cosplay in the summer of 2023, around when the game released, and it was really fun and challenging. I really wanted to do it again and improve on it, so I remade it in Fall of 2024 and competed in the qualifiers!

Tohma & Mew (duo): We are using our same costumes from our qualifier at Youmacon for the finals.  We spent a lot of time researching historical techniques for our costumes and executing them to the best of our ability so we really want to show them off on the international stage.  We are upgrading them so that they are fresh and new for the contest though!  We chose “Raven of the Inner Palace” because we both loved the anime and decided to dive into the novel as well in order to fully absorb the series.  It’s an amazing plot and we were in love with the costumes that were displayed in the novel.  We both love damnei and chinese historical dramas so being able to bring to life these costumes was a fun challenge.

Is this your first time competing in an international cosplay competition? What advice would you give to someone who wants to start cosplaying or join competitions?

Rose Blue (solo): This is my first time competing in an international contest, and only earlier this year did I travel overseas for the first time at all! So, I am a little nervous, please give me your advice! To people who want to start cosplaying or competing, the hardest step is the first one. It may be intimidating, but you will meet amazing people that will support you!

Tohma & Mew (duo): This is our first time making it to an international final.  I’ve competed in local qualifiers for other events before but this was my first win.  I would suggest always read every rule carefully so you know what type of performance the judges might be looking for. It also helps to watch previous competitions! I’ve watched many of the past ICL finals in order to see what has done well and what other teams have brought to the stage. 

What has been your most memorable cosplay experience so far?

Rose Blue (solo): Honestly, my most memorable cosplay experience was winning the qualifiers for ICL. It is by far my most significant accomplishment in my time cosplaying. I expect Japan Weekend to beat it out, though!

Tohma (duo): Since I’ve been cosplaying for so long I have a lot of really amazing memories.  But I think finally winning an international qualifier is one I will never forget no matter how many cons I go to.  Sitting in the green room and waiting to see if our name was called was stressful but exciting.  To be able to hold that ticket to ICL in my hands was amazing and I cannot wait to get on the plane and start that trip to ICL!

Mew (duo): I think my most memorable cosplay moment was when I won my second best in show at Cosplay America 2019 with Easter Bunny based on Sakizo artwork. I had been feeling very discouraged and burnt out with cosplay after making some costumes that didn’t end up sparking joy. I had even thought about taking a break from cosplay and competing for a while. When I saw the artwork for Easter Bunny, I loved how happy and fun the art was so I decided to give it a shot. I will never forget when I first put the full costume on and started crying from joy, it just felt so much like me. At the convention I had such a positive experience that it reignited my love for cosplay and for the supportive competition community there.  Which makes it even more memorable that I now am apart of the cosplay staff at Cosplay America and I get to help promote that supportive environment for my fellow cosplayers.

What inspires your work the most—series, characters, craftsmanship, other artists…?

Rose Blue (solo): I am definitely most inspired by an interesting design that is both challenging and lends itself to skilled craftsmanship, especially if I can learn a new technique to showcase! I also get really inspired by the skills of other artists, it really makes me want to explore new things  and keep working hard!

Tohma (duo): I’m always inspired by the characters themselves.  I often like to add little pieces to my costume that are hidden nods to the character that no one might notice or even understand unless they are really looking for them.  I also love looking over other people’s interpretations of characters and seeing how they brought the costume to life.  Being able to inspire each other is a fun part of Cosplaying.

Mew (duo): I think my work is mostly inspired by character design and craftsmanship. It is much easier for me to work on replicating a preexisting design than creating an original design, so when I see a design that speaks to me I get very inspired.

What do you expect from your visit to Spain? Is this your first time visiting the country? 

Rose Blue (solo): This will be my first time to Spain, so I am very excited to see it for myself! I am excited for what the team has planned for us to explore. And the food, especially!

Tohma (duo): This will be my first time in Spain! I can’t wait to see all the sights and get to be a tourist for a day.  I can’t wait to try the food and take lots of photos.

Mew (duo): This will be my first time in Spain and also the first time for an international trip. Like Tohma, I can’t wait to try all the local foods.

Describe the cosplay community in your country using five words.

Rose Blue (solo): Diverse, innovative, welcoming, inspiring, broad.

Tohma (duo): Uplifting and inspiring each other.

Mew (duo): Learning new skills from others.

Link to your Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter (add other social media if relevant):

Rose Blue (solo): http://instagram.com/rosebluecos

Tohma & Mew (duo):

Instagram: https://instagram.com/tohma2004, https://instagram.com/mewsakuracoslay, https://instagram.com/lastminutecos 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LastMinuteCosplay

http://www.facebook.com/LMCTohma

http://www.facebook.com/MewSakuraCosplay

Tiktok: https://tiktok.com/@tohma2004

Rose Blue, Tohma and Mew Sakura were selected at Youmacon.