His Other SelfThe Mind of a Cosplayer By Stephen Song Going to an anime convention was something that I was afraid to try out because I was afraid of people judging my interests in hobbies such as Japanese animation and video games. Nobody would ever consider doing anything at an anime convention in real life; this meant no dancing to Japanese theme songs or discussing favorite fictional characters in the “real world”.Yet, I was immediately entranced by the culture at a convention. The friendly vibe was contagious, evident through the spontaneous hugs I graciously accepted and the random strangers who I talked to as if they were my best friends. A wide variety of fans ranging from anime enthusiasts to celebrities in the industry meet

together at these conventions, and the vast majority of con-goers are those who dress up as their favorite fictional characters: Cosplayers. Cosplay, short for costume play, is one of the most popular activities at any convention. Cosplayers choose their favorite characters and make costumes to portray them, ranging from simple outfits thrown together from one’s dresser to elaborate suits of armor and embroidered dresses. I admired the guts of these cosplayers who ventured into public dressed up as their favorite fictional characters, yet I was curious about the art and appeal of costume design and cosplaying. Whenever he isn’t programming Android apps or

creating modifications for video games, Edbert Chan enjoys watching anime and working on his cosplay projects. Edbert thinks he is 19 years old, and he is studying computer science at Foothill College. He has been going to conventions for the past five years and has been watching anime and playing video games for even longer than that. The first costume that Edbert made was of Lelouch Lamperouge, the main character of the series Code Geass. Later on, he made a costume of Jin Kisaragi, a swordsman from the fighting game BlazBlue. Along with FanimeCon in San Jose, Edbert also visits other conventions such as Sac-Anime in Sacramento and an international anime convention in Hong Kong.

At every convention he goes to, there are dozens of

eager fans and photographers who want to take pictures of

Edbert and his costumes. Yet, individuals like Edbert are often

criticized outside of the convention scene for partaking in activities such as watching anime and cosplaying. Although the people who make up the activity of cosplaying are open and accepting, there are people who are afraid to participate in the activity due to not knowing what it is or being afraid to be seen doing it. Cosplayers similar to Edbert often face the challenge of encouraging others to go out in public and introducing them to the excitement of attending anime conventions. Anime posters lined the walls of Edbert’s bedroom, while

a computer with dual monitors provided the only light in the room. The guest room near his

bedroom housed Edbert’s costumes and convention purchases. As Edbert reached into his closet and brought out the costumes he created, my head started to hurt after thinking about the logistical nightmare of stitching the parts together. Along with Jin’s costume, Edbert also made a blade out of craft foam and sculpting paint. The blade was stored in a blue plastic sheath, and Edbert even got David Vincent, Jin’s voice actor in the game’s English adaptation, to sign it.

Just like any other form of expression that requires time commitment, the creation of costumes and cosplaying at a convention for others to see is tough yet rewarding. Cosplaying is a performance art, where people can view other people’s costumes and socialize while wearing them. Akin to

role-playing, cosplaying allows people to take on the personas of their favorite characters while showcasing their craftsmanship through their costumes. Edbert’s passion for anime started in middle school, a rough time in his life. “[Anime] provided me an outlet for my inability to cope with reality,” he states. “It’s provided me with a way of comforting myself, and anime’s been one of the things that’s been there for me.” Creative works such as anime, books, and music help people cope with their struggles, and comforts such as video games and anime provided Edbert with a way to make it through difficult times. During his high school career, Edbert spent his lunchtimes either in the anime club or in the library with his friends and laptops. They often talked about topics such as homework, politics, technology, and children’s card games. Large scale projects seemed to be Edbert’s thing; along with his costumes, Edbert also created several computer programs for the video gaming community. One of the large programs he wrote was a frame analyzer for a fighting game, an important tool in studying game mechanics. Another program he wrote was a griefing client for a game, which allowed him to connect to multiplayer games and cause havoc to the other players. Edbert was chuckling when he told me about that one.

