I Like to Do Cosplay and Art in Japanese
(Note: This postal service is adapted from a enquiry paper I wrote for the Japanese Popular Culture grade I took while studying in Tokyo with the Institute for the International Teaching of Students. I constitute out a lot of interesting things most the civilization of cosplay in Nihon, and wanted to reshape it to fit the more casual format of this web log. I did some of my own field work for this project, but my supplemental sources volition exist listed at the finish of the article for those who would like to acquire more than. Hope yous bask.)
Ane aspect of studying in Japan that excited me more than than anything was the chance to cosplay at a Japanese convention. As is often the case with young fans of sci-fi and fantasy media, my commencement introduction to cosplay occurred at a comic convention, where fans of all ages assemble by the thousands to meet famous celebrities, play tabletop RPGs, buy both official and fan-made merchandise, and most importantly, cosplay their favorite characters. Hoping to encounter what I could discover well-nigh the cosplay scene in Nihon, Sunday, November. 24, I decided to pay a visit to Tokyo Comic Con 2019.
Determining exactly where cosplay finds its roots can be difficult. Although a lot of folks argue that cosplay originated with American Star Trek fans in the 1960s and 1970s (Lamerichs 167) (as did the concept of slash fiction, and mayhap fifty-fifty the flip phone), others maintain that it had come to be in both the United States and Japan at around the same time (Hoff 149). In fact, while the word "cosplayer" was coined by Japanese game designer Takahashi Nobuyuki, he start used it to draw the costumed fans he witnessed on a trip to America (Lamerichs 167). With the exception of models, idols, and singers, most Japanese cosplayers consider themselves to be "otaku" of some kind (155). This is a term for a person with an interest bordering on obsession, and it is not sectional to anime and manga. It could be videogames, or erstwhile science fiction or bird watching; 1 can be an "otaku" nearly almost anything, which gives cosplayers a vast variety of possible interests from which to draw their inspiration.
The Tokyo Comic Con website provides a cursory history of the convention, which started its life as an American idea: Comic Con began in 1970 with the Golden Country Comic Book Convention (afterwards renamed San Diego Comic Con), founded by Shel Dorf, and Silicon Valley Comic Con, organized past influential comic creator Stan Lee and Steve Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple tree (Tokyo Comic Con, "What's Comic Con?" 1). Decades later, with the help of Stan Lee and actors Daniel Logan and Ryoma Takeuchi, Wozniak brought their convention to Nihon, and in 2016, the very showtime Tokyo Comic Con was held (3). Today, Tokyo Comic Con describes itself every bit "a festival celebrating Japanese and American pop culture, while keeping its genetic 'American' style foundation" (4). In other words, it'south a convention in the American tradition, but Japanese fans take made it their own, promising that anybody who attends tin accept a unique and enjoyable experience. This cultural adaptation was axiomatic to me when I came upon the gigantic ikebana monument to Stan Lee in the center of the venue; despite the convention'southward American origins, my feel at Tokyo Comic Con would nevertheless feel distinctly Japanese.
When it comes to cosplayers at Tokyo Comic Con, no group is more historic however more restricted. Cosplayers can participate in a lively cosplay parade, various cosplay contests, and if their costume meets Tokyo Comic Con'south quality requirements, even stand up on the stage together with a visiting celebrity to create content for their social media pages. Simply there are also areas of the convention which exercise non suit these costumed guests also. For case, there are a multifariousness of photo spots all around the convention, but none of them are generic enough to be well-suited to cosplay photoshoots — you can't effectively have a "Mad Max" themed photoshoot, for example, if you're standing next to Pennywise or sitting on a perfect copy of the couch from "Friends." In my experience, cosplayers are more probable to opt for bones not-franchise-affiliated backgrounds, unless they are lucky plenty to find i that matches their character. If annihilation, the photo spots seem designed for guests who are non cosplaying.
