The official cosplayer of "Fate" Tamamo no Mae has a goal! Uncle Sumire, who is very active in cosplay and gravure, is interviewed and photographed! The 2nd edition of the 2025 Cosplayers White Paper

Cosplayers are an indispensable part of large-scale events such as Comiket and game shows. They have expanded their activities to various media and events, and have become a symbol of Japan's subculture.

The "2021 Cosplayers White Paper" is a series of interviews and photogravures that explore the real faces of these cosplayers!

Part 2: Uncle Sumire

In the second installment of this series, we are joined by female cosplayer Sumire Ojisan. In addition to her shocking name, she is a hot topic of conversation, attracting attention for her glamorous body and the quality of her cosplay.

Her activities are not limited to cosplay, but have also expanded to gravure, including the release of her first DVD "Fantasy Girl" (Liverpool) on January 24, 2020. In this interview, we asked Uncle Sumire to talk about his goals in his cosplay activities as well as the origins of his own cosplay.

I became an official cosplayer to propagate my favorite works and characters!

--Hello, everyone. First of all, please tell us about your past activities.

Uncle Sumire: I have been working as an official cosplayer and hosting events. I have also been invited as a guest to anime events overseas, and I have appeared in commercials as a support ambassador for Sendai Anime Fest, the largest anime event in Tohoku, helping to liven up Tohoku.

-Official cosplayer is a job that cosplayers dream about. How did you get this big role?

Uncle Sumire I had mentioned in another interview that I wanted to be an official cosplayer, and I was approached shortly after that. The first job I received was as the character "G11" from the smartphone game "Dolls Frontline," which I did at "Comic Market 95" in 2018.

I also got to do "Zunko-chan" (Tohoku Zunko) and "IA-chan" (IA -ARIA ON THE PLANETES-) at the "Sendai Anime Fest" in 2019.

I started cosplaying in earnest with the aim of becoming an official cosplayer for "Tamamo-chan" (Tamamo no Mae) from the "Fate" series!

In order to become a cosplayer worthy of Tamamo-chan, I have been studying acting so that I can faithfully reproduce the character as well as her appearance, and I also go to stunt gyms for action scenes.

Her first DVD has also been a big hit!

--The other day, her first DVD "Gensou Shoujo" was released, which also attracted a great deal of attention. What made you decide to move from cosplay to gravure?

*Ed. note: ......The first DVD "Gensou Shoujo" was ranked No. 1 in sales on three major shopping sites (Amazon, Yahoo! Shopping, and DMM) in just four days after the release of the release information.

Uncle Sumire: I had rarely worn swimsuits in my private life, so at first I was thinking of turning down the DVD offer. But when you suggested that I could film whatever I wanted, I decided to accept the offer after much deliberation.

I heard that it was ranked No. 1 in various places, but I didn't really feel it. But a friend of mine suddenly sent me a URL and said, "You're on LINE News! I wonder if there was a bit of a reaction...?

--What kind of content did you film?

Uncle Sumire: When it came to the actual shooting, we couldn't do character-based shots because of copyright restrictions, and if we only did cosplay, it wouldn't be considered gravure at all. So we decided to shoot a film based on the motif of foxes, which we love, while taking into consideration the wishes of the manufacturer.

The main character thinks he is living with a human woman, but everyone around him sees him only as a fox. At first, there was a suggestion that because he is a fox, he would be tricked into running away from the main character in the end (laughs).

(Laughs) We were told that we could choose any location we wanted, even Hawaii, so we decided to shoot in Jiufen, Taiwan, to match the fox theme.

It is said to be the model for the setting of "Spirited Away," so I really liked the atmosphere there. We also took some private portraits in our spare time, had some taro shaved ice, and had a great time shooting.

Other than that, there were "khao nasi" painted on the cups of tapioca milk tea we were offered, and "khao nasi" key chains for sale. I'm pretty sure that was unauthorized, but it was fun to see!

--I hear that many cosplayers are very particular about what they do.

Uncle Sumire: I brought my own ears and tail for the combination of fox and Taiwanese. I also combined the Hua Loli (Chinese-style Lolita clothing) prepared by the stylist with my favorite Chinese umbrella. ...... I also paid a lot of attention to the movement of the fox.

--What were the differences between gravure and cosplay?

Uncle Sumire: I was very nervous ....... I wasn't trying to be a character, so it was difficult to show myself and act naturally.

Also, in cosplay, I tend to take each photo in a "3, 2, 1" style, but in gravure, it's more like "snap, snap! Snap! I was quite confused because the shutter was released without a pause. I admire gravure idols for their ability to immediately strike the next pose.

I started cosplaying because of my longing to be a transformable heroine!

───What made you start cosplaying?

Uncle Sumire: Little kids like "Cutie Honey," "Sailor Moon," and "Ojamajo Doremi. I was also fascinated by such things, so when I look at my old photo albums, I used to imitate the transformation scenes and wrap ribbons around my naked body.

My mother used to make costumes for me, so I had been doing things like cosplay ever since I was little.

When I was in junior high school, I saved up my allowance to buy costumes of my favorite characters and cosplayed in my own home. I enjoyed wearing cute costumes, so I would cosplay as "Mercury Light" from "Rozen Maiden" or "Kohaku-san" from "Tsukihime.

--When did you start participating in cosplay events?

Uncle Sumire: I did "home cosplay" all the way up until I was a college student. I started to have a hard time having my picture taken by other people when I was in junior high school. For a few years, I didn't even appear in family photos.

But one day, one of my juniors asked me to join the "Love Live! I was quite confused at first. At first I was quite confused. I had watched the anime, played the games, and liked the works, so I was interested in doing it, but I was very reluctant to be photographed by other people....

But I knew that I couldn't stay uncomfortable with being photographed forever, so I gathered up my courage and went to "Comic Market 92. It was a lot more fun than I had expected, and from there I started going to events little by little.

--What are your specialties when it comes to cosplay?

Uncle Sumire: I am especially particular about makeup, color contacts, and wigs so that I can get as close to the characters as possible. I basically make my own wigs, but it is very difficult to do the hair of a girl like Tamamo. I have to put wires in the hair bundles to make them stand up like a ponytail, and I have to be creative in various ways.

I also look at official materials and study facial expressions, dialogues, and the worldview of the character so that I can reproduce it.

I study official illustrations and figures, create my own versions, check them, and then create them again. Arabic Yamato liquid glue and VO5 hairspray are indispensable.

--I understand that you usually work at your family's snack bar.

Uncle Sumire: Yes, I do. I'm not at the bar as often as I used to be, but I try to be there as much as possible when they are short on staff. I guess because I am a local, many people have known me for a long time, and the customers treat me like a child.

Recently, a popular pastime among my customers is to use water-based pens to do makeup. The other day I saw someone wearing makeup of the Joker from "Bad Man," Jack Sparrow from "Pirates of the Caribbean," and Sylvester Stallone, which was really interesting.

─ ─ Any last words?

Uncle Violet: Thankfully, I had the opportunity to do a lot of official work last year. However, I was more active as a TV personality than as a cosplayer, so I hope to get more cosplay jobs this year.

(Interview by ryuko, photo by goi)

Uncle Sumire's Profile

Born on December 16, 1996. Born in Tokyo, T155, B92(H) W60 H88.

He began his full-fledged activities in December 2018, when he appeared at the Brazilian anime festival "Ressaca Friends". The following year, she graced the cover and gravure of "Young Jump". She is currently active as an official cosplayer as well as a supporting ambassador for the "Sendai Anime Fest" and released her first gravure DVD "Fantasy Girl" on January 24.