Cosplaying is a no longer new hobby but has recently taken spikes due to being in the limelight. News are clamoring to report on this "phenomenon", events and conventions are popping out like there's no tomorrow. And of course in every country there's the creme de la creme of events every year. For example, Comic Fiesta for Malaysia has record attendance every single year. But this prompts a vital question: What has cosplay become?
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| Record attendance for CF 2012, Comic Fiesta |
Firstly let me apologize in advance. I'm gonna start with my story. Don't worry, it's not gonna be long. I held an interest in cosplay since I was a lad. Always fantasized about cosplaying Ash, of all the people. Then I grew up, it became a long forgotten interest, until one day I went to an event and met cosplayers, and the interest bloomed into a fire. Which then died away because my parents forbade me to cosplay, and only allowed me to be an observer. Then again, being an observer provided me with the knowledge and the viewpoint to see cosplay from a different perspective. And that's how I'm writing this article.
During my friendship-building throughout these 3 years, I found that a not insignificant number of cosplayers come from families with money to spare. Then again, it makes sense. Cosplaying is not a cheap hobby once you take costumes into account. A regular store-bought costume can cost up to RM 3000 (Approximate to 850 dollars) for good quality armor cosplay (Fallout, Kamen Riders, Space Marines etc) whereas "regular" non-armor cosplay can cost about RM 1500-RM 2000 for detailed and excellent craftsmanship. Even normal costumes cost around RM 500 shipped from China. Some cosplayers take the DIY route and build their own costumes. But even so the budget can be around RM 500 as well. So like I said, it stands to reason that cosplay usually is a "sponsored" hobby for teens.
But an interesting note is that some of the best cosplayers come from broken families. I have seen a few of them in my 3 years. This prompts a question: Is cosplay an outlet for escapism? Let me ask you another question: What hobby isn't? Yes, cosplay is escapism, but so are other hobbies as well.
Drama.
To some it is the quintessence of cosplay. You can't have one without the other. From a logical standpoint, it makes sense. Cosplay is unique in that there is an unseen caste system with the cosplayers at the top getting fame and fortune. It that aspect it's a lot like life since people who join try to climb to the top of the pyramid. And like life, there's people who will climb to the top at all costs. They will step on other people. They will tear other people limb from limb. They will chew you up like the sarlacc and you won't get up until they're finished with toying around with you. At this point I would like to point out another example I've seen in my 3 years.
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| Drama Cosplayers, exhibit A |
A majority of cosplayers either are liberal arts students or working in entry level jobs. Before you people protest in the comments, ask yourself this: Have you seen an engineering or science student (from university, High School does NOT count) who is a full-time (or at least as full-time as one can be) cosplayer? They're rare, to be honest. Frankly, I might be a tad biased towards observing this (I'm an undergraduate studying Photonics Engineering in NCKU, Taiwan), but the sad truth is engineers and scientists don't tend to pick cosplaying as a hobby compared to bankers, models etc etc. I'm not saying that all science students are good and all liberal art students are bad, it's more of a problem of probability that shows the tendency of such cosplayers to associate themselves with more drama.
Now back to drama.
The most obvious kind of cosplay drama is flaming/bashing. In any cosplay group, left open and alone for a length of time will invariably produce flaming posts. (Adam's First Law of Cosplay Drama :D). Maybe it's because one person said something that another didn't agree on. Maybe one of them already hates the other. Maybe he/she just wanted to destress by trolling other people. Whatever the cause, one of them is irritated and wants to see the other person BURN. BURN BURN BURN. He/she will disagree with everything the other person posted. He/she will start calling names. He/she will try their damnedest to make the other person look stupid. The sad truth is flaming/bashing works most of the time. Even more so if you're an experienced cosplayer with fame and reputation already established. People will side with you and bash/flame the other person. And to be honest, it degrades into cyberbullying.
