Our contributor connected with Chiyo about Anime NYC 2026, her road to anime fandom, and her passion for cosplay and the cosplay community.
Michael: Could you please introduce yourself briefly to the readers?
Chiyo: Hi hi, everyone~! I’m Chiyo! Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity to meet more anime lovers through Anime Diet. 🥺✨
I’m a cosplayer originally from China, and I currently live in the United States. I started watching anime when I was in elementary school, and I got into cosplay around middle school.
These days, I’m a huge fan of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Call of the Night, and games like Zenless Zone Zero and Splatoon, among many others. I’m always jumping between different fandoms, so there’s usually a new character waiting for me to cosplay haha!
Chiyo’s Anime NYC 2026 Experience
Michael: You recently attended Anime NYC, the second-largest anime fandom convention in the USA. What was your overall impression of the convention?
Chiyo: Soooo many people!! Haha! Just like you said, it really is one of the biggest anime conventions in the U.S., so there were people everywhere!
But what impressed me the most was the cosplay community and all the content creators. I saw so many incredible cosplays and really fun, creative challenges happening around the convention.
And honestly, one of my favorite things was simply seeing old friends again and meeting new people. There’s something really special about having so many people who love the same things all gathered in one place.
Michael: What was your favorite event this year at Anime NYC?
Chiyo: I was only there for the weekend, so I was actually a little sad that I missed YAMA’s concert on Friday night! 😭
But honestly, my favorite part of Anime NYC was meeting my friends.
Sometimes we see so many people online who share the same interests and fandoms as us, but a convention gives everyone a chance to actually come together in the real world. There’s something very different about meeting someone face-to-face, taking photos together, exchanging little gifts, or just sitting down and talking.
Those moments make the connections we have online feel much more real, and I think that’s one of the most beautiful things about conventions.
Michael: Did you have any interactions at Anime NYC, whether with attendees, guests, industry professionals, or others, that were especially memorable for you?
Chiyo: There was a female photographer whose work I’ve really admired for a long time, and I was incredibly lucky to get a spot with her at Anime NYC!
She actually has a background in directing, so she’s especially good at bringing out a character’s emotions. Her images often have so much tension and storytelling in them.
What I found really exciting was that even in a very ordinary convention location, her posing direction and visual language could completely transform the scene. In such a short amount of time, she could guide me into expressing exactly the emotion I wanted to convey through the character.
It reminded me that cosplay photography isn’t just about making a beautiful picture—it can also be a way of telling a story and communicating a character’s inner world. That really excited me!
A Funny Coincidence
Michael: Do you have an especially funny story about something that happened at Anime NYC 2026 that you’d like to share?
Chiyo: There’s a funny little thing that happens to me at conventions sometimes.
When I’m chatting with a friend, a really kind photographer might come up and ask if we’d like to take a photo together. But if we’re cosplaying characters from completely different series, we sometimes have to awkwardly explain that we can’t really do a proper “duo” photo together. 😂
The same thing happened at Anime NYC! My friend was cosplaying Rapi from NIKKE, while I was dressed as Asuka from Evangelion. When a photographer asked if we wanted a photo together, we were both a little disappointed because we weren’t from the same series.
Then suddenly we remembered something—we realized that my Asuka outfit was actually based on her NIKKE collaboration skin!
So what started as “aww, we can’t take a duo photo” suddenly became us recreating the Evangelion × NIKKE collaboration in real life. 😂
It was completely unplanned, which somehow made it even more fun!
From Childhood Anime Fan to Cosplayer
Michael: How did you originally become interested in anime/manga culture, and what inspired you to start cosplaying?
Chiyo: I think anime has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
When I was very young, my parents were both busy working, and my dad also traveled a lot for work. Whenever he came home, he would bring me anime and animation DVDs as little gifts. I remember watching Disney movies, Sailor Moon, Doraemon, Crayon Shin-chan, Saint Tail, and Cardcaptor Sakura.
