Most cosplayers pick one Love and Deepspace man that they resonate with and become them — but Thames Malerose chooses them all.
A professional cosplayer from Thailand who has been doing this for the last 20 years, he travels the world, often with at least four pieces of luggage, appearing at anime and gaming conventions, festivals, and expos.
Most recently, he attended Anime Garden 2025 on March 8-9 at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, a free, open-air event that included cosplay competitions, artist booths, sessions with international cosplayers, a cosplay parade, concerts, stage activities, and more.
Speaking to ONE Esports in an exclusive interview, Thames talks about why he can’t stop cosplaying every single Love and Deepspace love interest and his personal cosplay process.
How Thames Malerose became a heavyweight in the cosplay industry
Before he became known as Thames Malerose, Sarana Khunpolpitak was a bassist for his band, Malerose. A fine arts university graduate, he was also earning his keep through oil painting commissions.
“I miss painting. I haven’t painted for almost one to two years now,” said Thames.
Now a full-time professional cosplayer, he is constantly working on the next project for upcoming guest appearances and photoshoots. While each costume varies in complexity, they take about a month to make on average.
He starts the creative process for every costume the same way. “I’ll sketch each part of the costume that needs to be made. For example, for Dragon Sylus, I had to get the tail right. For God of the Sea Rafayel, I had to get the tattoos down,” Thames told ONE Esports.
“After that, I source fabric at the local Thai market. I need find the right material for each costume. I can do some basic sewing, but nowadays due to my busy schedule, I send them to a tailor I trust,” he continued.
Thames’ trusty seamstress is a middle-aged lady that he’s been working with for years. While she doesn’t know any of the characters he cosplays, she consistently executes each new assignment.
When it comes to wigs, he’s able to style basic ones through trimming and spiking, but for the more complicated ones like Innocent Birdcage Sylus, he commissions his friend. For accessories, he makes some of them at home, such as the metal buckles on Sylus’ belt. Thames also has a personal photographer he continually works with and has picked up basic photo editing skills.
Cosplay makeup is the one aspect that he’s honed entirely by himself over the years. He learned by watching videos on YouTube and through experience.
“I’m still not good! When I first started out, I didn’t know makeup at all. When I drew eyeliner, I ended up looking like a panda,” Thames laughed. “I think the most important thing is how to prepare the skin before applying makeup. I’ll use a face mask before and sometimes after too. I’m still learning, still improving.”
He works out his body not only for cosplay but also for good health. “I have to do a lot of abs and chest workouts for cosplay. A lot of costumes show off that part of the body,” said Thames. “I also have to maintain my weight, but honestly, it’s difficult. I’m getting older.”
While he doesn’t stick to a strict diet because of his love for delicious food, he does avoid fatty or oily dishes where possible.
Making sacrifices for cosplay is something that Thames continually finds joy in. He debuted Dragon Sylus very quickly after the memory dropped in-game at Comic Fiesta 2024 held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Malaysia. In the same month at Winter Comiket 2024 in Tokyo, Japan, he adorned the same costume despite freezing temperatures. As a result, he fell ill afterward.
“The Dragon Sylus costume looks so interesting. It’s winter, so I knew other cosplayers were going to wear certain costumes, and I wanted to be different,” Thames shared. “I feel happy in every step of the cosplay process — when I first see myself wearing the costume, when I’m doing photoshoots, and when I meet fans.”
Getting in character for cosplay is part and parcel of the process, one that he still finds challenging. “I like to smile. I like to keep laughing. For example, Sylus, he doesn’t smile. He’s cool. I can’t always be like him all the time,” Thames laughed.
Beloved for his many Sylus cosplays, Thames has actually cosplayed all five Love and Deepspace interests (and produced a photobook cosplaying the initial four), despite their very distinct characters. “Because I can’t choose! Their personalities are all so interesting,” explained Thames.
He never expected his following to grow this big and to become this popular. Cosplaying Love and Deepspace love interests, especially, skyrocketed his appeal.
When otome game players see their love interests brought to life by Thames, they often ask him to pose with them as they live out their fantasy in a picture-perfect moment. “I’m okay. I don’t like to reject others. I can do anything. I am trying to train my muscles to carry them,” Thames shared. “When I do the ‘kabedon’ pose and some fans look like they’re going to faint? I feel accomplished.”
Kabedon is a Japanese cultural term referring to a situation where a man corners a woman into a wall, often with one arm leaning against it in a slightly assertive manner.
With age catching up, Thames has wondered if he should start planning for an alternate future. For now, he is happy doing what he does and sees potential in cosplaying daddy characters as he grows older.
“For me, cosplay is an art. When I do art, I feel happy. It’s so fun every step of the way, when I do crafting, when I do makeup, when I do styling, when I go for photoshoots,” said Thames, who also gave his two cents worth to who are pursuing cosplay. “I didn’t expect to have such a big following. I’m so lucky because I got the chance to meet good people. Just have fun without putting pressure or stress on yourself — keep improving, keep practicing.”
The biggest difference he experienced after becoming so famous is that he could no longer go to anime or cosplay conventions and be part of the crowd, part of the community, and misses enjoying the event as a participant.
If Thames had no work obligations and had the freedom to pursue any cosplay project, there’s one in particular that he has his eyes set on.
“I want to cosplay a female character in the future. Even though it’s physically challenging, I want to try,” Thames revealed. “I ordered a female costume from Taobao in XXL size but it was too tight. I’ll have to custom-make it. I haven’t tried this before, so it’s something I have to try.”
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