Singapore

Andrea Tan tucks 6 years of cosplay under her belt. Though her partner, Jill Ho, only holds 3 years of cosplay expertise, don’t let it fool you! These girls are the representatives of Singapore, and it’s no wonder they were chosen to lead their country in the wcs. Both have a cacophony of favorite anime series, including Soul Eater, Macross Frontier, and Gurren Lagann, and are excited to meet all sorts of interesting people while in Japan, as well as partake in some delicious takoyaki.

Korea

Sang Ho Hong, a somewhat newbie to the cosplay world with only one year under his belt, is part of the partnership that represents Korea in the wcs, which just goes to show that even if you’re just starting out, you can still be amazing! His partner, Seon Hye Lee, boasts an amazing 12 years of cosplay experience, and is part of a 14-person action cosplay group. Both are excited to travel to Japan for it’s amazing manga, and enjoy some of the better-known series, like Naruto, as well as CLAMP’s work.

Italy

Elena D’Ambrosio Valentina and Marco Battistin, with 7 and 4   years of cosplay experience respectively, will be representing Italy at the wcs this year. Elena is delighted over being chosen as her country’s representative, as it’s been her dream for quite some time. Macro is just as excited, seeing his time in Japan as a big adventure! And why not? That’s what it is, isn’t it? Lovers of the classic series, like Lupin the 3rd and Sailor Moon, these two are anything but short on inspiration.

And what about our own Team U.S.A.? Check out our extensive interview with the team!

This year, the competition will take place August 1 and 2. GEN will be updating throughout this week with information about the competition, the teams, and our own Team USA so check back frequently for updates!

Get more information at WCS’s official web site.

Just who will Team USA be competing against this year at the World Cosplay Summit? There are more international teams for 2009 than there ever has been and that means more awesome competition. Here’s a brief profile of three of the teams who will also be making the ultimate cosplay trip to Japan. Read the full story

Just who will Team USA be competing against this year at the World Cosplay Summit? There are more international teams for 2009 than there ever has been and that means more awesome competition. Here’s a brief profile of three of the teams who will also be making the ultimate cosplay trip to Japan.

Team Australia

Australia

Katherine Lee and Gabriella Lowgren are not new to cosplay. With six and three years of experience respectively, they plowed through the preliminaries to ultimately be chosen as Australia’s representatives at this year’s WCS. Their favorite series include Kazan, Fullmetal Alchemist, D.Gray-man, Naruto, Junjo Romantica, Soul Eater, Angel Sanctuary, Bubble Gum Crisis Tokyo 2040, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Kingdom Hearts. Their winning costumes that won them their spot as Team Australia were Ed and Al Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Team Spain

Spain

Laura Fernández and Bereniç Serrano both possess nine years of experience as cosplayers and it shows. With favorites like Nana, Cowboy Bebop, Slayers, The Rose of Versailles, Candy Candy, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Paradise Kiss, Nana, and Cardcaptor Sakura as favorites, they know how to create some elaborate and detailed costumes. They’re really looking forward to the competition in Japan this year, claiming it as “the highest goal a cosplayer can reach.” Their Rose of Versailles cosplays as Oscar and Marie Antoinette won them their place as Team Spain.

Team France

France

France won the championship in 2007, and no doubt Albanese Cecilia and Turpin Eva are eager to reclaim their county’s title. With six and four years of experience respectively, both girls are very excited to represent France for 2009. Their favorite series include titles from CLAMP and Sailor Moon—series known for insanely detailed costumes. 2008’s Team France was at Japan Expo earlier this summer to congratulate the new team, who won with their Magic Knight Rayearth costumes.

This year, the competition will take place August 1 and 2. GEN will be updating throughout this week with information about the competition, the teams, and our own Team USA so check back frequently for updates!

Get more information at WCS’s official web site.

Two of America’s best cosplayers will be traveling to Japan this week to complete in the World Cosplay Summit (WCS). But just what is WCS anyway? Read the full story

Who doesn’t love a good tower defender? Beat our high score and earn your bragging rights! Read the full story