The Eccentric Geek Sub-culture That Is Cosplay
Crossing all boundaries, cosplay has garnered a wider following from its inception in the second half of the 20th century
What is cosplay?
Cosplay, a portmanteau of “costume play”, is a clothing style that has its basis in video games, anime, movies, and manga. Both a noun and a verb, it can refer to the actual costume as well as the wearing of it and involves anything from costumes, props, pets or even automobiles.
The majority of the literature on the internet seems to agree that the word was originally coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi in 1983, when he described his experience of seeing fans dress up as their favourite characters at a science fiction convention in North America in a Japanese magazine.
The word appeared in an edition of My Anime magazine in Japan in its Japanese form, コスプレ (kosupure).
Cosplay has evolved in North America from what was originally portrayed as something a geeky fan would do to into an opportunity for fans of a particular show or series to express their fascination by representing it in their clothing. This adds to the authenticity of the experience.
Thought by some to be a type of performance art, cosplaying is an intricate and elaborate hobby that thousands of adults have enjoyed and has progressed to encompass television shows such as Star Trek and comic characters.
How do I keep up with the latest in the world of cosplay?
The proliferation of cosplay has given rise to a number of media supplying the demand for the latest in news, events and fashion. Cosmode, a specialized magazine dedicated to cosplay, is printed in Japan to an ardent following with an English version for online subscribers.
In addition, CosplayGen, a worldwide cosplay magazine, features the latest in cosplay with pictures, costume information and interviews with cosplayers, professional and otherwise. Yes, there are professional cosplayers.
For many participants, cosplay is an interesting hobby, a way to become a favourite character short of joining in the production of an anime or manga.
Many studios however have picked up cosplayers such as Crystal Graziano, passionate cosplayers with dedication to their hobby to work as promoters for shows or games through cosplay and are compensated for their efforts.
Dedicated cosplayers and designers have a strong online presence with pictures of their designs or them in cosplay gracing sites such as Facebook, DevientArt, WorldCosplay and A Cosplay Paradise.
Just like any other star with a fan following, these cosplayers and designers have garnered an following international following that crosses the boundaries that normal conflicts would seem to stop.
How do I get started?
Cosplay is not easy — it involves hours of work with a multitude of skills such as makeup, hair styling, sewing, metal working and fabric dying amongst other things in order to emulate their character.
Many cosplayers spend hours designing and putting together their costume, but an option that has become more familiar as online shopping has taken hold is buying ready-made costumes online with prices ranging from twenty-five to a couple hundred dollars depending on the material and its quality, intricacy of the work and the number of pieces in the outfit.
Sometimes, cosplays can be very good and realistic, with a well-crafted, well-fitting costume that looks like its original reference but some people like to add their own personal touch to their outfit.
Cosplay is a hobby, much like gamers play games and football fans wear their favourite team’s jersey while playing football on a pitch. As people have grown more accustomed to watching anime and reading manga as a pastime for those other than children, cosplay has grown out of its geek roots and though not mainstream, has built up a large following.
What do I cosplay for?
A byproduct of globalization, cosplaying has a massive international audience outside its native Japan, where artists, manga and comic writers, fans, game studios and cosplayers attend conventions called Cons and other themed events to meet and interact.
Held in cities across the world, Cons involve signings, introduction of new shows and storylines as well as a break from one’s normal routine to meet others who share common interests.
Is cosplay restricted to shows, comics, manga and video games?
NO! Cosplay has also made its presence known outside the world of anime or manga themed events. It has diversified into its own brand of Japanese rock music known as visual-kei or VK. The “kei” part in Japanese means style of type and this translates to “visual style”.
In visual-kei, the band members wear elaborate hair, makeup and clothing which are reminiscent of anime, manga and video game character attire which in many cases remain gender neutral, sometimes even cross-dressing.