Cosplay is an art. There’s more to cosplaying than merely replicating the looks of a character. With sufficient effort, most people can effectively mimic a character’s appearance. But how does one mirror another person’s soul? Is that even possible? Well, if you ask Italian cosplayer Ema (Newgensis Cos), you’ll get a resounding YES! When Ema decided to don a Gold Ship cosplay, she gave the soul of Umamusume: Pretty Derby‘s iconic slacker a real-world vessel to inhabit.
Like many uma lovers, I stumbled onto Ema’s cosplay on one of the many Umamusume Facebook groups. I was so taken aback by Ema’s Golshi vibes that I knew I had to interview him. To paraphrase SpongeBob, “This isn’t your average everyday cosplay; this is ADVANCED COSPLAY!” Luckily for us at Anime Corner, Ema agreed to an interview and talked to us about all things cosplay and Umamusume!
⚠ This interview was conducted via email correspondence. Anime Corner has edited certain parts of it for brevity. ⚠
Q: Could you give a small intro? And while you’re at it, since I’m legally obligated to ask, what are some of your favorite anime?
I work in the video game industry, but unfortunately, not on the cool, creative side; I’m more on the technical IT side of things. In my free time, I love cosplaying. I’m also a DJ (just for fun). I enjoy classic nerdy hobbies like anime, video games, and, sadly for my wallet, collecting stuff (I currently hoard Hatsune Miku merch like there’s no tomorrow). Some of my favorite anime are Bocchi the Rock, Dorohedoro, and (surprisingly enough) Umamusume: Pretty Derby.
Q: How did you originally get into cosplay?
I’ve always been passionate about costuming. As a kid, I used to look forward to Carnival season, which I usually spent at my grandmother’s house in the city. My grandma fully supported my passion and would sometimes even sew my costumes, which made those moments feel really special.
My real interest in cosplay developed later, mainly thanks to video games. Gaming was my first real hobby. I also watched anime back then, but it was mostly whatever was on TV. I got into anime more seriously late in life. Eventually, some friends with the same interests dragged me to my first con, and that’s when I decided to give cosplay a try.
Being the slightly egocentric person I am * Coughs*, once I got into cosplay, I wanted to make something myself. So I built a Steve from Minecraft head and a Pickaxe out of a cardboard box. It wasn’t perfect, but it was so much fun!
Q: What would you say are the most challenging aspects of high-level cosplay? Is it easy to procure all the materials you need, given that Italy is the fashion capital of the world?
I think the answer really changes with age, unfortunately.
These days, I tend to go for much less elaborate cosplays than I used to. If possible, I even buy them ready-made. This is because I don’t have as much time as I used to. Living on my own also affects cosplaying; I no longer have an adequate workspace, and my expenses have other priorities.
That said, it’s actually much easier to make costumes and props than it used to be. There are so many new materials and tools available! I still get chills when I think about my very first armor, Al from Fullmetal Alchemist, made out of yoga mats in 2014. Back then, I had an entire table for crafting and plenty of free afternoons. Now, the “me” who spends all day out of the house starts the 3D printer in the morning before leaving for work, printing the piece I modeled the night before. The last time I made something from scratch was in 2024. That was Senshi from Delicious in Dungeon for an event.
As for procuring materials, between convention booths and online stores, you can get everything you could need. But “back in my day,” there was just one supplier, and you had to pray they didn’t run out of stock, or get creative with recycling.
Q: How accepting is your home country of your hobby and otaku culture?
Very much so! COVID, combined with the rise of streaming platforms, really helped people in Italy become fond of anime culture and Japan in general. Many brands now have collaborations with anime series or entertainment franchises. These kinds of products often sell out very quickly.
Anime films that were once only available in a few cinemas for a limited time are now available nationwide for weeks. We also have plenty of otaku events. After all, we’re home to Lucca Comics. I still remember the ~8km queue for the One Piece store in Milan that opened for the 25th anniversary of the series, with the place full of cosplayers and with a giant inflatable straw hat in the middle of the plaza.
On a personal level, though, I still tend to keep my cosplay hobby quite private unless I feel completely safe with the person I’m talking to. There used to be a lot of stigma around anything “otaku,” and I think part of that still lingers. That’s one of the reasons why, on most social media, I don’t share too much about my private life, or even my full name. A few months ago, for example, while I was job hunting, I preferred to disappear from social media using a fake name, rather than risk having to justify certain passions. It might sound strange, newbie otakus. But ten years ago, something like this could genuinely affect the way people judged you.
Q: What would be your most memorable cosplaying moment?
I actually have two memorable cosplaying moments.
