Do you remember innocent Candy? Who hasn’t thought that “Super Campeones” had the longest soccer fields ever? Which was your favorite “Caballero del Zodiaco?”  Was it Seija or Shiru? Have you ever loved an anime character so much that you started to act and dress like him/her?

Last Sunday at the MasGamers Tech Festival I had the chance to remember all those animes I watched as a child. There, I found not only state-of-the-art computers and games, but also tournaments, an interesting and remarkable video game museum showing all kinds of devices from Atari to the latest versions of Nintendo Wii and PSP, and - best of all - a colorful cosplay contest.

Cosplay, for those unfamiliar, comes from “costume play,” and it is a kind of performing art in which cosplayers wear costumes and accessories, such as wigs, belts, swords, and so on, in order to represent a specific character. You can choose any character from anime, manga, a video game, or even movies. It was obvious that creativity and resourcefulness are the keys to the best “cosplay” because here in Peru it is a little bit complicated and expensive getting off-the-rack costumes. That’s why sometimes many cosplayers need to hire a seamstress or even learn how to sew.  (I say cosplay instead of costume, because cosplayers prefer this term as they say they don’t only dress up as a character, but completely represent it.)

For instance, Diana Caldas, a fashion designer, has found the perfect way to apply all her fashion know-how to look the same as her favorite anime characters. She also enjoys the attention that cosplaying brings. She loves when “Cosplay paparazzi” take pictures of her.

Maria and Elizabeth, fans of Pokemon, usually try to make their own cosplays, but when the character they choose wears too many complex garments, they need extra help. 

Fresia Canales, cosplaying Chun Li from Street Fighter, confessed that her entire outfit was made by a seamstress.

Sally Horikku first participated in a cosplay contest last year. She usually hires a fashion designer to make her costumes, but this year she decided to recycle. She took clothes from previous costumes and tried to adapt them to the new outfit. In the end she only needed the accessories. She loves participating in cosplay contests because she can wear her favorite character’s outfit and represent it.

Adrian chose Shang Tsung from Mortal Kombat 9 because he can use kung fu in order to interpret this character. He had to buy white contact lenses as well as a long white wig in order to look more real.

I used to think that this cosplay activity was kind of new here in Peru, but after talking to some cosplayers, I realized it is not. Some people like Adrian have been participating since 2008.  I must also say that the whole event was well organized. On Sunday they received 5000 visitors and by 6 p.m. the entrance tickets were all sold out! It was really nice meeting all those people fond of cosplay, who try their best to represent their favorite character and have some fun.

To see more photos about the MasGamers Tech Festival click here.

 

 

 

 

 

---

COMMENTS: