Concerns About Yuri!!! On Ice Cosplay

Recently the Yuri!!! On Ice fandom has exploded on the internet, full of emotional responses after every episode airs. Not surprisingly, many people have expressed interest in cosplaying from this series. For those like me who haven’t watched the series yet, it is an anime about ice skating. And there is where the concern lies. Many cosplayers have already posted about this topic, but as the con season is approaching I also wanted to take a moment to discuss it.

Don’t bring ice skates to con.

If you want to do an ice skating photoshoot, that is totally awesome and has the potential to result in beautiful photos. However, ice skating can be dangerous. Be sure to research proper skate fitting and skating technique. I’ve included a link to skatingfitness.com if you want a place to start (http://www.skatingfitness.com/IceSkating-Ice-Skates.htm).

And that’s just safety concerns when ice skating properly, bringing skates to con opens up a whole new can of worms. Ice skates really are not meant for walking around in. Yes, even with guards on. Conventions are crowded and full of uneven terrain such as stairs and escalators. Hobbling around in skates poses a safety risk to not only the cosplayer, but to those around them. It also has the potential to damage the convention venue itself. Ice skates are literally metal blades attached to the feet, so they may be considered live steel by the convention weapons policy. It is not worth being kicked out by con security over photo accuracy. (Thank you to the Katsucon Gazebo for this insight https://twitter.com/KatsuconGazebo).

Cosplay isn’t worth injuring yourself (or others) over a couple photos. You can still have a great time at con and end up with fantastic photos even without skates with just a little bit of imagination and playing with camera angles. So go out there and have fun!