In this edition of Chatterbox, Rey-Rey talks to Gina Jaio, the President of the very talented cosplay group, Sailor JAMBoree (click on the link for their promotional poster). They're one of the more respected groups in North America and have won several awards in various anime conventions (even winning Best of Show in San Diego Comic Con 2000!). Here, Gina talks about the group, cosplay, and various other subjects.

Rey-Rey: How did Sailor JAMBoree start? ^_^
Gina: It started when my twin sister and I had a great idea. After entering Anime Expo 98's masquerade (our first masquerade), we thought it would be awesome if, someday, we had every Sailor Senshi (characters from Sailor Moon) for a skit.
RR: So Anime Expo '98 was your first con?
G: First Anime con, yes. Our first con ever was Comic Con International in 1995.
RR: Where did the name Sailor JAMBoree come from? ^_^
G: It's actually an inside joke for Sailor Moon dub watchers. In one of the earlier episodes, all of the Sailor Senshi appeared to save Sailor Moon, and one of the villains said, "I didn't come here to see no Sailor Jamboree". We just thought it was a cute and funny name and it's very memorable.
RR: Did you have any other names that didn't make the cut? ^_^
G: I think one of them was Moonlight Court or something..., but we didn't think it was really special.
RR: Wow. That was real creative. *LOL*
G: Yeah, well, we were also considering to have a more elegant image.
G: That's the reason.
RR: I believe Anime Expo '99 was your first performance as Sailor JAMBoree. How did it feel at that time?
G: Yes, it was our first performance as SJ. We were extremely nervous. If you were backstage, you probably saw us practicing every 10 minutes.
RR: Sailor JAMBoree specializes in Sera Myu (Sailor Moon Musicals). Is your goal to get Sera Myu across North America?
G: Yes. So far, it's been working very well. We've sparked interest at every convention we've been to. It makes me very happy that I can share Sera Myu with fellow fans.
RR: Did you ever think Sailor JAMBoree would get this huge?
G: No, not at all... I thought it was going to be a short-lived thing. I acutally thought we were going to disband after 2000, but fans tell us to keep on going and we have.
RR: Do you believe you've overstayed your welcome?
G: Sometimes... well, I know people are probably getting tired of our Sailor Moon theme, that is why we are doing something different for AX02. However, it's a different story at a con like Anime North where Sailor Moon is very popular so they still want us to perform as Sailor Moon characters.
RR: Oh, something different for AX2002? Wanna let us in on it? ^_^
G: It's a secret. All we can say that is we're not doing Sailor Moon.
G:
RR: Nice HYA.
RR: What keeps you going in anime cons? ^__^
G: LOL HYA! Maybe, maybe not.
RR: LOL
G: Just seeing my friends, and the chance to meet new people and share the same interests really keeps me going. And I love Anime and I love seeing Japanese and American GOH's (Guests of Honor).
RR: Do you think cosplay has overshadowed anime in anime cons?
G: I think it's getting really big but I don't know about "overshadowing", because cosplay is about expressing our love for Anime.
RR: What's your favorite cosplay?
G: In general or that I've done?
RR: That you've done?
RR: I'm sorry.
G: I have to say Sailor Mars because that's what I'm most known for, and everyone likes it the best.
RR: Favorite anime? ^__^
G: I have many favorites (Marmalade Boy, Magic Knight Rayearth, Fushigi Yuugi etc.), but my favorite of all time is still Sailor Moon. After all these years, it's still the same.
RR: What cosplay would you like to do in the future?
G: I actually am interested in doing some costumes from Marmalade Boy, Love Hina, and Saint Seiya.
RR: How long do you think you're going to keep Sailor JAMBoree going?
G: Well, if anything, a few more years. We've decided we can move into other anime themes besides Sailor Moon, so that gives us an opportunity to hopefully prove that we can do other anime cosplay just as well.
RR: Any pointers to cosplay groups that are just starting? ^__^
G: I would like to tell new groups to try their best, but don't let competition get to you. Because if that happens, they will forget about having fun and the whole idea behind cosplay is to have fun.
RR: What would you like to tell all your fans? ^__^
G: I'd like to thank all of our fans for supporting us all the way. Out of many cosplay groups, we've been through a lot of hard times and it's the support of our fans and friends who carried us through. Domou arigatou gozaimashita !
RR: In that case, how about lunch tomorrow?
G: -.-* .......
G: You never change do you, Rey?
RR: LOL!!
RR: Seriously, thank you for the interview, Gina. And we wish you great success in the future. ^__^
G: Thank you.

For more on Sailor JAMBoree, you can visit their web page at Sailor JAMBoree.com. Hope you enjoyed the interview. ^__^