Here I have to say that Facebook is one of the factors that aid drama. The semi-anonymity, the ease of access, the ease of going into groups....it all becomes part of the drama potion. People become accustomed to hearing what they want to hear. If they hear negative things about themselves, they grow to block out the negativity with WAHWAHWAH sounds. Their egos are boosted by the attention they receive, and they become insecure. They lash out at others.
Another contributing factor is jealousy. As humans, all of us are prone to jealousy. We become jealous of the success of others. Some turn it into a driving force, some just ignore it and unfortunately some turn it into a weapon. Honestly speaking I've been involved with drama due to jealousy, stemming from me. In my (flimsy) defense I was young and stupid then. Too arrogant too. Then again, in hindsight any kind of drama is wrong.
And now, The last part of my rant I'll talk about Addiction.
Addiction
Cosplay is addictive, for some reason. Well, the reason is simple, the euphoria, the fans, the people smiling at you, the facebook likes....who doesn't want it to last forever?
I have seen cosplayers whose life consists of nothing but cosplay. From a hobby to their life...honestly speaking it's sad. From an outside viewpoint, such people have done nothing with their life. Everyday it's work, buy costumes, photoshoot, sell costumes, work. It's a neverending cycle. It's comparable to drugs and alcohol, honestly. But on the other hand these people are happy. As an observer, I cannot provide a comprehensive viewpoint on this matter, so I shall not elaborate. But still, it shows the effects of addiction to a hobby as high-maintenance as cosplay. And after all, addiction leads to obsession which leads to emptiness. The void.
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| The end product of obession: |
Lastly, to present an unbiased view and to conclude my report/blogpost, I have asked a few cosplayers the million dollar question: What is Cosplay to you? The following are their responses (grammar edited)
What is Cosplay to you?
Mocchi Tan: Cosplay to me is wearing your favorite anime costume and experience the feeling to be the character.
Cosplay is not role play. I wish everyone in the community is clear about what is Cosplay.
Cosplay is also an activity or hobby that involved different races. We should respect each other and stop the criticism
Black Roach: Well for me it is a hobby, when cosplay is the time that I don't have to pretend to be another person to blend in to society, I can be myself!
Shawn Kazu: You split up cosplay and you get "cos" and "play" = costume playing. Very direct right?
Dante Ting: To me, cosplay is a hobby. It gives me an opportunity to represent my favorite character, as well as an avenue for socializing with others.
Isaac Bloodsworth: a hobby that connect all kind of people. From stranger to friends. It also boost up your prop making skill and costume making skills. Of course, it can make you more disciplined by default (as in you made a mistake, involved in a drama and you correct yourself)
Nicholas Ho: Well cosplay to me is about being able to dress up as your favorite character. To be someone else for a change. You can never be Batman unless you dress up, because he doesn't exist and sometimes a game just isn't enough.
Other reasons are, to make people happy. Making other people happy just because you dressed up as their fave char and they are so happy to see you is the best feeling ever. Especially little kids (not being a pedo lol).
Another reason is to escape from reality for once. You can dress up as a billionaire genius but in real life you are just a banker with just barely enough to fund your life.
Hikaru Mizushiro: hmmm cosplay is... a hobby? It's a medium for you to fully enjoy a character's existence by portraying the character itself. Also a medium where you can role play and try out different personalities which you always wanted to try out =v=b
And it's also a hobby that enables one to test their skills in accuracy, observation and mimicking
That's all I can think of lol xD
Yamamoto Akira: (Translated from Chinese) Other than being a hobby, cosplay is something that brought me out of my sadness. It's also a place to make friends.
Misadako Amano: Expensive Hobby. You can make friends and extend your creativity skills
But at the same time is money consuming
Version: "The way how I understand about Cosplay is: To be the character and make it into reality. Take the creativity and imagination in you. Be the character is'nt by watch or see the character look or appearance only.You must focus on the character, feel the character's body, movement, appearance, expression and background. Imagine you are entering into their world." (reprinted under permission)
Hadi Aker: To show my own creativity or talents, or to show my hobby to others.
