Here is the final part of the interview with Katharine (Tsubaki) and Gabriella (Cattypatra). These questions cover the reactions of their family, impressions of Japan and a final message for everyone. Below is a shot of them during their performance of Full Metal Alchemist at the Animania WCS preliminaries.

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Question: How was the reaction of your family when you won the competition?

Tsubaki: My family was quite happy, they enjoy it when I’m happy & are worried otherwise that sometimes I don’t get enough out of my cosplays, however I know what a great experience the WCS will be & couldn’t have asked for a greater experience with all my friends before & after the Australian finals for WCS, it was definitely worth it, as only about 30 people a year get to do this.

Cattypatra: I was lucky enough that my mum and grandmother attended the convention to watch the performances. They were so moved that they even cried! It was pretty crazy. I also consider my friends to be my family, and their reaction was amazing. I cried when I won and all of their love and cheering and support and helpfulness kept me crying all the way home.

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Q: What do you find fascinating about Japan?

T: The culture is very different to Australia, so really everything there I can find fascinating. I love how even without speaking the language it’s so easy to get around & Japanese people are so polite & helpful, I love it! <3 I love riding the trains in Japan, the streets are so nice & clean & the convenience stores are awesome. The places I love most & find the most interesting to visit in Japan are probably Harajuku & Akihabara, but I’ve only really been to Tokyo once on a short holiday, so I very much look forward to seeing Nagoya next.

C: Homoerotica.

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Q: What do you hope or expect to find once you have arrived in Japan?

T: I expect Mike Morris to be waiting at the airport for us with strawberries. XD
I’m hoping that all the other WCS contestants in the competition are nice & that we get to have lots of fun with them & hangout despite language barriers. I’m hoping to get a day off, so that we can visit the Tokyo area, as I want to visit the costume shops, wigs shops, toyshops, doujinshi shops & clothes shops there. I’m expecting to have a great time with Catty, Kenny, Widya & Morris whilst in Japan. It’ll be amazing hanging out for a week.

C: Morris will be waiting for us. No doubt in my mind! I hope he waits with Krispy Kreme, but I don’t know if they have those in Japan. I can’t wait to go shopping with Tsubaki, Kenny, Widya and Morris. We’re going to have so much fun, and eat so much food. We’re all going to go home so fat and it’ll be awesome!

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Q: Do you like Japanese food? If so, what do you like?

T: I’m generally a fan of delicious food, I love going out to restaurants with friends & have always loved Japanese food. I definitely can’t wait to eat real Japanese ramen with Catty as it’s is tradition for us to eat ramen together. I really love Japanese strawberries, they’re huge, bright red, smooth & so sweet! They look like picture perfect plastic ones when I first saw them. Much better than the ones you can get in Australia. Also I LOVE MELON SODA! You can’t get it easily nor cheaply in Australia, so I always get excited when it’s available to me.

C: I adore Japanese food. I can’t wait to have authentic Japanese food in Japan. I love ramen! Me and Tsubaki always eat ramen together and have so much fun. And like Tsubaki I am obsessed with Japanese strawberries. I’m going to eat so many when I’m over there! I’m also looking forward to eating some of the more exotic dishes that we don’t get in Australia, and I have to nato at least once. I hear it’s the Japanese version of Vegemite.

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Q: Could you please provide a comment to your present and future fans and readers of this blog?

T: Many special thanks to our friends for all the support they’ve given us before & after the WCS competition. You guys are awesome & we couldn’t have done any of this without you. For people interested in our costumes & progress I usually keep things up to date on my Deviant Art page at: http://tsubaki-chan.deviantart.com/
Thanks again to everyone for being awesome. Catty & I can’t wait to show the world how awesome Australian cosplayers are. <3

C: I have fans? Really? I love you guys, whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing. And whatever you’re eating, can I have some? XD

But on a more serious note, I want to thank everyone that supported us. Especially all our close friends and supporters, and all the WCS judges and other contestants. They were all so supportive and we could never have done this without you. I thank you all from the bottom of their heart, and words cannot even begin to express how grateful I am for everything you’ve done for us.

If you’re interested in contacting me, seeing WCS progress or just dropping by, you can find me at http://cattypatra.deviantart.com/ Please don’t feel shy.

Me and Tsubaki can’t wait to represent the amazing Australian Cosplay community and show everyone how awesome they are. <3

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As a doughnut fan myself, allow me to respond to the Krispy Kreme query. They opened their first shop in Japan a couple years ago and you can find a few shops in Tokyo now. For strawberries you may want to go to Tochigi prefecture, north of Tokyo, they are famous there. Make sure that you allot time before or after the event in your trip ticket so you can do and see everything you want.

Thanks Katherine and Gabriella, looking forward to seeing you next summer!