
We have another awesome interview with one of my favorite cosplayers who goes by the name of R_O_N_I_N. He cosplays as well… ronin. For anyone wondering just who that is, you likely know him as HAWKEYE. We got a brief look at this character in the final avenger’s movie when HAWKEYE aka Ronin was seen kicking ass in Japan. Ronin was the title assumed by Hawkeye in the aftermath of the civil war comics. If this is a bit confusing don’t worry, we discuss it a bit in the podcast so make sure you check it out!
Cosplay History

Ronin has been cosplaying for 4 years and started in 2015. His intro into cosplay started with purchasing a RED X mask and being admired by a child. There’s nothing like a child’s admiration and sense of wonder to make you want to cosplay more and push the limits of your projects. But anyways back to the story, Ronin originally wanted to cosplay as red hood but wanted to stay away from extremely popular characters. That’s when he drifted into his Ronin cosplay.
Cosplay Construction

Ronin actually does not completely construct his cosplays from scratch but instead HEAVILY modifies them. To make his helmet he decided to go against many common methods such as 3d-printers and opted to instead use an item which already looked like a helmet. His armor is also “Frankensteined” together by using several pieces of various materials to create the final product.
Custom Creation

I think this method of creating armor and cosplay is extremely ingenious and requires a large amount of skill. You basically have to make items work together rather than working with a predesigned template. I definitely do not have the skills for this and give props to anyone capable of such a feet. If you master this method you can create some absolutely amazing cosplays that are very authentic and unique.
Customization

A perfect example of needing to modify cosplay appears with the difficulty of achieving certain seemingly mundane tasks in anime and video games. A task such as pulling out a sword from a sheath can be very difficult and by shifting a few elements of this task and not making it 100% identical to the comic or show, you can complete this task much easier.
Cosplay Community

With regards to the cosplay community, Ronin states he is sad to see the cosplay community headed in the direction of elitism. Many cosplayers may feel as though their cosplays are not accepted or will not be viewed in a positive light if they are not extremely elaborate and accurate. If you’re just starting, this may be a bit intimidating and discouraging. But don’t worry, most of the cosplay community will accept you and simply disregard the ones who do not. You are doing this for you and no one else. So take pride in your work and flaunt it proudly.
Male Cosplayers

I haven’t had the pleasure of interviewing many male cosplayers yet but I hope that will change in the future. Finding other male cosplayers gives me the motivation to better my own cosplays, which I rarely get to do while admiring others’ work and realizing what I could obtain someday. Some male cosplayers like @leonchiro make some absolutely amazing work and I can only hope to aspire to those levels in the future.
Conclusion

Make sure you listen to the full podcast as this is only a snippet of the entire interview. I want to thank R_O_N_I_N again for taking the time to speak with me. He discussed some great topics with me and I cant wait to see him at my next convention. For previous interviews, click HERE. I am always looking to interview more cosplayers and if you would like to be on the show feel free to contact me at Mcboundlessperception@gmail.com. Well, that will do it for today thanks so much for listening and until next time, stay BOUNDLESS!!!