We’ve all done it at one point in our life, dressing up as our favorite superheroes or mythical creatures for Halloween when we were younger; well to your disbelief, cosplay is exactly that. Cosplay is a combination of the words costume play. Cosplay is when one dresses up as their favorite comic book, video game, or movie/T.V. show character, creature, animal, or object. Anyone can cosplay what they like; cosplay is for everyone no matter what race, shape, or size you are. The purpose of cosplay is to have fun and find other people who have the same interests that you have. Cosplay is very popular all over the world, especially in Japan, where many young adults and teens cosplay their favorite anime (cartoon) characters. The U.S also has many cosplayers. Cosplayers in the U.S tend to cosplay things/people from American comics/T.V. shows, as well as Japanese anime characters as well.

Cosplaying is not as easy as it looks. Cosplaying takes a lot of dedication, hard work, and money, but in the end, the experience of cosplaying is extremely satisfying. Most cosplayers make their own costumes which is cheaper than buying a pre-made costume from a seller. Cosplayers who create their own cosplay spend countless hours working on everything from the hair/wig and makeup all the way to mimicking the persona of the character. Most cosplayers cosplay for big events where cosplay is the norm in order to fully submerse themselves in the culture. Attending Conventions is the best way to experience what it’s like to cosplay firsthand. Conventions allow you to get criticism and opinions on their cosplay, and join other cosplayers from the same television program or game and part take in photo-shoots.

  In America, cosplayers flock to Comic-Con, which is a pop-culture based convention. Comic-Con is mainly a Marvel/D.C. Universe oriented convention with gaming and T.V show exhibitions as well. Those who aren’t into American pop-culture attend Anime-Expo, which is the largest Japanese Culture based convention in the U.S. (Otakon, located in Baltimore, is also very famous). Conventions like Anime-Expo and Otakon focus on Japanese Culture, mainly Anime and Manga (Japanese cartoons/comic books). Cosplayers involve themselves in group and solo photo shoots to show off the results of their hard work.

Cosplay isn’t just a hobby; it’s a way of living for some. Fortunate cosplayers like Yaya Han and Alodia Gosiengfiao have their own cosplay stores, and the opportunity to participate in endorsement deals due to their cosplays. For many, cosplay is just a hobby, but for others, cosplay is a form of art.