Heroes of Cosplay Season 2
Because they are too parched! Just like last year, Heroes of Cosplay seems to have trouble allowing us to take it seriously. Sometimes I am convinced that the producers are actually getting a kick out of the heroes’ ability to lose regularly. More on that later…
The second season features a little more testosterone, with Hipster Mustache Dude Jesse Lagers returning to give it the good ol’ college try. Miss Yaya Han is back (naturally) and she’s about the only one that remains captivating and charming enough for me to be invested in as of the first episode of season two. Yaya had better not skimp on the shade because watching stomp her shady boots all over the other castmembers is always a treat. Jessica and Holly from CrabCat Industries remain affable as well.
While the diversity has been improved slightly with the male cosplayers, the stunning lack of cosplayers of color is still a thorn in my side. I know they exist, and I know they are doing big things. Chaka Cumberbatch would be a great addition to the show.
via GeekGirlCon.com
As someone who is a stickler for diverse stories and someone who actually believes that only painting a small part of a pictures does not a complete picture make, I remain chagrined at the fact that the cast for Heroes of Cosplay only counts one person of color, especially when some of the cosplayers they feature aren’t particularly heroic. One woman had her husband doing most of the work last season. I mean, that sets the bar relatively low for being a part of the show, doesn’t it?
Of course, there had to be skin, and Chloe Dykstra, who seems genuinely sweet, invited the CrabCat gals to do a burlesque cosplay–which is code for putting on lingerie and some logos here and there–with a few other ladies. They were supposed to be the “Ladies of the Internet”, which is a thing:
via Pinterest/Michele Morrow
So the ladies got dressed up in some really nice lingerie, but at the end of the day, they were better suited for a geeky burlesque show, or Halloween because well, it’s just lingerie. And the idea is actually really awesome, but the lingerie aspect minimized how cool the concept might have been had it been executed with less thirst. There were dozens of ways they could have captured the juggernaut nature of each of the websites they were depicting (Deviant Art, WebMD, Facebook, etc.), but they took the easier route. Look, I get it. They look nice. But I don’t like when people try to bullshit other people. We know what it is. We know the aim. We see you. But to what end? Will the guys get together and do their best 300 impression for, you know, the illustrious benefit of zee cosplaying? The dudes just aren’t that thirsty.
Overall, the first episode was nice filler while I waited for the new episode of Deadliest Catch and Bad Girls Club (I love a good trainwreck), but I do hope they step up the ante for the rest of the season, because as it stands, it’s getting pretty boring and harder to justify why some of these people deserve to remain on the show. Don’t get me wrong, their dedication is laudable, but the show is Heroes of Cosplay. Show us more exceptional cosplay.