Cosplay (コスプレ kosupure), a contraction of the English words "costume" and "play", is a Japanese subculture centered on dressing as characters from manga, anime, and video games, and, less commonly, live action television shows, movies, or Japanese pop music bands.

Cosplay venues

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 to engage in cosplay. Since 1998, Tokyo's Akihabara district has contained a large number of cosplay cafes, catering to otaku – anime and cosplay fans. The waitresses at such cafes dress as game or anime characters; maid costumes are particularly popular.

Teens in Tokyo gather for cosplay.

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 and Lord of the Rings. Characters from the Harry Potter films have a particularly high number of female fans in Japan.

Another growing trend at cosplay's largest event, the Tokyo Game Show, was "crossplay" (cross-dressing cosplay). One small niche group in this field are dollers, a subset of kigurumi cosplayers. They wear bodysuits and masks to fully transform into their characters.

Anime-face style kigurumi.

International cosplay

All aspects of cosplay have spread across the world, joining with costuming at science fiction conventions in North America and Europe. It is also a common sight at anime conventions. Cosplayers at anime conventions in North America often find themselves on the receiving ends of glomps, a type of high-powered hug.

Cosplay in the United States and Europe contains a couple of unique elements. Cosplay as Star Trek or Renaissance-era characters, especially at science fiction conventions, are more popular than they are in Japan. Secondly, the age of cosplayers in Japan tends to start lower and range wider, with a great number of teen cosplayers dressing up as characters from currently popular weekly comics aimed at their age group, and older cosplayers often portraying "classic" characters.

Trivia

High-profile cosplayers

• Taiwanese politician Lee Teng-hui dressed up as the fictional character Edajima Heihachi of the anime series Sakigake!! Otokojuku. See [1].

See also

• Gothic Lolita

External links

Articles on cosplay

• Article on cosplay from the Associated Press
• "Costume-clad cuties get geeks coughing up for coffee", an article from the Shūkan Post (Weekly Post)

Cosplayer websites

• The official website of Italian female cosplayer Francesca Dani
• The website of Italian male cosplayer Touma

Cosplay community sites

• Cosplay.com, a large Internet cosplay community
• Cosplay UK, a community for cosplayers in the United Kingdom
• Saumaheim, a community for cosplayers in Sweden