Arunachalee girls Junnu Pinggam as ‘Kurumi’ and Gichik Charcha as ‘Kotori’ will represent India in the upcoming World Cosplay Summit 2017, at Nagoya, Japan in end of July and early August. 

 

This has sent ripples among the younger populace here and quite understandably so, as Cosplay has emerged as not just a hobby but one that has pitted many of its followers to out-do each other as part of serious competition. A craze that first started in Japan is becoming more and more popular across the globe and here in the northeastern states with Arunachal being no exception.

 

For the uninitiated, Cosplay involves dressing up as your favourite superhero or science fiction character - and then meeting up with others, who do exactly the same thing. The term "cosplay" is a Japanese portmanteau of the English terms costume and play. The term was coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi of Studio Hard while attending the 1984 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) in Los Angeles.

 

Cosplay costumes vary greatly and can range from simple themed clothing to highly detailed costumes. It is generally considered different from Halloween and Mardi Gras costume wear, as the intention is to replicate a specific character, rather than to reflect the culture and symbolism of a holiday event. As such, when in costume, some cosplayers often seek to adopt the affect, mannerisms, and body language of the characters they portray. The characters chosen to be cosplayed may be sourced from any movie, TV series, book, comic book, video game, or music band anime and manga characters.

 

If grapevine is to be believed, Cosplay is gaining ground in Arunachal and has a huge following here. Cosplayers take their role playing very seriously, and go to great lengths to replicate their favourite onscreen characters—which include designing their own costumes. With two Arunachalee girls representing the country in the World Cosplay Summit, this little known hobby will be much talked about among all age groups.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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