Etymology
The term cosplay is a portmanteau of the English words "costume" and "play".
The term was coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi of the Japanese studio Studio
Hard while attending the 1984 Los Angeles Science Fiction Worldcon. He was impressed by the hall and the costumed fans and reported on both in Japanese science fiction magazines. The coinage reflects a common Japanese method of abbreviation in which the first two moras of a pair of words are used to form an independent compound. Costume becomes kosu (コス), and play becomes pure.
Practice of cosplay
Costumes
Cosplay costumes vary greatly and can range from simple themed
clothing to highly detailed outfits. Cosplay is generally considered
different from Halloween and Mardi Gras
costume wear as the intention is to accurately replicate a specific
character, rather than to reflect the culture and symbolism of a holiday
event. As such, when in costume, cosplayers will often seek to adopt
the affect, mannerisms and body language
of the characters they portray (with "out of character" breaks). The
characters chosen to be cosplayed may be sourced from any movie, TV
series, book, comic book, video game or music band but the practice of
cosplay is most often associated with replicating anime and manga
characters.
Most cosplayers create their own outfits, referencing images of the
characters in the process. In the creation of the outfits, much time is
given to detail and quality, thus the skill of a cosplayer may be
measured by how difficult the details of the outfit is and how well they
have been replicated. Because of the difficulty of some details and
materials to replicate, cosplayers often educate themselves in crafting
specialties such as textiles, sculpture, face paint, fiberglass, fashion design, woodworking and other such use of materials in the effort to render the look and texture of a costume accurately.
Almost all cosplayers wear wigs in conjunction with their outfit in
order to further improve the resemblance to the character. This is
especially necessary for anime and manga characters who often have
unnaturally coloured and uniquely styled hair. More simple outfits may be compensated for their lack of complexity by
paying attention to material choice, and overall excellent quality. The
process of creation may then be very long and time-consuming, making it a
very personal journey and achievement for many. This taxing, and often
expensive process is known to unite cosplayers and is considered a part
of the culture of cosplay.
Cosplayers obtain their apparel through many different methods.
Manufacturers produce and sell packaged outfits for use in cosplay, in a
variety of qualities. These costumes are often sold online, but also
can be purchased from dealers at conventions. There are also a number of
individuals who work on commission, creating custom costumes, props
or wigs designed and fitted to the individual; some social networking
sites for cosplay have classified ad sections where such services are
advertised.
Other cosplayers, who prefer to create their own costumes, still
provide a market for individual elements, accessories, and various raw
materials, such as unstyled wigs or extensions, hair dye, cloth and
sewing notions, liquid latex, body paint,
shoes, costume jewellery and prop weapons. Some anime and video game
characters have weapons or other accessories that are hard to replicate,
and conventions have strict rules regarding those weapons but,
most cosplayers engage in some combination of methods to obtain all the
items necessary for their costume; for example they may commission a
prop weapon, sew their own clothing, buy character jewelry from a
cosplay accessory manufacturer, and buy a pair of off-the-rack shoes and
modify them to match the desired look.
In order to look more like the character they are portraying many cosplayers also engage in various forms of body modification. Contact lenses
that match the color of their character's eyes are a common form of
this, especially in the case of characters with particularly unique eyes
as part of their trademark look. Contact lenses that make the pupil
look enlarged to visually echo the large eyes of anime and manga
characters are also used.
Another form of body modification cosplayers engage in is to copy any
tattoo or special marking that their character might have. Temporary tattoos, permanent marker,
body paint and in rare cases having a permanent tattoo done are all
methods used by cosplayers to achieve the desired look. Permanent and
temporary hair dye, spray-in hair coloring,
and specialized extreme styling products are all utilized by some
cosplayers whose natural hair can achieve the desired hairstyle.
Purpose
The cosplayer's purpose may generally be sorted into one of three
categories, or a mix. Most cosplayers draw characteristics of all three
categories:
- The first is to express adoration for a character, or in feeling similar to a character in personality, seeking to become that character. This type of cosplayer may be associated with being a fan and is often labeled as an otaku. Other characteristics may be an enthusiastic manner and less attention to detail and quality. Such cosplayers are also most likely to adopt the character's personality and are known to criticise other cosplayers for not having a full knowledge of their character, or not also adopting character mannerisms.
- The second is those people who enjoy the attention that cosplaying a certain character brings. Within the cultures of anime and manga specifically, as well as science fiction and fantasy, there is a certain level of notoriety that is attached to cosplayers. Such cosplayers are usually characterised by attention to detail in their garments and their choice of popular characters. They are also noted by participation in cosplay competitions.
- The third is those who enjoy the creative process, and the sense of personal achievement upon completion. Such people are more likely to have a greater budget dedicated to the project, more complicated and better quality outfits with access to more materials. They are also more likely to engage with professional photographers and cosplay photographers to take high quality images of the cosplayer in their garment posing as the character.
