Sakura Elric is a seasoned veteran when it comes to cosplay conventions.
The Kelowna resident has been creating costumes since 2008, and this will be her fourth time at the Kelowna Fan Xpo.
This year, she’s a judge for the cosplay contest and says it’s all about the fine details.
Elric got into cosplay because she wanted to meet one of her voice-acting idols. She put together the costume for his character and has been attending conventions ever since.
“That’s what got me started. Since then it’s become something much more for me. I’m a little bit competitive as I do contests and I have a skit group called the Queens of Idol Hell,” she said.
I get a lot of fun out of both competing and judging because I like to make things as close to the source material as possible, like with this one,” she said, showing her outfit from the series Love Live! The bon bons, or pieces of candy attached to her skirt look to exactly as the model character’s.
Elric paused and waved to a few of her local cosplayers, who were dressed as characters in the same series.
“One thing I love about cosplay is people just bond together because similar interests are shared,” she continued. “Even though I do like to make my stuff to be very accurate that’s not the only cosplay style, you can buy something online. Nobody’s way is right or wrong. It’s this one big community and I love it.”
She also enjoys judging because she gets to see what other people have created. “With KFX I can give back, and I just find judging overall fun, and I can see other people’s costumes. It’s not just the look, it’s how you’ve constructed it as well.”
You can find Elric’s costumes on Facebook by searching Sakura Elric Cosplay.
In the future, she plans to open a anime store called Sakura Obsession in Kelowna.
KFX was held Friday and Saturday, on March 24 and 25 in downtown Kelowna.
To read more details on Elric and KFX, see Wednesday’s edition of the Capital News.