Cosplay

Know what it is?  Great.  Convinced that I just made up the word?  Then read this (I wouldn't count on Wikipedia as being the infallible authority of information, but it's a good place to start).

Now then.  Cosplay.  I like cosplay.  I like observing the costumes that cosplayers pour their very hearts and souls into. I enjoy laughing at the humorous and ironic cosplays meant to entertain the masses, and I especially love marveling at the costumes so gorgeous, so awe-inspiring, so masterfully crafted that they imbue even the most fictional characters with realness, three-dimensionality and life.

But I don't just like admiring other cosplays.  I like cosplaying myself as well...

If you picked up on my hesitance at that admission (the ellipses probably gave me away), it's really only because cosplayers, anime fans, otaku etc. get a really bad rap.  Honestly, I completely understand why.  Extremist fanboys/girls who have no grasp on reality, social decorum and personal hygiene make all of us look bad.  And awkward.  And smelly.

The thing is, there are a lot of people out there who cosplay and are completely normal (present company included, thank you very much)!  We haven't convinced ourselves that we've become whoever we're dressing up as.  We don't all stay "in character" when we're in the costumes and demand to be referred to as such.  We don't all shout obnoxious and random Japanese phrases.  We don't all snort asthmatically when we laugh. 

We all do, however, have enthusiasm, and for some of us, a passion, for great storytelling, artistry and transformational design challenges...  In short, people who love cosplay are people who love art and theater.

Oh, plus some people dig modeling as a hobby.  Particularly as cosplay modeling doesn't demand eating disorders... ba-zing!

Strictly in terms of dressing up at anime conventions, I haven't cosplayed a whole lot--I've done it 4 times, but I've only made 2 costumes for myself (I wore each costume twice, which may or may not be a faux pas in the cosplay subculture).  Even so, I've loved making my own costumes ever since I was a kid.  Halloween was more or less my favorite holiday because it was an opportunity to make a sweet costume that I knew no one else was going to be wearing.  Plus the candy was an added plus...

As the anime convention, Anime Central, is about to roll around again in May, I find myself without a cosplay idea for this year.  Considering I've worn both my costumes twice each, I refuse to wear them again--at least, anytime soon.  Unfortunately, I haven't really kept up with much anime either, so I'm afraid my pool of familiarity has run a bit dry.

There are plenty of female characters that I like, but I personally only like attempting the characters that I can at least achieve a vague resemblance to.  This is less in regards to facial structure and more in terms of physique. 

Before this potentially wanders into some uncomfortably murky waters, allow me to say that I know what I am and I know what I'm not.  I'm not a delicately thin (or even indelicately thin) little waif much less anyone with an enviable body, and I'm okay with that.  I would sincerely encourage people of any physique to dress up as whoever the heck they wanted to, regardless of what they look like.  However, it'll be a VERY long time (if ever at all) before I cosplay as someone who looks like one of the Sailor Scouts or Faye Valentine. 

The tricky thing is that there are very few characters in anime who have a larger build.  The few there are, are usually unimportant side-characters who often serve as comic foils.  Considering this, characters I take interest in cosplaying are usually from a series with a "rounder" artistic style, or a concept that welcomes a great deal of free interpretation.

With Anime Central being just over 1.5 months away, I need to decide (and quicky) whether or not I'll be cosplaying this year.  Honestly, I think I would be a little sad if I didn't.  But who would I cosplay as?  And if I cosplay, will I have enough time, energy and money to pull it off?  More to come when I'm not about ready to pass out at the keyboard...