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“There is some work ethic to it, where the appeal is working in order to

build something that others will appreciate. You’re doing it for yourself -

don’t get me wrong. But at the same time you want to show others, ‘This

is what this character is all about, and I want to become this character.’”

The anime fandom had some closeted supporters: those who were intrigued and interested in the activity but were too afraid to publicly show interest. Every year, the anime club goes into the school’s quad and does a dance, typically the cheerful and peppy “Hare Hare Yukai” dance. Onlookers stand and watch the brave dancers with a mix of embarrassment and discomfort. “Some of them give you a really funny look if you join in,” Edbert notes. “Some giggle and laugh and say, ‘What are these guys doing?’ But I talked to some of them, and they said, ‘Oh, that looks really fun. But I don’t have the guts to do it.’” Outsiders often avoid activities related to anime due to social pressure and risking their own

self images. Anime tends to appear as overdramatic and silly, especially when it is acted out in real life. Yet, at the same time, people can only enjoy hobbies such as cosplaying and watching anime when they feel free to act without being judged. The anime convention scene caters to those who are too afraid to show their passion for the subject in public. Rather than exposing oneself to people who dislike anime, con-goers can meet with other like-minded people who can mutually engage in anime-related activities. “If you’re going to an anime convention, everyone is a little bit crazy,” Edbert says. “You’re really only doing what you think is natural in the anime

community, and the vibe is very friendly and accepting. You’re being yourself. Nobody is going to be critical, and you can make friends.” During my first time at FanimeCon, I met up with Edbert after seeing his costume. When I spent time with Edbert, a variety of people from Nikon-slinging teenage girls to professional photographers asked Edbert to pose for pictures, to which he happily obliged. For Edbert and many other cosplayers, attending conventions in costume allows people to communicate to each other their visions on how they imagine themselves being the character they are portraying.

“People say it’s childish. First of all, I’m nineteen. Do you expect me to have maturities like fine wine

and cheese? At least what I’m doing isn’t that detrimental to myself. Down the road, all

these skills and these people and friends I’ve made will help me out. I’ve built

these connections that’ll help me out in life. It’s really a practical benefit to engage in anime.”

In contrast to his experiences at school, doing a dance at an anime convention proved to be one of Edbert’s favorite moments. “We went to the main hall of the convention center, and some random people started doing the Hare Hare Yukai dance. More and more people joined it. Some people started dragging their friends in, but nobody really resisted. It was fun doing things with people that you can randomly do like dancing. I got to meet some people too, and the people I’ve asked had a lot of fun with it. I met a bunch of people through the dance, and we found out about our mutual interests too. That’s when I found out that

you can do these crazy things and nobody’s going to judge you for it.” Anime conventions contain panels, which make up the intellectual side of an anime convention. From “Homestuck 101” to “Violence in Anime”, panels provide the time for con-goers to discuss and debate with thought-provoking topics. “It’s where everyone comes together and discuss certain aspects of anime. You show them that there are great things here, but if you want to zero in on an interest, you go to a panel, like being in the video game industry, making cosplay, or being a voice actor. It’s finding yourself, it’s finding out what you like in terms of an anime convention.”

Apart from sewing together ripped pants, the skills required to cosplay are beneficial to society. In works of arts such as in films or in theater, costume design is meant to spread awareness of an ideal. Historically, costume designers portrayed the personalities of characters such as Lady MacBeth in adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays solely through their appearances. Elements like culturally relevant costume design enhances the quality of the media we consume, and activities such as cosplaying help contribute to the cerebral nature of visual art. Although there are people who criticize the culture of anime and cosplaying, there will always be a larger group that supports these types of interests. The accepting and welcoming nature of anime and cosplaying makes it easy for people to jump right into it. Edbert will proudly attend anime conventions and create costumes, hopefully for a very long time. He certainly will relish the happiness and pride that all convention-goers experience.

-Edbert Chan