Otaku Press

CHAPTER 1

UZUMASA JACOPETTI // NICO TOUCHES THE WALLS // HARAJUKU // OTAKU ACADEMY

FAIRY TAIL // MAOYU // TITE KUBO // BLUE EXORCIST // COSPLAY // FAN ARTICLES // AIR GEAR

OTAKU PRESS

NOT YOUR AVERAGE FAIRY TAIL

EDITOR’S COMMENTS H

ere is the maiden issue of Otaku Press, where we deal in the the best from the world of anime, manga and japanese culture.

In this issue we feature one of the most popular Manga series of the moment; the magical Fairy Tail, by Hiro Mashima. Along with an interview with the ever cool Manga rockstar that is Tite Kubo, the master of action sequences. We discuss politics and economics with a demonic twist, courtesy of this issue’s Anime fix, Maoyu. We catch up with cosplayer Flare, who discusses why she took up cosplaying, and why she thinks everyone else should give it a go as well. We show you a sneak peak at the Manga Blue Exorcist, giving you an insight in to the world of demons and exorcisms. We also have our Fan Forum up and running with a selection of fan articles written by you, giving you the chance to share your own opinions with the wider fan community.

We also have our Japanese lifestyle and culture section that kicks off with a look at the slightly weird film that is Uzumasa Jacopetti. An interview with J-Rock band Nico Touches The Walls, and a look at the creations of three fresh designers out of Harajuku. We conclude with this issue’s academic essay by Theresa Winge; who explores the origins of anime and manga cosplay, for the Otaku who wants to understand more about Anime and Manga.

Get stuck in and enjoy yourself!

Eliot Nathan // Head Otaku and Editor

58

50 54

38 46

28 32

CONTENTS 6

Anime // Maoyu

12

Manga // Air Gear

16

Cosplay // Flare

Featured //

16 22

6 12

22

Fairy Tail

28

Fan Centre // Fan Forum

32

Interview // Tite Kubo

38

Manga Sample // Blue Exorcist

46

Film // Uzumasa Jacopetti

50

Music // Nico Touches The Walls

54

Fashion // Harajuku Style

58

Otaku Academy // Costuming The Imagination

66

Manga Published In The UK

68

Anime Released In The UK

PAGE 7 // ANIME; MAOYU

POLITICS ARE THE 悪 魔 の DEVIL’S 仕 事 WORK One of the most interesting offerings in the winter season, Maoyu impresses mainly for its ability to subvert almost everything about its surface appearance.

T

he war between humans and demons has raged for decades, with no sign of a reprieve

from either side. Humans are plentiful and power-

This is a fantasy where nothing is as it first appears,

ful intheir abundance, but demons employ darker

from the presumed evil of the Demon King (not to

arts to work towards our extinction. At least, that’s

mention the assumed gender - it’s a hereditary title)

what the propaganda would have you believe...

mere aesthetics of the Tolkienesque world. Despite

EPIC QUEST

the deliberate absence of personal names - everyone

The greatest hero of the human forces has had

is referred to by their title or role - characters are

enough After years of questing to destroy the Demon

surprisingly deep. The Demon King is clearly intel-

King with no success, he abandons his party of mages

ligent and focussed, yet has a sad air of loneliness

and warriors and sets off alone to slay the monstrous

about her that’s occasionally played up for laughs.

ruler of the evil army. Problem: the ‘Demon King’ is

Her major domo, the Chief Maid, seems stern and

actually a rather reasonable young woman with some

uncaring towards humans, but her actions prove her

eminently sensible ideas about how to end the war

to be anything but. Later, the Hero’s former party

with a minimum of casualties. As it turns out. when

is surprisingly open to new ideas, though still bear

a conflict continues for an extended period of time,

some resentment over the Hero abandoning them.

it’s usually because very powerful people are profit-

It’s also left to the viewer to determine whether the

ing from it. and an outright victory for either faction

‘demons’ are actually all that demonic, or if it’s just

will usually lead to anarchy and even greater loss of

more politicking.

life. After an awkward first meeting, the Demon King convinces the Hero that the path to true victory is

LEVEL UP

through education and a re-structuring of the world’s

Primarily adapted from a series of light novels,

class system. Teaming up, the pair set out to save the

Maoyu has even earlier, more interesting origins.

world - not by force of arms, but through the power of

Author Mamare Touno originally debuted the series

progressive socio-economic policy!

