Cosplay! Why is the costume trend from Japan booming?
Magazin D 2024, 30′
Short description
Cosplay, the costume trend from Japan, is on the rise – a word created from costume and play. Manga, anime, cosplay – these have long been hobbies for nerds. Today, more and more people are taking on the roles of their fantasy heroes and investing a lot of time and money into it. A huge community comes together at worldwide comic fairs and cosplay conventions. “Twist” meets amateur role players and professional cosplayers like the Frenchwoman Cinderys in Paris and looks at the development of the movement, which is no longer a niche phenomenon.
Contents
Manga, anime, cosplay – these have long been hobbies for nerds. Today more and more people are taking on the roles of their fantasy heroes and investing a lot of time and money. A global community comes together at conventions. Cinderys is a professional cosplayer from Paris and star of the scene. She embodies heroines from video games. At the Japan Expo she transforms into Shadowheart from “Baldur’s Gate 3”. Photo sessions, book signings, workshops, competitions. Cosplay is a full-time job for her. Publisher Joachim Kaps is one of those who ensured that the manga and anime wave spread to us in the 90s. With their enthusiasm for Japanese pop culture, the younger ones were able to differentiate themselves as much as possible from their parents. Til today. What do parents say when their child turns into a “lizard man” or horror clown? The Italian photographer Niccolò Rastrelli travels around the world and photographs cosplayers at home in the living room with their parents. For Shiroku, cosplay was never something “nerdy” because of her Asian roots. She competed for Germany at the 2016 Cosplay World Championships. She also performs anime songs and says that the cosplay scene in Japan is much more closed. Advertiser Toan Nguyen develops campaigns for fans of Japanese pop culture and games. A growing market. Toan is very close to the target group: he was a nerd himself. There is a big intersection between cosplay and the LGBTQ+ scene. The amateur cosplayers Aby and Pasta met through cosplay and fell in love. The scene is considered a safe space to try things out.
