30th January, 2009

CORAL VASS

Japan

Who didn't love getting dressed-up as a kid, playing make believe and pretending to be someone else? Well, venture out on the streets of Harajuku, Shibuya or Akihabara, Tokyo, and you'll enter a world of the imaginary, role-playing, dress-ups and the outright wild. Japanese young people are hooked on 'cosplay' (costume play). You don't have to look far to see Lolitas; french maids, Alice In Wonderland characters, goths, punks, and otaku just to name a few.

LOST IN WONDERLAND: Alice In Wonderland is one of the themes favoured by those who participate in Japan's 'cosplay'. Here, Alice meets the Queen of Hearts in a colour illustration by John Tenniel in an 1866 version of Lewis Carroll's 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. PICTURE: Darren Hendley (www.iStockphoto.com)   "Cosplay is an avenue of escaping 'life'. It's an easy way to get a new life. It gives people identity and purpose, even if it's only in a video game or in a costume. I have found, like most people in the world, young Japanese are desperate for purpose and meaning in life. They are looking for a future. They want to know their life matters."

While you might be familiar with the french maid, Alice, gothic and even punk look, you may not be so au fait with otaku - Japanese slang for a fan of a particular theme, topic or hobby. One form of otaku in Japan is the anime or manga otaku. Anime and manga are a national phenomenon, a distinctly Japanese-style cartoon series found in book, magazine, TV and video game form. For some manga and anime devotees, identification or obsession with a single character is quite common, and cosplay helps bring this identification to life.

The weekly transformations take about two hours, with the local McDonald's quite often being the dressing room. Cosplay involves more than just dressing up on the day. There is a lot of planning involved; research, making or buying a costume, and then having photos taken and role-playing the character on the day.
It is an amazing scene to see!

There are many reasons Japanese young people chose to cosplay. For some it's a lot of fun and a hobby and for others it's about self-esteem and attention.

“Having people coming up to you wanting your picture really makes you feel good about yourself,” says one cosplayer on social networking site Gaia Online.

Another adds: “When you're in a costume, and you're really into it, you can take on the persona of the character. There is nothing that gives fans more joy than seeing a physical embodiment of their favourite character. And it's actually a great escape to feel like someone else for a little while."

While dressing up can be fun and gives an outlet for personal expression, for some Japanese young people, the life of cosplaying is more real than life itself! If you don't like the life you have, it's a way to escape to a different life.
For these young people, taking on a new identity or entering the world of fantasy involves more than just dressing up once a week. Dating simulations and role-playing video games with anime and manga characters have become extremely popular. Some Japanese young people have also been known to have an imaginary girlfriend who is an anime or manga character. An anime or manga character is seen to be “the perfect partner”, not only physically but emotionally. An imaginary character is safe, secure, and won't break your heart. One male fan said he had tried “the real thing”, only to be disappointed and hurt. Now he wears a wedding ring as a sign he is married to an anime character.

Another young cosplayer on Gaia Online says: “I'm actually quite shy, but when I'm cosplaying, I don't need to be me. I can be whoever I want to be! It's like you lose your identity and take on a new one. No one sees you as you - a person, they see you as your character. It's unconditional love without having to ever speak or show your real personality!”

Cosplay is an avenue of escaping “life”. It's an easy way to get a new life. It gives people identity and purpose, even if it's only in a video game or in a costume. I have found, like most people in the world, young Japanese are desperate for purpose and meaning in life. They are looking for a future. They want to know their life matters. That's why the words of Jeremiah 29:11 are so powerful when Japanese people hear them; the fact that the God of the universe has a plan for them; He offers a hope and a future. These words and the God who spoke them, gives new life that last longer than just a costume change.

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