Eastern or Western?

**Guest** Guest

Ok, so.

I notice that there is a HUGE tendency among NZ cosplayers to go for anime/manga characters for their cosplay. As evidence I provide:

The planned (and advertised) for Aucks this year include Bleach, Chobits, Naruto, KH, FFVII, Card Captor, Inuyasha, Pokemon, Phoenix Wright, and others. In fact, according to thishttp://forum.cosplay.co.nz/auckgeddon-f7/the-great-2008-cosplayers-database-who-s-cosplaying-who-t724.htm list there is a grand total of ONE cosplay of Western origin planned for Auckgeddon.

Don't take me wrong, I have no problem with anime/jpop/manga/FF characters. Especially from a cosplay perspective; some of them have the most amazing costumes. Many of them are on my list of "to do at some point, when I have more dollars than sense".

But when push comes to shove, of the two cosplays I've actually had time to make in the last two years, they've been from Hollywood. Coz those are the ones I've REALLY wanted to make.

So: Discuss. Are you guys actively choosing Japanese characters? Or is it simply a funny statistic?

By **JVCA**. 28/07/08, 04:04 pm

Just a funny statistic. I'm just more interested in eastern stuff, so I end up cosplaying as eastern stuff. n_n;

By Pseudonym. 28/07/08, 04:40 pm

While I like my fair share of western stuff as well as anime/manga, to me the characters in anime seem more fun to cosplay as, because they usually have crazy hair and outrageous costumes - makes things more fun! ^_^

By Grassangel. 28/07/08, 05:32 pm

To be honest, anime/manga is the first place I go to to look at for prospective cosplays. I usually find something there, so I don't bother with going further afield. (Or at least get distracted by how pretty/complicated the CLAMP outfits are. HOMG, do want but they're so hard...)
That, and I fail at movies. :O Same goes for TV series.

And, besides superheroes, there isn't much in comics/graphic novels that is instantly recognisable. (Owly and Sandman are cool, but Owly's an owl and unless you were an Endless or one of their cohorts, probability of being recognised instantly is slim.) Or that has non-skintight outfits. *laughs*

Books are... weird. Especially if the character has never been illustrated or given a very concrete description. You have nothing to work off except the image in your head. The only book based cosplays that I've seen pictures of off the top of my head are HP, LotR and Discworld.
I'm tempted to do Tris from Winding circle now though~

I know that when my friends were discussing possible outfits, two chose non-anime/manga. But we choose on practicality, so I'm not sure if that fits... Laughing

Part of the problem I think is that in movies/TV/books, so many of the characters are ordinary and... just don't have the pretty outfits.

**Guest** Guest

Well I'd have to agree that the costumes for most TV is kinda plain, even for the sci-fi and fantasy ones. I mean, Buffy? Heroes? And while Trek is distinctive, well it's BORING. Books are also a pain.

But I think if you're having trouble finding interesting and distinctive costumes in Western comics and movies you're not reading widely enough and watching the wrong kinds of films!! Although the tights are an issue lol.

And instant recognition is a function of who you are with. At the WCP there was a girl who had never seen ANY KH or FF. At a comics con you could go as 2nd rank bad guys and be recognised instantly.

And in any case, many of the costumes that get done from anime/manga are pretty much plain clothes anyway. L is a hugely popular cosplay BECAUSE people can pull it out of their closet on 2 minutes notice.

By kyokyogirl. 29/07/08, 12:58 pm

Wow this almost feels like an essay topic lol. 'Discuss' XD

I have thought several times about doing western stuff (eg HP, and for some weird reason: Leisel (sp?) Von Trap from 'The Sound of Music'), but then I discover a new anime and thus a new fav character which I MUST do.
So I suppose the western stuff for me is second rank...to the anime stuff.
I also love the awesome hairstyles and colours a lot of anime characters have, *squee* I just bought a purple wig XD

By Willuknight. 29/07/08, 01:02 pm

theres always avatar? and the lemmings guys from wellington!

By **JVCA**. 29/07/08, 01:26 pm

The lemmings guy totally rocked my socks.

By Grassangel. 29/07/08, 02:06 pm

u_ne_korn: I probably have been watching the wrong movies. *always goes to the thriller section in the video store* Although I would kill to see a MirrorMask cosplay. Which'd be easy to pull off actually, just make a mask and a long-tunic and you're away~
I'd like to think I read a wide range of comics/graphic novels, but I probably don't... (In which case, any reading suggestions?)

Eeee, most of what I know about KH and FF is by osmosis...