During summer and winter vacations, when I was home by myself, I would spend hours watching the anime channels on TV. They would play things like The Powerpuff Girls, Cat’s Eye, and Twin Princess of Wonder Planet over and over again. 😂
Then, as I got older and learned how to use a computer, online video platforms became really popular. I started following different anime channels and discovered so many more Japanese anime.
As for cosplay… this part is actually pretty cute. 😂
I started trying to recreate characters before I even knew what “cosplay” was. When I was little, I was obsessed with Usagi from Sailor Moon. I would put my hair into two little buns, tie my mom’s scarves around them to pretend they were long twin tails, and then do Sailor Moon’s transformation poses around the house. Hahaha.
Later, I joined my school’s anime club and started planning little stage performances with my friends. That was when I gradually discovered cosplay as a real hobby.
Looking back, I think anime did more than just entertain me. It created so many beautiful worlds and stories during my childhood, and because of that, the real world itself started to feel more colorful to me.
I remember wanting to bring some of that feeling into my own life. I would ask my parents to buy me clothes and little things that reminded me of the anime I loved, and I would decorate my room and school supplies to look like things from those worlds. It made me incredibly happy.
Now that I’m financially independent, being able to cosplay the characters I loved growing up feels like a way of reconnecting with that younger version of myself. For a little while, I can step away from the pressure of adult life and return to that sense of wonder and excitement I had as a kid.
I think that’s one of the reasons cosplay still means so much to me.
Why Asuka Resonates With Chiyo
Michael: One of the cosplays you did at Anime NYC was of Asuka (Neon Genesis Evangelion); your Asuka cosplay was truly striking, and you mentioned that you have an especial love for the character. Can you please tell us why Asuka appeals to you so strongly and how this is reflected in your cosplay of her?
Chiyo: When I first became attached to Asuka, I saw a lot of my own struggles growing up reflected in her story.
She’s extremely competitive and proud, wants desperately to be recognized and praised, and hates letting other people see her vulnerability. I really understood those parts of her, so I became increasingly curious about where her story would take her.
But what made me truly fall in love with her character was the way she repeatedly faces fear, pushes through it, and keeps trying to solve whatever is in front of her.
She puts an incredible amount of pressure on herself, but she never truly stops fighting or moving forward. That part of her has always inspired me deeply.
When I first started cosplaying Asuka, I was mostly interested in recreating her story and expressing the emotions I saw in her character through my own work.
But recently, I’ve become really interested in imagining another timeline for her.
What if Asuka had never become an Eva pilot? What if she were just an ordinary student? What kind of cute, happy girl would she be?
I want to create more warm and peaceful Asuka cosplay photos—almost like a little parallel universe where she gets to have the ordinary happiness she deserved. I think of it as giving her a softer timeline through my own creativity.
There’s also a very silly but very real reason why some of my Asuka photos don’t include her eyepatch. 😂
I’m genuinely so heartbroken about what happens to her eye. It hurts me to see her injured, so even though I know cosplay is often about pursuing the most accurate recreation possible, I’m weirdly stubborn about this particular detail.
I guess a tiny part of me is still like, “Nope. This did NOT happen to Asuka.” Hahaha.
Character Stories and Creative Expression
Michael: You have done other visually striking cosplays as well, including cosplays of Nazuna (Call of the Night), Inori (Guilty Crown), Makima (Chainsaw Man), and Evelyn (Zenless Zone Zero), among others. Can you please tell us what about a character tends to appeal to you and how you ultimately decide which characters to cosplay?
Chiyo: First of all, they’re all characters from stories that I find really interesting and engaging. There’s always something about them that makes me want to understand them more deeply.
Inori, for example, was a character I loved when I was in middle school. Cosplaying her now is partly a way of reconnecting with a character I loved when I was younger.
When I was a kid, I was especially moved by characters who were willing to sacrifice themselves for the people they treasured. Rem is another character who gave me that same feeling. I think I was naturally drawn to that kind of selflessness—maybe because my mom is also the kind of person who gives a lot to the people around her. Haha.
