Cosplay Costumes Online

Becoming a seiyu in Japan is just as prominent as becoming a Hollywood actor in the USA.  Seiyu are voice actors who usually make their way to fame through acting in Anime films and videogames, but also act in radio dramas, foreign film dubbing, puppet shows, and television narrations.  Seiyu are professionally trained voice actors, and becoming a successful seiyu is a very competitive task.

The seiyu industry is cutthroat and very difficult to make into.  Seiyu usually go through many years of training, or make their way up to being seiyu from other roles.  There are several different ways to become a seiyu, but even through the most extensive voice acting training, there is no guarantee for a breakthrough.

Many seiyu were trained by a privately funded drama group.  They would specialize in radio drama acting and foreign film dubbing.  Since television became popular, radio acting and announcing have become less desired seiyu jobs.  However, for many it is a good start.

A common way to become a seiyu is also from having acting experience.  It is common that young people who joined a theater company in high school, do acting in university or have attended a specialized school are scouted by people from the anime industry to become a seiyu.  If an aspiring voice actor is serious about becoming a seiyu, then he or she will attend a seiyu training school for several years after graduating from high school.  Attending a seiyu training school is the easiest path to becoming a trained seiyu, but with hundreds of aspiring seiyu enroll in a training school a year, the competition is very high to make it in the professional seiyu world.

Most seiyu begin working in their profession after at least graduating high school.  There have been few seiyu to appear with small anime rolls while still in middle school, but children seiyu are not at all common.  Japanese children are encouraged to study first, and then choose their professional career afterwards.  Children seiyu are also not needed because women most often play the role of a child in a film, videogame, or television show.  Good seiyu can play the role of any gender and any age.  The demand for highly versatile seiyu is another reason why the competition in the seiyu industry is so high.

Becoming a seiyu is not at all easy.  Seiyu must already have extensive training and experience before making their way to the big gigs.  Once a seiyu has made it into the industry, it is just as difficult to stay in.

A Samurai is a noble member of Japanese military and it is a part of history that has become a popular thing to see for a costume. Most of the cosplayers don these costumes as well and hence it is important to get full information about these people.

Samurais usually wore a hat called the samurai hat or the Jingasa. Jingasa gained popularity in the Edo period 1700- 1860. It was believed that this period was a period of peace and hence did not have additional protection on these hats from arrows and sword. The original samurai hats are said to be crafted in such a way that they can also protect the wearer from attacks. However, during the peace time the Jingasa hats became the symbol of a Samurai aka Japanese warrior.

There are various methods of creating hats through straw and paper as well. Some even use cardboard as a method of preparing samurai hats. The color of original samurai hats is usually an earthy tone, however when using paper or straw hats the color differs. Even the Jingasa hats had a tint of vermillion or even gold and black color as the base. There are even iron Jingasa hats available.

Cosplay is a youth subculture originating in Japan.  The moniker is derived from the words “costume” and “play”, and is believed to have been first thought up in 1984 by a Japanese studio executive named Nov Takahashi.  When he wrote for Japanese science fiction magazines about the impressive costumes worn by attendees at the Los Angeles World Science Fiction Convention, he gradually adopted the portmanteau term cosplay, which is used to describe the trend today.

The main feature of cosplay is that participants enjoy dressing up as their favorite characters from anime, comic books, and video games.  It has developed to include, particularly when adopted in the west, people dressing up as characters from popular non-Asian fantasy and science fiction movies and games, such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who and World of Warcraft.

As a fashion concept, cosplay has also been seen to extend towards a style of dressing up not only as established, famous characters, but as characters that the enthusiast has developed themselves.  This is often a crossover into the Japanese Lolita style of dress, where girls wear a distinctive, cute style.  This allows girls who like the look but do not want to fully adopt the Lolita style as street dress to enjoy the less serious “Cosplay Lolita” style at cosplay events and venues.

Additional trends and sub-genres in cosplay include “crossplay”, which involves wearing the costume of a character of the opposite sex, and participants called “dollars”, who wear full body suits and masks to play characters without their own faces on show, rather like sports mascots.

Cosplay is usually something that takes place at parties, concerts, conventions and venues where likeminded people meet to show off their (often hand crafted) costumes, socialize, and photograph other enthusiasts.  The most popular area for these kind of activities is the fashionable Harajuku area of Tokyo.  In the district of Akihabara, a number of cosplay themed cafes have been opened during the last decade to cater to the cosplayers, and the staff all wear anime themed costumes themselves.

Twice a year, hundreds of thousands of cosplayers flock to Tokyo to visit the Comiket convention and market – the largest event in the world for cosplay enthusiasts.

The concept of dressing up and of taking part in role play based around popular characters also exists in the west, where cosplay style outfits are worn to attend science fiction and comic book conventions.  The largest of these is held annually in San Diego.

In Japan, cosplay or kosupure (short for costume play) is one of the most popular forms of entertainment. Individuals, otherwise known as otakus – fans of this genre – take on the roles of their favorite characters from mangas (Japanese comic books), animes (animated Japanese cartoon shows), graphic novels, hentai, video games and fantasy movies.

The term alone is a broad overview of a much wider and more diverse culture, where these cosplayers or reiyas devote time and effort into perfecting their roles. It is not uncommon to see these individuals in public places like Tokyo’s Harajuku district for it is considered a popular meeting ground. Attention to detail from simple to elaborate wigs, make-up and costumes – many of which are hand-crafted – are the highlights of observing cosplayers as a first time visitor to the city. However, even though there are a wide range of characters, the most popular ones, and fan favorites, are maid and high-school girl uniforms.

Another popular trend amongst reiyas is the smoky-eyed look; most commonly seen with those who prefer the Lolita fashion. Although Western culture attributes the role of Lolitas to underage girls, in Japan, it is not regarded that way. Those engaged in Lolita fashion do not see themselves as cosplayers, but distinct trendsetters who take great pride in their craft, ranging from Gothic to Punk. However, the inspiration for their look comes from the Victorian era, and the ensemble is mostly composed of a dress or skirt of knee-length, a headdress, petticoat, blouse, knee-high socks and platform shoes. Lolita fashion, in Japan, was believed to have started in the 1960s, and today many high-end boutiques have devoted sections to this growing trend.

Another instance where one might see ‘costumes’ on the streets of Japan, is during the Coming-of-Age Day festivities. This is held annually on the second Monday of January, and it is a time when young people who have reached the age of 20, are officially recognized as adult members of society. Young women can be seen wearing brightly-colored furisode (a style of kimono with long sleeves) and zori sandals. Since these outfits are considered expensive, and a little difficult to wear, the women either borrow them from relatives, rent them and prefer to get prepared in local beauty salons. For the men, the traditional dark kimono with hakama is sometimes seen, although many now prefer to wear Western suits.