PAGE 6 // ANIME; MAOYU

to the misplaced intentions of the Hero, or even the

PAGE 9 // ANIME; MAOYU

PAGE 8 // ANIME; MAOYU

online, publishing it as a performance script on the Japanese message board 2ch in 2009. Its popularity there garnered the attention of publisher Enterbrain, which released Touno’s story - re-written into prose form - in 2010. It proved a hit with wider audiences, to the extent that there are a (slightly ridiculous) five seperate manga spin-offs currently being published in Japan. Ranging from adaptations, to side stories, to four-panel gag strips, the fanbase is lapping up every appearance of the Demon King and the Hero that they can get their hands on.

The anime series, directed by Takeo Takahashi, harkens back to Maoyu’s earliest incarnation. Naruhisa Arakawa’s screenplay, bolstered by fantastic voice work from Ami Koshimizu as Demon King and Jun Fukuyama as Hero, could easily stand up to being performed on stage. Subtletis of performance and layers of meaning in the dialogue help eleviate it above mere swords-and-scorcery fare, while intricate designs and a subdued texturing effect make the show a treat for the eyes. Takahashi proves a perfect choice for director, managing the tricky blance of economic and political aspects against bawdy, occasionally slapstick humour, with as much verve and style as he did on 2008’s Spice and Wolf. While it’s early days mor Maoyu, hopefully the clever concept and smart cast will keep him on track (the less said about hi recent turn helming the execrable So, I Can’t Play H the better). We hope it does, as Maoyu is turning out to be one of the sharpest and most observant comedydramas to come out of japan in a long while. And, at time of writing, Maoyu is set to for free streaming to

PAGE 11 // ANIME; MAOYU

the UK courtesy of anime-on-demand.com!

PAGE 10 // ANIME; MAOYU

PAGE 13 // MANGA; AIR GEAR

最高値 HIGH

While the school-brawling theme has already lent itself to a large number of manga, the fresh new series Air Gear by Ballantine Books (published by Del Ray Manga) succeeds in taking the genre to new heights – literally.

Air Gear debuts the story of Itsuki Minami, often referred to by his peers as the “Babyface of Eastside.”

Easily the strongest among his classmates at Higashi Junior High School, Itsuki is called upon to defend the eastside territory in an annual brawl to decide whether the east or west controls the central district.

However, this year, the westside competitor proves to be quite a sore loser, as he doesn’t hesitate to take advantage of his connection with gangsters.

Unfortunately for Itsuki, the Skull Saders are no ordinary gang. Being notorious for having a penchant for violence and taking anything they want when they want, an ambush turns the Babyface’s world upsidedown. Using high-tech skates called Air Trecks, the gang can easily fly through the air at high speeds and use the technology to bruise and batter Itsuki.

Now a shell of his former self and a laughing stock at his school, Itsuki receives help from an unlikely ally – the Noyamano sisters, with whom he lives. The gals introduce him to his own pair of Air Trecks to even the playing field. With his newly inherited skill and the mysterious past of his housemates, Itsuki sets

PAGE 12 // MANGA; AIR GEAR

LET’S GET

I

tsuki Minami needs no introduction – everybody’s heard of the “Babyface” of the Eastside. He’s the toughest kid at Higashi Junior High School, easy on the eyes but dangerously tough when he needs to be. Plus, Itsuki lives with the mysterious and sexy Noyamano sisters.

Life is never dull, but it becomes dangerous when Itsuki leads his school to victory over some vindictive Westside punks with gangster connections. Now he stands to lose his school, his friends, and everything he cares about. But in his darkest hour, the Noyamano girls come to Itsuki’s aid. They can teach him a powerful skill that will save their school from the gangsters’ siege–and introduce Itsuki to a thrilling and terrifying new world.

off to a new battle where more than just territory is at stake.

The art in Air Gear is handled very nicely with appropriate distinctions between action, comedy and emotional panels. Since the characters use Air Trecks in almost all the fight sequences, a lot of the action panels feature motion blur and speed streaks. While there are a few panels in which this may lead to a little confusion over what exactly is going on, the sense of speed and adrenaline is accounted for and is further fueled by graffiti-style onomatopoeia kanji.

