At the end of the day, after all the time and money that goes into it, I’d say it was definitely worth it” says Andrea Chy, just one of the many involved in the latest movement to hit the city. Short for “costume play,” Cosplay is a world of its own.  In Cosplay, fans dress up (and often in the most extreme sense) to portray a character from a favorite work of fiction. The characters can come from their beloved Manga (Japanese comics) or Anime (Japanese animated cartoons) but can also include any fictional character from popular culture like Harry Potter or Star Wars.

While Cosplay is Japanese in origin, the practice has been around since superheroes hit the comic books. Nobody can really say for sure how it all started. The only thing we do know is that the term “Cosplay” was coined in 1984 at the Los Angeles Science Fiction convention “Worldcon” to describe exactly what was going on.  The characters they portray may be purely fictional, but the hype that surrounds Cosplay is very real.

Whether you see them as performance artists or die-hard fanatics, those that attend these Cosplay conventions are the dedicated people of the anime community; among them, most notably, the Cebu Cosplayers Club. After all, they’re all volunteers. No expense is spared in the character’s costumes. Expect to shell out between PHP 3,000- PHP5,000 for just a wig! A custom-made costume should set you back by over ten grand, at least. As David Cua, another avid Cosplayer puts it: “You express your admiration through time, effort and money.” With the amount they spend for costumes, one can’t help but ask: just what is it about Cosplay that draws these people in? Why do they do it?

“It’s a form of escape, it’s like you get to be someone else for a day,” says Andrea, “It’s all about the experience like stepping into another world. To Cosplayers it’s all about perfection,” says David. Either get the look right, or don’t bother Cosplaying at all is something any avid fashion enthusiast can relate to. “It’s about showing your admiration for the character. You don’t just have to look the part, you have got to portray the essence of who they are; their personality and morals. It’s like you’re indirectly telling others just how much the character has influenced you in some way,” says David.

Cosplay is a little more than just people playing dress-up. “It’s a whole other culture,” according to Jessica Ouano. The rising culture owes its roots to Japanese pop culture that has blossomed uniquely on its own. The fashion is both directly influenced by, and influences modern Japanese street fashion. It’s a form of role-playing that adheres to a code of ethics and morals revolving around camaraderie and good clean fun. At events, they pose for photographers, and onlookers are free to have their pictures taken with them at any time. “It’s not something you can put into words; you’d have to be there to describe it,” says Andrea.

Being a Cosplayer is a membership into an eccentric community. Andrea shares, one of Cosplay’s perks; “I can meet more people I can relate with, it’s fun to get together with people who share the same interests!” The phenomenon has also created communities such as the CCC (Cebu Cosplayers Club), GECCO (Gathering of Enthusiastic Cebuano Coplayers), and CARF (Cosplay and Anime Related Friends).

Call it a trend, a movement or a culture, Cosplay is many things to many people. Regardless of what it is, one thing remains clear: like the sticky Japanese rice, it’s here to stay.

by Kairos Alo sittings editor David Jones Cua photography Anne Lorraine Uy lighting assistant Ryan Salvatorre Riveral

fashion styling Mia Arcenas and Alyssa Lao hair stylist Mae Gonzaga  make-up artists Joe Branzuela, Arianna Gajudo, and Christine Francia models Jessica Ouano, Yuki Akai, Miles Semblante, Ed Buenaviaje of LINES production assistant Rizbelle Ostrea 

locale Bubble Bee Tea House, Family Park documentation Trishia Lim