Nozomi Tojo Rapunzel Photoshooting

 

Photos by Asami Stella (Navigators Cosplay)

Cosplayer: NozoMinaj (Navigators Cosplay)

Facebook: The Navigators – Cosplay

WorldCosplay: The Navigators

Instagram:the__navigators

 

Mini Couture: Interview with Anime Doll Designer Kev Yiu

I call him “The father of Dolls” as Kev Yiu is the creator of beautiful custom Anime Dolls! They are so amazing that his Doll Label “Mini Couture” has spread all around the social Networks. But this is only one Passion of the very popular and successful Fashion Designer. Let me first give you an summary of how everything has started:

Kev Yiu is a Hong Kong designer who studied in England and graduated with triple distinctions in Fashion and Clothing. In 2006, he began his career in bags and garments and launched his own brand “Sovereign romance” in England as a foreign designer.

Having studied in England for years, Kev was very much inspired by the European fashion culture and firmly believes that fashion is much more than a business, but it’s also an art form which can be translated into a visible language to express his point of views. His aim is to bring Love and Romance into the fashion industry as well as peoples’ daily lives.

His designs have been strongly appreciated and worn by celebrities in Hong Kong such as Sammi Cheng, Twins, Myolie Wu, Ivana Wong, Fiona- Sit & Kary Ng Etc. And recently he was selected as one of the “Rise & Shine” Fashion influences by Hong Kong well known magazine “Jessica Code”.

Geeks Life Luxembourg: Mr Yiu, thank you so much for giving us the time to talk about your beautiful handcrafted dolls. They are really amazing and have become quite popular, that’s why we have become curious about their origin.

1.  But actually this is just a small part of your passion and talent as in fact you are a fashion designer and creator of the brand Kevolie?

Mr Yiu: Yes indeed, I am a fashion designer in real life but I was grown as an animation lover, making dolls is like a hobby for me to escape from my intensive work  🙂

2.  You started making use of your dollmaker talent and sharing it with others? How did that happen? What was the main inspiration?

Mr Yiu: I learnt how to make puppets when I was studying in England and I have always been very keen on dolls since I was little and I am a Sailor Moon doll collector as well.

Mr Kev Yiu’s impressive Sailor Moon doll collection. Over 200 dolls.

3.   I’ve heard about your huge Sailor Moon vintage doll collection. How many official Sailor Moon dolls do you own now and how long did it take to collect them? 

Mr Yiu: As I mentioned I am a Sailor Moon doll collector, I have collected over 200+ vintage dolls from different countries, mostly japan, for the Japan edition I am still missing the non-taking Jupiter from season SS and the deluxe Moon set B from season S, I would be willing to exchange them with my work if anyone is willing to hahaha! It took me around 7 years.

Every Doll is handcrafted with so much passion and Love. This is what makes them so special and gives every one a heart and soul.

 

As far as I can recall, about two years ago I accidentally encountered a clip showing how custom dolls are made and I was like why not giving it a try?

So I purchased some second handed dolls and started practicing on hair rooting and face painting , sewing dolly dresses has never been a problem for me as I have been making dresses for human for over 10 years .

Every doll is handmade with love

The place where his beauties come to life…

4. By that occasion, what is your favourite Sailor Moon character and why?

Mr Yiu: I like the villians most as they have wonderful and complicated designs.

5. Let’s get back to your dolls now. How long have you been making them?

Mr Yiu: I have just picked up this hobby for 2 years but my ultimate goal is to launch my own fashion doll line, but I still need more practice to achieve that.

6.  With your experience being a designer you got many abilities for making the dolls clothes. But how about hair and face? Did you visit a workshop?

Mr Yiu: I basically learn from trial and failure and YouTube (thanks for all youtuber!)

7.  Imagining your full time job as fashion designer at Kevolie, how do you even manage to find any time for this passion? Must be very hard?

Mr Yiu: I only have time to get the dolls done when I have a day off, or any sleepless night will do lol!

8. And how long does it take you to finish a doll?

Mr Yiu: For simple ones it takes around 12 hours but for complicated ones I can spend up to 45 hours.

9. How can your fans order a doll handcrafted by you? Do you have an online shop?

Mr Yiu: I am planning to launch an online platform selling fan made and originals, stay tuned. For now they can direct message me via Facebook 😊

 

 

Thank you Mr Kev Yiu for giving us the chance to take a look at your beautiful work and we hope that we will see more of your beautiful dolls in the future!

