Shoko Nakagawa, Gamer-Cosplayer Idol

Shocotan

I like games more than eating. Sometimes, I’ll even dress up and head off to the convenience store. Gamer-cosplayer idol Shoko Nakagawa, formerly a mainstream pinup queen, has certainly found her niche with otaku since she dazzled the Tokyo Game Show crowd in costume last year. She also likes to put her cat’s head in her mouth.

Good things happen when you unleash your inner geek. Gamer girls show great potential in a world where games overtake movies and people trust peers.

Shocotan at TGS

Shocotan with nunchaku

Shocotan as a catgirl

Shocotan as a pink maid

Shocotan as a black maid

Shocotan as a southern belle

Shocotan as a queen

Shocotan as an EGL


From Wiki.ThePPN, which spells her name Shouko:

Nickname: Shocotan (しょこたん)
Birthdate: May 5th, 1985
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan

Shouko’s father (the late Nakagawa Katsuhiko, once called the Japanese David Bowie) was a big influence on her life. When she was five, she was given horror manga by her father to read, his reason being that she couldn’t become an adult without reading them. As a result of her father’s influences, Shouko loves 80s idol music, anime, and old video games. She is considered to be something of a nerd because of it. This started her love for sentai, and after watching Mirai Sentai Timeranger, Shouko wanted to become a gravure idol like Katsumura Mika. Mika played the pink ranger Yuri in the series, and was also a gravure idol with several photobooks and DVDs out. Shouko studied all of these to prepare for her own debut as a gravure idol.

Shouko was chosen as one of the winners of Miss Magazine 2002, which helped to boost her popularity some. In 2004 Shouko got to be in the show Men B with her idol Mika and the two became like sisters.

Shouko loves to draw. When she was younger, she had wanted to grow up and become a mangaka. Many of her illustrations are available at her talent agency’s profile website. In 2006 she began Shocotan Quest, a series only found at that website. She also became part of the illustrating group Jump Damashii.

Shouko is a huge fan of Bruce Lee and kung fu movies in general. She even owns a pair of pink nunchucks. Shouko mastered Cantonese and visited Hong Kong with her mother frequently, and even got to meet Jackie Chan by chance during one of these visits. She drew an illustration of him; this drawing now hangs in Jackie Chan’s Hong Kong office.

She also cosplays frequently, and has sold many of her costumes at an auction. These outfits included mainly Evangelion, Sailormoon, and Final Fantasy. Because of her love for cosplay, she has gained more fans who love to see her cosplay shoots. Shouko generally cosplays alone, but occasionally she cosplays with Ito Ayaka and Kyan Chiaki. When they cosplay together, they wear outfits according to their hair. For example, if Shouko is Tsukino Usagi from Sailormoon, Ayaka will be Mizuno Ami because of her shorter hair. For the anime Futari wa Pretty Cure, Shouko plays Honoka, and Ayaka is is Nagisa.

Shouko began keeping a public blog in 2004. It shows her perfectionist habits and only further proves her nerdiness through her distinct way of typing and frequent updating. April 2005 marked her 600th entry, and Shouko blogged 70 times in the month of January 2006 alone. This is a national record for an idol blog. Manabe Kaori was once called the “Blog Queen” because of her own constant writing, but with this new record Shouko stole the title. Even fellow idol and friend Kawabe Chieco (5-7 entries a day) has not come to beat her yet. Shouko’s entries began to get published in September 2005 in the book Shocotan Blog. On April 21st, 2006, Shouko’s blog broke 100 million hits.

On July 5th, 2006, Shouko released her first non-anime character single, Brilliant Dream.

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0 thoughts on “Shoko Nakagawa, Gamer-Cosplayer Idol”

  1. NICE! So cute and hot! Can’t say I dig the song too bubblegummy but love the bod. Thanks Mike and that first shot is a keeper!

  2. First pic — nice shot! Love the costume!

    What’s really creepy for me is that she resembles my girlfriend’s sister quite a bit! (minus the big ears) — especially in that catgirl pic — the whole expression and pose….it’s weird! (like I said, weird for me, I’m sure the rest of you enjoy it just fine! ha!)

    I’d still take her on a date…either one of them! ha! Bad boy!