As I’ve gotten older, especially after starting work, I’ve become more fascinated by characters who are highly self-aware, strategic, capable, and confident in their own goals.
I love watching how they approach problems and why they make the choices they do. And honestly, that can include villains too. Even when I don’t agree with a character’s actions, I find myself wondering: What happened in her story that made her choose this path? What does she want, and how does she plan to get there?
Whether they’re trying to fulfill someone else’s wishes or pursuing their own ambitions and desires, the characters I’m drawn to usually have something they deeply value and want to protect.
I think that idea has become increasingly meaningful to me as I’ve grown up, because I’m still figuring out what I want to protect and hold onto in my own life.
Maybe right now, it’s my passion for life, the sense of innocence and sincerity that I don’t want to lose, and the desire to keep chasing the things that matter to me.
In a way, those are also things anime has given me. It reminds me not to become numb to life just because adulthood and society can sometimes feel overwhelming.
So when I choose a character to cosplay, it’s rarely just about whether I think they look cool. I want to feel something when I look at them, and I want to have something of their story that I can explore through my own creativity.
The Art of Cosplay Makeup
Michael: The way you do eye make-up for your cosplays is especially distinctive. Could you tell us a bit about how you developed your cosplay eye make-up techniques?
Chiyo: Haha, thank you!! Honestly, I never realized my eye makeup was particularly distinctive! 😂
I usually look at a character’s official artwork and adjust my makeup based on the shape and style of their eyes. Very simply, I tend to think of them as either more lifted/upturned eyes or more downturned eyes.
Then I combine the eye shape with different contact lens sizes and designs. Those little changes can really help communicate a character’s personality and emotions.
That’s actually one of my favorite things about cosplay. I already love experimenting with makeup, and cosplaying different characters gives me an excuse to keep exploring completely different looks.
My natural eye and face shape actually don’t work particularly well with very upturned eye makeup. If I simply copy that shape, my facial proportions can start looking quite different from the character design.
So instead of giving up, I started experimenting with things like aegyo-sal makeup, nose contour, blush placement, and the overall structure of the makeup to recreate the atmosphere I see in the character.
For me, cosplay makeup isn’t necessarily about changing my face into a perfect copy. It’s about finding the visual language that helps me express my interpretation of that character.
And thank you again for the compliment! It genuinely makes me really happy. 🥺💕 I’m definitely going to keep experimenting with more styles!
Current Favorites and Final Thoughts
Michael: What anime/manga/games etc. are you into lately?
Chiyo: Recently, I’ve started getting into Soulslike games!
I actually tried Dark Souls III about seven years ago, but it was SO hard!! 😂
Recently, though, Elden Ring got a co-op mod that makes playing together with friends much easier, and that completely changed the experience for me. I can enjoy the story while also learning all these incredibly cool combat mechanics with my friends, so it feels much more approachable.
Now I have a whole list of Soulslike games I want to try next—Bloodborne, more Dark Souls, Ghost of Tsushima, and so many others.
My backlog is getting a little dangerous. 😂
A Message to Fans
Michael: In conclusion, do you have a message for the attendees of Anime NYC 2026 and the readers of Anime Diet?
Chiyo: Thank you so much for this Q&A! I really loved these questions. They actually made me stop and think about my journey with anime and cosplay, and remember why I started in the first place.
I hope everyone who loves anime can continue to find a little bit of strength, comfort, and happiness in the stories they love.
And if real life feels a little too exhausting sometimes, remember that it’s okay to open up an anime, put everything else aside for a little while, and disappear into another world. 😂
Or go on a pilgrimage to your favorite anime locations! Buy some anime merch and decorate your room! Honestly, there are many ways to increase your real-life happiness with a little bit of anime magic. Haha.
Most importantly, I hope we can all keep that little bit of wonder we had when we first fell in love with anime.
Thank you again to Anime Diet and everyone at Anime NYC for giving me such wonderful memories. I hope I’ll see you all again at a convention someday! ♡