Overall, the translation process for Air Gear was handled very well. The writing ties the symbolism of all of the birds in the story and the personality of each of the characters is very evident in the way they converse with each other. The text is also very easy to follow and doesn’t get lost in any of the panels.

While the beginning of the storyline is a little on the borrowed side, Air Gear infuses plenty of its own elements and balances evenly between action, comedy and seriousness to prevent it from becoming another school-brawling knockoff. The Air Trecks, highspeed sequences and hip skater clothing give Air Gear a fresh Jet Set Radio-type edge to the environment and by utilizing the skates, the characters can take to the rooftops just as well as the streets.

Mangaka: Oh! Great

So far in the series, however, nothing extensive is done with the action sequences - most just end merely after one attack. I would have liked to see at

Full Works: Air Gear Biorg Trinity Himikoden Majin Devil Naked Star Tenjho Tenge

least one fight sequenced over a small span of pages,

If you like this, why not try: Psyren by Toshiaki Iwashiro

Most of the comedy sequences revolve around Itsuki’s

but the frequent number of encounters in the first volume whet enough of my appetite and makes me look forward to the possibilities of future fights as Itsuki learns to control the Air Trecks and encounters stronger foes.

interaction with the Noyamano sisters and are for the most part very hilarious. Those who enjoy the “interaction between the sexes” type of comedy prevalent in series such as Ranma ½, Tenchi or Love Hina will enjoy the escapades of Itsuki as he tries to cope with

PAGE 15 // MANGA; AIR GEAR

living in a house full of women.

Air Gear Great mixes this action and comedy quite well with a storyline that doesn’t fail to leave a reader wanting more. With a hip feel and an intriguing storyline combined with a heaping helping of highspeed brawling and comedy, Air Gear is a first-class ticket for any reader looking for a wild ride.

PAGE 14 // MANGA; AIR GEAR

GIVE コ スプレ COSPLAY SOME FLARE W

e talk to Cosplayer Flare! We find out what got her into Cosplay, her favourite characters to cosplay as, making her own costumes and her plans to be part of a Cosplay couple!

Cosplayer: Flare Characters: Sheena Yuna

PAGE 17 // COSPLAY; FLARE

Next Cosplay Appearance: MCM Expo

PAGE 16 // COSPLAY; FLARE

my favourite to cosplay as, but Yuna was the first character I cosplayed as, and she kinda has a kimono type, get-up.

OP: How many costumes do you have?

Flare: I have three, the first one I made myself, which was Yuna, the second I bought, and didn’t enjoy as much, because it lacked the detail of the character, and I’m now working on my third, which is Sheena from ‘Tales of Symphonia’, and I’m also making another one that is for my fiancee, Jamie. He’s dressing up as lloyd from the same game, and we’re going together. We’re going to be a cosplay couple now!

PAGE 19 // COSPLAY; FLARE

OP: How long do the costumes take to make?

It does take a while. It’s not an overnight thing. So, if you’re going to make your own costume, first of all you have to be excited about it, you have to know it’s going to take a while, so prepare yourself for that. For the costume I’m working on now, I’ve set aside two months to finish it completely. And it’s not something really intricate with wings or anything, its a human, in an outfit, which puts in to perspective how long these things take to make. It’s a big investment.

that would be cool.

OP: What caused your interest in cosplay?

OP: What determines the characters that you choose

Flare: I have always been in to theatre and drama. So,

to cosplay as?

dressing up has always been fun for me ever since I was a kid, and I got really in to certain animes and

Flare: Well, sometimes there’s a character that I real-

games. But, where I was from there wasn’t really a

ly like but they don’t look very interesting, they might

place to express that. So when I came to London for

just have everyday attire. So, for me, first of all, it’s

my studies I found out about the MCM Expo. That

not very recognisable and a big part of cosplaying is

was my first opportunity to cosplay, so I did!

to make a show; its exciting, you dress up! So if it’s

So when the opportunity presented itself, it was just

a school uniform, then its not very interesting. The

an instinct, me falling in love with it.

determining factor me is for it to look interesting, or unusual. And I have to personally like the character,

OP: How long have you been cosplaying?

find boring, even if they look extravagant.

Flare: Just under three years now.

OP: Who is your favourite character to cosplay as?

OP: How often do you cosplay?

