Heroes of Cosplay is a docu-series that lifts the veil on the world of cosplay and the passionate fans - from legends to newbies - who put their imagination and skills to the test to make a name for themselves in this colorful and competitive world. Cosplayers and cosplay contests highlight the many conventions around the world and provide an international stage for fans to showcase spectacular handcrafted costumes from sci-fi movies, video games, anime and more. These passionate fans put their imagination and skills to the test to make a name for themselves in the competitive world of cosplay.
Cosplay of the character 'Dark Magician Girl' Cosplay ( コスプレ, kosupure), a of the words costume play, is a hobby in which participants called cosplayers wear and to represent a specific. Cosplayers often interact to create a, and a broader use of the term 'cosplay' applies to any costumed in venues apart from the stage. Any entity that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject and it is not unusual to see.
Favorite sources include, live-action films, television series and. The rapid growth in the number of people cosplaying as a hobby since 1990s has made the phenomenon a significant aspect of in Japan and some other parts of Asia and in the Western world. Cosplay events are common features of and there are also dedicated conventions and local and international competitions, as well as, websites and other forms of media centered on cosplay activities. The term 'cosplay' was coined in Japan in 1984. It was inspired by and grew out of the practice then-known as fan costuming at, beginning with the in in 1939. Cosplayers at the 2014 Street Festa in The term 'cosplay' is a Japanese of the English terms and play. The term was coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi of Studio Hard while attending the in Los Angeles.
He was impressed by the hall and the costumed fans and reported on both in Japanese magazine My Anime. Takahashi chose to coin a new word rather than use the existing translation of the English term 'masquerade' because that translates into Japanese as 'an aristocratic costume', which did not match his experience of the WorldCon. The coinage reflects a common in which the first two of a pair of words are used to form an independent compound: 'costume' becomes kosu (コス) and 'play' becomes pure (プレ).
Main articles:, and Masquerade balls were a feature of the season in the 15th century, and involved increasingly elaborate allegorical, pageants, and triumphal processions celebrating marriages and other dynastic events of late medieval court life. They were extended into costumed public festivities in during the 16th century, generally elaborate dances held for members of the upper classes, which were particularly popular in. Costume parties (American English) or fancy dress parties (British English) were popular from the 19th century onwards.
Costuming guides of the period, such as Samuel Miller's Male Character Costumes (1884) or Ardern Holt's (1887), feature mostly generic costumes, whether that be period costumes, national costumes, objects or abstract concepts such as 'Autumn' or 'Night'. Most specific costumes described therein are for historical figures although some are sourced from fiction, like or characters. Fan costuming.
Skygack – an early modern costuming or cosplay outfit, Washington state, 1912 One of the earliest recorded examples of costuming based on an existing character from popular media (as opposed to legend or history) were costumes based on 's science fiction comic character. In 1908, a Mr. William Fell attended a masquerade at a skating rink in wearing Mr. Skygack and Miss Dillpickles costumes.
Shortly after, in 1910, an unnamed woman won first prize at masquerade ball in wearing another Skygack costume. The first people to wear costumes to attend a convention were science fiction fans and. They attended the 1939 (Nycon or 1st ) in the Caravan Hall, New York, USA dressed in 'futuristicostumes', including green cape and breeches, based on the artwork of and the 1936 film, designed and created by Douglas. Ackerman later stated that he thought everyone was supposed to wear a costume at a science fiction convention, although only he and Douglas did.
Fan costuming caught on, however, and the, in 1940, had both an unofficial masquerade held in Douglas' room and an official masquerade as part of the programme. Won the masquerade wearing a costume created by, while received second place with a Bar Senestro costume (from the novel by and ).
Other costumed attendees included guest of honor as (from 's series of short stories) and both Ackerman and Douglas wearing their futuristicostumes again. Masquerades and costume balls continued to be part of tradition thereafter. Early Worldcon masquerade balls featured a band, dancing, food and drinks.
Contestants either walked across a stage or a cleared area of the dance floor. Ackerman wore a 'Hunchbackerman of Notre Dame' costume to the in 1941, which included a mask designed and created by, but soon stopped wearing costumes to conventions. Douglas wore an Akka costume (from 's novel ), the mask again made by Harryhausen, to the 3rd Worldcon and a Snake Mother costume (another Merritt costume, from ) to the in 1946. Cosplay at 2012 in France Cosplayers obtain their apparel through many different methods. Manufacturers produce and sell packaged outfits for use in cosplay, with varying levels of quality. These costumes are often sold online, but also can be purchased from dealers at conventions. Japanese manufacturers of cosplay costumes reported a profit of 35 billion yen in 2008.
A number of individuals also work on commission, creating custom costumes, or wigs designed and fitted to the individual. Other cosplayers, who prefer to create their own costumes, still provide a market for individual elements, and various raw materials, such as unstyled wigs, hair dye, cloth and sewing notions, costume jewelry, and prop weapons. Cosplay represents an act of. Cosplay has been closely linked to the, yet cosplayers' ability to perform is limited by their physical features. The accuracy of a cosplay is judged based on the ability to accurately represent a character through the body, and individual cosplayers frequently are faced by their own 'bodily limits' such as level of attractiveness, body size, and disability that often restrict and confine how accurate the cosplay is perceived.
