Carbon Costume

It’s the year 2000. In Hulu’s cringe comedy Pen15, Maya Ishii-Peters and Anna Kone are two best friends navigating the trials of seventh grade at the turn of the 21st century. At the core of the show’s hilarity are 30-year-old actresses Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle portraying fictionalized versions of their former selves while surrounded by a cast of actual 13-year-olds. Like most teens, Maya Ishii-Peters lacks self-awareness; but that’s what makes her perfectly endearing and oddly amusing. In the iconic garage scene of S1 E2, Maya dresses to impress in true Y2K fashion with layered choker necklaces, an embroidered tank, low-rise khakis, and a large plaid shirt (which most likely came from dad’s closet).

Boyfriend (singing voice provided by Kawai Sprite) is the main protagonist of the game Friday Night Funkin’ in which Boyfriend must sing-off against characters including Daddy Dearest in order to win a date with Girlfriend.  Boyfriend has light blue hair and wears a red and blue baseball cap, jeans, and red sneakers as well as a white t-shirt with a red “prohibited” symbol on it.  To top off the look, you’ll need to grab a microphone.  Be sure to warm up your voice before entering into any singing competitions, though.

Momo Yaoyorozu is a character in the hit anime, My Hero Academia. She got into Class 1-A at U.A. High School through official recommendations. Her enthusiastic dedication to becoming a Pro-Hero makes her a natural leader. Although she acts kind and polite, Momo can be brutally honest, but only to help her classmates improve. Her Quirk is Creation, which gives her the ability to create any object from her fat cells by knowing its molecular structure.

Nobara Kugisaki (voiced by Asami Seto and Anne Yatco) is a first-year student at Tokyo Jujutsu High alongside Yuji Itadori and Megumi Fushiguro in the manga and anime series Jujutsu Kaisen.  Under the tutelage of Satoru Gojo, Nobara is determined to stay true to herself and become a fearsome sorcerer.  Nobara has short ginger hair cut in a long bob and wears a navy blue school uniform paired with dark tights and loafers.  Nobara’s primary weaponry consists of a hammer with a heart on it and nails she imbues with cursed energy.  She sometimes requires the use of a straw doll to perform exorcisms.

Unlike many licensed characters in Dead by Daylight, Yoichi Asakawa is not plucked straight from The Ring (1998), but is instead found again over 20 years after he lost his parents to Sadako Yamamura (the original Japanese version of Samara Morgan). Now a brilliant marine biologist, psychic, and paranormal researcher, he finds himself once again haunted and hunted by the Onryo and must use his knowledge and abilities to protect himself and assist others.

Minoru Mineta is a character in the hit anime, My Hero Academia. He attends UA High School as a student of Class 1-A in training to become a Pro-Hero. While timid, Minoru is known as the class creep, often ogling the girls. He freaks out in moments of stress and fear, though he is also surprisingly intelligent. This DIY costume lends itself to some craftiness. For the bottoms, stick the dots around the waistband of the shorts, and then hot glue a piece of ribbon underneath. You may find you’ll need hot glue for the dots as well. Use hot glue to affix three balls down the top of the balaclava, and use the rest as props.

Benvolio is a character in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, a 1996 film adapted from Shakespeare’s play. This adaptation reworks the Montagues and Capulets as rival business empires, replacing swords with guns. Benvolio is Romeo’s cousin and closest friend. While affiliated with the Montagues, he tries to make peace between the enemies, but he is unsuccessful. Dash Mihok takes on this reimagined role.

Megumi Fushiguro (voiced by Yuma Uchida and Robbie Daymond) is a first-year student at Tokyo Jujutsu High training to become a sorcerer in the anime and manga series Jujutsu Kaisen.  Megumi is secretive and stoic, determined to protect those he thinks are good including Yuji Itadori.  Megumi wears a standard Jujutsu High uniform with dark socks and brown ankle boots.  If you don’t want to purchase a pre-made costume, you can pair a dark navy blue mandarin collar shirt with matching pants with a high enough hem to show of your boots instead.

Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang) is the main character in the Disney-Pixar film Turning Red.  Prior to her initial transformation into a red panda, Mei is outspoken and outgoing.  After her power activates, she has to learn to control her emotions in order to avoid transforming.  Mei’s dark hair turns red after she transforms into a red panda.  She wears a blue skirt over burgundy leggings with a pink collared shirt and red-orange sweater.  Mei is a big fan of all things late-90s/early-2000s including choker necklaces, boy bands, and her Tamagotchi virtual pet.

Kneemoi may look sweet but don’t take your eyes off her. She’s a shapeshifting grifter who has no issue stealing whatever she wants. Once she even stole all knowledge of Tai Chi! As one of Carmen Sandiego’s henchwomen, she is comfortable in a life of crime, something you probably shouldn’t bring to your Kneemoi cosplay.

Along with setting aside her criminal tendencies, Kneemoi cosplayers have a unique challenge. Kneemoi, in her normal state, is a pink floating ball with arms and, sometimes, a hose-like nose. A pink bodysuit is a good start, as are false lashes and pink face paint. You can add a pink skirt and pink flats if you would like a few more layers. And if you want to copy the nose she has in some variations, you can use skin-safe glue to attach a plastic hose over your nose.