Cosplay! do you know?

Cosplay, a short term for "costume play." is an activity where fans dress themselves and act like the characters from anime (Japanese animation), manga (Japanese comic book), fantasy and video games. many of them choose to make their own costume from a scratch while others choose to buy pre-made outfits. Typically a group activity, gatherings of cosplay enthusiasts can be seen at events such as conventions and exhibitions around the world.

Nov Takahashi was the one who invented the word "cosplay". He was so impressed by the hall and masquerade costuming there that he reported about it frequently in Japanese science fiction magazines.

In Japan, there are some places to gather with friends that has the same hobby. Beside at public events such as game show you can also find some cosplayers (cosplay participants) at cosplay parties at nighclubs or in amusement parks. It's also very common to Japanese teenagers to gather and engage cosplay in Tokyo's Harajuku district. Another famous place for cosplay is Tokyo's Akihabara district (I really want to go there!). since 1998, that place has become the "paradise" for anime freaks and cosplay freaks. In that place you can find a lot of cosplay cafes where the waitresses there dress as anime characters or "maid" costumes are particularly popular. So if you go to Japan, don't be confused that cosplay is a typical behaviour in Japan, especially in crowded places because cosplay was originated in Japan in 1978.


one of the trends in cosplay is called "crossdress" where female dress as male characters while male dress as female characters. i don't really like this kind of trend especially for male crossdress. A fat guy acted as a cute girl... wow.. he really have a lot of guts to do it and when you see the picture, it can make me sick.



Cosplay in Indonesia

The first cosplay activity started in early 2000 when Gelar Jepang Universitas Indonesia (Indonesian University Japan Culture) added cosplay as one of its main events. It started attracting attention of a few youngsters who built their own costumes and showed them at the events.

Indonesian cosplayers form groups and that make dramatic presentations using their costumes, called a cabaret. The event is normally held by a university or local magazine. Cosplay events are frequently held in Jakarta, Bandung, and Bogor.

Cosplay in Indonesia is still not as great as in Japan because not all the people in this country knows what a cosplay is and it is still hard to find a cosplay shop in Indonesia. Cosplayer in Indonesia usually make their own costumes or buy the materials and give it to a tailor to make it.



to know more about cosplay, just try the sources that I use:
http://www.cosplayisland.co.uk/about
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay

or just google it.