Flare: Thats a hard question, hmm…okay, I really like

Flare: It’s just Expo’s for me. Where I come from

cosplaying as women with Japanese origin, because

there isn’t anything, because its a small island, so

anime and that stuff, started off with japan, and I’ve

anything like that wouldn’t have enough of a market

always found the culture really fascinating. So, it’s

because of how small the population is. So the only

interesting for me as a Westerner to dress up like

time when I get to cosplay is when I’m here study-

that, because it’s something I would normally never

ing. Since I left cyprus there has been a huge interest

get a chance to, you know, walk around in a kimono

in anime, and some groups have sprung up. So, I’m

or something like that. Though, I wouldn’t call her

thinking I might try and start something myself, and

PAGE 18 // COSPLAY; FLARE

I’m not going to cosplay someone I don’t like or who I

small scene together.

OP: Do you find making the costumes to be an essential part of the enjoyment of cosplay?

OP: Do you feel self-conscious or out of place when you cosplay?

Flare: Well, most people who cosplay, make the costumes. I do know that some people buy them, but

Flare: Well, I’m fairly outgoing in general, but when

you can always spot a ‘bought’ cosplay. They look

I’m dressed in this exotic costume, and getting on

different, because its factory made. They’re all just

the subway from home, obviously people are look-

made the same. When I make a costume, I’m making

ing at you. At the start of your journey nobody knows

a costume not just for me, but for the character as

about the expo, and you’ll get funny looks. which

well. So I definitely think that making the costume is

is expected. But it doesn’t bother me too much, and

more heartfelt.

as you get closer, and closer you start noticing more people dressing up, people might actually recognise

OP: So it’s kind of like a friendship?

your costume, which is the biggest satisfaction. As you get closer you feel a kind of kinship with other

Flare: Yeah, most of these characters don’t exist, so

people dressing up, which is really great. It’s hard to

this is about as close as you can get to them.

get that in general. So, you’ll start of the journey being a weirdo, but you’ll finish it being that character,

OP:Have you made many friends through your cosplay?

which is cool.

Flare: I can’t honestly say that I’ve met people through OP: Where was the best place that you have cosplayed?

cosplay who I have kept in touch with, it’s more like a momentary attachment. You go, you put on your

Flare: That would definitely be the MCM expo. Its the

show, you go back home. Part of the whole excite-

only place I’ve cosplayed, because its the only place

ment is putting on the show, and being the character,

i could cosplay. I think the main reason it so enjoy-

and bringing it into your everyday life it becomes less

able is because theres people there who would rec-

special. You might meet someone and take a picture

ognise your cosplay, and also you get to enjoy other

with them, or they take a picture of you, but thats it,

peoples cosplays.

its that moment. You’re congregating in this place for a moment, and then you’re breaking up again.

PAGE 21 // COSPLAY; FLARE

OP: Would you recommend people to try cosplay?

OP: Would you ever take part in a cosplay masquerade?

Flare: Definitely, i can’t think that anyone wouldn’t enjoy it. obviously a lot of people would be embar-

Flare: Actually, we are planning on signing up to one

rassed and shy, but i think if you do try it, you get to

this year. I haven’t had the chance to do it before, but

dress up as someone you really like, and enjoy your-

I’m really excited about this one. Partly, because I’m

self. I don’t see the downside.

complying with my fiancé. So, we’ll be able to do a

PAGE 20 // COSPLAY; FLARE

PAGE 23 // MAIN FEATURE; FAIRY TAIL

PAGE 22 // MAIN FEATURE; FAIRY TAIL

NOT YOUR AVERAGE お と ぎ 話 FAIRY TAIL

the characters. Gray and Natsu seem to have had an ambiguous

summoned creatures to strange natives. Each of the more important

encounter with her in the past.

characters have a dominant feature which makes them easy to distinguish and get attached to.

ART & DIALOGUE

Lucy; the main female character of the manga, a sorceress that

I had a really hard time getting used to the art since it feels so different

uses Stellar Spirit magic (she summons spirits from another world to

to other more common styles. Visually, the manga resembles One

help her in battles). Often cheerful, Lucy loves to spend time with her

Piece: the environments have a large amount of detail, the characters

companions, whether it’s setting on an adventure or helping them

are simply drawn, but none of these features are shaded too much,

solve a quest. She tries her best to cheer her up friends and keep

so everything seems sketched. But as soon as you get used to the

peace within the Guild.

style these issues won’t really matter.