 

Until the online shop launches and for further information about his beauties, contact: https://www.facebook.com/KYminicouture/

 

 

Nimoko’s Nippon Blog – Tokyo One Piece Tower

Every one knows that Tokyo Tower is a City Highlight for Sightseeing in Tokyo. But for Otakus, there is much more than just a wonderful sight above the City. Let me show you that part of the tower where you can go on adventure with Captain Luffy

and his Crew of the famous anime ONE PIECE!

On the Ground Floor of Tokyo Tower you find a large One Piece themed shop with lots of merchandise and interesting exposed pieces of the series.

In this shop you find everything that a One Piece fan heart is longing for…. 😀

Going Mary

This is kind of funny- Captured Usopp xD

This is a must-have-been for every One Piece Fan: Sanji’s Restaurant!

Taste the love out of every dish in Sanji’s own restaurant ❤

A real highlight of the tour is this room where you find the whole crew in lifesize scale having a big party and having fun together.

You will never feel closer to your One Piece heros than here…

Additional decoration like glass bottles and realistic looking food make the scene even come more to life…

They are all partying hard XD

The life-sized Franky was indeed really huge :O

Every one’s having a good time but these two guys are arguing as usual 😀 Curious what they could be fighting about…

I love this little guy ❤

On the upper floors you have several character related Games you can join. This can be really fun!

My favorite one: Brook wants you to fight a zombie by putting a tennis ball in his mouth. xD

Sanji in the kitchen. This was really cool and the pot was boiling!

Menemenemenemeneeeee!! Someone should pick up the snail 😀

 

Surely every One Piece Fan remembers this scene where your heart broke in pieces… even worse seeing it in Life-size… 😦

 

I hope you enjoyed the tour through the One Piece Tower and I really recommend to visit it when you ever get near by ^^

Kiwotsukete ne!

Nimoko’s Nippon Blog – Akihabara

Konnichi-wa minna!

Today I am going to show you the part of Tokyo that makes every Anime-Boy and -Girl’s heart beat faster: Akihabara! You find everything you need, from Anime figures and plushes to dolls, pillows, clear files…

Akihabara is also popular for Anime Second-hand shops, where you can find some very rare treasures 🙂 Let me give you a glance of Tokyo’s Anime paradise!

 

In Akiba (short version of Akihabara) everything is anime-themed. Even building decorations…

My first reaction arriving at Akiba was just over-excitement. So much to explore…

It took us three full days to see most of Akihabara, as there are many shops several floors high…

Just a small impression of an Anime Shop…

Taito Stations are the most popular for UFO Catching! Some machines contain figures, others plushes or other anime goods. I can’t say which one is the most easy to handle, as I am very bad at all of this 😀

I saw that it is indeed possible to figure it out well, but it needs a lot of practice and 100 Yen coins 😀

These Pikachus are just too kawaii (cute)!!

Do you remember the Gashapon machines I told you about? In Akiba you’ve got plenty of them so that there are even shops specialized to these little Gashapon balls!

Second-hand shops in Akiba. For me the most interesting ones. You can find very rare items and even Anime merch in very good condition but less expensive. Really worth visiting!

I hope you enjoyed the small trip to Tokyo’s Anime heaven!

 

Kiwotsukete ne! (Take care of yourself!)

Nimoko’s Nippon Blog – About Japanese Culture

Konnichi wa minna! (Hello guys)

I had the chance to travel through the beautiful country of Japan during the last two weeks and I wanted to give you some impressions I got about this beautiful landscape and culture. At First, I will give you a brief impression of the country and its culture, before I give you a deeper sight to different Cities and places I got to explore ^^.

Traditional Japanese Houses are kept small, made of Bamboo and wood. They are mostly seen in smaller cities or country sides. I saw a lot of them in Kyoto.

 

A great part of the Japanese Culture that many of us really appreciate is Anime and Manga! There are so many different Anime types and much merchandise for every taste.

As Anime and Manga makes a big part of the Japanese Culture, you can see it spread everywhere throughout the cities. For example on buses and trains.

This is something I have only seen in Japan and it’s really cool 😀 Ufo-Catching! It is all about trying to catch an Anime Good by grabbing it. One try is 100 Yen. But it is quite tricky.

Gashapon machines are also quite popular in Japan. You see them everywhere, especially in Akihabara. For the cost of 200 to 400 yen you can get a plastic ball containing a sweet little toy. There are many different types to collect.

One of the biggest passion of many Japanese people: Pachinko Halls. They are countless and spread all over Japan. Many Anime Themed Gaming Machines building long lines give occasion of spending your money in a playful way. It might be similar to our casinos.

These “Koi no bori”  are decorative and traditional Japanese flags in shape of a carp and exist in many different colors. Captured at the Entrance of Tokyo Tower.

