Cosplay: what is this subculture

Costume games or cosplay are a constant part of fiction conventions and anime fan clubs. From the original hobby of individuals, the phenomenon has turned into a subculture of international significance. Participants not only copy the costumes of the characters they like, but also adopt the features 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 a 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. The youth, who spent hours watching the adventures of their favorite heroes, did not want to part with them in everyday life.

Subculture researchers argue about the time of the appearance of the first cosplayers. Some believe that their predecessors were science fiction lovers. In the year 1938. In the USA, one of the conventions was attended by a pair of loyal fans in precisely copied costumes of characters from new books. However, the rapid development of the movement began much later, in the 70-80s. Cosplay was especially popular in Japan, where animated series were actively popularized. Characters from films and 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 somewhat changed.

The choice of characters varies by country. Heroes of comics and computer games are still popular in Japan, in the USA they prefer historical characters, for example, George Washington, Elvis Presley or Marilyn Monroe. In Russia, cosplay successfully merged with role-playing games. Participants portray characters from Irish sagas, Tolkien books, and heroes of historical films from different eras.

The first cosplayers did not set a goal to clearly copy the image. They were inspired by the idea, fantasizing on a theme and adding character to their own traits. Later, players began to achieve perfect similarity, adopting the character, movement, voice of the chosen hero.

Gradually, the movement turned into a real industry. Themed festivals are organized all over the world, cafes are opened, 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, uniforms and support groups for cosplay fans operate on the Internet.

Code of Real Cosplayer

Today, the movement is not limited to playing anime characters. Cosplayer can choose any image from a full-length cartoon, comics, feature films or series, computer games. There are no restrictions, some prefer to copy not the main, but secondary characters, villains, negative characters. The basic rule is unconditional recognition.

The main attribute of the cosplayer is the most realistic costume. Novice players buy ready-made sets in the chosen style, including clothes, shoes, hats and accessories. Be sure to strictly adhere to the color scheme. Experienced cosplayers prefer to sew costumes, achieving maximum similarity and using better fabrics. There are studios specializing in this topic, as well as private seamstresses. Many participants in the movement master tailor's art 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 are widely used in the design, for example, artificial lighting. The image is completed by wigs, colored contact lenses, special makeup and body art, temporary tattoos.

The main task of the participant in the movement is to copy the image and behavior of the character. There is another feature of cosplay - wagering. It implies a complete merger with the hero, which includes:

copying facial expressions and movements;
individual character plastic;
features of speech, special vocabulary;
timbre of voice.

Modern cosplayers rarely use acting out in everyday life, saving it for festivals, individual stage performances, photo shoots and video filming. This approach is understandable - most of the participants are not professional actors, and full-fledged wagering takes too much time to prepare.

Having chosen an image, a cosplayer rarely changes it. In everyday life, a representative of a subculture can be recognized by small hints - for example, locks of hair dyed in a certain color, amulet, ring or keychain.