Cosplayer of the Week: Jounin K Cosplay

Hey friends! 😀 This cosplayer of the week is super dope! She is Jounin K Cosplay and I have been a fan of hers for so long! I am so excited that I finally got an interview with her and am super stoked to introduce you all to her! She does so many incredible cosplays from comic books to video games and especially anime! As you can tell by her name, she is also a huge fan of Naruto! I hope you all enjoy our interview with her!

The Geek Lyfe: There may be a few Geek Lyfers who have not seen your work before, would you be alright introducing yourself?

JouninK Cosplay: Of course! I’m an Arizona cosplayer, who got her name due to my love of Naruto (yes I’m one of those folks haha). I’ve been cosplaying since 2009 and am very grateful to have met so many wonderful people through this hobby.

TGL: How long have you been into cosplay and what led you down this path?

JKC: I started around late spring of 2009. I never thought I’d actually start cosplaying, it just seemed odd to me at first. I was invited to attend a local convention by a classmate/ friend of mine. He was staff and couldn’t really enjoy much of the con due to him working, so he asked if I and another classmate to stop by and say “Hi”. When I got to the event I was really impressed by all the really good costumes I saw. I was very surprised that I recognized so many characters and it made me want to be a part of the fun.

TGL: What has been your favorite moment?

JKC: Last year I was at a convention in SanJose, California dressed as “Judy Hopps – Zootopia”. I was walking with a friend to get some food, when we noticed this little girl kept shyly looking at me. Of course, I made eye contact with her and smiled. The little girl whispered to her mom, “Mama there’s Judy”, they both turn to look at me and I bounced on my feet a bit, then waved at the pair, while saying “Hi!”. The mom smiled and waved, then the little girl said “Hi, Judy!!!!! Mom Judy said Hi…MOM JUDY SAID HI TO ME!!!!”. While laughing, the mom had to drag her super excited daughter away, telling her daughter to say bye because I was really tired and busy. I continued on my way, but man I tell you… I felt sooooo good in that moment. Seeing kids light up like that, makes me feel all the stress of creating a costume and getting to a convention is worth it!

TGL: What was the worst day for you in your cosplay career, what happened, and how did you deal with it?

JKC: I was filmed in a costume that I kinda rushed and I hated it. The footage was apart of a popular videographers cosplay video and the feedback I got was horrible. The convention itself wasn’t great either, I don’t want to go into a long drawn out rant, but it was just a horrible time for me…I’ll just leave it at that.

TGL: When you aren’t doing this, what do you do in your spare time?

JKC: I work…A LOT haha! I was very big into photography, but these days I’m focusing on producing content for my Youtube channel. I’m looking to land a good job in Japan by the end of 2017 and plan to film my journey.

TGL: What geek medium(Video Games, Comic Books, Novels, Movies, etc.) made the biggest impact on your life and why?

JKC: Comics, anime & video games have all contributed to making me, well, me. I wasn’t into the typical girl stuff. If someone gave me barbies, they’d be paired up with characters like Spawn and Wolverine. I wouldn’t carry around stuffed animals, but wouldn’t leave the house without one of my Jurassic Park toys. My 1st big purchase was a $200 PS1 and I played it until it broke.

TGL: You can bring one fictional character to this world to be your best friend for life. Who is it and why?

JKC: Best friend or Husbando? I think I’d pick Kakashi from Naruto. He’s smart, loyal and can admit his mistakes. Sure he’s kinda lazy, but who isn’t from time to time?

TGL: Do you have any projects in the near future we should be excited to see?

JKC: I will be completing my Ana (Overwatch) cosplay soon, but other than that I have a laundry list of characters, but in no particular order or due date. I hope to cosplay some Sailor scouts, Reaper (Overwatch) and maybe some Ghibli stuff by the end of the year.

TGL: Out of the costumes you have done in the past, which one has been the most difficult and why?

JKC: Probably T-elos from Xenosaga 3. I was still very new to cosplay and had no idea how i was going to execute her look. There was a ton of tril and error, but all-in-all I loved how she turned out. I may make her again in the future, now that I have grown in skill.

TGL: What advice do you have for any aspiring cosplayers out there?

JKC: If you want to do it, go for it. Sometimes you don’t get the love you want, but that doesn’t mean you stop. Keep learning, keep growing and remember to enjoy what’s around you.

We want to give a huge shout out to Jounin K Cosplay for taking the time to answer our questions! She is without a doubt one of my favorite cosplayers and I always look forward to every costume she comes out with! 😀 Be sure to check out her page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JouninKCosplay/!

Photo Credit:
Bombshell Wonder Woman: Photographer SF Designs
Amimari: Photographer Indiglue
Judy Hopps: Assisted by ATL PD (my camera)
V.K. Ana – Mort Productions