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It takes intense concentration, hours of preparation and lots of sewing: Dressing as a Japanese character may not be an Olympic sport, but these competitors are the best in their field.
Teams from 36 countries and regions faced off in central Japan on Saturday, faithfully recreating the elaborate costumes, colorful hairstyles and major attitudes of their chosen anime, manga and video game stars.
The tournament was part of the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, a three-day event that attracted thousands of fans, many of whom were keen to show off their costumes.
“People are really into cosplay competitions,” said Lettie Shiels of the United Kingdom, who won last year’s competition with teammate Claudia Maw.
“We’re not just talking about weekends and evenings – there were many months where I probably averaged only four hours of sleep a day,” she told AFP.
The duo, who go by the stage names Tsupo and Clood, met in the cosplay community more than a decade ago and have watched their hobby evolve from a handcrafted DIY subculture to a global phenomenon.
Holly Churchill and Jasmine Churchill of the UK team take part in a rehearsal ahead of the 2024 World Cosplay Championships during the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on August 3, 2024.
Perfecting self-taught skills from makeup artistry to prosthetics, costume making and prop design is a key part of cosplay, which is a combination of the words “costume” and “play.”
In Nagoya, the competition is judged on the accuracy and quality of the contestants’ costumes.
“They’re very strict about it. You have a reference picture and everything has to be exactly the same. If anything is missing, you lose points,” Hills explained.
They then have to perform a two-and-a-half-minute character skit, which former champions Tsupo and Clood have been invited back to Japan to judge.
“I want there to be immersion. I want them to love the original,” Hills said, which will come through in the choreography, performances and visuals.
Irina Tsapreva (left) of Bulgaria prepares for the 2024 World Cosplay Championships with her team during the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on August 3, 2024.
– ‘Inner smile’ –
Despite the midsummer heat and humidity, large numbers of Japanese and international cosplay enthusiasts flocked to the city center for the annual event, which was first held in 2003.
Characters from popular manga such as “Naruto” and “Slam Dunk” pose in full-body costumes with other characters, including a fantasy mecha warrior from “Mobile Suit Gundam.”
There are some ground rules: no gore such as bloody cuts and bruises, no costumes that show too much skin or underwear, and no real-life uniforms.
Behind the scenes before the exhibition match, there was enormous pressure on the national team, each consisting of two players, to cram all their homemade equipment onto the international flight.
Contestants from 36 countries stand backstage at the 2024 World Cosplay Championship during the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on August 3, 2024.
Each team was selected in a national preliminary round, similar to the Eurovision Song Contest, and this year’s cosplayers came from places including France, South Africa, India, Mongolia and Thailand.
In a shared dressing room, Irina Tsapreva of Bulgaria, dressed as a character from the movie “Princess Mononoke,” busied herself with fitting her partner with realistic pointy ears.
“I love a lot of things about cosplay. First of all, I’ve always loved carnival and dressing up, so it’s like a holiday for me,” Sapreva said.
She has a master’s degree in theatre costume design, which helps her embroider the costumes with silk and make everything else from scratch, including assembling traditional Japanese wooden shoes.
But many other competitors have day jobs that vary from kindergarten teachers to medical innovators.
What started as a hobby turned into something serious for Henrik Pillerud, who created a giant, smiling, moving-eyes Totoro based on the 1988 Studio Ghibli classic.
“We chose it because it’s well-loved and iconic,” the Swede said.
Although it is uncomfortable inside the furry shell, “people are smiling and in a good mood,” so “you forget all the heat and weight, and you smile inside, too.” –AFP
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