OTAKU: You may not want to use this word again after reading this. ^^
Otaku in Japanese honorific means “house”, or a person who almost never leaves the house due to being obsessed with a certain hobby or subject. it is a taboo word in Japanese as it implies misanthropy, manic obsession, and eccentricity. Surely you wouldn’t want to be called an anti-social, lifeless loser would ya?!.. XD
the word obtained a rather normal meaning when anime junkies outside Japan mistook the word as synonymous to ‘enthusiasm’, and since then, used it to describe a person who is an avid fan of anime, comics, cosplay, games and everything that chronicles Japanese culture. its dark meaning have slowly subsided through the passing of years, but for safety jargon’s sake, might as well say, “I am a huge ‘FAN’ of *insert title of anime/videogame here*”, and get triple star ratings, than say, "I am an ‘OTAKU’", and get hits for being such an ignorant dummy.. :)
COSPLAY: Enthusiasm beyond awesome!
Cosplay is undoubtedly the most amusing activity in the entire Anime Fandom. as we all know, it is a portmanteau of the words, “costume” and “role play”, and refers to both the costume, and the manner of dressing up and acting like a fictional character from an anime show, a video game, or comics.
some popular terms alongside ‘cosplay’ are:
Convention- a huge gathering of enthusiasts.
Con-goer- someone who frequents anime conventions.
anime- animation. cartoons. the 2d or 3d thingies you see ion tv or crunchyroll.
manga- aka comics.
action figure- miniscule figurines or dolls of an anime/game character mostly intended for display due to its expensive value. Gundam Mobile Suits (small scale robots) being the most popular.
Crossplay- when a person cosplays a character from the opposite gender. Yes! boys in plaid skirts ain’t rare in this craft.. so the next time you thought of crushing on a cute babe you see in a convention.. think again! XD
Costrip- a.k.a. ‘Cosplay Tripping’, when a person doesn’t cosplay any existing character but his/her costume suggests one, maybe an original character design or a school attire. I’ve seen a few forums over the net that say ‘costrip’ isn’t really a recognized label but more like an excuse by fans to conceal flawed cosplays. true or not, it’s still the radiating creativity on your costume that matters most.. correct?.. :)
Skit- refers to one’s acting performance. of course, a cosplayer is required to do a skit to entertain con-goers and photographers. the act must correspond effectively to the costume, meaning, Naruto must behave as ‘theee’ Naruto! unless someone asks for a fanservice.. haha! xp
Imba- short for ‘imbalanced’. although it means another thing in the Online gaming world, Imba is now widely used to praise a cosplayer for her magnificent, almost perfect cosplay.
COSPLAY IN CEBU
Cheers! we do have a booming community here. Cebu is lucky to have a bunch of unique individuals who enjoy Cosplaying. It has been practiced in the metro for quite some time and the number of attendees multiply every year! three of the most attended conventions are UP Otakufest, Archon, and HobCon.
you can lurk Cebu forums (e.g. istorya.net), Facebook fanpages and other blogsites for schedules of upcoming events.
Conclusion
Most cosplayers would agree that Cosplay is an artistic expression, a creative way of showing appreciation towards a hobby. Yes for totes and it’s no ordinary leisure!
Cosplay needs passion, time and effort to pull of an amazing masterpiece. the craft is even costly! but if you are resourceful enough, consider yourself saved. There are no standards in cosplaying except for this simple saying: “the closer you are to the portrayed character, the more attention you get from the crowd”.
and the most fundamental of all is to have FUN! that’s what cosplay is all about..
Jaa Ne! <3
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