Interview with Ren - the leader of the cosband Love Squad

Hello, gamers. Today, especially for our site, I prepared an interview with Ren - the leader of the cosplay band Love Squad, known for its quality cosplays, especially the cosplay of the asari Aria T'Loak from [Mass Effect 2](/games?search=Mass Effect 2).

Hello. Thank you for taking the time to give this interview. I'll start with the standard question: what is your name outside of cosplay?

Hello. My name is Elena Kuranova.

Many know you online by the nickname Ren. Can you tell us where it came from?

Originally it referred to the character Toshiro Hitsugaya — it was my first cosplay. Then it got shortened to Ren. And since there is no distinction between R and L in the Japanese language, the nickname became an abbreviation of my name.

Elena as Toshiro Hitsugaya from Bleach

Interesting. How did you come up with the idea to start cosplaying? Was someone an inspiration, or did you just want to embody your favorite character?

I like creating interesting things. Cosplay is a way to get a little closer to an interesting fantastical universe. Who doesn't want to forget about stuffy offices, home responsibilities, and duties for at least a minute and to feel like a fairy tale hero?

I completely agree with you. Is your first cosplay, Toshiro Hitsugaya from Bleach**, your favorite cosplay?**

No. In fact, it's my worst cosplay — too many flaws. It's hard to pick a favorite, but perhaps Zephran from Dragon Age: Origins and Balthier from Final Fantasy XII share the top spot.

Dragon Age, Final Fantasy... I see you're familiar with the world of games. How long have you been a gamer? What other games do you prefer?

For quite a long time. I had a computer from a young age. I have loved RPGs and quests since childhood — the best games were produced by Sierra. Quest for Glory, Space Quest, Legend of Kyrandia. The old games set in AD&D, especially Dark Sun, are great. It's impossible not to mention Dune 2 — I think everyone loves it. Modern games aren't as good, but I still consider Morrowind, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect 1-2 among my favorites. Assassin’s Creed is not bad, especially the first part. Right now, I'm playing Knights of the Old Republic 2 — it's a good game, but it's a shame it's so poorly polished — it crashes frequently and has many plot holes.

Yeah, quite a resume. Do you play only on PC, or do you also play on consoles?

I have a PS2 — but it feels a bit uncomfortable and unusual to play on it. The most I managed to play was Final Fantasy XII and Soul Calibur III. I'm not a console fan.

Why did you choose Zephran** from Dragon Age for cosplay? He's a male character, which is called crossplay. Didn't you like any female characters?**

I liked him. He's, in my opinion, the funniest and most reasonable character. He has a cool accent and a sense of humor. The female characters in Dragon Age Origins weren't successful, in my view. The hysterical witch Morrigan is not my choice, Leliana is pretty dull, and Wynn seems too old for me (laughs). I don't limit myself in choosing characters for cosplay. If I like it, I just make the costume, regardless of gender or race of the character. We live in the twenty-first century after all.

Elena as Zephran from Dragon Age: Origins.

I agree. The main thing is that men rarely cosplay female characters.

Why not? If it looks attractive and harmonious.

Do you have any hobbies besides cosplay?

Many. I enjoy painting and photography. I love good science fiction. As for video games, I mentioned them earlier. I can sing pretty well and can't live without music, although my musical taste is quite specific.

What music genres do you prefer?

Heavy Metal, Neue Deutsche Härte, Black/Doom Metal, Folk. But really, my preferences depend on the performer. Elvis Presley is one notable mention.

Do you have a cosplay that you consider the most difficult personally?

Up until now, the most challenging in terms of crafting was the cosplay of Balthier.

Elena as Balthier from Final Fantasy XII.

Is there a character that you would like to cosplay the most? So to speak, a dream.

I want to make a cosplay of Shepard in N7 armor. But I don't have the free time for such a complex costume yet.

I hope that one day you'll fulfill your dream and turn into Commander Shepard. It will be interesting to see.

Yes, I hope so too. I've really come to love the company Bioware.

How do your friends and relatives feel about your cosplay hobby?

They feel fine about it. Sometimes they even take pride in my achievements in this area.

I know you are the leader and founder of the cosplay band Love Squad. Can you tell us how it came to be?

It was born way back in 2005. My friends got into anime and decided that cosplay is quite an amusing thing. Our first cosplay was not very successful, but it was fun.

Who constitutes, so to speak, the creative core of your collective?

Me and my sister, Olga Kuranova.

Olga Kuranova (Yond)

Why does the cosplay band have such a name — Love Squad?

It's a long story. I can hardly remember how it happened. At that time, there was a meme from Bleach — 100 things you should never do — one of the points was not to create your own squad called Love Squad.

Interesting story. It turns out that the anime Bleach** played a role in the beginning of your cosplay career, the creation of your band, and now even the name of the group. Is that right?**

The beginning of my cosplay career coincided with the creation of the team, and Bleach was indeed involved.

I first learned about your cosplay band when I saw photos of your sister online as Aria T’Loak from Mass Effect 2**. On many foreign sites (for example, Kotaku.com), it's called the best asari cosplay. It turned out great and believable, in my opinion. How did your collective react to such success and attention from online media?**

Yes, that's probably our most famous cosplay. Our friends were happy for us as always.

Olga as Aria T'Loak from Mass Effect 2.

Can you talk about the process of creating Aria's costume?

It's the most interesting costume I've made so far. I really wanted to create complex makeup, something alien. Mass Effect 2 was an ideal source of inspiration. The costume itself is pretty standard, despite the number of layers and details — Aria wears a slightly altered asari commando costume. Its design is futuristic, but not too complex. The main challenge of this cosplay is the makeup. It was really exciting to create the asari "mask". I tried working with liquid latex for the first time — a material that makes up the main part of special effects makeup in cinema and theater.

And finally, what character do you plan to cosplay in the near future?

That's a tough question. I hope to cosplay Princess Leia or Darth Maul.

It will be very interesting to see. In Russia, they don't make cosplays based on the Star Wars universe very often.

Yes, in Russia, there's generally little cosplay based on non-Asian games, movies, and comics. I hope this unfortunate omission will be corrected soon.

Elena, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. It was very interesting to chat with you and learn many fascinating things. I will eagerly await your new works.

You're always welcome.

Works of the cosplay band Love Squad

**Dragon Age 2**

Elena as Fenris.

Olga as Lady Hawk.

Code Geass

Elena as Euphemia li Britannia.

Olga as Cornelia li Britannia.

Final Fantasy XII

Elena as Balthier. Olga as Fran.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Elena as Tifa Lockhart.

Olga as Cloud Strife.

Mobile Suit Gundam 00

Elena as Tieria Erde.

Olga as Lockon Stratos.

Sengoku Basara

Elena as Nohime.

Olga as Kasuga.

Kuroshitsuji

Elena as Angelina Dules.

Olga as Grell Sutcliffe.

Assassin's Creed II

Elena as Katerina Sforza. Olga as Ezio Auditore.

Elena as Mariana Cross from D.Gray-man.

Elena as Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series.

Elena as Nana Osaki from NANA.

Elena as Black Cat from the Spider-Man comics series.

Elena as Helga von Vogelweide from Trinity Blood.

Elena as Christina Chapel from Star Trek.

Olga as Nia Teppelin from Gurren-Lagann.

Olga as Sheryl Nome from Macross Frontier.

Olga as Yennefer from the Witcher series.

Photos taken from the deviantART gallery of the cosplay band Love Squad.

A huge thank you for proofreading and editing - fr4ntic.