Authenticity is measured by a cosplayer's individual ability to translate on-screen manifestation to the cosplay itself. Some have argued that cosplay can never be a true representation of the character; instead, it can only be read through the body, and that true embodiment of a character is judged based on nearness to the original character form. Cosplaying can also help some of those with self-esteem problems. Jeff 'Xailas' Siegert cosplaying as at 2013 Many 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 qualities, thus the skill of a cosplayer may be measured by how difficult the details of the outfit are and how well they have been replicated.
Because of the difficulty of replicating some details and materials, cosplayers often educate themselves in crafting specialties such as, and other uses of materials in the effort to render the look and texture of a costume accurately. Cosplayers often wear wigs in conjunction with their outfit to further improve the resemblance to the character. This is especially necessary for anime and manga or video-game characters who often have unnaturally coloured and uniquely styled hair. Simpler outfits may be compensated for their lack of complexity by paying attention to material choice and overall high quality. To look more like the characters they are portraying, cosplayers might also engage in various forms of. Cosplayers may opt to change their skin color utilizing bleach or make-up to more simulate the race of the character they are adopting.
That match the color of their characters' 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 in which cosplayers engage is to copy any tattoos or special markings their character might have., body paint, and in rare cases, permanent tattoos, are all methods used by cosplayers to achieve the desired look. Permanent and temporary, spray-in, and specialized extreme styling products are all used by some cosplayers whose natural hair can achieve the desired hairstyle. It is also commonplace for them to shave off their eyebrows to gain a more accurate look. Cosplay from the 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 costumes; for example, they may commission a prop weapon, sew their own clothing, buy character jewelry from a cosplay accessory manufacturer, or buy a pair of off-the-rack shoes, and modify them to match the desired look. Presentation Cosplay may be presented in a number of ways and places.
A subset of cosplay culture is centered on, with cosplayers specifically choosing characters known for their attractiveness or revealing costumes. However, wearing a revealing costume can be a sensitive issue while appearing in public. People appearing naked at American conventions during the 1970s were so common, a 'no costume is no costume' rule was introduced. Some conventions throughout the United States, such as and, have also issued rules upon which they reserve the right to ask attendees to leave or change their costumes if deemed to be inappropriate to a family-friendly environment or something of a similar nature. Conventions. A crowd including many cosplayers at 84 in 2013 The most popular form of presenting a cosplay publicly is by wearing it to a.
Multiple conventions dedicated to anime and manga, comics, TV shows, video games, science fiction, and fantasy may be found all around the world. Cosplay-centered conventions include in the Philippines and in Singapore. The single largest event featuring cosplay is the semiannual market, Comic Market , held in Japan during summer and winter. Comiket attracts hundreds of thousands of manga and anime fans, where thousands of cosplayers congregate on the roof of the exhibition center. In North America, the highest-attended featuring cosplayers are the and held in the United States, and the in Toronto, held in Baltimore MD and held in Los Angeles. Europe's largest event is held in Paris, while the and the are the most notable in the UK. Is Australia's biggest event.
Photography. Professional photographers working with cosplayer for a studio photoshoot at Space City Con 2014 in the United States The appearance of cosplayers at public events makes them a popular draw for photographers.
As this became apparent in the late 1980s, a new variant of cosplay developed in which cosplayers attended events mainly for the purpose of their characters for still photography rather than engaging in continuous role play. Rules of etiquette were developed to minimize awkward situations involving boundaries. Cosplayers pose for photographers and photographers do not press them for personal contact information or private sessions, follow them out of the area, or take photos without permission. The rules allow the collaborative relationship between photographers and cosplayers to continue with the least inconvenience to each other.
Some cosplayers choose to have a professional photographer take high quality images of them in their costumes posing as the character. Cosplayers and photographers frequently exhibit their work online and sometimes sell their images.
Competitions. A female group crossplaying as at 2012 Portraying a character of the opposite sex is called. The practicality of crossplay and cross-dress stems in part from the abundance in manga of male characters with delicate and somewhat androgynous features. Such characters, known as (lit. 'pretty boy'), are Asian equivalent of the elfin boy archetype represented in Western tradition by figures such as and. Male to female cosplayers may experience issues when trying to portray a female character because it is hard to maintain the sexualized femininity of a character. Often interpretations can be misconstrued as parody, or men can be asked to change their outfits because of their scantily-clad nature.
Male cosplayers may also be subjected to discrimination, including homophobic comments and being touched without permission, possibly even more often than female ones when it is already a problem for women cosplayers, as is '. Players, a niche group in the realm of cosplay, are often male cosplayers who use and stylized masks to represent female characters. These cosplayers completely hide their real features so the original appearance of their characters may be reproduced as literally as possible, and to display all the abstractions and stylizations such as oversized eyes and tiny mouths often seen in Japanese cartoon art. This does not mean that only males perform animegao or that masks are only female.
