Cosplay is not that much of an alien concept as it appears to be! It simply means dressing up as an existing character, chiefly from popular anime, manga, video games, movies, even books! One may consider cosplay to be a life-adaptation of two-dimensional media, basically what actors do when they bring characters from animation, games and books onto the big screen.

The major difference is that most cosplayers, i.e. people who cosplay, make their own costumes, props and do their own make-up to transform themselves into the character that they are cosplaying!

What do cosplayers do after 'transformation'? This is a common question that people who aren't familiar with the 'cosplay scene' love to ask. It actually has an unbelievably simple answer - anything. One doesn't need any particular reason to cosplay apart from passion and there are no rules on what you should or shouldn't do once you're all dressed up. Cosplayers aren't entertainers, so they don't necessarily dress up to perform. In Japan, cosplayers are known to just don their costumes and hang out with fellow cosplayers on the streets together! 

Due to the complicated nature of cosplaying, most people restrict cosplaying to events and photoshoots. In Singapore, cosplayers usually attend anime conventions and Japanese pop-culture events like the EOY to meet fellow cosplayers and fellow fans. The more competitive cosplayers might participate in competitions where they will perform skits reenacting famous scenes that their character was in to win prizes and gain recognition for their costuming and acting skills. Cosplayers are usually required to roleplay as their character too, especially during competition performances, so cosplay is truly a hobby that requires lots of talent! 

Did you know that contrary to what many people assume, Cosplay actually originated from the West? Costuming has always been popular in the West - think Halloween, Mardi Gras, costume parties, theatre and the like. Then Nobuyuki Takahashi, producer and publisher of Japanese studio Studio Hard, 'imported' the idea of cosplay to Japan through Japanese science fiction magazines after he was impressed by costumed fans at a Science fiction con in America in 1984.

After that, the rest is history. Since the anime industry in Japan enjoys a huge following, dressing up as popular characters from famous anime series naturally became a trend. Popularity of cosplay spread to the Asian region. Meanwhile, following the increase in popularity of anime and manga in the West, cosplaying of anime and manga characters has also become highly popular in the West.

"If I don't cosplay, will I have fun at an anime or cosplay convention?" Of course you will. These conventions are great places for fans of anime and Japanese pop-culture to congregate and make new friends, and cosplayers are regular fans who enjoy mingling with like-minded people. Furthermore, cosplayers make great photography subjects. However, bear in mind that cosplayers are not obliged to amuse you or pose for you. Do respect their personal space when interacting with them!

When some speak of how they can't live without a certain website or forum, one tends to brush them off as net-addicts or no-lifers. Yet there are some online communities that impact us greatly, so closely connected they are to IRL that they are practically IRL.

I speak not of the over-rated Facebook, but of SGCafe, possibly the greatest resource for the Japanese pop culture scene and hobbyists in Singapore. When I was a typical Singaporean teenager leading a typically mundane life as a student, SGCafe ignited a spark in the dullness. Through this online portal, I found like-minded friends and discovered that our little island actually had a lot to offer when it comes to unique events dedicated to Japanese pop culture, be they small or grand. It would not be an overstatement to say that SGCafe opened a whole new world to my eyes.

Like many other SGCafe-ers, I was deeply relieved when, prior to SGCafe's announcement of a likely closure last year, VR Media decided to acquire SGCafe, allowing the forum to continue from where it was left off, but adding some new features and concepts to it.

In this sense, EOY is quite a lot like SGCafe. When the previous organizing committee decided to give up EOY, we took over the management because it was a pity to see such a popular event come to an end. It hasn't been a breeze. It was our first time managing such a large scale event, and we had to convince everyone that we were qualified. Not only did we have to maintain its caliber, but we also had to improve on it. 

SGCafe has been a great inspiration for us. Once they took over, they lost no time in daringly revamping the entire community, from reinstating the Marketplace to introducing new features to make it a bona fide one-stop news and resource on Japanese pop culture and gaming. My favourite feature is http://blog.sgcafe.com. I love how it makes you aware, at a glance, the latest jpop-culture events and offers in Singapore.

People say that "If it's not broken, don't fix it." But from another point of view, it stifles creativity, fun and progress. However, changing is difficult, and making major changes that are well-received prove an even greater challenge. SGCafe has taken on the challenge and become even better than ever. This year, EOY has also introduced many new features, not just to the event itself, but also to our website and registration system. Our new Featured Cosplayers section has received many hits and I urge you to check it out if you haven't already done so.

SGCafe has partnered with various J-pop culture related entities to provide the latest official news and coverage, and EOY is proud to be their official partner. We're looking forward to learning from each other to give you better access to all things related to the J-pop culture!

~ Article written by Angie Ng - EOY's editor


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