Pop Japan

What is cosplay?

Cosplay is a play of words derived from its original word costume play. It is an act of portraying a character where the person is dressed in a costume similar to his chosen character. A person doing cosplay is called cosplayer. It started in Japan since 1990 and became increasingly popular among the Western and other Asian countries. Cosplay played a significant role as a part of the popular culture in Japan. 

Who can cosplay?

Contrary to popular belief that cosplay is just for the geek, it is not. A little cute girl can show up wearing a Hello Kitty costume and even a guy in his twenties can rock a Superman costume. Basically, cosplay is for everyone! 

Why do people cosplay?

If you try to ask why do cosplayers do cosplay, they will surely give you countless answers as to why they’re doing it. But here are the main reasons behind their costume passion:

1. To bring their favorite characters into life. Nothing beats the feeling of walking around as if you’re the real Detective Conan or Cardcaptor Sakura. 

2. A lot of cosplayers have confessed that this is where they met their true friends, who share the same passion for cosplay. 

3. For self-confidence. Cosplay is a good way for you to develop yourself and to learn new skills and thus help you gain confidence not only in your outward appearance but to your own self as well. 

4.The process. Most of these cosplayers do their own costumes. Sleepless nights, nerve-racking brainstorm session for the design, buying and gathering materials and the making of costume are indeed tedious work but that’s what makes it more fascinating especially when you finally see the fruit of your hard work.

How do I start cosplay?

Photo by © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Starting to cosplay can get overwhelming at first. You’ll find that it’s actually harder than you think but don’t panic and take into matters one step at a time. 

First, think of a character that you really like to portray. Like Elsa from Frozen or her sister Anna. Think, think, think, until you come up with that one character that you would like to cosplay.

Second is to do your research about this character. What is her costume, how is it made and where can you buy these pieces.

Third, list down the costume pieces you think you can do your own and the pieces you need to buy. Hand made costumes are cheaper but will take more effort and time to make. 

Fourth, when your materials are ready, it’s time to start to the nitty-gritty details of your costume! 

Where can I cosplay?

Cosplayers usually gather in a convention. If you’re not yet familiar with this, a convention is an event gathering where people share common interests for cosplayers, manga and anime. 

For the first timers, check out websites who host anime conventions. Consider the date and location of the convention and prepare for the entrance fee. Make sure that your costume is already prepared prior to the date of the convention. You won’t want to rush your costumes the day before the event.   

Cosplay is a good artform to channel your inner geek, so why don’t you give it a try and see how it works for you. 

Photo by Omarukai. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)