Imagine a world of neon hair, ridiculous and unreal weapons, fantastical armor and costume clothing that is anything but what the average person would deem "normal." This is the world of cosplay, a hobby that has slowly and quietly captured the devotion of people across America.
Cosplay, a contraction of the words "costume" and "play," is a hobby that has been imported from Japan, where participants dress up as their favorite anime and video game characters, go to events to meet like-minded cosplayers and take a plethora of photos.
In Japan enthusiasts dress up and regularly congregate in public locations. The hobby's popularity in the U.S. goes as far back as the early 1980s and has thrived thanks to annual anime and science fiction convention circuits.
One of the biggest cosplay-friendly conventions, Otakon, happens to occur every summer right here in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, making our fair city an epicenter of cosplay activity.
It was Otakon that first drew in long-time local cosplayer Elizabeth Schram.
"It was the summer of 2001 when someone told me about a convention happening in downtown Baltimore. I figured, what the heck! I arrived at Otakon and was floored to see all these people and many of them dressed up as their favorite character."
Julie Maxwell, a freshman at Ursinus College, belongs to a group of cosplayers called Mercury Rose. She also considers Otakon the starting point for her fascination with cosplay. "I always wanted to try [cosplay], but never knew where and how to get started c9 We cosplayed at Otakon 2004 and have been cosplaying since."
The most important step to cosplaying is choosing an anime or video game character that suits the person. Most, like sophomore Cindy Ye, don't limit themselves to just one character.
"I dress up as many different characters. Elite cosplayers usually make two to three costumes per convention. My favorite costume that I've made so far is Yuna from Final Fantasy X," Ye said.
From conception, though, the real fun comes with simply being around other cosplayers. "It's more fun to work on outfits with other people. It's also much more fun to cosplay a group from an anime rather than one character,
and the group is recognized more easily than a single character," Kyera Giannini, another member of Mercury Rose, said.
"If I wasn't cosplaying, I would have never met all the friends I have now or have the chance to meet new people that have such a defined, similar interest," Schram said.
By far the biggest part is going to conventions. Conventions usually last several days, and include various anime and costume-related contests, skits and performances, different panels and workshops, dances and live entertainment. They draw in people from all over the U.S., both cosplayers and non-cosplayers alike, and they tend to be the main arenas for many cosplay-based performance troupes.
"The larger conventions tend to be more of showcases for the cosplayers, though there are plenty of panels and events that are great to attend," Mayumi Yuy, the third member of Mercury Rose, said. "At the smaller conventions we have more time to visit the panels and events c9"
"I love walking around conventions and having people come up and wanting to take pictures of me and my friends. I feel like a movie star!" Maxwell said.
With all of the elaborate costumes, though, cosplaying can evoke a wide spectrum of reactions, from the positive and encouraging to the unfortunately negative.
"I think the people who I went to high school with would have found it weird, but the people at college seem to think it's a cool hobby, even if they're not into it," Yuy said.
"Cosplay is nerdy c9 It's being comfortable with who you are," Schram said. "There's always going to be that person who will poke fun at what they do not understand. So be it. Life is too short to worry about the faults of others."
Negative reactions aside, many responses are positive and can be very gratifying to cosplayers. "My favorite memory was when a little girl and her mom walked by when we were the Magic Knights. She stopped suddenly and grabbed her mom's hand and said, `Mom, look, it's the Magic Knights!' in a whispery, awed voice," Giannini said.
The next big upcoming cosplay event on the east coast is Akiba Fest, scheduled for Dec. 27 in Springfield, Va. Planned are a slew of contests and performances including live music from Japanese pop bands Unicorn Table, Mai and more. Cash prizes will be given out to the best costumes.
With all the hubbub of a regular semester's workload, many fans look forward to events like Akiba Fest. "I used to run east coast conventions from Otakon to Katsukon to AnimeUSA. My current school schedule and other things prevent me from attending most of the conventions right now, but I do plan to go to more next year," Ye said.
"What keeps me coming back to these events is the people," Schram said. "I love the craziness of the dealer's room, the new anime to watch, spot the latest games and see Japanese artists that I wouldn't normally see outside a convention."
