Baka Sakura From Cape Town! The phrase sounds catchy and funny right?! You would be right on point in that this Cosplayer is one of the most fun people to be around. But don’t make the mistake of taking the ‘Baka’ in its literal meaning. Anzel Schutz aka Baka Sakura Cosplay is one of the most talented and passionate cosplayers you will ever see.
Origin Of Baka Sakura
Anzel hails from Cape Town, South Africa. To our Bangladeshi readers, South Africa is mostly known for its rich Cricket history. However, the southernmost nation of the African continent has the weight of several years in pop culture and cosplaying. Among the many talented Cosplayers from there, Baka Sakura is a special entity, to me at least.
Schutz is a graphic designer by profession and she pours that knowledge of this particular vocation into her cosplays as well. Although a South African national, Anzel is of German descent as her ancestors were from the European country.
Baka Sakura, The Cosplayer
The story of Anzel Schutz becoming a cosplayer is quite typical, to be honest. She was introduced to an anime by a buddy in her teen years and she was an instant fan. Her love for the female protagonist is evident here, “I watched Cowboy Beebop for the first time in High School. A guy that I used to game with introduced me to it and I fell in love with the female protagonist, Fay Valentine!’.
After that, the idea of Cosplaying came to her by chance and she is continuing the passion fabulously. “Then one day I randomly saw a picture on the internet of someone dressed like Fay Valentine and I thought ‘Woooow… I didn’t know this is a thing! I want to do this too!’. So, I did. I carried on cosplaying, because I get to become my favorite characters, lending their confidence and strength, and making it my own.”, Anzel remarked.
It has already been a decade Schutz has been cosplaying for. And, what an amazing job she has been doing. I sincerely wish she continues doing it for many years to come.
Cons And Accolades
There are four major cons in South Africa each year. Apart from them, there are numerous small-scale events going on. Anzel participates in them frequently and mesmerizes with her amazing cosplays. Among the many events, FanCon in Cape Town is her favorite. “My favorite local convention is FanCon in Cape Town (CT). It was the very first geek & comic convention in CT, so it holds a very special place in my heart!”, she reminisced.
Baka Sakura Cosplay has won countless accolades in her illustrious career. With her talent and passion, it is a given fact. According to her personal preference, one award and the honor of representing her country on the global stage are the two most prestigious accolades of her life. As Anzel states, “I have won a variety of awards over the years, the two most recent ones being Needlework Champion of Comic Con Cape Town 2021 and being a representative for South Africa at World Cosplay Summit in 2023.”
About the first cosplay of her career, Anzel was kind of shy and brushed it off as something not so serious like many of us do. However, there were definitely reasons behind it. “Oh, dear… I cosplayed as Misa Amane from Death Note and… it wasn’t great, hahaha! We did not know much about wigs, contact lenses, etc back then, since cosplay was so new in our country, so we just improvised as much as we could.”, she explained.
Essence Of Cosplay
Baka Sakura from Cape Town has her own opinions on what cosplaying means to her. It is to revel in the joy of portraying her favorite fictional characters and have the most fun she can in the process. Meeting cosplayers around the world and performing on stage is her muse. “It’s a tie between meeting cosplayers from around the world (*cough* invite me to your next convention so I can meet you all *cough*) and having the opportunity to perform in front of audiences. I subscribe wholeheartedly to the ‘Play’ part of cosplay. As Riddle Cosplay once said, ‘I take the craft seriously, but not myself.’”, these were her playful words to the question of what is the best part of cosplay.
Another very important question that is asked of cosplayers frequently is that if it is important to be in character while cosplaying. “If the moment or competition calls for it, I’d say it’s paramount! If it’s not necessary to be in character constantly, I will make sure my character poses will be accurate for any photos taken at least.”, Anzel answered.
She does a lot of cosplay photoshoots like most cosplayers. Well, it is a given since she definitely wants to showcase her costumes and crafts. It can be a great source of inspiration for aspiring cosplayers as well. Anzel detailed her shoots as such, “Yes, Ludus Cosplay (My cosplay husband) and I do a lot of photoshoots together. We take turns being the cosplayer and the photographer.”
Baka Sakura From Cape Town
There may be numerous cosplayers on the planet earth at present, but very few are as passionate and dedicated as Baka Sakura from Cape Town. She is what can be described as a most talented and serious yet playful artist of the trade. It has been a real pleasure for me to know her personally and that is why I can now write about her like this.
Anzel Schutz had some praise words for Deshi Geek and she recognized our efforts of progressing pop culture in Bangladesh. “You guys are awesome – I’m particularly fond of Abir and his work! Keep up the great content and I look forward to what you will be posting in future.”, she exclaimed.
Finally, Baka Sakura from Cape Town has generously provided us with her social media platforms so we can follow and get inspired by her.
Instagram: @Iambakasakura Facebook: Baka Sakura Cosplay
