What Is Cosplay / Kosupure

[bishoujo 0]

Caution: Image-Heavy! Please be patient for the pictures to load!

 

What is Cosplay?

 

Cosplay is the fusion of English words 'Costume' and 'Roleplay' and literally has the same meanings. The people who engage in Cosplay are known as Cosplayers. Kospure is the romaji of Cosplay, the way the Japanese pronounce it.

 

Cosplaying is a subculture originated from Japan, which involves cosplayers dressing up as characters from manga, anime, computer games, and even characters from books, movies and Visual-Kei rock bands in Japan. This hobby has expanded to other parts of Asia and even Europe and America.

 

Examples:

 

Cosplay of Sailor Jupiter from the anime/manga Sailormoon

Cosplay of GoGo Yubari from the movie Kill Bill

Cosplay of Alice from the book Alice in Wonderland

Getting the look

 

To dress up as their chosen characters, cosplayers must of course have the relevant costumes, make-up and props. The greatest aesthetic value of Cosplay is that cosplayers sew their own costumes, make their own props and wigs, and do their own make-up.

 

Make-up is not just about looking good, but is more often used for enhancing cosplaying accuracy:

 

Notice how pastel white this cosplayer's skin is. She probably used a type of powder to make her skin look pale to reflect the fairness of the character Chii from Chobits. Notice that she is also wearing a wig because Chii's hair is blond-white wheareas her own hair is black.

 

Notice the use of green contact lenses. They help her attain eyes exactly the same as those of the character Al Azif from Demon's Bane.

 

Cosplayers who are less artistically inclined may commission other cosplayers or tailors to make their costumes, or purchase ready-made costumes and props from stores catering to cosplay products. I do not wish to carry out any advertising for these websites, but if you do a google search for cosplay costumes or cosplay commissions, you should find relevant listings.

 

If cosplayers wish to cross-dress (Male cosplayers cosplay female characters and female cosplayers cosplay male characters), they may have to get additional items to such as fake boobs and bandages for binding breasts.

 

 

What do Cosplayers do?

 

Anime/Cosplay Conventions

 

In some countries where cosplaying is recognized as a significant hobby, conventions are hosted, where cosplayers gather so that these like-minded people may meet and interact. There may be competitions at these conventions to select the best costumes, and even skits where cosplayers act out scenes involving the characters they are cosplaying. Photographers attend these conventions to photograph these fascinating people.

 

Cosplayers on stage for a skit

Photography

 

Private photography sessions are sometimes arranged where cosplayers are photographed with a backdrop or theme relevant to the character they are cosplaying. This is usually done to retain memories of the cosplay. However, in Japan, top cosplayers create compilations of their cosplays and sell them. These photo compilations may tend to be slightly sexually provocative to boost sales.

 

Cover of cosplay compilation for sale

 

Cosplay of Princess Tomoyo for a Private Photoshoot. The photographer/cosplayer chose a royal and oriental setting for the backdrop.

 

Controversy

 

Cosplay Pornography

 

Just like how the school girl and maid costumes appeal sexually to some cosplay has its place in pornography too. This is most noticeable in Japan, where some Japanese pornography (AV) actresses don costumes in their movies and photoshoots. Some AV movie productions even create spin-offs of popular anime. However, sex and cosplay pornography should not be associated with the hobby itself.

 

Pornographic Parody of the Anime/manga The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya featuring AV actress Kousaka Yuri

 

Original Characters / Lolita Subculture

 

There have been debates about whether Lolita fashion and original costume designs can be classified under cosplay, since it is also about costumes and dressing up. This may be because this does not really require acting and bringing out the personality of specific characters. However, one might argue that dressing up as an elegant lolita would require one to behave like a maiden from the victorian era, and dressing up as a fairy would require one to behave like a fairy too. Hence, it is difficult to reach a conclusion.

 

Snow Fairy costume

 

Lolita oufits

Emphasis on Cosplayer's Appearance

 

Since most characters are beautiful and thin, some people feel that good cosplaying can only be achieved by svelte and beautiful/handsome cosplayers. No doubt everybody likes a good-looking cosplayer, and a good-looking person will look more like a good-looking character. However, cosplaying really centers around the process of transformation - creating the costume, putting it together, sourcing for resources, studying and understanding the character... Cosplaying is not a fashion show. To hold such a superficial view is as good as identifying with cosplay pornography.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Cosplaying is a wholesome art. It is not simply about dressing up. It involves research on the characteristics, costumes and era of the character cosplayed, aesthetic abilities to replicate the character's appearance, and the capability to adopt the character's speech, pose and actions to reflect the character's persona. In my opinion, good cosplaying is comparable to theatre art!

 

 

Disclaimer: The above are based on my personal knowledge and experiences with cosplaying. It may or may not apply to the entire cosplay community in the world. If you have any comments or information to contribute, please do!

