Cosplay: Difference between revisions

Cosplay (コスプレ, kosupure), short for "costume roleplay",^[1] is a type of performance art whose participants outfit themselves, with often-elaborate costumes and accessories, as a specific character or idea. Characters are usually sourced in various Japanese and East Asian media, including manga, anime, tokusatsu, comic books, graphic novels, video games, and fantasy movies. Other sources include performers from J-pop, J-rock, visual kei, fantasy music stories (such as stories by the band Sound Horizon), novels, and objects from cyberspace or the real world that are unique and dramatic (especially if they have or can be given an anthropomorphic form).

Cosplay participants ("cosplayers") form a subculture centered around wearing their costumes and reenacting scenes or inventing likely behavior inspired by their chosen sources. In some circles, the term cosplay has been broadened to include simply wearing a costume, without special consideration given to enacting characters in a performance context.

Nov Takahashi, from the Japanese studio called Studio Hard, coined the term cosplay – a contraction of the English-language words costume play – while attending the 1984 Los Angeles Science Fiction Worldcon.^{[citation needed]} He was so impressed by the hall and masquerade costuming there that he reported about it frequently in Japanese science fiction magazines. This follows a common Japanese method of abbreviation: combining the first two moras of each word to form an independent compound. Costume becomes kosu (コス), and play becomes pure (プレ).

Cosplay can be seen at public events such as video game shows, as well as at dedicated cosplay parties at nightclubs or amusement parks. It is not unusual for Japanese teenagers to gather with like-minded friends in places like Tokyo's Harajuku district to engage in cosplay. Since 1998, Tokyo's Akihabara district has contained a large number of cosplay cafés, catering to devoted anime and cosplay fans. The waitresses at such cafés dress as game or anime characters; maid (or meido) costumes are particularly popular.

Possibly the single largest and most famous event attended by cosplayers is the semiannual doujinshi market, Comiket. This event, held in summer and winter, attracts hundreds of thousands of manga otaku and many thousands of cosplayers who congregate on the roof of the exhibition center, often in unbearably hot or cold conditions.

Cosplayers in Japan refer to themselves as reiyâ (レイヤー); pronounced "layer". Those who photograph players are called cameko, short for "Camera Kozo" or "Camera Boy". The cameko give prints of their photos to the players as gifts. Tensions between players and cameko have increased due to perceived stalker-like behavior among some obsessive males who push female cosplayers to exchange personal email addresses or do private photo sessions. One result of this has been a tightening of restrictions on photography at events such as Comiket.

While cosplay at fan events in Japan is thought to have originated in 1978,^[2] one should not be confused with the idea that cosplay is considered typical behavior in Japan. While some do attend cosplay functions that are held in districts such as Akihabara, most Japanese people find cosplay to be rather silly. ^[3]

Cosplay costumes are radically different from typical Halloween costumes. Because the object of cosplay is to literally to become one's character, the intricate details of the costume's construction are critical. Costumes must meticulously adhere to the designs of the characters' attire, and even more generic costumes are often elaborately artistic.^[4] Rigorous attention to detail may include ensuring the seams are aligned properly and finished, thread colors are appropriate, and fabric colors precisely match the character and their attire. Some cosplayers will buy their costumes from talented artists, while others may spend months creating the perfect cosplay outfit.

Because the costumes are so elaborate, like-minded people gather to see others' costumes, show off their own elaborate handmade creations, take lots of pictures, and possibly participate in best costume contests at different cosplay events. Countless tutorials have also been created all over the internet by cosplayers to aid members of the community.

A recent trend at Japanese cosplay events is an increase in the popularity of non-Japanese fantasy and science fiction movie characters, perhaps due to the international success of such films as The Matrix, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Characters from the Harry Potter films have a particularly high number of female fans in Japan, with female cosplayers playing either male or female characters, Draco Malfoy being an extremely popular choice.^{[citation needed]}

Cosplaying as characters of the opposite sex is called "crossplay", and cosplaying as characters who dress as the opposite sex is called "cross-dressing". The main reason that people do “crossplay” or “cross-dressing” is because in anime there is an abundance of bishounen (beautiful youths), who are very attractive and feminine-looking male characters.^[5] Therefore, in the reality, females can often act as these characters better than the males. “Crossplay” and “cross-dressing” often coincide, but since some Japanese characters cross-dress to start with, it is possible to do one without the other.

For example, a female cosplayer cosplaying as a male character would be cross-dressing and crossplaying. However, a female cosplayer dressing as someone like Mana (male artist from the Visual Kei band Malice Mizer known for dressing in female clothes) would be crossplaying, but not cross-dressing; and a male cosplayer also cosplaying as Mana would be cross-dressing, but not crossplaying.

A small niche group in the crossplaying field are dollers, a subset of kigurumi cosplayers; usually male, they wear bodysuits and masks to transform fully into female characters.

By the late 1980s, rather than cosplay being a chance to roleplay as a favourite character, it was a chance to be seen. A new kind of cosplayer emerged - a cosplayer who attended events not to participate, but to be photographed. Also, photographers came to take photographs of the cosplayers, several of those photographers were from adult magazines.^[2]

A recent trend in cosplay has been the increase in use of "social networks" to share experiences and photographs with other players. This has led to great amounts of users congregating online, sharing, rating and socializing about various cosplay events and costumes.

In Japan, there are two cosplay magazines, Cosmode (コスモード) and Dengeki Layers (電撃Layers). Cosmode has the largest share in the market. An English digital version of Cosmode has been created. ^[6]

There are also two emerging cosplay magazines outside of Japan, the USA's AniCoz and Mexico's CosplayWorld.