Natsu; he is the main male character that uses fire as a prime weapon

PAGE 25 // MAIN FEATURE; FAIRY TAIL

What I love about this manga is the clever use of angles. Seeing as one

against his enemies. Often carefree and clumsy, Natsu is happy to

of the characters is a flying cat, providing these

just prove his strength without thinking too much

kind of angles is easy and adds a little flavor to

beforehand. He often argues with Gray (probably

the chapters. The water is one feature that is

since his power is opposite of his) or any other

drawn really well in Fairy Tail, and this is one of the

member in the Guild. Natsu also feels sick

times when the mangaka uses a lot of shading.

whenever he is riding any mode of transportation.

The result is amazing and, when drawn on two pages, the body of water looks very realistic.

Gray; he is often seen teaming up with Lucy and

When put in dangerous situations, the characters are brilliantly drawn

Natsu in order to help them finish a quest. Gray is an ice mage and his

with ridiculous looks of surprise and horror that are almost always

abilities seem to be of a higher rank than those of his friends. His

hilarious. The character’s normal features are already very simplistic,

exhibitionist nature is often played to comedic effect since it just

so changing between these looks seem somewhat natural yet

builds more tension between him and any other character.

dynamic.

Erza; An S-class mage that uses specialized amour and weapons The dialogue is well translated throughout the manga and feels

against her opponents. Very serious by nature, Erza likes to keep order

natural for each character. Happy’s “aye” certainly doesn’t seem like it

within the Guild and doesn’t accept nonsense from the members. At

was translated from Japanese, but adds to the character’s comedic

first she seems cold and distant, but gradually warms up towards

The stories in Fairy Tail largely take place around the same areas (The Guild situated in fantasy-land Fiore and its members) which provides the mangaka with endless story opportunities. The beginning of the manga introduces young sorceress Lucy who aspires to join the Fairy Tail Guild and passes up no chance to do so. While on her journey she meets Natsu, a boy that claims to already be in the Guild and that is on a quest of his own. The two decide to join forces after a series of events and Lucy soon becomes a real Guild member.

Though a shonnen manga, Fairy Tail often feels like a story meant for a video game: all the members often set out on quests to either find treasure or increase their rank in the Guild which makes a nice change from the other predictable shonen Japanese comics. Lucy soon joins forces with other members such as Gray or Erza and prepare to travel the world in search of adventures. The manga focuses on a certain character during each arc (for example, the second one reveals a bit of Gray’s past), so it’s easy to feel anticipation at the end of an arc. This is a really great technique to keep the readers interested. Even if you’re not interested in a certain part of the story, it’s very easy to skip a few pages and still understand what is going on. So the chance of getting bored is kept at a minimum.

MAIN CHARACTERS Fairy Tail contains a vast number of unique characters, anything from

N

atsu Dragneel is a Dragon Slayer who’s element is Fire, together with his partner Happy, they explore the land of Fiore in search of Natsu’s foster parent Igneel (a dragon) who taught him to use a form of Lost Magic known as Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. While travelling Natsu comes across Lucy Heartfilia, a 17 year old celestial mage who runs away from her wealthy upbringing to join the rambunctious guild known as Fairy Tail.

Lucy joins Fairy Tail where she meets Erza Scarlet, a female wizard who has the power to “re-quip” where she can summon different weapons and change armor at will. Erza is also widely known as the most powerful female member of the guild. Lucy also meets Gray Fullbuster, an 18 year old wizard who specializes in the magic known as Ice Make, which allows him to re-create any solid object and use them as a weapon. Gray has a fierce rivalry with Natsu due to their opposing personalities and magical elements. Later on, the group will then add Wendy Marvell - also a Dragon Slayer who specializes in Sky Magic where she can manipulate the air to her own advantage such as breathing powerful gusts of wind and heal a person’s injuries and sickness. Wendy is usually accompanied by her partner Charle an exceed just like Happy.

PAGE 24 // MAIN FEATURE; FAIRY TAIL

STORY

PAGE 27 // MAIN FEATURE; FAIRY TAIL

side and helps the dialogue feel natural. The sound effects are also replaced by their respective English terms, so getting confused while reading a battle is not an issue.

