NZ Cosplay in the Media

By Le_Saboteur. 07/10/09, 08:44 am

Maori Tv spot was wicked. It was nice to see a video that wasn't 'LOL LOOK AT THESE NERDS'. It was more like 'look at these people having a fun time', which is a change.

In my experience working behind the scenes at theatre stuff, fashion shows etc, Maori Television are usually the nice guys. A lot of other reporters are jumped up Richard, but every one I've met from Maori tv are actually normal people who don't have a ridiculously inflated ego.

What's the 20/20 thing about? I remember seeing the ad last night and being like WHOA.

Oh right, LARPing. That's awesome, I find it hard enough to role play in character when doing pen and paper games (D&D, Dark Heresy, whatever), so mad props to LARPers across the world. It says on the little blurb on their website that it's about kiwis...

By Selphiroth. 07/10/09, 06:23 pm

The line they chose to pick for the LARP thing: "My goal is to have sex with as many people as possible."

So no, I'm not exactly hopeful on 20/20 have any actual competence on reporting anything, I'm still a little surprised on how soon they started to pull out the "We are interested in one thing and one thing ONLY" usual gimmick.

It's some for of sick voyeurism IMO. I just wish anyone, ANYONE else to do a report on LARP that is not 20/20. (Maybe even C4 because it has pathetic coverage and the reporters were dumb enough to be funny.)

Finally got to watch the Maori TV one! Oh man, you should see my =DDDDDDDD face. They reported a montage of happy people being happy, and I just can't help but to smile! I wish I bought the crew a drink.

By PIe. 07/10/09, 06:34 pm

By Highlander. 07/10/09, 06:35 pm

I would trust Maori or Pacific TV to do a young, positive, what now style article.

Think it would be interesting to see what Asian Down Under would do with it. I mean it is a Japanese thing. Maybe someone should suggest they cover the Anime event in DnDn. Manga/Anime/Cosplay, definitely Asian. But they will want to talk to Asians, not mainly white people, because that is the format of the show. By, for, and about Asians in NZ. Sure they would talk to a few others. But bearing in mind it is short segments for a half hour show, so don't expect too much. But they are usually quite serious.

By PIe. 07/10/09, 06:36 pm

Asia downunder did one on DO last year I think

By Highlander. 07/10/09, 06:40 pm

Remember anything about it?

By PIe. 07/10/09, 06:42 pm

Not really, I'll see if I can find it

By Selphiroth. 07/10/09, 06:46 pm

It was on Youtube somewhere. I thought it was pretty well done.

I was interviewed on DO this year, so at least they were there. Made a complete donkey out of myself but hey, people need something to laugh at. >_> And this year they specifically asked for non-Asians, I just don't know if anyone took up to that. *is Asian

By PIe. 07/10/09, 06:47 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWuVeZOZ5r8&feature=channel_page there it is

By Rolly. 07/10/09, 09:53 pm

I just watched 20/20. At least they sounded quite neutral.

By Selphiroth. 07/10/09, 09:58 pm

About the 20/20. It wasn't about cosplaying at all, in my defence their "geeks dressing up and they don't care they look stupid!" promo could easily be taken as cosplaying. I was more surprised about not hearing anything here, guess that should've been an obvious sign.

The article is actually about LARP. It was done far better than what I expected from 20/20, and the line that ticked me off the most in the promo, "I'm here to sleep with as many women as I can!" was an in character line made to... Well, I'm still a bit >_> about using that as a promo hook but it wasn't as taken out of context as I thought it would.

And people were really having fun. Making me want to move to Auckland. And the reporter was having a ball. And the person interviewed was really articulate and likable.

So this is nothing like I thought it would be, and for my big OMG20/20GTFO? I apologise. I still dislike their overall habit of "lol freak having sex with a blow up" documentary style; but for this segment? I can safely say that I want to give a big "well done"! to the crew. Also love the comment how Hugh had never been seen by his coworkers to be that happy, even Miriama seemed to be infected by the excitement.

But please, don't use "I'm here to sleep with as many women as I can" as a tagline next time. It's asking me to hate you, unjustified. And please please please state that the article is about LARP so I don't come to a cosplay board and make a tool out of myself.

Yours truly
Sel
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By PIe. 07/10/09, 09:59 pm

I liked the fact the had the presenter joining in and that he enjoyed himself instead of just standing on the sidelines finding ways of saying 'what freak' without saying it, it wasn't bad

By Highlander. 07/10/09, 10:25 pm

I thought the Asian down under article was good, except for one thing. They had some Asian lecturer woman explain the sociological reasons we like anime. But never once was it mentioned that maybe we like it because it is fun, or good, or covers material american animation will not touch.

By Le_Saboteur. 08/10/09, 11:29 am

I really enjoyed the LARP stuff on 20/20. It was far more positive than I imagined it would be. The journalist (I use this term loosely for any one from 20/20... lawls) looked like he was having a good time. He did a pretty good accent, too. I never knew that LARPers did all that stuff. UN meetings?! That's bizarre. But cool.

It's just like 20/20 to use a comment like 'I'm here to sleep with as many women as I can' completely out of context. 'Look at this geek, he thinks he's going to actually have sex!' sounds like their usual style.

It was cool that they showed how much more comfortable (socially) all of those people were after actually getting involved in something that would not generally be seen as positive (lol geeks).

Really, though, massive cojones on their part.

By angellsnz. 09/10/09, 03:27 pm

I saw many friends that were involved in that segment, and they were very concerned about how they were going to be portrayed. It showed nicely, that they are just having fun, I also liked the part where one of the larpers mentioned that he has become less shy and socially awkward since he started participating.