Saturday, August 1, 2009

Japanese Cosplay as a Form of Art

By M. Kiromi

Japanese cosplay is simply a term for costume play as westerners call cosplay a masquerade. Cosplay covers virtually everything from uniforms, military, fantasy, science fiction, medieval to ones wildest dreams and imagination.

Japanese cosplay has spread globally, and all dedicated cosplayers can join social groups, as well as personalize your cosplay profile on various sites on the internet. You can literally be whoever you choose to, as well as acting out your chosen character with no repercussions or stigmas attached. This is now fast becoming an accepted practice worldwide.

Japan and most other countries have participated in cross dressing as well as cosplay in the sex industry. This is an age old practice where costumes have been used for sexual practices, and dressing up is used for sexual play which is commonly known as a sexual fetishism.

Browsing the internet you will find lots of pictures of people from all over the world showing off their creations, as well as contests and even lectures on cosplay. Both adults and children take part in cosplay. There is also cross dressing where men take the role of a female character. The Japanese are known for crossplaying. Body suits and masks are worn by the males and they are fully transformed into female characters.

In Japan there are specialized clubs that cater for the sex industry and these clubs are called image clubs. Staff working at the clubs; also dress up as animation characters. Both males and females cross dress while cosplaying.

Terms and conditions have been set by cosplay groups, that whatever character you have chosen to dress up as, you have to become the character, in words, action and nature. Japanese cosplay is not only dressing up and acting out, there are also a rich culture as well as tradition behind the character they have chosen to portray.

Japanese cosplay originated in Japan, and majority of cosplay still takes place in Japan. Cosplay is considered to be typical behaviour in Japan, and has spread across the globe just as anime has becoming a popular hobby and various print media features cosplayers.

However there are costumes worn without any conviction by Japanese cosplayers that westerners would not consider wearing as it would be culturally not correct like a Nazi uniform or any other uniforms worn by dictators in the past. Japanese cosplay does not only cover specified role playing but covers all kinds of obsessive fandom.

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