Dressed to kill: Anime fans on cosplaying in India

Pipi is distressed about being late and having to watch the show from the sidelines. "I took a bus from my college in Mathura at dawn just to be here (cosplay workshop), reached my friend's place, wore my costume and left. I have spent just five minutes on my make-up," says the dentistry student.

Ask her about her blonde locks and pat comes the reply: "Oh these? I spent `5,000 on these, I won the money at another event."

The Japanese influence

Pipi is at an anime cosplay event workshop titled 'Otaku-ism', hosted by the Japan Foundation in Delhi recently. Kanishk and Surya — the award-winning cosplayers and prop and replica makers behind Skythe's SkunkWorks — are at hand, doling out tips and constructing headgear out of black foam and glue. Later, Ajay Kapoor or 'The Procrastinator Man' reveals the art of make-up for anime cosplays, even as Okuyama and Murakami help break the ice among the gathering by teaching the group songs, dance steps and elementary Japanese greetings.

Dressed in a blue and pink number with her blond wig swaying down her waist, Pipi is cosplaying Kotori Minami from the anime, Love Live School Idol Project. The Arunachal Pradesh native candidly admits that unlike her peers, she doesn't spend money on herself. "I rarely buy regular clothes. If I get any extra money, I invest it in anime costumes," she says.

Age no bar

Pipi is not alone at Otaku-ism; there are people from different walks of life — a couple and their five-year-old are dressed in Naruto costumes; school and college students, adults who look like they've skipped work and even a newly-married woman asking Kanishk if her headgear has turned out well — walking around or huddled in groups, working on their props.

"Costumes need money," says Kanishk. "We try to make costumes that are not too costly, yet suit the purpose." For instance, if a cosplayer needs headgear, s/he use inexpensive alternatives. "Black foam can make great headgear out of a helmet," says Surya. "Because of a tough base, the helmet will last and reduce cost in the long term."

Talking about the nuances of make-up, Kapoor elucidates about body-painting, wigs, lenses and tells the class where to procure these from. "For instance, circular lenses will increase the size of your iris or make your pupils look bigger," he says. "But they are expensive. A pair can cost anything upwards of $100." Kapoor adds that women's faces need softer curves, while men's need more angular curves to accentuate their faces. "It's not that easy for Indian boys to cosplay anime characters," he says. "But there are forums online where we share how-to information.

Skythe's Skunkworks, which started cosplaying three years ago, winning at Comic Con and other events, are on the brink of launching a start-up to supply costumes to enthusiastic cosplayers. "The most unimaginable things have gone into making costumes," reveals Surya, dressed as a Tokugawa version of Darth Vader. He says it took them a year to make the suit. "Star Wars appealed to us, as did Samurai armour. So we combined the two."

Who is popular?

Cosplaying is growing in popularity, but many are veering towards anime characters and gaming characters. Kapoor says that the most popular characters are Naruto, Bleach and One Piece. Mukesh Kumar of the Delhi Anime Club, which holds regular meets for anime cosplayers around the country, and has an upcoming event in April, says that the appeal comes from the attractive characters. "People like anime characters because they are cute, and also because anime stories are character-driven. They have well-rounded characters and touching story lines."

Yojiro Tanaka, the director of Japanese language and intellectual exchange at the Japan Foundation, says there's no age limit for cosplaying in Japan. He himself is in character, sporting a purple wig of waist-length hair and a black dress. "It's a very adult thing to do there," he says. "If you have financial stability, you will most definitely love cosplaying."

Cosplay fundas

Japanese comic books are called manga and anime is the animated version of manga. The idea of cosplaying began in Japan, when fans of anime and manga began dressing up as their favourite characters

Today, cosplaying is a global phenomenon among fans. It's not just anime, but fans of DC, Marvel, Star Wars and even Disney characters who dress as their fictional heroes. Popular characters include Batman, The Joker, Wolverine, Darth Vader, the Stormtrooper from Star Wars and Captain America. Japanese characters include Goku (DragonBall Z) and Naruto

Enthusiasts even make costumes from materials that other people normally discard, such as cardboard boxes and thermocol