Guest author Kondroid (and yours truly) are here with our third part of this year’s Comiket coverage – The Cosplay of Comiket!
No one is entirely certain who started cosplay, but there is little doubt about who perfected it. Japanese cosplayers are legendary in their design, creation, and modeling of one of the ultimate forms of fan devotion: dressing up and becoming your favorite character.
Cosplaying in Japan is a little different from cosplaying overseas. The cosplay community here is a tight knit group, with a very rigid set of self imposed guidelines in place to preserve the good name of the art. As was previously mentioned in our Guide To Surviving Comiket, one does not simply turn up to an event already in costume (as most of us would do at a western con). To walk around on the streets in costume is a major no-no in Japan. Cosplaying is to be done only in certain predetermined areas and only at certain times – so as not to “inconvenience” the general public by creating a spectacle. Similarly, certain costumes are only welcomed at the appropriate events, especially in the case of themed events (that means that while your Resident Evil zombie cosplay group would fit in perfectly at Tokyo Game Show, it wouldn’t be quite so well received at, say, a Hetalia meet up… unless the people at the event are EXTREMELY familiar with a certain game mode of Call Of Duty… which is highly unlikely).
The reason for such strict regulations is because cosplaying is often associated with Otaku in Japan. And in Japan, to be publicly identified as an Otaku is one of the worst fears many closet fans have. I won’t go into details as to why, as there are many a write up about the subject in existence on the internet already, but suffice it to say there have been some very bad things done in Japan by people who have been identified as Otaku. This is the main reason why the public at large do not hold them in very high regard (“fear and loathing” would be a better description of the popular opinion).
Regardless, the cosplay community in Japan seeks to restore some dignity to their hobby-lifestyle by exhibiting their skill at numerous cosplay events around the country every year. Comiket, as one of the largest cosplay events, is host to some of the greatest examples of high level cosplay you’ll ever see. At this three day cosplay extravaganza you’ll even be able to witness cosplay celebrities displaying their latest creations.
The cosplay sections of Comiket usually wrap up an hour before the actual con does, but there’s nothing saying the day is done for the people in costume. Across the street is a private cosplay event only open to those in character… or willing to fork out ¥2000 (USD $20) for entry. There, cosplayers are free from the prying eyes of the public to pose and shoot the night away. (This event usually goes until about 10 PM every night of the convention.) Afterwards, if you know people who know people, you might be able to find your way to the “dan-pa”, or “cosplay Dance Party”, which goes on to early morning. It’s here that you can see hundreds of cosplayers in a dark strobe lite room swaying to anime songs in an odd but amazing mass-synchronized routine that everyone somehow seems to be familiar with… no matter what the song is.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get to the private “after con” events, but Comiket itself had more than enough cosplay to feast our eyes on.
Check out our gallery from this year’s Comiket yourself! Enjoy!