I suppose it's then situational how you know a person is cosplaying and that who doesn't really factor in. Which sounds very meta.
(I still want to see if I can ever find a manga/anime that has a school uniform like any of the schools from around Wellington. Just so I can giggle when I see them on the train/whatever.)

By Katie. 29/07/08, 02:15 pm

"Cosplay" is kind of a Japanese-influenced term. While westerners certainly dressed up as western characters before any eastern influence, the term "cosplay" was coined by a Japanese person, in Japanese, so it's kind of natural that people who use the term ally themselves with that culture.

Then again, it was coined in a response to a western event, so maybe it's kind of moot..

**Guest** Guest

Helena post-"why do birds" is on my list. Although bunny slippers and pj's would be easier :-D. But I have a contacts phobia and can't juggle so it would be kinda lame. And Valentine would be relatively easy but still distinctive.

Distinctive characters from (Western) graphic novels: there's a bunch in Alan Moore's "Top-Ten" (on the list), V and his cronies but Hollywood has kinda usurped them. 300 (prizewinners, though probably based on the movie as they were usually nude in the comic...), Spider Jerusalem from Transmetropolitan, Abby Cable is very distinctive although kinda boring clothes, there are plenty of very distinctive guys and gals in DC and Marvel that don't wear Spandex and most people have never heard of... *looks around house for more comics* the Goon, Fallen Angel has some fricking fantastic costumes that are also on my list for someday...

And thats all that comes to mind. But it's so not all there is. Sure the tights get the most publicity, but for every twit in tights there are heaps of non-tights but still pretty cool costumes.

By firecat70. 01/08/08, 02:31 am

I find Eastern costumes more interesting. It's probably partly because I've grown up around Western costumes, because of that they aren't as interesting. Kind of same old, same old. The other part would be I just like how Eastern costumes look more. There is a much wider variety. Where as most western costumes are either; normal clothes, superheros, or period costumes.

By Narya. 01/08/08, 08:29 am

I'm with above ^^ more easily recognisable characters, but then again I do plan to make a costume for Columbia from Rocky Horror Very Happy

Reminds me, must look at wigs for her Very Happy

By **Riven_**. 01/08/08, 09:33 am

My next cosplay is Alice from Alice in Wonderland!
<strike>albeit a lolita style Alice, but Alice nonetheless!</strike>

I agree with Katie that cosplay will usually mainly be anime/manga characters due to its origins in Japan. That's not to say that it always has to be...
Also is the current popularity of anime/manga. People cosplay who they like/characters from manga they are interested in... if everyone was into western comics, then that's what the majority would cosplay... maybe. <strike>I don't know. think of a better example yourself</strike>

By Rocky. 01/08/08, 09:54 am

I think people choose eastern stuff more because the comstumes are more interesting.

**Guest** Guest

I agree that Eastern stuff has some completely amazing-looking characters, but I have to disagree that they are more interesting, on average, than Western. Ditto with more distinctive.

I dunno. I just feel weird about fangirling on such a specific part of Japanese culture when I know so little about the rest. Like... I kinda get ticked off when I hear that an American highschool football team has started doing a haka before their games on the basis on ONE Maori ex-pat on their team. And if I ever saw someone with a moko who decided to get it done "because it looked cool" I'd be offended and I'm not even Maori.

By kyokyogirl. 07/08/08, 01:41 pm

ooo I get what you mean. Half the time I feel so...ignorant...even though I do my best to know at least a bit about the rest of the Japanese culture. Like how to wear a kimono properly (thus to avoid dressing myself as a corpse ^^; )

By **Tamoo**. 08/08/08, 03:42 pm

Anime/Manga cosplay will always be the first in my list for me. What attracted to cosplay was because of anime and manga. And me being a weeaboo XD
I've done a few western cosplays like Alice in Wonderland concepts: Cheshire Cat and Alice. I plan to do a Robin cosplay and the twilight series (as Alice, go figure) cosplay and a supergirl cosplay|3 Mufufufu azn supergirl is win.

And you people are so deep and analytical XD

By Static. 09/08/08, 06:53 am

kyokyogirl wrote:: ooo I get what you mean. Half the time I feel so...ignorant...even though I do my best to know at least a bit about the rest of the Japanese culture. Like how to wear a kimono properly (thus to avoid dressing myself as a corpse ^^; )

Hehe, I did my kimono the wrong way at Wellygeddon this year. Nobody noticed, I hope, but I felt pretty dumb when I went to get changed...