What poses an even greater obstacle to cosplayers is the simple fact that no one is allowed to vesture a cosplay outside of the venue; cosplaying guests are required to arrive and leave in their normal street wearing apparel and must pay a cosplay registration fee of 1,000 yen in lodge to use the dressing room and cloakroom. The cosplays themselves are besides subject to a significant number of regulations, to ensure that no one at the convention is exposing themselves indecently, or dressed up as a historical military figure, or any military, police, firefighter, etc. personnel authorized to requite orders. At an American convention of comparable size (such as Megacon in Orlando, Florida), prop regulation takes an obvious precedence over cosplay rules (of where in that location are none directly listed on their website), since the nigh dominant fear of management and guests is the possibility of someone bringing a dangerous item or a real weapon into an area packed with people. Although Tokyo Comic Con has its own list of restricted props, my prop check feel was much more relaxed; prop cheque allowed me to enter the convention wielding a full sized heavy metallic shovel, without even stopping to tag it.
After I had explored the venue a bit, I decided to talk to some Japanese cosplayers for myself, to run into what their impressions of the hobby were. I found v people in diverse locations on the con floor, and generally decided on my subjects based on their choice of cosplay. When I found someone cosplaying a grapheme that I liked, I asked them, "Nihon no kosupure nitsuite omoshiroi no koto wo hitotsu oshiete kudasai," or "Please tell me something interesting about cosplay in Nippon." Information technology might have been unfair to ask something and so difficult — without doing the enquiry I have done, I dubiety I could have told anyone much about what characterizes cosplay in America — but still, I received a diversity of answers, which I have washed my best to translate accurately into English language.
"The difference between serious and gag is intense."
A woman cosplaying Marvel'due south Quicksilver told me, "The divergence betwixt serious and gag is intense," using the Japanese words "honki" and "gyagu" to describe what she perceived as the two hemispheres of cosplay. I had to concord with her; the bulk of the cosplays I saw at the convention were quite serious interpretations of characters, simply there were also plenty of outfits on the other side of the coin, likewise, such equally a suit-clad human being with a gigantic Monster Energy can on his caput, or an astoundingly in-grapheme camcorder-caput homo from the anti-piracy ads shown before movies here in Nihon. But although I found these cosplays very entertaining, information technology is normally quite rare to see characters from outside of the con's genre in Japan (Hoff 160). This being an American-style convention, nearly every cosplayer I encountered had causeless the identity of a graphic symbol from American popular civilization. This yr, the main cosplay categories were Marvel, DC, Star Wars and Harry Potter. Most of the few people I saw wearing anime-related cosplays (myself included) were foreigners. Serious cosplayers in Nihon too like to stay on the cut edge by dressing as characters from newly released shows and films, their styles irresolute as apace every bit regular mode trends, whereas American preferences in cosplay tend to exist more nostalgic (160). Understandably, the most pop cosplays at Tokyo Comic Con 2022 seemed to be the Joker, Pennywise and Iron Human, all which are from fairly recent film releases. Just as Quicksilver implied, there is a large difference between those who are serious about cosplay and those who dress upwardly for laughs.
"Over the past 10 years, the number of people who cosplay for various reasons, such as taking photos of their works and exchanging them, has increased."
Afterwards in the day, a woman dressed equally C3P0 told me, "Over the past 10 years, the number of people who cosplay for various reasons, such as taking photos of their works and exchanging them, has increased." Cosplay practices in Japan have ever been linked to consumerism, in the forms of cosplay restaurants, cosplay supply shops and the sale of merchandise; cosplayers from around the globe oft make a living by selling prints from their photoshoots. The internet has made it fifty-fifty easier to share these photos, but information technology has likewise led to the adoption of a kind of international conformity of manner, so many people in Japan endeavour difficult to maintain a characteristic sense of Japan in their cosplay endeavors (Hoff 150), to brand themselves singled-out from cosplayers in other countries. At Tokyo Comic Con, guests can witness a variety of characters from American pop culture transformed to fit the Japanese tradition; Captain Marvel in a ruby-red and blue kimono, Batman in the armor of a samurai, Deadpool wielding katanas, fans and occasionally donning a maid costume. In that location were even a scattering of non-cosplayers who chose to habiliment kimono to the convention, not to be left out of the fun of dressing upwards for the issue.
"The ability to express yourself with the ingenuity of makeup and apparel is wonderful."
