(Note - this post is part of a series from Genjitsu's personal LJ, but since it is cosplay specific, people would probably be interested in reading and discussing it here)



Ok, the post you guys have been waiting for - while I had my fun in Japan the beginning of the week, TGS went from Thursday to Sunday, so that was time for "work". I attended the show as Press, which meant I was able to go to the show on Thursday and Friday when they were still closed to the public. This was a blessing since it allowed me to try out all the stuff without waiting in too long lines. I also got to experience the Japanese cosplay "scene", which will be what most of you are interested in, as it is a definite culture shock.

Saturday and Sunday are open to the public, which means that's when the cosplayers show up. It sounds a little obvious, but they really do treat cosplay differently in Japan. Some circumstances on Saturday made me take less pictures, like my battery dying and not being able to find my second one, but it was more the way things were handled that threw me off. As a disclaimer, these are strictly my observations - I don't visit Japanese cosplay sites like Cure, and I generally just stick to whatever's posted on ACP, so what I say may not be all that new or surprising to you guys, and feel free to correct me on any false assumptions.

First off, cosplay is limited to one area in the convention - there's a large open space between the two main halls of TGS that's designated as the cosplay area. Barricades divide up the area into three sections, with spaces inbetween the sections for attendees to walk through without disturbing the cosplayers. Having been to Comiket I already expected that, and it's certainly a convenience - since you can't take pictures of cosplayers outside this area, you basically only have one spot to worry about. I almost wish American cons would adopt this - it's far easier than having to run around an entire hotel or convention center in the hopes that you didn't miss anything. There is a designated changing area for the cosplayers, shielded from the public, and while the show itself runs from 10 AM - 5 PM, realistically the cosplayers are there only from 11 - 4, to give themselves time to change in and out.

So in this cosplay area, the cosplayers will take up spots against the wall, gallery style. Here's the biggest culture shock for me - photographers will line up to take pictures. As in, each cosplayer gets their own line of photographers. If you try to take a picture and you're not in line, it's generally frowned upon - if the cosplayer catches you they will put their hands up in an X, or will turn their back to you. Once it's your turn in line, you get a one on one session with the cosplayer right there to take your pictures. You can take as many pictures as you want during your turn, but as a common courtesy you don't take TOO long.

My next surprise - Japanese cosplayers actually know multiple poses! Besides the in-character ones, they will have memorized at LEAST three to five generic poses. And for the most part they're not dumb poses either - they're designed to make them look good, and coincidentally (or not), cover any panty shots. (Just a random observation, really!) You have NO idea how refreshing this is for me - I've lost count of the number of times at an American con where people just give me a blank look or ask, "Uh, how should I pose?" Seriously, I almost want to make a PDF of poses for cosplayers and have cons print them out. You can request your own poses, but otherwise you can just stay quiet and give them a quick acknowledgement to change to a different one. If it's a group of cosplayers, you can request different pairs or specific ones, but some pairs will not allow you to break them up (as in, no individual shots).

Contrast this with the American con scene - while some cosplayers are good about knowing poses, generally it's up to the photographer to position and adjust them. In some ways it makes sense - since you don't know where your picture will be taken (broad daylight, indoors, etc), photographers are generally more trained to adapt to the setting to give you the best possible shot. The point still stands though - as a cosplayer, having your outfit done is only part of the process. If you cannot research and know in advance at least some in-character poses from official art, then you're doing yourself a potential disservice when unflattering shots appear.

After a certain period of time, the cosplayer will leave the spot, either to camp in a different part of the cosplay area, or to just let other cosplayers have a turn at being showcased. And while the cosplayers are there for you, there is still very much a mentality of "us versus them" - basically if you're a cosplayer, they will let you skip the line to take some shots, since they understand that you may have your own line to deal with. They will also ask other cosplayers to help take their pictures, instead of other con goers or photographers. Not that I can blame them really, since a lot of the photographers and fans aren't exactly the hottest looking bunch - some of them make me look like a rock star pimp (not that it's very hard to do that mind you).

Obviously some of the more popular cosplayers will have LONG lines (This one had a wait of 40 minutes), so it becomes a matter of prioritizing which ones to photograph, and doing a lot of time management. I found this aspect particularly frustrating - since my style is convention gallery, it's silly for me to wait 20 minutes to take just one or two shots. Some of them were actually confused when I didn't take more. I could've pulled the gaijin card and just take the shot out of line, and in one or two cases I did, but I feel obligated to respect their customs. The Chinese photographers were really bad about this - besides butting in the front and taking shots to the side, some of them would take FOREVER when it was their turn in line.

