Chilean Cosplayer Eriza Shares Her View: “Cosplay Is Art”

If you were to ask me anything about Hatsune Miku, I would answer by saying ‘Eriza Cosplay’! Well, I was completely oblivious to the Vocaloid Software Voicebank codenamed CV01 until I saw Eriza in the picture-perfect cosplay of the AI character. That was way back in September 2022, during my visit to the World Cosplay Summit Exhibition Event in Riyadh. The massive cosplay segment organized by Vega Entertainment as part of the massive Gamers 8 event was where I met Eriza, one of the most talented and awe-inspiring cosplayers I’ve ever come across.

As my readers already know about my experience of participating in this event as a Bangladeshi Representative Cosplayer, you have already read my features on – Baka Sakura, AC Hernandez, Lotuss Cosplay, Alejo Diaz, and Lieh Shen. This time I was fortunate enough to land an interview with Eriza Cosplay through Javier Gaete. Eriza Hails from Santiago, the capital of Chile. However, she was born and raised in Concepción, a city in southern Chile. She is surprisingly not affiliated with any cosplay or pop-culture organization. The designer by profession has her own fashion brand named ‘Pastel Street’.

All I have been mumbling about is the Hatsune Miku cosplay till now but the very first cosplay I saw Eriza in was Miu Iruma from Danganronpa V3. Now that was one extraordinarily eye-catching cosplay. I was simply amazed by seeing the costume in front of me. The amount of effort and attention to detail that went into it was strikingly visible to the naked eye. Eriza mesmerized everyone with the hard work and genius she put into the cosplay of Miu Iruma and along with Javier went on to win the award for Best Crafted Costume.

Cosplaying Journey Of Eriza

I know all of you are restless to hear what Eriza had to say and are probably annoyed at me for always dragging out the intro. I will not stretch any longer, so let’s dig in. “Tell me about your roots as a cosplayer, and your inspiration!”, I started my usual probe. “I saw other people doing it, I wanted to do it and that’s it.”, Eriza began with an indifferent tone and then continued, “I would say that my inspiration comes from the desire to try new things and not based on the work of a specific person. There are great cosplayers that I like such as Willow Creative or Maul Cosplay, but I want to give my projects my own essence and avoid taking inspiration from others.”

“That is how it should be I guess!”, I interjected and then asked a few more routine questions. Eriza answered them in her calm and indifferent manner again, “I don’t have the exact number of my total cosplays but presently I make 7 costumes a year.” “I started cosplaying in 2010 so it has been 13 years already. I have participated in numerous conventions with the most notable ones being – Polymanga Global Easter Cosplay 2023 in Switzerland, World Cosplay Summit Exhibition Event 2022 in Saudi Arabia, World Cosplay Summit Video Division in 2021. My favorite one is Anime Expo Los Angeles.”

As for the awards Eriza has won over the years is a long eye-catching list. “Polymanga Global Easter Cosplay Public Choice Award (Switzerland, 2023), Polymanga Global Easter Cosplay 2nd place (Switzerland, 2023), Hop Step Sing! Cosplay Contest Kodansha Prize (Online, 2023), World Cosplay Summit EX Best Crafted Costume Award (Saudi Arabia, 2022), World Cosplay Summit EX 2nd Place Winner (Saudi Arabia, 2022), World Cosplay Summit Video Division Sound Directing Award (Online, 2021), Festigame Cosplay Champion (Chile, 2021), Festigame Cosplay Champion (Chile, 2020), World Cosplay Summit Chile National Champion (Chile, 2018), and some others.”, she gladly stated the amazing list of accolades.

Cosplaying Essence Of Eriza

“Cosplay is art. It allows you to bring to life with your skills and creativity your own vision of characters and works that bring joy to people.”, remarked Eriza. Then she went on to explain her opinions on different aspects of cosplay, “Tailoring & Crafting is the part that I enjoy the most. Making your costumes by yourself takes a lot of time and effort. I think the main challenge is always to plan your time to meet the deadlines for competitions. Wig styling is extremely important and so is being in character. Sometimes it is difficult because of the stress or the lack of energy, but one should do their best to stay in character at all times when in cosplay.”

“First cosplay experience! Funny or bad experience?”, I enquired. “My first cosplay was Vocaloid KAITO, in 2010. It was really fun, people asked me for pictures, I met new friends, and it was an amazing day.  Funny experience: Once I judged a competition and a Joker cosplayer came with a real machine gun. Luckily, he was a nice guy and nothing happened. Bad experience: When travelling it is common that airlines can lose your bags. In my case, I once had a problem that some batteries of a costume that I had in the checked baggage being removed.” Eriza shared her experiences.

“What is the most important trait of a cosplayer in your opinion?”, I asked. “To be aware that cosplay is just a form of entertainment, and it should not be taken seriously beyond that. You should never assume that what you do is more important than what others do and let your ego affect the way you enjoy this hobby. Some people get frustrated because they do not win a competition, and others are unhappy because the amount of their social media followers is not growing. The only person who must care about your projects is yourself. Do not pretend to amuse and inspire others if you are not enjoying it.”, Eriza replied with conviction.

“That is some serious point of view you have there!”, I remarked and started pestering her to divulge info about her upcoming projects. “I cannot reveal that, but would you be surprised if I made more Hatsune Miku costumes?”, Eriza replied jokingly with a chuckle.

International Experience

“In Polymanga Global Easter Cosplay in Switzerland in 2023 I participated as Hatsune Miku Celebration Module. I won two awards: The Public Choice Award and the second place.”, Eriza started her international experience segment with the famed Polymanga Global Easter Cosplay Event.

“In the World Cosplay Summit Exhibition Event in Saudi Arabia in 2022, I participated as Miu Iruma from Danganronpa V3 with my partner Javier as Kokichi Oma. We won the Best Crafted Costume award and second place.”, she stated the event that I was a first-hand witness in.

Eriza finished with, “I also participated at the World Cosplay Summit Video Division in 2021 as Hatsune Miku V2, along with my partner Daiki as KAITO. All these experiences were very valuable for me, and more important than the competition was the chance to meet friends from all over the world!”

Finale

It was time to conclude the interview so I was inclined to ask a few impactful questions starting with, “What is your end goal as a cosplayer?”. “I will continue until I get bored.”, Eriza returned to her indifferent tone. “Then what is your advice to the aspiring cosplayers?”, I probed. “Do it for fun, not for fame. Be patient. Good things take time.”, she gave some calm and collected advice.

“How supportive are your family and friends?”, I probed again. This time Eriza replied with a renewed enthusiasm, “They support me a lot. For instance, my dad sometimes helps me with the making of some props that require special machines used for furniture. Also, my husband is very supportive, and he usually takes care of purchasing materials for my projects and gives me advice when there are creative decisions that I have to make. My friends usually help me when I need them for instance to record a video for the background of a performance, or to help me during photoshoots.”

Finally, I asked about her opinion of the Bangladeshi Cosplay Scene and Deshi Geek. “Honestly, I do not know too much, just the Team Bangladesh that participated at Gamers8 Cosplay Competitions in Saudi Arabia in 2022 and 2023. I would love to know more about the community in Bangladesh! And thank you Deshi Geek, for this feature!”, Eriza replied and that is where I ended this interview.