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Cosplay (コスプレ kosupure), a contraction (or portmanteau) of the English words "costume" and "play", is a Japanese subculture centered on dressing as characters from manga, anime, tokusatsu, and video games, and, less commonly, Japanese live action television shows, Japanese movies, or Japanese pop music bands. However, in some circles, "cosplay" has been expanded to mean simply wearing a costume.

In Japan, "cosplay" as a hobby is usually an end unto itself. Likeminded people gather to see other costumes, show off their own elaborate handmade creations, take lots of pictures, and possibly participate in best costume contests.

The most specific anecdote about the origin of the word "cosplay" was that Nov Takahashi (from a Japanese studio called Studio Hard) coined the term "cosplay" as a contraction of the English-language words "costume play" while he was attending the 1984 Los Angeles Science Fiction Worldcon. He was so impressed by the hall and masquerade costuming there that he reported about it frequently in Japanese science fiction magazines. This ultimately triggered Japanese cosplay. This point is debatable, however, as the word fits in with a common Japanese method of abbreviation: combining the first two syllables of one word with the first two syllables of a second word. Other examples of this include Pokemon (ポケモン, short for ポケットモンスター, or "pocket monster") and puroresu (プロレス, short for プロレスリング, or "professional wrestling."). Cosplay has been recognized as a hobby that generates ridicule or priase depending on who is giving the opinion.

Cosplay venues

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Teens in Harajuku,Tokyo cosplay as Mana, Yu~Ki and Kozi of Malice Mizer.

Cosplay can be seen at public events such as video game shows, as well as at dedicated cosplay parties at nightclubs or amusement parks. It is not unusual for Japanese teenagers to gather with like-minded friends in places like Tokyo's Harajuku district to engage in cosplay. Since 1998, Tokyo's Akihabara district has contained a large number of cosplay cafes, catering to devoted anime and cosplay fans. The waitresses at such cafes dress as game or anime characters; maid costumes are particularly popular.

Possibly the single largest and most famous event attended by cosplayers is the semiannual dojinshi market, Comiket. This event, held in summer and winter, attracts hundreds of thousands of manga otaku and many thousands of cosplayers who congregate on the roof of the exhibition center, often in unbearably hot or cold conditions.

At cosplay events, cosplayers are often referred to as players. Those who photograph players are called cameko, short for "Camera Kozo" or "Camera Boy". The cameko give prints of their photos to the players as gifts. Tensions between players and cameko have increased due to perceived stalker-like behaviour among some obsessive males who push female cosplayers to exchange personal email addresses or do private photo sessions. One result of this has been a partial ban on photography at Comiket.

Cosplay trends

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Anime-face style kigurumi.

A recent trend at Japanese cosplay events is an increase in the popularity of non-Japanese fantasy and science fiction movie characters, perhaps due to the international success of such films as The Matrix and Lord of the Rings. Characters from the Harry Potter films have a particularly high number of female fans in Japan, with female cosplayers playing either male or female characters, with Draco Malfoy an extremely popular choice.

The act of cosplaying as characters of the opposite sex is called "crossplay" (cross-dressing cosplay). A small niche group in this field are dollers, a subset of kigurumi cosplayers. Usually male, they wear bodysuits and masks to fully transform into female characters.

Another recent trend in cosplay is a blurring of the distinction between costumes based on characters from games and anime, and "original" costumes based upon a general theme or existing fashions. In particular, the Tokyo teen-fashion trend of gothic lolita has attracted some cosplayers who might not have the inclination (or possibly courage) to wear such distinctive clothes around town, but who would like to dress in such a manner on some occasions.

International cosplay

All aspects of cosplay have spread across the world, joining with costuming at science fiction conventions in North America and Europe. It is also a common sight at anime conventions. Cosplayers at anime conventions in North America often find themselves on the receiving ends of glomps, a type of high-powered hug.

Cosplay in the United States and Europe differs from Japanese cosplay culture in some ways. Cosplay concerning Star Trek, Star Wars, Renaissance-era characters, and historical re-enactments (i.e. Civil War battles), especially at science fiction conventions, are far more popular in the West than they are in Japan. Alternatively, some costumes that might be seen as in bad taste in the west (such as Nazi uniforms from certain comics or games) may be seen at events in Japan.

Western cosplayers are stereotypically lampooned as being overweight or otherwise unsuited to the characters they attempt to portray. An issue with cosplaying anime and manga characters is that these characters generally do not have bodily proportions that can easily be mimicked by many typical cosplayers (i.e. gargantuan muscles or giant breasts), and there is debate among fans about how important or not this element is when cosplaying. One notorious American cosplayer/crossplayer who is known as Man-Faye, is both overweight, hairy, and definitely not of the gender he is portraying.

In Australia, the trend mirrors the American and European in that the subject costumes may be selected from sources other than Manga or Anime. Sources include western comics, computer games, science fiction/fantasy movies and TV shows, animation shorts or features, period drama, novels - any source that provides vivid and graphic inspiration of a character and their costume. Usually the term "Cosplay" is not used to cover historical recreation as the focus is on representational accuracy, not historical accuracy.

In general, Australian Cosplay is most commonly seen in the larger population centres such as the capital cities and major regional centres, as these have the population base to support the diversity among fringe interests. The display of the costumes is not limited to conventions, although it is not unusual for dedicated Cosplayers to travel extensively throughout Australia following the convention trail during the year. In addition to the social convening at conventions, many smaller social groupings exist, hosting their own local events.

Cosplay in the North America

Convention activity in the United States and Canada has become a much larger and much more popular trend within the past decade. Larger conventions such as Anime Expo and Otakon have become renowned internationally. With the added public attention coming from such popular animated cartoons imported from Japan (see anime) including Dragonball Z, Inuyasha, and now the ever-popular Naruto, cosplayers and the anime world have peeked their heads into the world of mainstream pop-culture, on at least a relativey underground scale. More and more convention goers cosplay as their favorite characters from their favorite animes, and thus, the cosplay and anime subcultures have been able to have enough influence to further the creation of conventions to accommodate for the increasing number of cosplayers.

Conventions in America often include both Cosplay and Costume contests. The Cosplay or "Masq." is a skit contest done in cosplay costume. This can range from a single person quoting a character's famous line (i.e: Spike Spiegal from Cowboy Bebop: "Bang") to a 10-member cast singing and dancing to the theme of Sailor Moon while in proper attire. The costume contest is often a test of skill, design, and audience reaction. The contestants are judged either before hand or on stage and then walk across said stage while the audience cheers. Winners of both contests often recieve prizes such as gift cards, trophies, and anime DVDs.

Competition has lead to the development of many cosplay groups that plan for conventions months in advance.

Trivia

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Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui as Edajima Heihachi.

Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui dressed up as the fictional character Edajima Heihachi of the anime series Sakigake!! Otokojuku. See . See also

Australian notes sourced from: *Kirstin McLean (2004). . Retrieved October 20, 2005.