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By Nemelou Despuez, Contributor
Cosplay, which is a short term
for “costume play,” is a relatively new fashion genre in the
Philippines.
The origin of the movement can be
traced to Japan. It first started when Japanese started donning
costumes of characters from manga (Japanese graphic novel), animé,
tokusatsu (a genre of Japanese action films like Ultraman and
Godzilla), and popular video games.
The dynamics of cosplay events
are far distinct than Halloween parties because the cosplayers in a
way must really believe they are the characters they are portraying.
Cosplay attires are meticulously made and must be accurate in the
minutest details.
A controversial comment about
cosplay is that some of its costumes have strong sexual undertones.
This perception may have a connection to the notoriety of girly bars
in Japan with staffs dressed as schoolgirls, nurses, and in some
cases animé characters.
Jojo Dy, an event organizer of
Hobbiworx, a management company that promotes and organizes cosplay
events, comments that cosplay enthusiasts are generally viewed as
oddballs. “We are here to make people come out in the open, come
out of their closet, and make them feel there is nothing wrong with
this hobby of collecting costumes and acting out your favorite
character,” he stresses.
Dy relates that there only few
public events today where cosplay enthusiasts converge like online
and video games shows. Expounding on the popularity of the movement,
he adds, “It’s an event where people can be who they want to be
and wearing those costumes give them a momentary escape from
reality.” Cosplay dressing also gives individuals to relive the
bliss and whimsical dreams of childhood.
Pablo Bailan, a cosplay designer
and dresser relates that making a cosplay costume is a very
challenging task as most of the materials he uses are made of scrap
and recycled materials. Bailan has previous experience designing
mascot costumes and animé characters’ attires for television
shows.
Cosplay is divided in many
categories among them are: sci-fi, video games, movies, superheroes,
and comics. A cosplay category increasingly becoming popular is
“historical dressing.” This kind of costume play requires
extensive research on the history and details of a particular
attire.
The first Philippine cosplay
convention is scheduled on March 29, 10 a.m., at Robinsons Place,
Manila.
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