Bill Phang: Cosplay to me is all about loving your favourite movie/game/comic/cartoon characters. In addition, cosplay allows one to make friends and get connected with them.
Yuoici Wataru: Cosplay for me is not just a hobby .. its something that teach u how to saving money , making friends , become a good leader (for cosplay group) , to teach you to be creative , to be hardworking person and lots more ..
Kiwii Teng: (Translated from Chinese) Cosplay is feeling the breath of life.
It's also about having fun!
Khalidi Khalid: to express our love or likeness to the series and the specific character.
Lonewolf Tommy: Cosplay is a way of self-expression on one's passion and interest in ACG, as well as to show our admiration and appreciation to any fictional character they admire.
Phoxias: "It's a fun and harmless way to socialise and make new friends. We get to meet a lot of accepting and like-minded people who share our interests and hobbies due to the shared passion for cosplay at cosplay events. It's also really great motivation to improve DIY skills for prop making and sewing, as well as make-up and hair/wig-styling skills. Cosplay is also sometimes a form of stress relief, because being able to not be yourself for a while and just being your favourite characters with your friends is a wonderfully freeing activity once in a while."
Chinatsu Rin: hmm... is like just an interest .. not for money. even competition also like gain more experience, den u can perform more good with the character.... then passion is like u need very very very passion to style ur wig, making costume... and the make up..do until perfect just like the character....
Lea Joanes: (translated from Chinese) Cosplay to me is a hobby that you can learn a lot from.
Alan Chin: Cosplay for me : it's more than just enjoyment of be yourself , making friends and unleash your own characteristic, but it's a powerful weapon of building confidence, self-esteem and perhaps most important thing is your creativity and learning attitude. That's how the way of cosplay should be.
Ripley Siehkee: (translated from Chinese) Cosplay is where you bring your loved characters from anime or comics to real life!
Lydia Lockheart: Cosplay to me is a hobby where people enjoy dressing up as their favorite character, quite a costly hobby but the fun is worth it!
Junekiy: For me as a girl, cosplay teaches me things like makeup, making props and making costumes, I keep learning new things, it's also Japanese culture.
Stephanie Yukino: To me, cosplay is a form of art for me to express my love for the characters. I get to see the world through the perspective of the character that I cosplay as. It is also a form of hobby that helped me to gain self-confidence and to express myself.
Hugh Ankh Moses: Cosplay is my favorite and main hobby. It's a way to escape the day to day norms of society to spend time with like minded individuals and friends in festive environments at conventions. I feel it's the ultimate expression of one's fandom because we are literally becoming physical representations of our favorite characters.
Yuki Sac: To me, cosplay is an art , a hobby for you to have fun and experience.
Asyraf Noor Azizi: At first cosplay is a hobby~ but when for quite awhile i cosplay it become a way for me to express my feelings towards the character~ expressing my emotion~ and it became a passion bit by bit~
Jade Killjoy Trinity: Cosplay to me is a hobby that offers an escape from reality for a day or two. It's like a weekend getaway, in my point of view, a chance to expand my creativity in order to transform into a character from a fantasy world and just be that character and forget all about the problems of a hectic life for a day or two.
Cosplay to me is also not about the attention one gets from wearing brightly colored wigs, or fancy costumes while carrying eye-catching props. It's about the fun one has hanging out with friends at conventions, meeting both old and new people. It's also about seeing the excited smile on the faces of the people who ask for a picture, that warm feeling you get knowing that you've made the day of a random stranger by just posing for a picture for them.
At the end of the day, cosplay to me, is not about how much attention I can get, or if my costume or wig is 100% accurate (although I as a cosplayer strive to be as accurate as possible), or if I'm cosplaying a famous character from the latest series. Cosplay to me is about enjoying myself to the fullest with friends, making children and families smile, and simply letting go and relaxing for the weekend before I return to all the work and problems of a normal life.
