Origins of Cosplay
By Karen Wang
19 May 2013
19 May 2013
A Brief History
Takahashi's article on cosplay (click for bigger image)
In her article, "Costuming the Imagination," Theresa Winge traces the origins of cosplay back to the rise of participatory fan culture in North America and Japan. In the 1960s, many US comic convention goers dressed up as popular science fiction and action heroes. In 1984, Nov Takahashi, the founder and writer for anime publisher Studio Hard, visited World-Con in Los Angeles where he was impressed by the many character costumes. He wrote about his experiences at the comic convention and encouraged Japanese anime fans to make their own costumes, coining the new term “cosplay”.
The popularity of anime and manga in Japan and the growing demand for anime imports in the US led to the rise of anime conventions. Japan and US anime conventions share similar aspects including panels, famous guests, video rooms, and of course, cosplay. Today, there are more than 60 anime conventions held annually throughout the US.
The popularity of anime and manga in Japan and the growing demand for anime imports in the US led to the rise of anime conventions. Japan and US anime conventions share similar aspects including panels, famous guests, video rooms, and of course, cosplay. Today, there are more than 60 anime conventions held annually throughout the US.
Established Genres
Like anime itself, cosplay spans many genres. Some of these genres include Lolita, mecha, fuzzy, traditional, and steampunk. Another popular type of cosplay is "cross-playing", or dressing up as a character of the opposite gender. There is no "correct" genre to abide by when cosplaying--genres have evolved out of popular fan interests and tastes. They are by no means limiting; on the other hand, they provide a standard, tried-and-true examples of established cosplays.
Lolita
Suigintou from Rozen Maiden
Lolita refers to a gothic, Victorian-era style of women’s fashion and cosplay. It overlaps with the Lolita subgenre that is popular and often seen in Japanese youth street fashion. The prevalence of the style in cosplay owes to the fact that many female anime characters such as Anna from K, Misa from Death Note, and Suigintou from Rozen Maiden, dress in a Lolita fashion. It features complex dresses and painstakingly-crafted details such as frills, lace, parasols, kneesocks, and hairpieces. The Lolita image is often described as kawaii, or “cute” in Japanese. Subgenres within Lolita range from classic to punk Lolita.
Mecha
Gundam Wing cosplay
Mecha cosplay is derived from popular anime series that feature giant robots or human-piloted robot suits, such as Gundam Wing and Neon Genesis Evangelion, and movies such as the Transformers series. The name comes from the Japanese short form for the word “mechanical”, referring to the machine-like nature of robots. The mecha genre is one of the oldest genres of anime, with the first robot called Tetsujin 28-Go (“Iron-Man 28”) appearing in a 1956 manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama and inspiring fans everywhere to create their own mecha costumes.
Furry
Totoro cosplay
This genre encompasses all anime characters who resemble animals or have animal-like features such as cat ears and tails. One example is Totoro from My Neighbor Totoro, who resembles a giant cat. It is also popular for cosplayers to embellish their characters with furry cat ears, tails, and paws, even if it is non-canon with the original character.
Cross-playing
A female fan dresses at Ren from Uta no Prince Sama
Another genre is cross-playing, a portmanteau of “cross-dressing” and “cosplay”. It refers to cosplayers dressing up as characters of the opposite gender. This is popular in anime series that mainly feature male characters yet have a large female fan-base, such as Hetalia or Uta no Prince Sama. And vice versa, it is not uncommon for male fans to dress up as their favorite female characters such as Sailor Moon or Chun Li. While cross-dressing has social stigmas in some cultures, cross-playing is widely accepted in the cosplay community and can be frequently seen at anime conventions.
Historical (ninja, samurai cosplay)
Characters from Naruto
Hit series that draw upon historical Japanese culture and folklore such as Naruto, Bleach, and Sengoku Basara have made this cosplay genre hugely popular. At an anime convention, you might see Konoha Leaf Village ninjas, Soul Reaper samurai, or daimyos from the Sengoku Warring Period engaging in sparring matches with each other. While some cosplays adhere to a traditional Japanese style, most cosplays in this genre feature stylized, modernized versions of samurai and ninja cosplay. For example, as opposed to the archetypal image of ninjas clothes in all-black, characters from Naruto sport everything from orange jumpsuits to headbands.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/mechademia/v001/1.winge.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_anime_conventions
http://yeinjee.com/origin-of-the-word-cosplay/
Images:
http://kusabijr.deviantart.com/art/POE-Cosplay-Suigintou-from-Rozen-Maiden-271478884
http://mechaknights.blogspot.com/2010/08/introduction.html
http://stcristofani.deviantart.com/art/Totoro-cosplay-184710837
http://worldcosplay.net/member/87/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11307085@N07/2594290637/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/mechademia/v001/1.winge.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_anime_conventions
http://yeinjee.com/origin-of-the-word-cosplay/
Images:
http://kusabijr.deviantart.com/art/POE-Cosplay-Suigintou-from-Rozen-Maiden-271478884
http://mechaknights.blogspot.com/2010/08/introduction.html
http://stcristofani.deviantart.com/art/Totoro-cosplay-184710837
http://worldcosplay.net/member/87/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11307085@N07/2594290637/