Costume games or cosplay are an invariable part of science fiction conventions and anime fan clubs. From an original hobby of individual people, the phenomenon has turned into a subculture of international importance. Participants not only copy the costumes of the characters they like, but also adopt the peculiarities of their behavior, embodying successful images in photographs.
Cosplay at home: how it all began
Cosplay (cosplay, short for costume play) is a costume game associated with the transformation into one or another character from a cartoon series or computer game. Despite the English name, the subculture originated in Japan, a country literally obsessed with anime and manga. Young people, who spent hours following the adventures of their favorite heroes, did not want to part with them in everyday life.
Subculture researchers argue about when the first cosplayers appeared. Some believe that science fiction aficionados were their predecessors. In 1938. In the United States, a couple of loyal fans came to one of the conventions in faithfully copied costumes of the characters from the new books. However, the rapid development of the movement began much later, in the 70-80s. Cosplay was especially widespread in Japan, where animated series were actively popularized. Characters from movies and TV series were soon added to the heroes of comics and cartoons, with the development of the Internet, the movement became viral. In Russia, the phenomenon became popular in the late 90s, today it has not lost its relevance, although it has changed somewhat.
The choice of characters depends on the country. In Japan, heroes of comics and computer games are still popular, in the United States they prefer historical characters, for example, George Washington, Elvis Presley or Marilyn Monroe. In Russia, cosplay has successfully merged with role-playing games. Participants portray the characters of the Irish sagas, Tolkien's books, heroes of historical films from different eras.
The first cosplayers did not set the goal of clearly copying the image. They were inspired by the idea, fantasizing about the topic and adding their own features to the character. Later, the players began to achieve the perfect resemblance, adopting the character, movement, voice of the chosen hero.
Gradually, the movement turned into a real industry. Themed festivals are held all over the world, cafes are opening, the staff of which not only serves food and drinks, but also plays small performances. Participants are offered ready-made costumes and accessories, hundreds of virtual clubs, forms and support groups for cosplay fans operate on the Internet.
Real cosplayer codex
Today, movement is not limited to playing anime characters. The cosplayer can choose any image from a full-length cartoon, comics, feature films or TV series, computer games. There are no restrictions, some prefer to copy not the main, but secondary heroes, villains, negative characters. The basic rule is unconditional recognition.
The main attribute of a cosplayer is the most realistic costume. Novice players buy ready-made kits in their chosen style, including clothes, shoes, hats and accessories. Strict adherence to the color scheme is imperative. Experienced cosplayers prefer to tailor their costumes to maximize the look and feel and use higher quality fabrics. There are ateliers specializing in this topic, as well as private seamstresses. Many members of the movement master the art of tailoring and update their wardrobe on their own.
In addition to sewing, cosplayers master other types of needlework. They have to work with leather, plastic, plexiglass, paper, cardboard and other materials. With their help, hats, armor, magic wands and other necessary accessories are made. Recently, special effects have been widely used in design, for example, artificial lighting. The look is completed with wigs, colored contact lenses, special makeup and body art, and temporary tattoos.
The main task of the participant in the movement is to copy the image and behavior of the character. There is one more feature of cosplay - role-playing. It implies a complete merger with the hero, which includes:
- copying facial expressions and movements;
- individual character plastic;
- features of speech, special lexicon;
- timbre of voice.
Modern cosplayers rarely use acting out in their daily life, saving it for festivals, individual stage performances, photo shoots and video filming. This approach is quite understandable - most of the participants are not professional actors, and a full-fledged role-playing takes too much time to prepare.
Having chosen an image, the cosplayer rarely changes it. In everyday life, a representative of the subculture can be recognized by small hints - for example, a strand of hair dyed in a certain color, an amulet, a ring or a keychain.
Most Popular Characters
Beginners tend to choose one of the most popular images. Today the most popular are:
- Characters of traditional Japanese anime (Haruki Suzumiya, Hatsune Miku, Kuranosuke Shiraishi).
- Computer game characters (Jade, Kitana, Sonya, Milina, Moxie).
- Princesses and princes from Disney cartoons (Snow White, Rapunzel, Pocahontas, Belle, Ariel, Peter Pan, Tarzan).
- Comic book contributors (Superman, Spiderman, Catwoman).
- Famous film characters (Freddy Krueger, Harry Potter, Darth Vader, Princess Amidala, Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa).
The leaders of the list change from time to time, new heroes appear. However, in cosplay there are many connoisseurs of the classics who remain faithful to the chosen characters once and for all.
Subculture and psychology
Psychologists believe that cosplay is a kind of outlet that allows a resident of a metropolis to try on an absolutely uncharacteristic role. Bright, unusual and even ridiculous costumes make it possible to maximize liberation among like-minded people. At the same time, the roles of "an ordinary person" and "cosplayer" are clearly divorced, often only the closest friends know about the hobby, for outsiders this part of his personal life remains closed.
An additional advantage is the ability to make acquaintances among like-minded people. Quite often, closed, insecure people who do not have a wide circle of friends come to the subculture. They come together in communities and clubs, both real and virtual. In the process, the participants develop their talents, practice in making costumes, selecting accessories, and acting.
The subculture is equally positive about both sexes. In addition, men are not forbidden to portray a female character, and girls - a male one. This approach is dictated by the abundance of androgynous characters in anime and manga comics.
There are regional peculiarities of perception. For example, in Japan, participants in the movement make high demands not only on acting, but also on the appearance of a person who wants to embody this or that hero. Cosplayers do plastic surgery, hire professional make-up artists and photographers. The main thing for them is to take a good photo and get positive reviews from like-minded people. At the same time, in reality, a person may absolutely not correspond to the chosen image.
In the United States, it is not customary to criticize external data; the efforts of a person to create the desired image are valued here. Professional participants do not buy ready-made suits, but custom-made them, spending quite impressive sums. Classics such as Star Wars characters are especially popular with American cosplayers. Friendship in fan groups is encouraged, rivalry is encouraged only in contests that are held annually.
