My Japan Style of the Week

    

 [FF7 Cloud Strife Cosplay]

COSPLAY!!!!

 For those who are not familiar, cosplay is short for "costume play." It is a type of performance art in which participants wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often  drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and Sci-Fi as well as other pop-culture. Favorite sources include manga, anime, tokusatsu, comic books, graphic novels, video games, and fantasy movies. Any entity from the real or virtual world that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. It is not unusual to see genders switched, with women playing male roles and vice versa. So don't getmad if your son dresses like Princess Peach he is just having fun or making fun.

Here in the U.S you can usually see cosplayers walking aorund when a comic-con, anime conventions, or something of the sort is in town. No one really knows how this trend started for it is a mystery. Some say a girl in Japan started it when she dressed like her favorite character in an old manga. Others say it started in the U.S. with the whole Star Wars and Star Trek convention...I don't really care when it started I'm just glad it did because it is a very fun 'hobby,' or whatever people want to call it. 

Yes I too haveexperienced some form of cosplay. Just this year in highschool for senior Halloween, I have dressed as Robin. I know I'm not a boy but he is really awesome...especially in Teen Titans!

I was even storm a couple of years ago.

I have yet to dress as my favorite anime character but I am geing there! As soon as the next comic-con hits in DC!

So why not try it. I'm sure all of you have some favorite character. Go ahead and just go for it..You might have fun! Real of unrealistic character, from the A-team to Batman you can be anyone you want! Hey be your 'own' superhero if you want!