Creator Interview - Mamura

Game Infinite had the opportunity to interview with Mamura, a dedicated, talented, and passionate cosplayer who has captured attention for her exceptional cosplay and focus on quality photography. Mamura has transformed her love for anime, gaming, and pop culture into an art form, bringing beloved characters to life with astounding creativity. With an extensive list of characters she has portrayed and a keen pose for intricate shots, Mamura has become a beloved member in the cosplay community, inspiring us with their quality and energy. In this interview, we delve into Mamura's journey, artistic inspirations, and the secrets behind her remarkable cosplays that continue to captivate her fans...

(Mamura's Spectacular Yor Cosplay (Spy x Family) - Photography: @ph_meffisto29)

Mamura Interview -

Gi: Can you tell us about your journey into cosplay. What lead you to it? What are some of your favorite anime and video games that tell us more about you!

Mamura: Hello! My name is Mamura, I'm a cosplayer from Ukraine who loves anime and enjoys gaming from time to time. Looking back I realize that I would never have imagined myself doing this, because since childhood I have always been an artist.

It was the summer of 2015 when I went to Odesa for my first ever anime festival. I was just an ordinary spectator and there I saw cosplayers for the first time. It was a turning point for me! Many beautiful and glamorous people were dressed up as characters I had only seen on the screen. It felt incredibly exciting and after the festival I started creating something similar to cosplay at home. Using what I had, buying the cheapest wigs from party supply stores, and so on. Due to my financial situation I could only dream of a real cosplay until I met a fellow cosplayer who had a bunch of wigs and costumes, knew how to do make-up, and had already done several dozen professional photoshoots. With her help I did my first full cosplay and photoshoot in February 2016. I consider this year to be the starting point of my "cosplay journey”.

As for anime, I am fond of “MobPsycho100”, “Wotakoi”, “Yona of the rise” and RWBY, and many other series. Name a genre and I'll tell you my top 5 in it! As for games, I used to play Overwatch, but I haven't for a few years now. I've been playing Idolm@ster: Cinderella Girls Starlight stage for 7 years now and I don't think I'm going to stop. Have you seen these cards?! Currently I am exploring the Yakuza series, and oh boy... Looking forward to cosplaying a character from this franchise.

(Mamura 2b cosplay)

Gi: For our Nier Infinite community, Can you tell us about your experience cosplaying as 2B from Nier Automata? What inspired you to choose this character?

Mamura: I've never been a 100% gamer. When my friend said that it would be great to do a Nier cosplay together, I really doubted whether my time and money were worth it. At the time I was incredibly into D.Va from Overwatch (I was obsessed with her) and that was it, I didn't need anyone else. Yes, I saw a lot of cosplay at 2B, but it wasn't my cup of tea. Until 2021, when I played the game for the first time myself. And oh my god. I fell in love with this fandom! The story! The music! And 2B. She was definitely my type and I finally agreed to do this cosplay with my friend, who is my headcanon A2. But because of the full-scale invasion, we had to postpone this plan for who knows how long... And finally this winter we did our first photoshoot. I rented a costume, had my wig styled, and it was incredible. I loved the way I looked and all the incredible photos we took, which captured the atmosphere of the game perfectly. I was unstoppable! How could I not cosplay this strong android, who is cold on the outside but incredibly warm and loving on the inside. After the standard costume (unfortunately, there are no ready photos yet), I made versions from different arts, and I'm also planning a few more official costumes. Wait for them!

Gi: Nier Automata has a passionate fanbase. What do you love most about the Nier Automata fandom, and how has it influenced your cosplay journey?

Mamura: It's incredible that since 2017 Nier hasn't become any less popular than it was. And it is because of the fans who carry their love through the years. And that's why fanarts are created! An incredible amount of art! And an impressive number of designs for main characters are made by fans. Which all can be cosplayed, haha

(Mamura's Fantastic D.Va Cosplay)

Gi: Aside from 2B, you've portrayed other iconic characters like D.Va and Yor and many more, How do you choose which characters to cosplay, and what draws you to those particular characters? Do you have a favorite?