As the cosplay culture becomes more dominant in the Japanese street fashion and Japanese popular culture, many businesses are seeking opportunities to profit from this new phenomenon. The number of people who endorse cosplay as a form of hobby grow rapidly each day, the total amount of money devoted to this hobby also grows exponentially.

Since the design of the clothing is originated from mostly fictional characters from manga, anime, tokusatsu, comic books, graphic novels, video games, and fantasy movies, the design itself is not copyrighted by the author or the maker of these forms of publication. Therefore, small manufacturers are able to take advantage of this by simply produce and sell packaged set costumes to cosplay fans. Even though the hardcore cosplayers make their own costumes, most of the cosplay fans purchase the costume. The relatively cheap ones are sold around 70 dollars and the expensive ones sold well over 600 dollars. The cosplay accessories and wigs are also essential to the experience of cosplay as well as to the business. In most cases less than 50 dollars, the wigs and accessories are a lot more affordable and fun to collect. ^[7]

In a more abstract sense, the cosplay concept has affected the Japanese advertising industry a lot more than its impact on the commodity market. As this increasingly popular hobby is slowly becoming a household name, various print media have recently featured cosplayers. This booming new demand has many in the modeling industry scrambling to hire cosplayers as they are considered fictional characters in flesh.

Cosplayers are now being pursued by many companies, like ADV Films, for promotional and print opportunities that were previously occupied by agency models. Their ability to re-create their chosen characters with accuracy and vitality is what's fueling the switch from the standard promotional models of the past that were just there to attract attention. This recent trend has even become apparent in such venues as E3 occupied by a mix of both agency girls and cosplayers.^[8]

Japan's burgeoning anime industry has long been home to the professional cosplayers since the rise of Comiket, Tokyo Game Show, and other such powerhouse conventions. The interest to develop such a profession has long been desired, but unfulfilled until recent years. The fan base is matured enough now to support the market of this flamboyant occupation.

In Japanese, the term can also mean—and may originate from^{[citation needed]}—the use of costumes for sexual purposes, in which case the "play" refers not to dressing up, but sexual play while dressed up. The term hence overlaps what would usually be known in English as sexual roleplaying or sexual fetishism: for example, wearing a schoolgirl uniform before or during sex, something Phil Cully often does, would be known as seifuku cosplay (制服コスプレ), and many Japanese love hotels offer costume rental services.

In the Japanese sex industry, sex clubs that specialize in sexual cosplay are known as image clubs. In addition to standard fetishistic standbys (schoolgirl, nurse, policewoman, etc.), an increasing number, pioneered by the now-defunct Wedding Bell chain, cater to otaku with staff dressing up as anime characters.

An example of the sexualisation of cosplay in the Western world can be seen in the clear intent of several sites^{[citation needed]}. Whilst users are invited to rank & comment on photos, and even submit photos of themselves, the site is directly for the purposes of titillation and softcore erotic content revolving around the photos of provocative cosplayers.

Due to the popularity of cosplay in Japan and its association with Japanese characters, there often exists the misconception that cosplay is a specifically Japanese or Asian hobby. However, although the term "cosplay" is Japanese in origin, it was coined to reflect a practice which was witnessed in the United States. For almost fifty years, costuming has had a widespread following and continues to experience growing popularity in North America and Europe, and has more recently spread throughout South America and Australia. However, Western cosplay's origins are based primarily on science fiction and historical fantasy as opposed to animation, and it is more common for Western costumers to recreate characters from live-action series such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter than it is for Japanese cosplayers. Western costumers also include subcultures of hobbyists who participate in Renaissance Faires, and historical re-enactments such as Civil War battles.

Despite this disparity, the rise in popularity of Japanese animation in the late 1990s has led to an increase in American and other Western cosplayers who portray Japanese characters. Anime conventions have become more numerous in the West in the last decade, and now compete with science fiction, comic, and historical conferences in attendance. At these gatherings, cosplayers, like their Japanese counterparts, meet to show off their work, take photos, and compete in costume contests. Unlike in Japan, however, where most cosplayers purchase their costumes, it is more common in the West for costumes to be handmade by the costumer. In fact, most conventions ban cosplayers who purchase costumes from participating in contests or masquerade performances. In addition, costumes which are worn without hesitation by Japanese cosplayers are avoided by Western cosplayers. These costumes usually include those which are deemed culturally inappropriate, such as Nazi uniforms worn by certain Japanese characters.

• Lee Teng-hui, former President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), dressed up as the fictional character Edajima Heihachi of the anime series Sakigake!! Otokojuku.^[9][10]
• Daisuke Enomoto, a Japanese entrepreneur, was set to be the 4th person to go into space with Space Adventures as a private individual in October 2006. He intended to go into space wearing a Gundam costume of Char Aznable. He failed to pass physical examinations.^[11]
• Liana Kerzner, Canadian co-hosts the of talk show Ed's Night Party, famous by the sexy, character-based costumes she wears, has made an honoured special guest at fan conventions across North America.^[12]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cosplay.

• Live action role-playing game
• Cosplay restaurant
• Net idol
• Cosplay model
• Crossplay

• CosplayWalker コスプレウォーカー The largest cosplay community website in JAPAN.
• Cosplay.com The largest cosplay website.
• Cosplay Locator An example of an American Cosplay store.
• Cosplay in Japan. Information on cosplay in Japan.
• CosWiki and CosplayWiki are wikis about cosplaying.
• The First Time The Word "Cosplay" Appeared - an article on Akibanana.com
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