Nowadays, it seems like there are documentaries about everything. I wasn’t surprised to hear about My Other Me, an upcoming film about three cosplayers as they build, prepare and show off their new costumes in anime conventions. Who would have thought that cosplay, a term that emerged from Japan about wearing costumes and embraced by self-proclaimed otakus, could be worthy of a full length feature film?
You can blame the increasing popularity of Japanese animation in American pop culture and the Internet for that. Okay, so I don’t have hard statistics to back my opinion up, but I did spend my senior year in college “researching” the consumption and industry of anime in America for a sad excuse of a thesis. I spent a day walking around Anime Boston with my sister, where I took photos of Caucasian anime fans who were happy to pose for me in their miniskirts, wigs and Styrofoam accessories. My first opinion about cosplaying wasn’t very complimentary; as a Japanese person, I felt uncomfortable in what I saw as non-Asians appropriating my culture for their own entertainment. Before the word “weeabo” existed, I saw these people attempting to recreate an aesthetic without understanding where it all came from (and no, that wasn’t the land of Pocky sticks and Hello Kitty).
Last month, I was forced to immerse myself in a sea of cosplayers again at San Diego Comic-Con. I battled the crowds full of foam swords, oversize feather wings and oh-no-she-did-not-step-out-of-the-hotel-wearing-that outfits. I almost walked into a Naruto guy and a troop of Sailor Moon girls. Some girl was even in a full on Ghost in the Shell costume. And yes, it looked like she waxed. Anime wasn’t the only thing represented on the show room floor: there were Batmans, Spider-mans, Halo Spartans, Dr. Who’s and even a sexy Darth Vader (like, really??). Cosplay, I realized, was no longer something hardcore fans did. Cosplay was for everyone.
And that was okay. Although I do think that every cosplayer dresses up mainly for all the attention, I do believe the notion that anyone can be whoever they want to be is true. Like they say in the My Other Me trailer, “I like that I can be a completely different person.”
The documentary reminded me of the Knights of Badassom panel at Comic-Con, where director Joe Lynch said he was drawn to the script about LARPing (live action role playing) because of the energy, imagination and love that fans put into creating new personas. No one is 100% happy with who they are, whether it’s their appearance, personality, lifestyle or location. It’s okay to play pretend and it’s okay to pretend to be someone else, whether it’s an hour, a day or a four day long convention in San Diego. Everyone wants to be someone else. And with a little make-up and maybe 60 hours spent on sewing together an elaborate Legend of Zelda dress, you can!
So cosplayers, while I still make fun of you, I salute you. Go forth and be someone else with joy.