Edited September 15, 2007 by bishoujo (see edit history)

[abminara 0]

Haha. Thanks. I was just discussing this with my friend as to how they come up with these weird dresses in magna movies. Well, I was wrong anyways:) Thanks for an interesting text.

[bishoujo 0]

Haha. Thanks. I was just discussing this with my friend as to how they come up with these weird dresses in magna movies. Well, I was wrong anyways:) Thanks for an interesting text.

Yea a lot of people have misconceptions about anime, manga and cosplay. That's why I made this post. I don't know what you mean by magna movies. I guess you meant manga movies, which means anime to a lot of people. Most anime or anime movies are derived from manga. That means the storyline is taken from the manga but put on screen with animation, voice and color. Though you have exceptions like Full Metal Alchemist that didn't have a manga version. So these 'weird dresses' are actually designed by the artists who drew the manga.

[jopak134 0]

i think it's more of an obsession than an hobby or an art. but whatever works. :(even i have some costumes of some anime but i don't wear them just display them. sounds like obsession to me

[Kagome Higurashi 0]

Cosplaying is really cool. All My friends and I dressed up as the characters from Inuyasha and we went to a cosplay convention once and a lot of people said we looked really like the characters! Now that I think about it I haven't worn a lot of my cosplay Costumes in a long time. I have like a million costumes. Thanks for reminding me that I still have them! Bye!

[t0od0pe4u 0]

This looks like Comic-Con Year round for females.But i'm not complaining...

[HyBriD54 0]

Cosplay would just have to be one of the major parts of the anime and manga world. Some cosplays look fantastic while some?just fall apart slightly. The way the materials are gathered and then also created is just amazing?reflecting on the maker?s skill and imagination. For example, the cosplay of Princess Tomoyo is simply amazing. The makeup is applied sparingly, as so the model does not as superficial as one would assume. The headdress?s details are just fabulous, with the intricate tassels dripping off, intertwining with the hair.Some of the most overrated cosplays I have seen would have to be the ones from Naruto and Bleach, possible the two most well known animes in the world. Though most outfits are excellent, some are just rather drab and fail as proper costumes, no offence to anyone out there. One of the best cosplays I have seen would have to be Asuka?s Geisha Costume from Tekken 5, with intricate details on the kimono and wonderfully done up hair. It was just simply amazing.

[innosia 1]

Cosplay would just have to be one of the major parts of the anime and manga world. Some cosplays look fantastic while somejust fall apart slightly. The way the materials are gathered and then also created is just amazingreflecting on the makers skill and imagination. For example, the cosplay of Princess Tomoyo is simply amazing. The makeup is applied sparingly, as so the model does not as superficial as one would assume. The headdresss details are just fabulous, with the intricate tassels dripping off, intertwining with the hair.
Some of the most overrated cosplays I have seen would have to be the ones from Naruto and Bleach, possible the two most well known animes in the world. Though most outfits are excellent, some are just rather drab and fail as proper costumes, no offence to anyone out there. One of the best cosplays I have seen would have to be Asukas Geisha Costume from Tekken 5, with intricate details on the kimono and wonderfully done up hair. It was just simply amazing.

Cosplay will be realistic if the person playing the character has same face with the character, right
cosplay is a place for anime otaku, hehehe

[Bluebear 0]

I actually know this! (I am so cool! )I get this Japanese feeling. They probably do it elsewhere too, but that is what I think of when I think of Cosplay. I think it is very cool. Different - though I am sure that I would stare if I saw one here. Never seen one... how sad.I am not a fan of those huge green/blue heels in the first (?) picture. Do they all have bangs or is that just something in my imagination? I love bangs, so that is just great.

[Deretto 0]

This looks like a lot of fun. I wish I had the resources and the know-how to make my own costumes. I have so many ideas. They're not just general characters from shows either!

[Amanda11 0]

It's dressing up as a character. It doesn't matter if it's anime, comics, or whatever. And it DID NOT originate in Japan as a previous poster stated; it originated in USA at the 1st World Science Fiction Convention in 1939. Japan just made it more popular.

[kira423 1]

I love cosplay, I have several outfits from various shows, manga, and games. I think it's nice to be "someone else" for a day. I have been to at least 1 comicon every year since 2004. Gettin ready for one in the near future actually It is fun, and definitely a great hobby of mine. I love making costumes, and showing them off

[rob86 2]

Cosplay, hmm. Living in the middle of nowhere, I don't really know much about these strange conventions and hobbies! Uh, do guys do it? It doesn't look like it. So who are you going to be in the near future kira423?

[kira423 1]

Well that I'm not quite sure about, I am working on 2 costumes atm, so I will either be LuLu from FFX or Chii from Chobits.. haven't decided

[amalfitravels 0]

Is dressing up during halloween considered cos-play or is it limited to only when you copy japan made characters? Any way this hobby takes a lot of time to get into imagine making a whole costume from scratch if your a girl maybe its a bit easy just pimp up some school uniform and more or less your ready to go. imagine if your a guy and want to go cos-playing as optumus prime.