Your surely have seen these little dudes before, Japanese carps called “Koi” They are very appreciated in Japan and mostly quite expensive.

If you ever make a trip to Japan, you will see many people wearing these mouthprotection. There are different reasons why they are worn: Because of self-protection against infections, or to prevent others of your own infection. Japanese people are very hygienic and protective. Even if it might look weird for us, I think it is quite effective.

A small Graveyard shrine.

You might have seen Japanese Graveyards in Anime. Compared with European ones they seem very crowded as Japan has a much higher population. Usually, if someone dies, they are burnt and their ashes are buried in “Haka“, which mean family Graves.

On the Gravestone itself is only written the family name. Small pieces of wood with dedications to every family member, the “ihai” are placed in front of the Gravestone.

85 % of the Japanese people are Buddhists. They make their prayers at Buddhist shrines and temples.

Many shrines or temples are decorated with “Chõchin“, Japanese Lanterns usually colored in white or red made of Japanese “washi” paper. You can buy lucky charms and protective goods.

I absolutely love these traditional Japanese clothes. These are Kimonos mostly worn by “Maikos“. Maikos undergo a five-year training of dancing, singing and playing traditional Japanese insruments, just as the “shamisen” to entertain people during a traditional tea ceremony. It is a very hard training.

 

Japan is also very popular for its Cherry Blossoms. The Japanese call them “Sakura” and use them as an ingredient for Food and Drinks as in beauty. Cherry Blossom Tea is very tasty.

A traditional Japanese Sword is called “Katana“. They are very old and popular of the Japanese Swordsmen “Samurai”. There are many differtent types.

In Japan, many Restaurants show samples of their dishes in windows. These are usually plastic made and look almost like real. Very convenient for tourists, if they can’t read the Japanese writing, they can choose their dishes from the windows.

Now I am going to introduce some Japanese food to you. In Japan, traditional food is mostly fresh-made and hand-made. Often you can watch the preparation.

These fish shaped cakes are usually filled with red soy bean paste or other sweets like chocolate or jam. They are called “Taiyaki“

At “Candy Show time” a candy shop in Japan, you can watch people make the traditional “Kintaro-ame” candys which you can purchase in different colors and shapes.

They are shaped to long tubes and then cut to small roud pieces. Mostly made of colored sugar.

This was captured in Kyoto in a very traditional bakery. A man making cookies with Japanese black beans. They are quite tasty.

Food in Japan is usually not expensive but often freshly made, what makes it so special and tasty.

You surely have seen this dish before. A traditional Noodle Soup called “Ramen“. It is served in a big bowl, containing Japanese noodles, meat, seaweed, eggs and vegetables.

Another Japanese Food tradition which is very similar to our well known Barbecue. The “Yakiniku“. I have tried it myself. You can choose out of different meats and prepare it over a fire by yourself. Nice experience 🙂

This is one of my favorite Japanese food. It is called “Tenpura“. Fried shrimps, fish or vegetables that are also often served with Ramen.

Ever seen Anime characters eating these? Sure, as they are very popular especially for teenagers. Octopus Balls “Takoyaki” usually toppd with soy sauce.

This is one of the main ingredients for any dishes in Japan next to Soy Beans: Rice. So many dishes and desserts are made with rice, like Sushi or…

…these famous snacks called “Onigiri“. They are filled with fish or meat.

Next to Soy Beans and Rice, Japanese people eat very much fish and sea food. They can fleshly be purchased at Japanese Food Markets.

Another very traditional good of Japan is Rice Wine. It is often served at meals. Different from Chinese Rice Wine, it is less strong in taste and alcohol. They call it “Sake“.

 

Well,  that’s it for now. I hope you got a small impression of Japanese food and Culture. I will show you more of my Japanese Adventure next time.

Ja nee! 🙂

 

Conventions, Festivals & Events 2018

January

6. Expo Creativ Luxemburg

19.-21.1.

Luxexpo The Box, Luxemburg

BoardGameCafé

20.1., 14.00-0.00

Centre Wirtspesch, Kopstal

Dynamiccon (NL)

21.1., 10.00-17.30

Dynamo, Catharinaplein 21, Eindhoven

Metalbörse

28.1., 11.00-18.00 h

Kulturfabrik Esch/Alzette

February

EpicCon (D)

3.-4.2.

Messe und Congress Centrum Halle Münsterland, Münster

Geeky Speed Friend-ing

10.2., 18.30-23.50 h

Inked Geeks, Esch

The Toxic Ball Vol. II

24.2., 20.00-0.00

Mix N’ Kawa – MK Bar Belval

March

35e Festival des migrations, des cultures et de la citoyenneté

2.3.