Cosplay models. Cosplay in 2015, Cosplay has influenced the advertising industry, in which cosplayers are often used for event work previously assigned to agency models. Some cosplayers have thus transformed their hobby into profitable, professional careers. Japan's entertainment industry has been home to the professional cosplayers since the rise of Comiket and. The phenomenon is most apparent in Japan but exists to some degree in other countries as well. Professional cosplayers who profit from their art may experience problems related to. A cosplay model, also known as a cosplay idol, cosplays costumes for anime and manga or video game companies.
Good cosplayers are viewed as fictional characters in the flesh, in much the same way that film actors come to be identified in the public mind with specific roles. Cosplayers have modeled for print magazines like Cosmode and a successful cosplay model can become the for companies like.
Some cosplay models can achieve significant recognition., for example, was described as having emerged 'as a well-recognized figure both within and outside cosplay circuits'. Cosplay by country or region Cosplay in Japan. Bombshell Cosplay Western cosplay's origins are based primarily in science fiction and fantasy.
It is also more common for Western cosplayers to recreate characters from live-action series than it is for Japanese cosplayers. Western costumers also include subcultures of hobbyists who participate in, and. Competition at science fiction conventions typically include the masquerade (where costumes are presented on stage and judged formally) and hall costumes (where roving judges may give out awards for outstanding workmanship or presentation).
The increasing popularity of Japanese animation outside of Asia during the late 2000s led to an increase in American and other Western cosplayers who portray manga and anime characters. Anime conventions have become more numerous in the West in the previous decade, now competing with science fiction, comic book and historical conferences in attendance.
At these gatherings, cosplayers, like their Japanese counterparts, meet to show off their work, be photographed, and compete in costume contests. Convention attendees also just as often dress up as Western comic book or animated characters, or as characters from movies and video games. Differences in taste still exist across cultures: some costumes that are worn without hesitation by Japanese cosplayers tend to be avoided by Western cosplayers, such as outfits that. Some Western cosplayers have also encountered questions of legitimacy when playing characters of canonically different racial backgrounds, and people can be insensitive to cosplayers playing as characters who are canonically of other skin color. Western cosplayers of anime characters may also be subjected to particular mockery.
In contrast to Japan, the wearing of costumes in public is more accepted in the United States and other western countries. These countries have a longer tradition of Halloween costumes, fan costuming and other such activities. As a result, for example, costumed convention attendees can often be seen at local restaurants and eateries, beyond the boundaries of the convention or event. Media Part of a series on. Magazines and books Japan is home to two especially popular cosplay magazines, (コスモード) and ' Dengeki Layers (電撃Layers). Cosmode has the largest share in the market and an English-language digital edition. Another magazine, aimed at a broader, worldwide audience is CosplayGen.
In the United States, Cosplay Culture began publication in February 2015. Other magazines include CosplayZine featuring cosplayers from all over the world since October 2015. There are many books on the subject of cosplay as well. Documentaries and reality shows. Cosplay Encyclopedia, a 1996 film about Japanese cosplay released by Japan Media Supply. It was released in subtitled VHS by Anime Works in 1999, eventually being released onto DVD in 2002., a 2004 film about otaku subculture, features extensive footage of cosplayers.
Akihabara Geeks, a 2005 Japanese short film. Animania: The Documentary is a 2007 film that explores the cosplay cultural phenomenon in North America, following four cosplayers from various ethnicities as they prepare to compete at, Canada's largest anime convention. Conventional Dress is a short documentary about cosplay at made by Celia Pearce and her students in 2008. Cosplayers: The Movie, released in 2009 by Martell Brothers Studios for free viewing on and, explores the anime subculture in North America with footage from anime conventions and interviews with fans, voice actors and artists. 'I'm a Fanboy', a 2009 episode of the series, focusing on fandom and cosplay., a 2011 series that featured an episode on cosplay and cosplayers from the perspective of an insider., a 2011 film about four attendees of the San Diego Comic-Con, including a cosplayer. America's Greatest Otaku, a 2011 TV series where contenders included cosplayers. Cosplayers UK: The Movie, a 2011 film following a small selection of cosplayers at the London MCM Expo.
My Other Me: A Film About Cosplayers, chronicling a year in the life of three different cosplayers: a veteran cosplayer who launched a career from cosplay, a young 14-year-old first-timer, and a transgender man who found himself through cosplay. It was released in 2013 and was a featured segment on., a on cosplay that premiered in 2013 on the network.
It follows nine cosplayers as they create their costumes, travel to conventions and compete in contests. '24 Hours With A Comic Con Character', a segment from following around a known cosplayer while she prepared for and attended. WTF is Cosplay?, a reality show that premiered in 2015 on the network.
It follows six cosplayers throughout their day-to-day lives and what cosplay means to them., a competition on cosplay that premiered in 2017 on the network., a 90 minutes documentary that follows cosplayers during preparation and conventions in Canada, Japan and Romania. Includes a visit of Akihabara (Japan), a geek Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans and a historic overview explaining the origin of cosplay. Other media., a 2002 anime miniseries., a Japanese TV variety show that includes the Cosplay Bus Tour series segment., a 2004 freeware fighting game. A large number of erotic and pornographic films featuring cosplaying actresses; many of such films come from the Japanese company. Notable cosplayers.
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