Afterward discussing her respond with her heavily-armored companion, an Edward Elric cosplayer who seemed to be about my age told me, "The ability to express yourself with the ingenuity of makeup and dress is wonderful." In Japan peculiarly, I constitute the general makeup skill levels of cosplayers to be particularly high. False eyelashes, colored contacts and makeup for both men and women are all standard procedure in the cosplay globe (Hoff 161), and Japanese cosplayers take great pride in looking as physically similar to their chosen grapheme as possible. At Tokyo Comic Con, for instance, I saw an Fe Man cosplayer whose makeup rendered her about identical to Robert Downey Jr., a (female person) Joker cosplayer who I completely mistook for Joaquin Phoenix in photos, and even a Voldemort cosplayer wearing terrifyingly realistic-looking facial prosthetics. This is i of the most noticeable physical differences between cosplay in America and Japan. In the U.s.a., at that place are a much greater multifariousness of torso types and skin colors represented in the cosplay community, and and then our standards of what makes a cosplay "faithful" are generally more broad (159). Japanese cosplayers tend to focus much more than on the details of physical, especially facial, similarity to the character than cosplayers in the West.
"We place emphasis on expressing an actor'southward facial expression and temper."
After agreeing to pose with me for a selfie, a friendly Elton John cosplayer told me, "(In Japan) we place emphasis on expressing an actor's facial expression and atmosphere." In the context of cosplay photography, this does seem to exist the instance in Japan, where photos taken in cosplay accept arguably become even more of import than the costume creation itself (Lamerichs 168). For example, a bought cosplay is considered perfectly acceptable in Japan, whereas in America a cosplayer in a store-bought outfit might be thought of as a lesser artist for not making their ain. Elton, who did seem to have sewn his own wonderful sparkly costume, had unknowingly demonstrated his answer before I even approached him; as I watched him pose for pictures, I was struck past the idea that he must have seen "Rocketman" many times
in order to get his poses and expressions to be so mannerly, animated and authentic to his character.
Both cosplay photography and cosplay performances (called "masquerades") are very popular in Japan (Hoff 158), the entreatment of modelling even going so far as to overtake the social attribute of cosplay altogether (Lamerichs 171). I've come to capeesh this more than myself as I've gotten more serious about cosplay as an art class; when yous've put a lot of work into a costume, it is incredibly satisfying to create a stylized final production through photography. There was a very alpine and imposing man dressed as Immortan Joe who seemed to agree with this sentiment.
"Taking joke photos will make everyone happy. cosplayers usually aren't good at talking…"
Although he was a trivial hard to approach, he proved to exist quite happy to reply my question, telling me, "Taking joke photos will make anybody happy. Cosplayers usually aren't good at talking…" This seems to be an aspect of "otaku" culture in general. While many cosplayers may not feel comfy to be social at conventions, even consummate strangers tin can bond and have a practiced time together by taking funny photos.
Cosplay events are smaller in Japan, just more numerous — as many as iv,000 to 5,000 every year (Hoff 160). However, little past little, physical and temporal space is being taken away from cosplayers in Japan. Cosplay locations are getting smaller, restricted to the within of the venue space; they are unable to make it at or exit in cosplay, and must pay an boosted fee to be allowed to cosplay at all. Fifty-fifty irresolute or putting on makeup in the bath is strictly prohibited; cosplayers must crowd together in public dressing rooms, making it quite difficult to get ready. Xxx years agone, it was mutual for cosplayers to wear their cosplays outside of the convention expanse, but it has go increasingly restricted over the years (163). In America, for instance, if you lot leave the venue for dejeuner, y'all may walk into a Denny's to meet Sasuke Uchiha and the Avengers eating pancakes together. In Japan, such a sight is impossible. As a result, recently Japanese cosplayers accept begun to create their own venues for cosplay; places that are much freer for cosplayers, in the hopes that Japanese lodge will recognize and admit the cultural value of their hobby (165). With the existence of such spaces, I believe that there is a lot of hope for the hereafter of cosplay in Japan.
Sources:
"COSPLAY." 東京コミコン2019, 2019, tokyocomiccon.jp/en/cosplay.
Hoff, Edmund W. "Cosplay as Subculture: In Japan and Beyond." Bulletin of Tokai Gakuen Academy: Studies in humanities, no. 17, 31 Mar. 2012, pp. 149–167.
Lamerichs, Nicolle. "The Cultural Dynamic of Doujinshi and Cosplay: Local Anime Fandom in Japan, USA, and Europe." Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, May 2013.
"What'due south Comic Con?" 東京コミコン2019, 2019, tokyocomiccon.jp/en/whatscc.
Source: https://flathatnews.com/2020/02/02/cosplay-in-japan/
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