For some people, costumes only come about during Halloween. For a certain segment of society… a “subculture” of it, costume play or “cosplay” is a 24/7 thing, or at least a monthly thing depending on which convention regarding science fiction or Japanese anime series they’ll be attending. While going into costumes isn’t necessarily an exclusive “Japanese anime” or even “Japanese” thing, the term “cosplay” is nevertheless the portmanteau of “costume” and “play” of Japanese origin (it’s pronounced ko-su-pu-re in the Japanese native tongue and is considered a performance art in Japan). With that said, it’s not only a Japanese phenomenon any longer.
Getting a “Walk-In” Cosplay Outfit Is Tougher Than It Sounds
This so-called performance art is elaborate and cannot be replicated with simple mass-produced little plastic masks and costumes from a retail store sold to kids and adults for Halloween. Some might even consider it fetish gear, but that’s a whole other topic of discussion that’s best addressed in another day. Acquiring a “walk-in” (that is, impromptu) cosplay is tough, especially if you don’t want to end up with some cheap knockoff Dracula Marks & Spencer Dracula costume while trying to pass it off as you cosplaying Dracula from the videogame series Castlevania. Or even an Indiana Jones costume you’re attempting to make look like Simon Belmont, the protagonist of the same game.
This is the reason why many of these cosplay costumes are custom-made, like a Saito Hajime costume created from a marching band uniform as well as a robot suit from Avatar made of cardboard, Styrofoam, duct tape, spray paint, and other miscellaneous items. At any rate, it’s certainly going to be a project of sorts, so unless you want to go the cheap route, you should gather as many seamstress and tailor friends/connections around to assist you in getting that perfect uniform from the anime/manga Attack of the Titans, complete with mock gas tanks and fake blades.
Getting the Right Cosplay Outfit Takes Work
The more elaborate the costume of the person you’re going as, the more problems you’ll be facing. It’d be simple if you’re going to a convention dressed as, say, Heidenberg from Breaking Bad, if only for the fact that yes, there are consumer-grade masks of him around that you can put on your head so that you can achieve the look of cancer patient chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin. However, you should keep in mind the dangers of “wardrobe malfunctions” like the one that happened to Janet Jackson during the Super Bowl. This is especially embarrassing if you’re female and you’re cosplaying a daring outfit.
That’s the issue when finding a specific female character to cosplay from films, video games, comic books, anime, and manga: The females, as a rule instead of an exception, tend to wear the skimpiest outfits that could “malfunction” at any moment because they come from a series mostly catering to the ogling eyes of boys. The girls without skimpy outfits, on the other hand, tend to have the most elaborate wardrobe, half of which you have no idea how they stay up (i.e., sleeves and bosoms having with invisible strings on your body). Just watch out for these issues.