Luxexpo The Box

Salon du Vintage du Luxembourg

3.-4.3.

Luxexpo The Box

Comic and Manga Convention Düsseldorf (D)

4.3.

Weiterbildungszentrum VHS, Düsseldorf

Mercatus Phantasticus (D)

10.-11.3.

Messepark Trier

 Leipziger Buchmesse (D)

15.-18.3.

Leipziger Messe

LuxGameFest

16.-17.3.

Forum Geesseknäppchen, Luxembourg

MagicCon (D)

23.-25.3.

Maritim Hotel & Kongresszentrum Bonn

Gameland 2

30.3., 18.00 – 1.4., 18.00

Centre Wirtspesch, Kopstal

April

Sakura-Festival (D)

7.-8.4.

Nordpark, Düsseldorf

LuxCon

14.-15.4.

Forum Geesseknäppchen, Luxembourg

Fukumi Expo (B)

14.-15.4.

Halles des Foires, Liège

11th Metalfestival Kopstal

21.-22.4.

Kopstal

Destination Star Trek Germany (D)

27.-29.4.

Messe Westfalenhallen, Dortmund

May

Intercomic (D)

5.5.

Stadthalle Köln-Mülheim

German Comic Con Frankfurt (D)

5.-6.5.

Messe Frankfurt

Role Play Convention (D)

12.-13.5.

Kölnmesse

The Storm – International Tattoo Convention

18.-20.5.

Luxexpo The Box

DoKoMi – 10th Anniversary (D)

19.-20.5.

Stockumer Kirchstraße 61, Düsseldorf

Japantag (D)

26.5.

Düsseldorf

Metz’torii

26.-27.5.

Parc des expositions, Metz

June

Japan Addict Z

2.-3.6.

Zénith, Strasbourg

Wie.MAI.KAI 2018

16.-17.6.

Stadthalle Flörsheim

Rodemack Cité médiévale en fête 2018 (F)

30.6.-1.7.

Rodemack

CCON – Comic Con Germany (D)

30.6.-1.7.

Landesmesse Stuttgart

July

Japan Expo (F)

5.-8.7.

Parc des expositions de Paris-Nord Villepinte

Nico Walk by RevolAsia

14.7.

Luxembourg-city

CosDay (D)

21.-22.7.

Nordwestzentrum Frankfurt

DoCon (D)

21.-22.7.

Eissportzentrum Westfalenhallen, Dortmund

Festival StreetA(rt)nimation

3.-4.8.

Luxembourg-city

AnimagiC (D)

3.-5.8.

Congress Center Rosengarten, Mannheim

Steampunk-Convention: La transformation de la petite Marquise

4.-5.8.

Echternach

LudiCon (B)

11.-12.8.

Campus 2000, Liège

9. Phantasie- & Mittelaltertage Saarbrücken 2018 (D)

17.-19.8.

Saarbrücken

Gamescom (D)

22.-25.8.

Kölnmesse

Karaoke Night by RevolAsia & Inked Geeks

25.8.

Inked Geeks Store, Esch

Lanarama 2018 Gaming Festival (D)

31.8.-2.9.

Losheim am See

September

Convention All4geek (B)

1.-2.9.

rue de l’Athénée, B-4130 Esneux

Butschebuerger Buergfest

8.-9.9.

Dudelange

21st Vianden Tattoo Convention 2018

8.-9.9.

Vianden Castle

Back to Rétro 4: Space Adventure (B)

8.-9.9.

Hall polyvalent Arlon

Famecon (D)

8.-9.9.

Messe und Congress Centrum Halle Münsterland, Münster

Man.ga.mes 3 (B)

11.-12.9.

Centre culturel, Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont

Connichi (D)

17.-18.9.

Holger-Börner-Platz 1, Kassel

MOD 4.2 : Convention Cosplay & Brocante Geek, Otaku & co. (B)

25.-26.8.

Centre de delassement Loverval, Hainaut

Anno 1900

29.-30.9.

Fond-de-Gras

Luxembourg Gaming Xperience

29.-30.9.

October

Frankfurter Buchmesse (D)

10.-14.10.

Messe Frankfurt

Game On, Lëtzebuerg Spillt!

13.10.

Schungfabrik, Tétange

J-Con (D)

20.-21.10.

Stadthalle Merzig

SPIEL (D)

25.-28.10.

Messe Essen

November

Enter Game (D, Party und Retrogaming)

10.11.

Das Modul, Saarbrücken

Broc’Otaku 2018 (édition Yamato)

17.11.

Liège

To be announced:

TropiCon

Yukon, Solingen

RevolAsia Meet-up in Trier