CRM #45 The Nostalgia Issue
Written by Aesthel
Happy New Year everyone!! It is officially time to say “Good Riddance” to 2020 and “Hello” to 2021! While we know things won’t immediately change from the disaster that was this past year, we are filled with hope and inspiration for the upcoming year!
With it being the first, that also means it is time for the launch of a new issue of Cosplay Realm Magazine! The very first issue of 2021 is our Nostalgia issue! We felt the timing for this theme was perfect, as with the new year starting many of us are looking back on past events and reminiscing. What better time to think back even further on some of our favorite nostalgic memories? For this issue we asked you all to send us your favorite nostalgic cosplays, whether they be from nostalgic sources like our favorite childhood cartoons or the photos and cosplays gave you nostalgic memories, like stories of old conventions. By looking back on our past, we also hope that this issue can help inspire us all for the future too!
This month’s cover is something that’s really special to a lot of us, featuring this incredible cosplay of Katara as The Painted Lady from Avatar the Last Airbender! The cosplay is entirely made and worn by Nimblenoor, along with thesistersmischief as Zuko as the Blue Spirit. The cover shoot was photographed by Filmandquill. 2020 brought quite the resurgence of the Avatar series, with both the original series and The Legend of Korra being brought on to Netflix. Old fans of the shows reminisced about their childhood, growing up with these shows and seeing the impact they had on them, and new fans discovered the shows as many watched them for the first time! The Avatar series is one that is near and dear to the hearts of many people, with it’s excellent writing, animation, and moral messages- we just knew an Avatar cover would be perfect for this issue!
Katara as The Painted Lady: Nimblenoor
Photography: Filmandquill
“My favorite thing about cosplay is the ability to put yourself into your greatest fantasies — becoming part of a thing you love so dearly, especially something you grew up with. Though Katara’s Painted Lady costume is relatively simple, the photoshoot was not. I stood on a stepladder in the middle of a lake in the final shot so it’d look like I was floating, and we used a smoke bomb to recreate waterbending mist in a practical effect.
I love the way Avatar cosplays challenge my creativity, and I especially love putting myself right smack into the world of a show that defined my childhood.
I think a lot of us grew up admiring how Katara used her power to help others and envying her strength. It is wonderful to channel that in cosplay. Someday I want to cosplay every character from the show — and I hope my future shoots can be just as amazing as this one!”
-Nimblenoor
In addition to the Avatar series, there are so many other nostalgic properties you can find in this issue! To name just a few, there are other nostalgic shows like some of our Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney Channel faves. There are sections of nostalgic anime like those we might have found on the days of Toonami or Adult Swim. There are nostalgic movies from the Disney classics to Studio Ghibli and more, and there are nostalgic video games from some of the platforms we grew up with! We loved reading everyone’s stories about how these different nostalgic cosplays give them happy memories, the stories of growing up with these series and the impact they all had on each of us, and the stories of cosplaying with friends and the memorable photoshoots or conventions past.
The Nostalgia issue of Cosplay Realm Magazine is available now in both print and digital formats! Grab your copy today to see more cosplay features, read more stories, and check out our full interview with Nimblenoor!
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