Good day Anime lovers, today is a special day for us. After a brief vacation my yours truly, well It was a great way to evade busy endeavors. In this very day, it’s time for us to welcome another cosplayer from another country. A Shakugan no Shana Anime cosplayer.

I’m pretty sure you have already heard of this anime, it’s one of the most promising stories you’ve encountered. Have you heard “Flame Haze” before? It’s the girl character from this series who’s hunting creatures from another world.

I would like to present with you, Ms. Nell or known as Caranell Cosplay. An adorable cosplayer from Germany who will show us more about her life in the Cosplay World, her evolution, and her greatest passion.

Shakugan no Shana Anime Cosplay

Shakugan no Shana by Skayas Photography

My name is Nell and I’m from Germany. Each year I visit the Gamescom, Dokomi and the JapanTag. I’m cosplaying since 2013 and I love it to work with LEDs and wings, I cosplay mainly from animes and games.

The first known cosplayer for me was Jessica Nigri but at this time I thought that only people in the USA would wear a cosplay and only for a photo shoot.

In 2013 I visited my first convention (JapanTag) and a few months before the convention, I found out that some people wear also cosplays on conventions. So I decided to do the same, it was my favorite character Shana from the Shakugan no Shana anime.

Photo by Teilzeithelden

My first convention as a cosplayer was the JapanTag in Düsseldorf. It was 2013 and I must say that the JapanTag in 2013 was the best. It was so beautiful to see the fireworks on the Rhein (a river in Germany). On the morning I was a bit nervous because it was the first time when I wear a cosplay and I was afraid of the views of the people.

But when we reach the JapanTag the nervousness disappeared. Today is it for my routine to visit conventions each year. 2 years later I added the wings of Shana to the cosplay and I decided also to take part in cosplay competition.

The wings were so awful. It was very badly planned. One year later I decided to wear Shana again but I made new wings. It was a funny feeling when within a few minutes many people stand around me to take a photo.

Costume/Gear/Props/Armor

Shakugan no Shana by Martin Adams PhotoArts

My first sewed cosplay was the Shana cosplay. It was also my first cosplay and a friend help me to create it. Last year I worked the first time with worbla and created the Sylvanas cosplay (World of Warcraft). The armor was very hard for me because I worked the first time with worbla and LEDs.

Other created cosplays were Asuna (Sword Art Online) and Inori (Guilty Crown) but the Inori Cosplay I need to rework because the fabric was very bad so my cosplay has dissolved. I think my favorite cosplay is definitely the Sylvanas cosplay because It has so many LEDs elements and I’m very proud of it.

This year I created her bow and I think the bow looks good for my first created weapon. Sylvanas’ cosplay was also the hardest cosplay for me!

Unforgettable Experience

Sylvanas by André Köthur

On each convention, you have people who are not very friendly to cosplayers or see cosplayers as a sex symbol. Of course, I met these types of people but I met also people who are very friendly.

I think if you cosplay a character you must ignore these comments. But the worst experience for me was on the JapanTag when drunk people wanted to separate me from my group and created a scary atmosphere.

My unforgettable experience was the first convention with the fireworks on the Rhein and the lighted boats. The greatest achievement for me was that sometimes people came to me on conventions and say that they know my cosplay page and how they like my work.

Another achievement was that I get more relaxed when I enter a cosplay competition and must represent my cosplay on the stage. The last experienced achievement was on the Gamescom.

I had not planned to enter the Blizzard competition but a member of the Gamescom insists that I must take part in my Sylvanas cosplay. The only  requirements that we need was that I should found out when the competition starts and if they have a few free places.

The member of the Gamescom said if they had no more free places he would organize it so I can take part. The problem was that we thought that he talks about the normal competition of the Gamescom and not about the cosplay competition of Blizzard.

So we figured it out too late and the member of the Gamescom was already at home. But it was a great feeling.

Definition of Cosplayer

Photo from Caranell’s Page

For me became cosplay more than a hobby it became a passion. I love it to think at first ”this cosplay is so awesome” I could never create this and then I see that I could create a cosplay with a result which I like.

Of course, my cosplays are not perfect but it makes fun to learn new things in this area. The best example is the whole cosplay of Sylvanas. Last year I started with the armor and this year I started with the bow.

You can see very good that the work with the worbla of the bow is better than with the armor. I love that all my LEDs are working and I’m a bit proud of me that I finished it with such a good result.

To create cosplays give me also a bit of self-confidence I guess. Every cosplay shows me also what I can do better the next time so it makes fun to learn from the mistakes. It’s also a fantastic feeling to represent characters who I love.

My favorite cosplayer is Kamui because her videos helped me a lot about the work with LEDs and worbla. Unfortunately I have no cosplayer friends, because all my friends which are interested in cosplay think that they have not the money and time or the creativity.

There are other cosplayers which I like but I look up to Kamui because she helped me so much with her videos.

Piece of Advice

Photo by Die André Sichtweise 

Give not up!

I think the key to creating a good cosplay is to make a very good plan (not like me when I planned my first wings of Shana). The next advice is to start with the cosplay making very early especially when it’s your first cosplay.

Had each year lack of time and I remember me when I had it the first time. I get anxious and I got to sleep only a few hours until I went to the convention. I also think that it’s a big help if you watch many cosplay videos even when they do not show your cosplay because they can help to stimulate your ideas.

If you work with worbla then I recommend to buy a heat gun, believe me when I say that a hairdryer is also useful but the result with a heat gun is better and your work time is also shorter.

Open Message

Photo from Caranell’s Page

Each year I try to visit the JapanTag (the competition), Gamescom, and the Dokomi.

If you like LEDs and wings then check out my sides I try to integrate these elements in my cosplays if it fits. My next project will be Sailor Moon Eternal with her wings (LEDs) and her rod (LEDs).

I will wear it on the JapanTag next year and I will also make a tutorial about the cosplay. Future plans are cosplays from many animes and World of Warcraft (I think Tyrande will be the nearest with a LED owl).

You guys can follow me on my FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER and YOUTUBE for tutorial videos.

Shakugan no Shana Anime Nell, Germany