Mamura: How do I choose a character? Only if I like them will I do cosplay. Starting from the design and up to the nature of the character. Sometimes the design is more exciting than the character themself (for example, Mona from Genshin Impact is not my favorite character, but I did several cosplays because of the great design). Sometimes it's the other way around, it is not the design that interests me, but the character themself! So engaging and alive! (For example, Callum from The Dragon Prince).

Still, my favorites are D.Va from Overwatch, Ruby from RWBY, Rem from Re:Zero, and maybe Link from BoTW.

And yes, I do very few male characters. I don't know how to do boys properly lol

Gi: Can you share some of the intricate details or techniques you used in your cosplay or any of your other cosplays that you're particularly proud of?

Mamura: I can't think of anything particularly "mine'' in cosplays which I do. Most of the techniques for crafting or wig styling I borrowed from famous cosplayers and adapted them for myself. For example, Eva foam (used in craft) is very expensive in our country, so I replaced it with yoga mats (lol). Or I make most of my crafts out of polystyrene foam, which I hardly ever see among foreign cosplayers.

My only secret is to hire a good photographer, who can turn a crookedly sewn haori into something good looking and even epic using cool angles and lighting (yes, I sew sometimes, but it's a disaster).

Gi: What has been the most memorable fan interaction or cosplay event you've attended while dressed in cosplay?

Mamura: Perhaps the brightest moment I can remember is the way people reacted to me at the Khanifest 2018 (Kharkiv). I was wearing Magical Girl D.Va cosplay and it was something incredible... Do you know all those meme photos from a Japanese Comiket where a bunch of photographers are crowded around a single cosplayer? Something similar happened back then. People wanted to take a picture with me so badly that they gathered in a small queue and stood around me waiting. I spent 15 minutes in one place and couldn't go anywhere without hearing "can I take a selfie with you?". It was incredibly nice that so many people liked my cosplay! It was really cool.

(Mamura Misc. Cosplays)

Gi: Cosplay can be a form of self-expression. How do you feel when you step into the shoes (or costumes) of your favorite characters, and what do you hope to convey to your audience through your cosplays?

Mamura: For me cosplay is an expression of love to a character or fandom. Someone draws art, someone buys figures, and someone (me) does a cosplay photoshoot in - 20 °C outside wearing a light costume to properly convey the atmosphere in the photo.

It's an incredible feeling to put on a costume, wig, makeup, and stand in front of a mirror as your favorite character. The fact that you thought every detail through, set background and mood at the photoshoot and it pays off with incredibly beautiful photos that can be admired forever. I always feel joy, pride and childish "uweeee" from how beautiful and incredible I am.

And I want to share all these emotions with others. It's like, "Here, look! I like this character so much!".

Gi: What are some long term goals you have for your cosplay? Perhaps a character you wish to cosplay, or a growth goal to collaborate more? Where do you want to take it?

Mamura: I started cosplaying out of sheer enthusiasm. Just as a hobby that brought me joy.

Now I'm an adult (oh no) and it would be nice to get not only delight but also attention through cosplay. More attention to my work will eventually bring me money. Not only for new cosplays, but money to pay my bills, for example. But I realize that I need to work even harder for this and it still highly depends on luck (which I've always had problems with, lol).

Of course, I would like to become more visible in the cosplay community, so that I could collaborate with creators I admire. And maybe I could become someone to look up to for some other cosplayers. To achieve this, I need to reach more viewers who appreciate other people's efforts and I try my best to do so. Maybe in the future I'll be invited to a foreign festival to be a jury member! Or some popular cosplayer will recognize me and ask for a selfie with me. Oh, sweet dreams.

The main thing is that after so many years cosplay still makes me excited and distracts me from the melancholy of everyday life.

I would also like to thank the author and readers for supporting Ukraine. I want to remind you that while we have missiles flying over our heads, we are still creating. We style wigs, sew costumes, and do badass photoshoots, so your support and attention is very important to us. I hope Ukrainian cosplayers will become more visible in the world cosplay scene. Glory to Ukraine!