There aren’t many Japanese puns included in the dialogue, so reading is very easy. Since the manga relies on the images to tell the story most of the dialogue is kept short unless there is an important flashback needed explaining. Everything is to the point, fast-paced and enjoyable to read.

FUN I had to pick up this manga about three times before I truly got hooked, so the start may be a little bumpy if you don’t have the patience. But

Mangaka: Hiro Mashima Full Works: Chameleon Fairy Tail Monster Hunter Orage Monster Soul Nishikaze to Taiyou Plue’s Dog Diaries Rave

after the first chapter the manga becomes really easy to read since you start to understand the story that’s being told. I sometimes found the battles a little boring, but skipping them doesn’t usually affect the story unless there is dialogue involved. Most of the humor is provided by Natsu’s reckless behavior or Gray’s exhibitionist nature that, though used a lot, never seem to get old. Other characters also join in, and once somebody causes havoc everybody feels the need to abandon their civilized side and have fun, much to the desperation of the Guild Master.

Lucy’s summoned Key creatures are also a source of humor. One of them constantly teases Lucy about the fact that she’s single while others get out of control and cause mischief. And once something is destroyed Lucy is often blamed for it, even if she had no real fault.

VERDICT Overall, Fairy Tail is a fun and pleasant manga that you can easily read and enjoy. The vast amount of characters guarantees diversity and getting attached to these crazy people is incredibly easy.

PAGE 26 // MAIN FEATURE; FAIRY TAIL

If you like this, why not try: One Piece by Eiichrio Oda

Confession Of A Lonely Asian Boy

P

robably one of my favourite mangas at the moment is ‘Haikyuu!!’ which centres around volley-

ball. I know when it comes to sports mangas, many people are thinking they are ultra boring and it’s just going to be a bunch of matches mixed with a cheesy first love childhood friend story.

BZZZZ wrong, Haikyuu is just SUGOIIIII!!! It has hilarious characters, super moves, drama, humour etc.

The story line is pretty simple, after seeing a volleyball match on TV, Hinata, a young boy with orange hair a la ‘Bleach’s’ Ichigo, aims to be the ace of his volleyball club like his hero “the small giant”. That’s why he attends the Karasuno high school where he also meets his nemesis Kageyama also called “the King of the upper court”, but after a series of comical events they eventually became friends.

Together with him and his volleyball club they start on the road to being the best in Japan. Even though the drawing style of ‘Haikyuu!!’ is nothing really special, it still gives off this refreshing vibe which makes the characters, surroundings, expressions, almost everything so lively. That’s why everybody should

The Breaker

read and love it. If not there is a special place in HELL for people like you!!!! mwhahahaha (~¯ ∇ ¯)~

T

his is a great effort from South Korea. The art in this manga is wonderfully drawn; it is clear,

precise, incredibly dynamic and emotive. The action sequences are some of the best i’ve seen, and being a martial arts manga, this is vital. Within the world of ‘Murim’ (the martial arts world) the various martial arts styles employed by characters and clans is extensive and inventive; every fight sees a new technique and a new style of fighting, keeping the fight sequences enjoyable and fresh.

The characters are enjoyable to read as well; there are many personalities that create a diverse cast, with a character for everyone to warm to. The lead character is Shi-Woon Yi, an ordinary school boy who comes into contact with the Murim through his teacher,

PAGE 29 // FAN CENTRE: FAN FORUM

Chun-Woo, who turns out to be a renowned, and somewhat infamous, martial arts master. Shi-Woon eventually becomes Chun-Woo’s deciple and begins to learn the martial arts.

The story is perhaps a typical one; the manga follows Shi-Woon as he learns martial arts, starting as a weak school boy, but gradually overcoming obstacle to master his abilities and to face the trials that come with being part of the ‘Murim’. However, the typical story line doesn’t make this a typical manga, it is a great example of its genre and will surely draw in a reader, making them want to pursue the story to its conclusion.

FAN FORUM フ ォーラム H

ere we have some articles by the best critics; The fans! Find out what other fans think of their favourite (or least favourite) manga, anime, characters, scenes and everything in between.

