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Transformative hobby: Going for gold at Japan’s World Cosplay Summit
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Transformative hobby: Going for gold at Japan’s World Cosplay Summit

AFP

NAGOYA, JAPAN—It takes intense dedication, hours of prep and a whole lot of sewing: dressing up as Japanese characters may not be an Olympic sport, but these competitors are at the top of their game.

Teams from 36 countries and regions faced off in central Japan on Saturday, having faithfully recreated the elaborate outfits, colorful hairstyles and all-important attitude of their chosen anime, manga and video game stars.

The championship is part of the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, a three-day event that draws thousands of fans—many keen to show off their own costumes.

TOPSHOT – Team Britain’s Holly Churchill and Jasmine Churchill take part in a rehearsal before the world cosplay championship 2024 during the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

“People really commit to cosplay competitions,” said Lettie Shiels from Britain, who won last year’s contest with her teammate Claudia Maw.

“We’re not just talking about weekends and evenings—I probably averaged about four hours’ sleep for a good number of months,” she told AFP.

Britain’s Holly Churchill prepares in the dressing room before the world cosplay championship 2024 during the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

The pair, who go by the stage names Tsupo and Clood, met in cosplay circles over a decade ago and have seen their hobby transform from a crafty, DIY subculture into a global phenomenon.

Perfecting self-taught skills from make-up artistry to prosthetics, dressmaking and prop design is a key part of cosplay, a combination of the words “costume” and “play”.

Bulgaria’s Irina Tsapreva (L) prepares with her team ahead of the world cosplay championship 2024 during the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

In Nagoya, contestants are judged on the accuracy and quality of their costumes.

“They go pretty hard on that. You have a reference picture, and everything has to be exactly the same. If anything’s missing, you’ll have points docked,” Shiels explained.

Then they must perform a two-and-a-half minute skit in character, which former champions Tsupo and Clood have been invited back to Japan to judge.

Team UAE members put on make up in the dressing room before the world cosplay championship 2024 during the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

“I want to feel immersed. I want to feel like they love the source material,” which will shine through in the choreography, acting and visual effects, Shiels said.

‘Smiling inside’

Braving the mid-summer heat and humidity, crowds of Japanese and international cosplay enthusiasts throng the city center for the annual event, which was first held in 2003.

Cosplay fans pose for photos outside the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

Characters from top manga comics such as “Naruto” and “Slam Dunk” pose for photos next to others in full-body get-ups, including the fantastical mechanical fighters from “Gundam”.

There are some ground rules: gore such as bloody wounds and bruises is forbidden, as well as costumes that show too much skin or underwear, and any real-life uniforms.

Behind the scenes ahead of the performance round, the pressure is on for the national teams, each formed of two competitors, who have squeezed all their homemade gear on to international flights.

A cosplay fan poses for photos outside the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

Each team is picked at national heats, similar to Eurovision, and this year cosplayers have traveled from places including France, South Africa, India, Mongolia and Thailand.

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In one of the shared dressing rooms, Irina Tsapreva of Bulgaria, dressed as a character from “Mononoke”, is busy affixing realistic looking pointy ears to her partner.

Britain’s Jasmine Churchill adjusts her costume in the dressing room before the world cosplay championship 2024 during the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

“I love many things about cosplay. First of all, I have always loved carnivals and dressing up, so this is like a holiday for me,” said Tsapreva.

She has a master’s degree in theater costume design, which helps when embroidering her costume with silk and creating everything else from scratch, including assembling traditional wooden Japanese shoes.

Cosplay fans pose for photos outside the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

But many other competitors have varied day jobs, from a kindergarten teacher to a healthcare innovation worker.

Cosplay began as a hobby but is becoming more serious for Henrik Pilerud, who has created a huge, smiling, “Totoro” creature with moving eyes from the classic 1988 Studio Ghibli movie “My Neighbor Totoro”.

TOPSHOT – Sweden’s Henrik Pilerud, inside the Totoro costume, and his team member Victoria Christensen (R) pose during an interview with AFP ahead of a rehearsal before the world cosplay championship 2024 during the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

“We chose this because it is beloved and it’s so iconic,” the Swede said.

Even though it’s uncomfortable inside the furry shell, “people are smiling and being happy,” so “you forget all the heat and the weight, and you’re just smiling inside here as well”.


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