What is cosplay?

Cosplay is short for "costume play", which is where participants select a character from a video game, anime, manga, movie or television series and dress as the character. The costumes are highly detailed and there is an emphasis on the costume as being "canon", which refers to being as accurate as possible according to the source material.

Usually the character chosen by the cosplayer is someone who the cosplayer feels a special connection with. The cosplayer is always firstly and fore-mostly, a fan of the work they are representing.

In order to do cosplay, the cosplayer must learn many skills. Firstly, is being able to research costume and character. This is a big component in order to get the costume as accurate as possible. Many cosplayers learn how to sew, whether by hand or using sewing machines. Some cosplayers specialise in creating props, usually weapons, jewellry making and armour. There are online communities dedicated to props/armour/sewing tutorials and cosplayers in general have a very active presence online. The emphasis is to look as accurate as possible, so makeup skills are essential. Some cosplayers purchase contact lenses (some of which are custom designed) and wigs are an essential part of cosplay.

Cosplayers generally cosplay for photo shoots and at conventions. In New Zealand, cosplayers cosplay mostly for the Armageddon conventions but there is also the Overload convention and the Cosplay Ball.
In Japan, cosplayers flock to Harujuku on Sundays. These are not just the cosplayers who cosplay as characters from anime/manga, but also the Lolita cosplayers. Lolita fashion contains several branches - ouji (boys "prince" style - which is very androgynous and can be done by both men and women), sweet lolita (which is where the girls wear pastel shades and lots of frills) and elegant gothic lolita/aristocrat (which is Victorian style in dark shades, usually black).

Elegant Gothic Lolita (left), Ouji style (right)

Sweet Lolita

Cosplay in Japan began in around 1978. The Japanese cosplayers referred to themselves as "reiya", which translates to mean "layer", as this refers to the many different "layers" involved in the cosplay (hair, makeup, costume, etc). As of 1998, there are many cosplay cafes, particularly in Harujuku and Ahihabara, where waitresses dress up as anime characters or as maids.

However, cosplay didn't actually begin in Japan. It began in science fiction conventions in America from as early as 1939. American cosplayers started out cosplaying for television series such as Star Trek. But then the phenomenon moved to Japan, where it has been reinvented as almost a way of life. Cosplay has been changing in America as well, with the arrival of steampunk in particular, as steampunk and the lolita fashions in Japan are closely linked, becoming more of a lifestyle rather then just dressing up for conventions.

There are some cosplayers who cosplay professionally, which means that they spend their time building costumes, going to conventions and competing in competitions (which usually have a cash prize). To enter competitions though, at least 75% of the costume must be handmade by the cosplayer. The other 25% usually goes towards things that would be difficult to hand make, such as wigs or shoes. There are some cosplayers who are "purists" who like to make their own wigs and shoes as well. The competitions are usually held at the major conventions. In New Zealand, the competitions are held at Armageddon (which is a Trans-Tasman event) and one has just been started at Overload. Most cosplayers in New Zealand however, do not enter into the competitions because it is a very expensive and time consuming pastime.