Comments on: Ask John: Should Americans do Cosplay?

By: starcade

starcade — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:20:47 +0000

I think they’d keep them there if they weren’t cosplaying.

By: GATS

GATS — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:26:54 +0000

If Nabeshin can pose with American cosplayers at PMX, including one who, um, could have used a “roomier” kimono, then I don’t think the Japanese take the trend as seriously as some might suggest. So I’m guessing the reason they like accuracy is because they want to identify with the character on a personal level.

starcade: If the Japanese threw homely people out, then they’d lose the business of many of the otaku and fujoshi who attend those cons.

By: starcade

starcade — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:35:05 +0000

That situation with the show failing with restricting cosplaying to good-looking people might work in the US (and, as conventions become more cosplay events and less anime shows, you’re probably right about the US), but my understanding is that, in comparison, Japanese shows WILL throw you out if you aren’t good-looking enough. That was my point, and I apologize for not making it more clearly.

By: kampfer

kampfer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:25:05 +0000

I agree with John on the skits. They are generally terrible and under produced. I much prefer film parodies that allow the creators to make sure they get it right before presenting it. Besides, it lets me skip the rest if I think it sucks.

By: PockyBox.com

PockyBox.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:41:38 +0000

I agree with John totally on this. While there are some bad or embarrassing costumes out there, or things that might offend (I can’t count how many girls I’ve seen wearing short skirts when they aren’t used to them and end up providing some fanservice), the spirit of American anime fandom is expression and identity, and I’d find it far more offensive if fans were denied the right to show off their terrible costumes than the costumes themselves botching the characters the try to emulate. I would love to see professional costumes on most of cosplayers, but you’re simply not goign to get that from American fans.

The conventions starcade descirbes are ficticious, or at least won’t exist very long. The moment you start acting hostile towards the fan community for reasons that are superficial at best, they will turn their backs on you and your show will fail. Having run GarasuNoShiCon, I’ve seen bad costumes or costumes worn by people who were far too big for the character, yet the passion was still there, and to me, that’s what counts. In fact, our mascot is based on the ridiculous natural of a large, hairy man in a school girl uniform, so I may be bias, but it’s something that really stands out admist random catgirls and urban-inspired art.

Don’t be hatin’ on Sailor Bubba. I’ve met him. You don’t want to mess with him. Or Big Uncle Fuku for that matter.

By: starcade

starcade — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:59:21 +0000

As for the American-Japanese comparison: My understanding is that there are conventions where, if you cosplay and you aren’t at least a proverbial “7″ or so, they WILL _THROW YOU OUT_.

I think that’s where this discussion comes in. One has to wonder, especially as Japan continues to push the envelope, how much cosplay is also, shall we say, sexuality by definition…

By: starcade

starcade — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:57:30 +0000

No, but you should be thrown out of a convention if your cosplay makes a spectacle of yourself (be it risque or something like Man-Faye/that guy on the right side of your headline).

There need to be rules as to what’s allowed and what’s not. You decide to make a spectacle of yourself in cosplaying?