The first was in 2017. I was invited to appear in cosplay for a live stream of a video game hosted by a YouTuber. At one point, thinking I was speaking off-camera, I complained about the change of voice actor for the character I was portraying. Little did I know, my comment was actually broadcast live on the event’s official channels, the game studio’s channels, and even to the Italian voice cast who were watching and reacting. I’m not sure why, but they didn’t invite me back the following year… at least they changed the voice actor.
The second moment is much more recent and definitely a bit crazier. I went to a Tenacious D concert in the middle of Milan’s summer, dressed as Eddie Riggs from Brütal Legend, wearing his winter outfit – a sleeveless leather jacket with fur. I was in cosplay for almost 24 hours straight and got an incredible sunburn. At the end of the event, I was allowed backstage, where I conversed with Jack Black.
Q: How did you get into the Umamusume franchise? If it were the anime, could you tell us what your favorite season or OVA is?
I discovered Umamusume in Japan last year. I knew horse racing was a big phenomenon there, but I didn’t expect it to be that popular. I then became acquainted with the franchise’s anime and OVAs. But my real obsession started with the global gacha release.
If I had to pick a specific anime, I would choose the Beginning of a New Era. I loved the writing, the more philosophical turn it took compared to the first three seasons, and I adore Agnes Tachyon.
Q: Replicating a character’s look is only half of what makes a perfect cosplay; the other is mirroring the character’s personality and aura. Your Goldshi cosplay screams, “Not training today, tomfoolery calls.” How did you manage to copy Golshi’s spirit so well?
Portraying tall, slender Uma when you literally look like Senshi from DunMeshi isn’t easy. Yet, the funny thing is, all I had to do to really capture Gold Ship’s vibes was to be myself. I’ve always been incredibly lazy; the more someone asks me to do something, the less I want to do it.
As a kid, I jumped between countless sports – partly because I lost interest quickly, and partly because I preferred to spend my time on things I was more passionate about. For example, during middle school, I taught myself how to play the electric bass instead of going to basketball practice. I didn’t become a basketball prodigy, but at least a few of my live concerts went well. Plus, my way of showing affection is usually by teasing people I care about, which would make one of my best friends the perfect Mejiro McQueen cosplayer.
Q: I’ve seen your picture on a few Umamusume groups and pages. Did you expect that virality? What would you tell the Uma community if you had the chance?
Honestly, no. I didn’t expect it at all. I didn’t expect my cosplay photos to go viral. I even found a few people on Facebook using them as their profile picture. To think all I did was go, “Okay, I’m in an Uma-themed group, let’s post this and give people a laugh.”
I bought the Gold Ship cosplay as a meme. It’s not the first female character I’ve cosplayed. But when it arrived and I started redoing pieces from scratch, I realized I was way too into it. A photo my girlfriend took of me trying on the Gold Ship wig became my most viral post on Instagram. Watching the cosplay pictures blow up in the Uma group where I posted it was definitely not on my bingo card this year.
If I had to send a message to the Uma community… I’d probably quote Steve Jobs, because that’s exactly what I’d expect Golshi to say if she got asked the same question in an episode of Pakatube. So… Stay hungry, stay foolish. And share your 9* sparks Umas with me, thanks.
Q: Several countries across Asia (most noticeably Thailand) have embraced over-action Uma events. They’ve even happened in places like the US, Mexico, and Peru. Have you attended any? If not, would you like to?
Not yet. Umamusme: Pretty Derby isn’t as well-known in Italy as it is abroad. So far, most of the Uma cosplayers I’ve seen have been at Paris’ Japan Expo. There’s an Italian page called Buona Fortuma (a play on the Italian phrase for “good luck,” which is buona fortuna) that is trying to organize a cosplay group for one of the first conventions of 2026. If everything goes well, we might even get enough people to do a racetrack event like they do abroad.
Q: Are there any other umas you’d like to cosplay? Seeing as you did a joint Uma cosplay with your girlfriend, are group cosplays something you enjoy?
I’m planning to cosplay Symboli Rudolf next, another character I feel a connection with (mostly because of the quality of her jokes). Beyond that, I have a few other projects in mind that involve “borrowing” almost all of my girlfriend’s wigs (Tachyon, Urara, and Rice) and other ideas that I’d rather not say.
As for group cosplays, I always enjoy them. They’re a great chance to make fun, dynamic photos, and I also love having people to geek out with over the things I like.
Anime Corner, and I would like to thank Ema for taking the time to talk to us about cosplay and Umamusme! You can follow Ema on Instagram and TikTok @ newgensis.cos.
©Ema/Newgensis Cosplay
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