Presentation
Cosplay may be presented in a number of ways and places.Photography
Some cosplayers choose to have a cosplay photographer
take high quality images of them in their costumes posing as the
character. This is most likely to take place in a setting relevant to
the character's origin, such as churches, parks, forests, water features
and abandoned/run-down sites. Such cosplayers are likely to exhibit
their work online, on blogs (such as tumblr), social networking services (such as facebook), or artist websites (such as deviantART).
They may also choose to sell such images or print the images as
postcards and give them as gifts. What's more, some cosplayers choose to
take photos themselves and become cosplay photographers too.
Conventions
The most popular form of presenting a cosplay is by wearing it to a fan convention. Multiple conventions dedicated to anime and manga, comics, TV shows, video games, science fiction and fantasy may be found all around the world. The single largest event featuring cosplay is the semi-annual doujinshi market, Comiket, held in Japan during summer and winter, attracting hundreds of thousands of manga and anime fans, where thousands of cosplayers congregate on the roof of the exhibition center. The largest event for cosplayers outside Asia is the annual San Diego Comic-Con. The biggest event in the UK is the London MCM Expo, while the biggest event in all of Europe takes place in France at Japan Expo in Paris, with an attendance of over 200,000 in 2012. The biggest anime convention in Canada is Anime North, while the biggest convention in United States is Anime Expo.Competitions
As the popularity of cosplay has grown, many conventions have come to
feature a contest surrounding cosplay that may be the main feature of
the convention. Contestants present their cosplay, and often to be
judged for an award, the cosplay must be self-made. The contestants may
choose to perform a skit, which may consist of a short performed script
or dance with optional accompanying audio, video and/or images shown on a
screen overhead. Other contestants may simply choose to pose as their
characters. Often contestants are briefly interviewed on stage by an MC.
The audience is given a chance to take photos of the cosplayers.
Cosplayers may compete solo or in a group. Awards are presented, and
these awards may vary greatly. Generally there will be a best cosplayer
award, and best group award, with runner-up prizes as well. Awards may
also go to the best skit, and a number of cosplay skill subcategories,
such as master sewist, master weapon-maker, master armourer, etc.
The most well-known cosplay competition is the World Cosplay Summit, selecting cosplayers from 20 countries to compete in the final round in Nagoya,
Japan. Some other international events include European Cosplay
Gathering (finals taking place at Japan Expo in Paris, France), Euro
Cosplay (finals taking place at London MCM Expo in London, England), and
Nordic Cosplay Championship (finals taking place at NärCon in Linköping, Sweden).
Miscellaneous events
Groups of cosplayers may choose to hold small gatherings, at any number
of venues, including cafés, parks, nightclubs and amusement parks. They
may join to have an excuse to cosplay, to compare work, share tips or
any other personal reason. Sometimes cosplayers will go out individually
in their costumes in character for fun. Along the way they may
encounter other people that are interested in doing cosplay. In doing so
they meet more people in their community and form groups where they can
meet new people in the world of cosplay and discuss their work and
experiences.
Gender roles
Portraying a character of the opposite sex is "crossplay".
The practicality of crossplay and crossdress stems in part from the
abundance in manga of male characters with delicate and somewhat
androgynous features. Such characters, known as bishōnen (lit. "pretty boy"), are an Asian version of the elfin boy archetype represented in Western tradition by figures such as Peter Pan and Ariel.
The animegao,
or "dollers", represent a niche group in the realm of cosplay. Their
approach makes them a subgroup of what is called in Japan kigurumi, that is mascot-style
role players. Dollers are often male cosplayers representing female
characters. Female dollers are also found who represent male characters,
especially male characters that lend themselves to the treatment, such
as robots, space aliens and animals. Dollers wear bodysuits
and masks that completely hide their real features so that the original
appearance of their characters may be reproduced as literally as
possible. Their costumes display all the abstractions and stylizations
characteristic of the cartoon art, such as the oversized eyes and tiny
mouths so often encountered in manga.
Cosplay in Japan
Cosplayers in Japan used to refer to themselves as reiyā ; pronounced "layer". Currently in Japan, cosplayers are more commonly called kosupure ; pronounced "ko-su-pray," as "reiyā" is more often used to describe layers (i.e.: hair, clothes, etc.). Those who photograph players are called cameko, short for "Camera Kozō" or "Camera Boy". Originally the cameko give prints of their photos to players
as gifts. Increased interest in cosplay events both on the part of
photographers and cosplayers willing to model for them have led to
formalisation of procedures at events such as Comiket. Photography takes
place within a designated area removed from the exhibit hall.
Cosplay at fan events likely originated in Japan in 1978. Since 1998, Tokyo's Akihabara district contains a number of cosplay restaurants, catering to devoted anime and cosplay fans, where the waitresses at such cafés dress as video game or anime characters; maid cafés are particularly popular. In Japan, Tokyo's Harajuku
district is the favourite informal gathering place to engage in cosplay
in public. Events in Akihabara also draw many cosplayers. In Iga, Mie, an annual festival Iga Ueno Ninja Festa draws thousands of people dressed up in ninja costumes.