  3. lawboy

    SHANGHAI for 2 years !
    I had an apartment near FuDan University.
    I also spent some time in HangZou.

    after living in China I visited Japan which I found to be much more similar to living in Manhattan.

    If you wanna see pictures or see the blogs I wrote, email me at Dslcobra@yahoo.com

  4. thanks CLM…i am so envious…i only get to travel there a few times a year…nice website…i see your preference for asian women:)…will email ya

  5. i remember there was a Japanese tv program uploaded to YouTube awhile ago where Shocotan (her nickname) came in cosplaying as Haruhi Suzumiya. and then she engaged in a brief tutorial on the different types of otaku. i saw that and thought: ‘only in Japan would this type of thing be considered humorous’. I wonder if anyone else has seen this particular program?

  6. Indeed. very ROFL-y show. though i didn’t know until the other night that her late dad, Katsuhiko, was a popular singer in Japan. i saw one of his old videos the other night and the comparisons to David Bowie are quite startling. anyway, don’t want to go off topic too much. i expect we will hear more and more from Shocotan in the near future. definitely a ‘Rising Star’ from the land of the ‘Rising Sun’. thanks for the reply, Mike Abundo.

  7. Hi, I’m japanese teenager.Can you see her blog in foriegn country?
    Now she is becoming more and more popular.She is now so busy that she have no time to enjoy herself.But she enjoy herself after her work.That is always 0:00AM ~ 4:00AM .And go to work at 10AM.
    She said I want to live DONYOKU that means live for greed.IT is marvelous.
    I love her the way of life.

    Sorry for my bad english.I’m a candidate.

  8. Hello, okocha. and welcome.! yes, i have viewed Shokotan’s blog in the past myself. funny thing, im in the same boat as she is. i haven’t had time to view her blog recently because my job keeps me busy, plus i have an aged parent to look after. so i don’t have quite as much freetime as before. but i like her outlook on life. she’s refreshingly open and honest about her opinions, which is rare in this day and age. i live here in the USA, and i could access her website whenever i find the time.

  9. Hi.Oh you can see her blog.Wonderful!Are you reading her comments or just watching photo?I reccomend to read.But i think it is to difficult.Becausesometimes even I can’t understand.Do you know 2ch?She always use what is call “2ch language” and her original language we call “Shokotango”
    Here is her previous blog I found.She was not popular then.Many idol make character to become popular in TV.But she is just her!
    ttp://www0.yapeus.com/users/strawberrytime/?page=98&

  10. HI okocha! i just came from visiting her blog a minute ago. no, regrettably, i cannot read katakana, so i can only look at her pictures. still, she is so kawaii (!!). sorry.
    anyway, i have visited both 2ch and Futaba Channel in the past. not recently. (again, the freetime thing there.)
    on today’s post, the pictures looks like she has her Haruhi Suzumiya sailor fuku on and what looks like a Kamen Rider helmet on her head! (or it could be a Sentai ranger helmet- unfortunately, i am not as up on my Sentai as some of my friends are.)
    she seems to be quite an Ani-Ota fan. but then i say to myself: ‘well, so am i!’
    it’s nice to hear from someone who actually lives in Japan about how popular she is.

  11. Rairaio!Oh sorry.it means ‘hi’ in shokotango.
    Yes, she had suzumiya haruhi sailor and kamen rider KABUTO helmet which she recieve from her fan.
    February 14, she release 2nd single CD.
    I’m so glad to exchange with someone who live abroad.

  12. hi okocha! welcome back!
    i worked today, and come home to check my e-mail and i got a reply to my latest post. Yay! i went to her blog today and looks like she has more cat pictures and what looks like another kamen Rider helmet on, too. probably from another admirer (lucky guys, haha)
    Feb 14, another CD single. Cool! that’s tomorrow! (or today where you’re at. . .lucky you!) that would be worth the trip to Akihabara to pick it up! well, have a nice day! here’s lots of snow. like a bliizzard!

