This was one of the most impressive cosplay efforts presented at Katsucon 4, Oscar and a male friend from the Rose of Versailles manga and anime. Rose of Versailles was one of the most influential manga among young girls in the 1980's and was an inspiration, directly and indirectly, for the girls' comics from Japan that lead all the way to Sailor Moon.

Take off the costumes and you have Thomas Holtz and Sue Shambaugh, anime fans who love cosplay and put an amazing amount of hard work into turning animated creations into real clothing. Holtz and Shambaugh guided Katsucon 4 fans through their cosplay experiences on the con's final day.

Shambaugh said she had worked on the Rose of Versailles costumes for four months, wanting to create the uniforms for years. Making the costumes meant days of research, design and prototype creation before the uniforms were ready for Katsucon, where they made their debut. It was a huge amount of work, but Shambaugh is already thinking about the next costume she wants to create. Old costumes fill her closet at home, she said.

Rose of Versailles is set in 18th-century France. Shambaugh looked to a combination of two centuries' worth of military uniforms to make the Oscar outfit. She combined a Civil War uniform blouse with the tails from an 18th-century military uniform. Shambaugh first made a mockup from leftover curtain fabric so she could tell "Are the sleeves long enough? Can I move? Do the tails cover my hips properly?" To get the uniform's details to match the design seen in the Japanese original - something that was made to look good on paper and film, and not necessarily to be worn in real life - Shambaugh had to consult a book of artwork from the animated Rose of Versailles, paying close attention to back views of the uniform. Details such as the sash and epaulets were attached to the uniform blouse using Velcro-style tape.

Holtz's devotion to cosplay led himself to paint his skin blue once, which led to an extended series of showers to get the color off his skin. He searches military supply stores, used sports stores and garage sales for the items that go into his costumes. "You have the potential to find what you want, but you have to go through a lot to find it," Holtz said.