International-Filipina Cosplayer or should I say "The Cosplay Goddess" Alodia Gosiengfiao have another appearance on a popular game blog Kotaku and this time, Alodia answers some of the questions about Cosplay and everything under the sun. And that brings me on the question, what is cosplay/cosplaying? Here are some definitions of some popular sites that I've found on the net.
Cosplay - short for "costume play", is type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea (Wikipedia)
A subculture centered on dressing as characters from manga, anime, tokusatsu, and video games, and, less commonly, Japanese live action television shows, fantasy movies, or Japanese pop music bands; To do cosplay (Wiktionary)
(Costume Play): A very popular activity during anime conventions, also referred to as masquerading. It consists of dressing up as an anime or video game character to participate in contests or simply for fun (Anime Academy)
Dressing up as anime and manga characters. Cosplay competitions held at conventions allow fans (known as 'cosplayers') dress up as their favourite characters, pose for pictures and win prizes. (Animetion)
Short for "costume play," this aspect of anime culture often draws attention at cons and anime clubs. Basically, it is dressing up as one's favorite anime (or in some cases, video game or movie) character. (Animeforlibraries)
On that article, some of the questions were already answered by Alodia from the past mini fans day and events here in the Philippines but as I've read the whole article, every little answers of her makes a unique meaning. For her, this is what cosplay is all about - "It's not just dressing-up.". You can read the full article here.
On the end note, some may called cosplay/cosplaying a weird thing to do but for some enthusiasts like me it's a self-confidence booster that when you're portraying an anime or a game character, you feel like you have the power or should I say guts just like the character that you're portraying. Also on cosplaying, creative and emotion are always present. Almost forgot to say thanks to Mike Abundo for sharing the link in Facebook (Give me five!).
