You're having that nightmare again. You are happily strolling around an anime convention, surrounded by your favourite voices and artists, when suddenly you feel the ground begin to quake. From across the hall the screams of fear fill your “disguised as cats'” ears so much it hurts. It is now you see the monster that is bringing all this terror to your happy time. It is a large peach bulk of a man, too overweight to fit through doors, yet who has somehow squeezed himself into a navy blue sailor uniform. Atop his sweaty head lies a cheap and tangled brown wig with crudely tied blue bows as decoration. To top off this bulging, perspiring nightmare, he carries with him a large and very real grey rat.
You wake in a cold sweat, the image of that tiny skirt that left nothing to the imagination printed on your mind's eye from now on. It haunts you, feeds on you, it will not let you go so you put theory to this creation. Clearly the beast was trying to change its gender and age, oblivious to the weight problems of wearing such a costume and holding a rat as a symbol of its undying need to stand out in a crowd. You decide to name this monstrosity: cosplay.
But look at life, if you will, from the eyes of the being. He is no monster, not in the horror movie description of things. He is simply Bob, a forty year old construction worker who's love of anime has made him the ridicule of his friends. Bob doesn't care what they think for he has many friends on his message boards. All Bob knows is that his love of Fruits Basket will never waver and he can only express his adoration of Tohru by dressing up as her. Not only that, he is an advocate for the love between Yuki and Tohru and carries a rat with him to show the world his OTP.
Cosplay in its visually most disturbing form, but with beauty in it's soul. Luckily for the world cosplay comes in many forms, in many sizes, shapes and costumes as well as many, many cosplayers. These people, who feel the desire to revert to their childhood and dress up, have many reasons why they do it. I have compiled what I believe to be an complete list.
The Accurate Cosplayer: This being puts a lot of effort into their cosplay. They know that sticking a sailor uniform on does not automatically mean you have achieved your desired character. The Accurate Cosplayer sees the beauty in getting all the smallest details correct and will heavily criticize those who do not meet their expectations. Their costumes can be very complicated with much work done, a good example being those who tackle game cosplays such as Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts characters.
The Realistic Cosplayer: Though this cosplayer may not have their costume as perfect as Accurate, they know the importance of accuracy. The Realistic picks a character who they believe they look like (as much as one can look like an overly enhanced animation). They will base their selection on age and hair/eye colour and where physically possible, weight. Thanks to their selective process, they are complimented on their cosplay. “Wow, you actually look like blank” or “if they made blank in to a live action, you could totally play blank” and the sort are often terms thrown at the Realistic. This pleases them, and some even come to find they have far more than just looks in common with their cosplay...many Realistics often move away from anime cosplaying to television and film based costumes. Anyone for another Aragorn?
The Dreamer Cosplayer: Our friend Bob. The Dreamer cares little about how much they resemble a character or about how accurate their costume is. The Dreamer cosplays for the love and the soul of the character. That is not to say others cosplayers don't have fun, but the Dreamers build a happy world around their cosplay and more enjoy the interaction cosplay brings as well as an escape from reality. The characters they pick are usually their favourites, and regardless of gender or look they want to be that character rather than just look like them. This cosplayer is usually heavily criticized for their lack of costume making skills. Such examples would be either Nana from...Nana, or Haruhi from the Melancholy of.
The Fangirl/boy Cosplayer: Probably the rarest breed of cosplayer. Their love is not so much based upon a love for the character they play, but for the character they would like to be with. This can sometimes occur when cosplaying as a pair or within a group. This breed is so rare because it is no so much based upon the love of dressing up, rather the love of showing off. That is not to put down the Fan cosplayer, for they still enjoy the interaction and the preparation, but the ultimate goal is not to bag an award, but to bag that boy/girl. Go on Misa, Light is yours for the taking.
The Roving Cosplayer: Who needs one reason to cosplay when you can have a few? Those who really take cosplaying to heart cosplay more than one character and there will be a reason for picking each. Let us meet another person; we shall call her Sakura. Now Sakura isn't a very tall person at all. She is fairly small for her age and less 'developed' than some of the other girls. Her hair is a light brown and her eyes are green. Therefore she plays that delightful little Cardcaptor as best she can, since her costumes are rather complicated. A year or two down the line Sakura has discovered a new anime and she has fallen in love with it. Naruto has everything she has come to love in an anime and even has a character with her name in it. So perhaps her hair isn't pink and she is still a little on the slim side to look like she can do martial arts, but she loves that Sakura and for a while reverts to red and white dresses. This does not last long however, for after a sudden growth spurt and a new anime to love, she is moving on. Tsubasa has brought that little Cardcaptor back in to her life but in a whole new form. With years of cosplaying behind her she throws all her effort into getting that Princess dress just right, and though she has since dyed her hair pink, she is willing to style a wig to make it all just right.
So there you have it my Otaku chums, the basics of cosplay. Though I am sure there are those of you who cosplay “just cuz” I hope others have seen themselves mentioned here. Bob may cause nausea in others, but in himself he is very happy and will cosplay for many years to come. That is what cosplay should be about above all things, you having fun (unless you're entering competitions, then accuracy helps). Nuts to those who put you down for being a brunette while playing Winry, defy those who say you aren't slim enough to be Sailor Mars, the finger to the one who pointed out the purple on your Yugi wig was the wrong shade of purple. Go out there and cosplay your little hearts out and only take it seriously if you really, really need to.
Side Note: Just as I expect you not to take this article too seriously. I have no intention of offending anyone and the views expressed above have come from years of cosplaying myself, a hobby I have now let go but one I still admire in people when it is done for the right reasons.
