Dress for Success, Cosplay - コスプレ

This post is written by Aulora and Peter.

This week, we will write a brief intro to Cosplay!

The practice of cosplay itself is not exclusively Japanese of course--con-goers in any country are surely aware of this fact. Indeed, its origin is not Japanese either. However, the word itself was concieved by Japanese reporter Nov Takahashi to describe what he saw at World Con in 1984. World Con, an annual science fiction convention, was held in Los Angeles that year, and by that time the practice of cosplay was well established among American Science Fiction con-goers. With the first documented instance of a costumed con-goer being Forrest J. Ackerman at Worldcon 1939 in New York, cosplay had already grown to be a flourishing component of Science Fiction conventions in America. As such, Takahashi was merely describing what he observed in a creative manner. The word he created, "cosplay" (コスプレ), is a portmanteau of the English words "costume" and "play." After reporting the American practice back to a Japanese audience, cosplay officially took off in Japan to be the widely popular activity that it is today! In particular, Cosplay is popular among Otaku audiences!

But what distinguishes Japanese cosplay from that in other areas? One prominent factor is that cosplay in many other parts of the world is a practice reserved exclusively for conventions. 

From Design Fest, Tokyo Big Sight

However, in Japan, this is not so!! Not only do congoers dress up, but there are cosplay establishments in which the staff dress up! For example, of course, maid cafes, prevalent in areas such as Akihabara and Shibuya, where the staff dress up!

Normally you aren't allowed to take photos of staff members in costume. But.. she happens to "conveniently" be in my shot!

Furthermore, people can cosplay freely in public!! Oh the expressive power!!!!! In areas such as Harajuku, people dress in elaborate clothes and fun costumes! In fact, at this point, it begins to overlap with fashion, reconciling the rejected with the trending. Personally, I find that quite an interesting concept!

For example, lolita fashion is quite common in Harajuku!

But other genres of cosplay include steampunk,

and of course, characters!!

Akemi Homura from the anime, Madoka Magica

So what if you want to try your own cosplay? Well, there are two main routes you can take.

First are the pre-manufactured costumes that are produced and sold with varying quality. They are mostly available online, although certain specialty shops may carry popular sets. This is an easy way to get a taste of cosplaying one of your favourite characters in a pinch.

A cosplay shop in Akihabara

Most cosplayers choose to create their own costumes though, often starting many months or even years before the intended convention to show it off at. These costumes themselves can be considered a work of art and much effort and money is put towards created magnificent costumes. Skilled cosplayers often require many skills such as sewing, painting, fashion design, textiles, and even work with materials such as wood and fiberglass, to create more difficult and high quality representations.

Be careful of the convention rules however. Some of them do not allow props that resemble real weapons for security reasons. You don't want to get in trouble with the police just because your character looks dangerous!

We hope that you enjoyed this small glimpse into the wonders of cosplay, and perhaps even take part yourself someday!

The rise of the ヲタ / ヲタのようになる

Japan hosts a wide variety of otaku, of which many are infamous. In the West, people commonly think of an otaku as one who enjoys anime and manga. While there are anime and manga otaku in Japan, it's not uncommon to find, for example, train and camera otaku as well, especially in Akihabara. However, in the upper-middle part of the spectrum lie idol otaku, who generally obsess over the latest idol or pop bands and records.

The idol otaku subgroup is a very distinct community, even among other otaku. AKB48, for example, has a cafe which stands out even in Akihabara, a place known for its dozens and dozens of various hobby and esoteric shops.

AKB48, having its own cafe, is one of the most popular idol brands.

The idol otaku subculture has even coined a specific term, ヲタ, which describes an idol otaku. (In the West, this is usually pronounced "WOE-tah", whereas the Japanese pronounce it more correctly as オタ ota.) This term is derived from the first two syllables of the term おたく, then stylized with an identically sounding, but archaic, character. Though it is derived from the term otaku, it is generally used to refer only to idol otaku, not others (anime, manga, train, etc.).

Akihabara and Shibuya specifically feature Tower Records, a very widely known record company. After all, no music means no life!

Idol brands, due to being so influential (both within and outside of the idol otaku community), are often used to sell other merchandise brands. For example, AKB48 (as mentioned above) was featured in a candy commercial several years ago. This popularity often plays on the 推しメン mentality, which has fans buy things because of the attachment to their favorite idol.

Like idols, anime and manga characters are often used to sell products or entire brand lines.

推しメン comes from the term 推し oshi, meaning "a fan of", and メン men, which (in context) is short for メンバー menbaa, from the English word "member". It generally refers to a fan's favorite member of a particular idol group.

While Candies (キャンディーズ) is widely considered to be the first idol group in the 1970's, the current idol formula started in the late 1990s with the success of hello!project and Morning Musume's song "Love Machine" which gained mainstream success and sold almost 1.7 million copies, making it a #1 single in Japan.

At this same time, as the internet otaku community took off online, and obsessive fans began messaging each other to progress their undying love for a particular idol, compare recent idol purchases and the like. The specific evolution of idol otaku and the term ヲタ was centered around online message boards such as 2ch's Morning Coffee, in an attempt to distinguish themselves from anime otaku.

While the following Morning Musume singles also had mainstream success, the general public moved on to other artists and other types of music. Because of this, wota have for a long time been the main target of idol groups, leading to policies such as no dating (with several idols being 'graduated' after a dating scandal, and effectively banned from ever performing again), handshake events, and lottery-style giveaways that rewarded otaku for buying multiple copies of a single.

A specific example is with the release of a recent AKB48 single, "Everyday, Kachuusha". One particular fan bought over 5,500 copies of the single in order to attend such lottery-style events. Generally, the paychecks of idol otaku, who are as dedicated as this one, are put largely toward such purchases.

An unnamed idol otaku has hoarded thousands of copies of a newly released AKB48 single. [Source]

As obsessive fans, wota memorize their chosen idol's birthday, height, blood type and favorite color. At concerts, wota purchase glow sticks in their idol's chosen color, and memorize a set dance for each song. These dances are called ヲタ芸 wotagei, and are a unique form of audience participation present only at idol concerts.

The idol otaku subculture has grown massively in the last several years, especially with the rise of the internet. Such a medium has provided the ability to stream and download music, watch idol-related videos through services such as YouTube, or even connect with other like-minded idol otaku. Because of the improving ease of communication within this group, their unique language and culture has grown immensely, and shows no signs of slowing down.