I think with my intended cosplays I'm more inclined to manga simply because the costumes are (at least in the series I own) MUCH more elaborate than anything I've wanted to make from a film. Having said this though, I have a lot of costumes I want to make from western games (GUILD WARS YEEEEEAAAHHH) and movies (Resident Evil, Pan's Labyrinth, Farscape...Family Guy...). I think it all depends on what people's tastes are, and whether they watch more eastern or western stuff to draw inspiration from. Although, best fun I ever had was doing a bunch of burlesque Alice in Wonderland costumes and directing then in a kinestasis film XD It was freaking SWEET.

**Guest** Guest

I actually thought that cosplaying was a Japanse term specifically for anime/games/eastern-costumey things when I first found out about it, so it never even occured to me to make a costume with western themes, or based on a character from a western cartoon/film/book.

Even in hindsight, I'd probably still prefer eastern costumes. Because I live in a western world I naturally find them more interesting as I'm not frequently exposed to them.
I mean...I don't really want to wear a cape with my underpants showing on the outside, but I'd happily wear a Sailor suit. ^_^

**Guest** Guest

I dunno guess both < shurgs shoulders >

I've always wanted to dress up as a Gangster from the 1930's
Or a few characters from old Disney movies , Like Sleeping Beauty xd

Those guess Eastern cosplay is more interesting, the characters are more unique, they have more intresting costumes, and more fun to cosplay.

But don't really care either way, if the cosplay club Strictly became European western, or Japanese Eastern
Only, won't really jump off a bridge anytime soon ( much to some people's Despise )

.............Mwah....

**Guest** Guest

But... OK, pictures time!

Sample # 1: The Nocturnals, by Dan Brereton. No tights, no undies on the outside. Some capes but no primary colours
Eastern or Western? Nocturnl

Front and center is Doc Halloween. He's an alien from another dimension.
Next to him (left) is Evening, or as she likes to be called, Halloween Girl. She carries a pumpkin full of possessed toys that protect her from evil.
Behind her is Komodo. He's a genetically engineered person who had his wings cut off when he tried to escape from the lab. He was eventually rescued by the Nocturnals.
The other side of Doc Halloween is Starfish. She has a catfish-like moustache, webbed hands (being a fishy-person) and shoots bad things.
The blue one is Polychrome, she's a wraith.
On her left is Raccoon, another genetic-altered person. He's a gangster and a hero to those from the lab.
Behind Polychrome is Firelion. He died of spontaneous combustion and was turned into an android. I think he's nearly dating Starfish but it's hard to tell sometimes :-D
The last guy is the Gunwitch. He's a zombie that Doc Halloween made to guard evening. He's a gunslinger.
Those aren't even the coolest pictures of them.

Sample #2: Welcome to Tranquility, by Gail Simone and Neil Googe. It's about the town where some superheros and their decendants live.
Eastern or Western? Welcome_to_tranquility_2_thumb

This is Emo. Coz he lost his face and now he has a mask that shows his emotions though emoticons. It can't lie.
Eastern or Western? 24433811

This is Mangacide. She spent her entire life feeling right-to-left, back-to-front until she discovered manga. She has psionic tentacles growing out of her back. Then she got Loli'd up and joined a band/teen-superhero group.
But this isn't a popular comic and I'm having trouble finding good images of the rest of her friends.

Sample #3: Top Ten, written by Alan Moore.
Eastern or Western? 300_63432

This is about the cops of a city where all the science-hero's and villans got sent after WWII. Left to right we have:
Toy-box (Robyn Slinger). She has a box of robots that build sheilds, run recconaissance, shoot people, you name it.
Shock-headed Pete is a bit of an idiot but his heart is in the right place.
Jack Phantom (lesbian phaser) is, admittedly, wearing spandex.
Officer Duane "Dust Devil" Bodine has to deal with his mother's apartment being over-run with supercats and supermice. He has double 12-shot revolvers.
I'm not sure who the next guy, in the window is. Next to him is Officer Duane "Dust Devil" Bodine. He's a doberman in a humanoid exo-skeleton.
You can just see the side of Officer Smax. He's just strong.
The chick next to Toy-Box in the second image is their shrinking coroner.

And that's me actively avoiding DC/Marvel and just what I could be bothered doing now. I can keep going... Very Happy

By TinTango. 06/11/08, 07:57 pm

To be honest, I'm more into DC and Marvel than I am into anime.
Although I haven't yet started an outfit yet, I think I'm more likely to pick something like green lantern, or batman.

In fact, just now, I'm inspired to do every male member from the Justice League!

Although, I am a big Avatar/Samurai Jack fan too, so I might look at doing them.

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