Sometimes the cosplayer will take a break to touch up their make-up or use the restrooms. If they are done for the day, or are about to take a long break, they will do a "last call" of sorts, basically letting the photographers surround her and doing a countdown to let them take shots. I gotta admit, this particular aspect was frightening - you have this cosplayer basically barricaded by photographers, and there is probably only two to three feet of space separating them. Sometimes you can't even see the cosplayer from a distance - all you saw were photographers surrounding SOMETHING, like a pack of vultures. The fact that the cosplayers are comfortable with this is quite impressive really, as that would never end well at a US con.


The other notable difference is obviously, variety - it was great to see costumes that you just don't see in America. I mean, it's silly to say this when you're talking about cosplay in the country where the source material originates from, but really, it's definitely not the mix you'd see at American cons. Being the Tokyo GAME show, 90% of the cosplay is game-related. Dissidia was really popular there since the Universal Tuning version was just announced, but you still had a healthy spectrum of games represented. It's as if this show redeemed all the times I said to myself while at an American con, "Man, I really wish (insert title here) cosplay was represented".


There's also what I called "otaku aggros" - series that aren't particularly new or noteworthy in terms of design, but because of the source material, still attracts huge numbers of photographers. Some examples include Iroha from Samurai Shodown, Dream Club (a hostess club simulator on the Xbox 360), Rio (a mascot for pachinko machines), and KOF females. Definitely some good Basara cosplay there, and then there was Monster Hunter.



It's no accident that a large chunk of the ACP gallery is dedicated to that - Monster Hunter is HUGE in Japan, and there are so many fantastic outfits for it. I really, really wish the series would pick up steam in the US, because there is almost endless potential for great cosplay from it on the American side. Hell, TGS it's inspired me to pick up the game now for the PSP, and I gotta find an online place to pick up the artbook.

So if I were to sum up Japanese cosplay, it would be "systemized" - because there are definitely not as many cons in Japan as opposed to the US, everything is handled in the most efficient way possible, for both the cosplayer and the fans. I'm not judging it as a good or bad thing, just simply a different perspective than what we're used to. I've already mentioned that the queueing up for a cosplayer was annoying, but on the flipside, you're pretty much guaranteed a photoshoot session as long as you wait. While the photographer's creativity is limited by not being able to take the cosplayer elsewhere, it also means the cosplayer doesn't have to worry about any particularly awkward or sketchy situations since you're always in a public space.

The way a local friend explained it to me, the mentality is that the cosplayers do photoshoots on their own time, outside of a convention, to post on their personal sites. When they're at a show, it's more of an opportunity for fans to get to see them in person and allow them to take their own pictures. That's not to say it doesn't happen - some of the cosplayers told me to wait while their photographer got the first shots. Just that the "schedule photoshoot with X number of photographers at this con" mentality in the US is not common there. In the US, cosplayers flock to photographers; in Japan, photographers flock to cosplayers. There are also not as many opportunities for cosplayers to gather over there - whereas we have more and more conventions every month, in Japan you're basically limited to Comiket (twice a year), Wonder Festival, and Tokyo Game Show. There are smaller cosplay gatherings, but they are usually focused on, erm, "pairings"...

Also, this should go without saying, but just because you're a Japanese cosplayer doesn't mean you're automatically perfect. The quality can vary, and some costumes I've definitely seen better on the American side. Again, this is a drawback with systemizing everything - yes, a lot of the stuff can be bought, but then you don't get as many of the flashes of brilliance or creativity that you would see at say, Dragon*Con. But perhaps there are a few things that we could take from them. *COUGH*LEARN MORE POSES*COUGH*



That's a lot of material for you to digest, but feel free to reply with any questions - I'll leave off with two humorous observations:

1. The trademark ACP shirt works even in Japan - when I approached a pair of cosplayers, they told me they were taking a 30 minute break. I went and took some other pictures, and when I came back, there was someone already waiting. As I lined up behind him, a person who I assumed was their escort started telling us that they were no longer accepting pictures. The cosplayers saw me and called out to their escort, "Ah, pinku daijoubu desu! Kochi Kochi!" (Oh, pink is ok! Come here!)

2. Omi is actually super nice and friendly! Seriously, I was a little scared of meeting her because I thought she was going to be glaring at me and being the mean psychotic girl, based on what she usually cosplays. That's not to say the huge line of photographers WEREN'T glaring at me as I skipped the line and spent about 15 minutes chatting with her...