Okita Riki: For me, Cosplay is some kind of hobby where all of us could express ourselves by being the character that we love. No matter how old you are,cosplaying is for everyone to do. And it's always been for fun too, as long as you can enjoy doing it together with friends~
Rei Chan: It's just a hobby.
Mitoki Kuro: to me cosplay is a hobby which i will do when i got free time & something that i can use to get to know new friends
Nerv Lim: Cosplay to me is a form of self-expression. You can be the hero you love in cosplay.
Iqbal Noor Azizi: Cosplay to me is something that u can call a hobby with a full of passion.
almost the same like drawing. If u draw it nicely with full of passion, you will get nice drawings..
If u cosplay it will full of passion, u will look good in the character u love.
Cosplay is something where u can express yourself. Of course not to impress
because once we express it very well, we will accidentally impress everyone.
If u cosplay to impress. means u not expressing in cosplay
Short story. Cosplay is a passion hobby n a cruel one at the same time.
Ryu Watanabe: To me Cosplay is a hobby where you choose to be expressing character that you love. It can be from many genre. Either from animation series or even movie, from any countries production or maybe even self made character (OC) will do.
As time past, we will learn more and more, and i do enjoy in props making. At the same time, we met tons of people at con. Yes, i do met tons of amazing people who like the same thing i do. Each of it share the same interest. Some of it become my client. Some of it become my teacher. As you will expose in many part of Cosplay, Props making, Makeup and many more. Most likely actually expose and related to industry.
Angie Ong: (Translated from Chinese) To me cosplay is a challenge~ I can try out different styles and find myself through different characters. Of course, the happiest thing about cosplay is that I can become the characters I love, at the same time I can meet others with the same hobbies as me~
Venus: Cosplay consists of two parts: costume and role playing, i.e. playing the personality of a character while being in his or her attire and style. The characters may be from anime, manga, cartoons, movies, games or comics. Personally, cosplay is a hobby turned passion turned career. It is an open door for me to be someone that I am attracted to for a day. It is not an obsession as I do not carry the character when I am out of the costume and back to daily life.
Zack Ventosus: From my view cosplay is a form of art for ACG lovers. We can portray the character of any series that we attached to and also as aesthetic and appreciation toward the series that we loved. As example for me is Tokusatsu series such as Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, Saban Power Rangers series, GARO & Tomica Heroes series. The reason i'm cosplaying as my favourite characters is because i impressed by the heroic form of this heroes and the good morality that i gained from the series. Cosplay is also a good way to improve your social skills and make you more brave to approach new people and making new friends.
Sharivan Spark: "for me cosplay is a passion amidst it being a hobby though sadly because of the dramu the cosplay community on my home country is becoming frustrating nonetheless this hobby is not a stepping ladder to stardom. It is where you should portray your characters well and love the character that you should cosplay remember everything about them in your heart. Get used to commoners thinking about you being weird on the hobby because being weird doesnt matter anyway. Love the cosplay hobby but remember to set your priorities in life 1st before this.
Allen Yap: To me cosplay is craft. In BM it would be called Karya.
In life there basically 2 types of things we learn - academic & creative. Academic is the usually 'classroom learning & acquiring knowledge' style stuff like math, formulas, applications, geography, science, language, accounts. Creative is the type of things you learn like art, music, graphic design, dancing, singing, pottery, wood work & even cooking. So cosplay & the elements it encompasses fall under the creative side of learning. A balance of both things are good for life, though many parents believe that there is no future / money / hope in learning 'creative' things. This is very unfortunate.
As an educator (by profession) I believe that cosplay can enrich lives and even more so to those whose parents starve them from learning creative things. We are meant to have both academic & creative elements in our lives. This can be found with the obvious facts of having a left & a right brain. The right brain is the creative side & the left side is the math / facts & logic side of things. Have both makes us a more balanced person. The discovery of a more balance life will seem to be like we've suddenly unlocked some hidden talent that we never knew we had. Where in fact it was always there all a long but just dormant inside us.
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