Its huge costume parade is a bizarre yet entertaining procession of 2D characters marching through a shopping mall and in front of a shrine.

Like Akihabara in Tokyo and Nihonbashi in Osaka, Ohsu district in Nagoya is becoming a center of this subculture. Besides cosplay competitions, photo shoots and costume parades are open for general costume players to participate. The annual World Costume Play Summit in Nagoya is the main event for enthusiastic costume players. This group play is very popular in Japan.Ĭosplay events take a variety of forms, including comic (manga) markets, dance parties, photo shooting sessions, etc.

They get together with other cosplay friends who are recreating the same work (manga, anime, etc.) to form an awase (ensemble) that brings the whole drama to life. Such production can take up to several months to complete.Ĭostume players pose for the camera, making faces and gestures just like their favorite characters. Recently, many fans craft elaborate robot or full-body suit costumes (living doll). Cosplay enthusiasts love to make full costumes, using easily available materials such as cloth, vinyl, plastic, urethane, etc. Wigs, colored contact lenses, and makeup are often utilizedĪs well. Cosplay includes various genres like manga, anime, games, vocaloids, fantasy novels, heroes of live action series, samurai dramas, etc.Ĭostumes and small gadgets are mostly handmade. Kosupure (cosplay) is the abbreviated term for“costume play,”which refers to wearing“character”costume and playing the part.

Otaku desu koe no katachi