  13. Hi!Today was very beautiful day!
    She break her record of how many time she renew her blog a day.
    Today’s her blog was incredible.She show many funny ways to use the CD,for example mirror,money,gold medal,armor,etc.And many idea was 2ch’s note.It became festival!’She is watching!She is watching!’ Many people insert in 2ch’Please do Kienzan(skill of Dragonball), do angel , do a doctor !’ Many was adopted.We convinced.’She is watching.She is watching!’
    I can’t express how unbelievable thing this was!
    Oh ,America had snow.Japan had no snow this winter.I’m concerned about global warming.

  14. hi okocha. sorry i dont get back til late. my father was in pain. we went to Dr, i got back very late. no time even to visit Shokotan’s blog and i need to sleep soon.
    here, Dec. very warm, other than 12″ of snow on the 7th. gone in 2 days. since New Years’ very cold. Nobady talk here in the U.S. Midwest about global warming now, too cold!
    Im glad Shokotan has beaten her old record for posts. must have had some free time, bless her. i will visit there briefly before i sleep.

  15. Hi,sorry,I was busy because i have college entrance examination after seven days.
    Her CD ranked in 11 place!And result from this succeed, she will release another CD at may 3!Next she song many old anime songs.
    Do you know Leah Dizon?She came from America.She is now very very popular in Japan.She released a CD on February 14 too.And her CD ranked in 7 place.Shokotan lost.

    I’m sorry i can’t understand what LawBoy is saying.

  16. hi glad you’re back. i guess it’s because websites like this one attract guys who are into nudity or other aspects of the female body.
    hope you passed your exams. Glad Shokotan’s CD is doing well. never heard of the other lady, sorry. gotta go to work. Later.

  17. hi,sorry for late.I pass the examination i want to go second!I became ease.
    I asked because I have heard Leah Dizon was a racequeen and an idol in America.
    Todays picture is many things she recieve from fan in CD event.
    Yesterday,there was a big news!Shokotan’s blog achieved 500,000,000
    access!Wow!I am doing blog too but mine is only 2.000 access so far.(ha ha ha)
    Todays picture is many things she recieve from fan in CD event.

  18. yeh, i just read her blog today. very funny. Shocotan just being Shocotan, bless her. going to have to Google for Leah Dizon. ill see what i can find on her.

  19. sorry i have been sick for four days and i couldnt do computer.i have to go to far place to take examination. I will come back three days after.
    aaaahhhh,i’m very unfortunate・・・
    i still have a fever.

  20. too bad, Okocha. hope you are feeling better soon. i read up some on Leah Dizon, and wow she is a pretty young lady. and from Las Vegas, too!. i wonder if there is a entry on her on AsianSirens right now. because, if not, there should be. . . (hint hint). she is a mix of Chinese, Filipina and French. and very pleasing on the eyes, if you know what i mean! she even has a blog now started up. she doesn’t update as much as Shocotan does, but then again, there is only one Shocotan!

  21. i think that’s a good idea. LawBoy. The more the merrier! especially when its in regards to boobs and butts, hehe.

  22. hey, does anyone here happen to know the name of the TV program that has 4 different manga artists on (Shokotan is one of the contributors, btw) where they must complete a 4Koma panel. and there is oneupmanship a’plenty on here. they are showing clips from it on Youtube. it is quite funny. . i think one of the names is ‘Hitokoma’ or something. unfortunately, the titles are in hiragana. and since i cannot read it, i am at a loss to tell you how to find it. sorry. Any ideas?

  23. I don’t know what it is about her, but I think she’s very sexy. She hasn’t got big tits (not that that’s aproblem) but overall, she has a nice body!
    I hear she’s gonna be a special guest at this summer’s Anime Expo in LA.

  24. The face of a child, the body of a woman! Must drive the pedophiles wild. Re the pic with her knights: a kinky Joan of Arc.
    Too bad Asian women seem to have fallen into the Western trap, and are getting too skinny; one of the things I used to like about them is that they had some meat on their bones. Now, they look more amd more like Barbie — totally disproportionate.

  25. The one Albainn just mentioned three comments up:

    “Too bad Asian women seem to have fallen into the Western trap, and are getting too skinny; one of the things I used to like about them is that they had some meat on their bones.”

  26. Albainn: Nonsense. In the west, women are getting fatter & fatter!

    And true pedophiles want a child’s body, not a grown woman’s such as Shoko.

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