Articles: ‘The Breaker’ Words by Eliot Nathan

‘Naruto’ Words by Joseph Woollard ‘My Life As An Anime And Manga Fan’ Words by Shiau Jie Chan ‘First Impression Of A Manga Virgin’ Words by Jake Nathan

PAGE 28 // FAN CENTRE: FAN FORUM

‘Confession Of A Lonely Asian Boy’ Words by Trang Le Thu

board thugs a lesson. It’s immediately obvious that Ichigo has a power that they do not and that my assumption from the cover was correct. Ichigo was going to be my hero for the next couple hundred pages.

At first reading the panels feels uncomfortable, the disjointed style of prose as a single sentence is spread across multiple panels meant that a lot of what was being said was hard to comprehend on first read. I found myself having to go back and read a page twice to make sure that I understood what was going on.

My inability to drop the habit of a lifetime didn’t help that either, I kept reading from left to right and found myself lost at points. But as always perseverance was the key; with each page the process got easier and I quickly found myself flicking through the pages without thinking, following Ichigo as he meets the soul reaper and battles the Hollow. But to be honest I’m not entirely sure I was reading it as it was intended to be read, I craved the dialogue and jumped from panel to panel looking for the next word. What I didn’t expect was to have several pages in a row with no dialogue at all. I think that reading Manga may be a skill, and one that I need to practice.

First Impressions Of A Manga Virgin

M

anga is not an art form that ever captured me; I suppose the closest I ever got was watching

Dragon Ball Z with my little brother (and now editor of this fine magazine) and his friends on Cartoon Network. While they delved deeper into Japanese culture, to the point that they’re still immersed today, I never went beyond that one show on Cartoon Network. Twelve years later He hands me a copy of

PAGE 31 // FAN CENTRE: FAN FORUM

Bleach Volume 1 and here I am.

The first thing I do is open the book to be told I’m reading in the wrong direction. This is a strange thing to be told as every book I’ve ever read starts left and works its way right. I read the instruction page, an unusual necessity for a book, and then drop Eliot a Facebook message to make sure I’ve understood the reading process correctly. I haven’t so he sets me straight. I turn to the back, which I’m told is the front, and I’m greeted by a ginger chap holding a sword. He looks intense in his black Kimono and I assume he is the story’s hero. Ok then, here goes.

I meet Ichigo as he is teaching a group of “L’il” skate-

My Life As An AnimeAnd Manga Fan

H

i, i’m Shiau Jie Chan, i’m 25, and I have been a manga and anime fan since I was 12. My first

anime was ‘Slam Dunk’; ‘Slam Dunk’ is about a high school basket ball club entering the Japan inter-high competitions and it started my anime and manga journey at the age of 12 up until now. I have watched countless manga and anime in the past 13 years, I have learned Japanese culture and I learned how to draw, which has become one of my hobbies, as well as doing illustrations.

I enjoy reading manga and watching anime, I don’t read or watch any manga and anime, at least the story or drawing style have to be attractive to me. I like to watch anime produced by Studio Ghibili, P.A. Works Corporation, Anime International Company, Toei Animation (One piece TV Series), Production I.G (Guilty Crown and Eden of the East TV Series) and others. I read the manga of CLAMP (fantasy and reality stories), GHOST 07 (Religion and Empire), Eye shield 21 (American Football), Whistle (Soccer), Samurai X, Escaflowne (time travel and robot) and Full

Naruto

Metal Alchemist, these are my past favourites.

There are some on-going series such as One piece and Naruto that I watch, I have watched them since I was 14 and continue to now and the stories still

N

aruto was one of the 1st Anime’s that I watched knowing it was from Japan. I was intrigued by it

because my friends from school would go on and on

haven’t come to the end, yet I still enjoy reading and

about it in class and I was always curious of what it

watching them until I know their ending. I have a

was about. I finally got my hands on it; a disc with the

collection of manga’s and anime DVD’s from the

1st and 2nd episodes. From the second I turned on,

past 13 years in my room; my favourite is the Bro-

I was absorbed into the world of the Naruto. It was

ken Blade movie series. I like to collect anime mov-

so different from any other cartoon programs on at

ie’s more than anime series, because movies usu-

the time, like those seen on cartoon network; it had a

ally have better effects and better time frame quality

sense of maturity to it and is able to make you happy

than TV series.

and sad and excited all in one episode which cartoons in the West did not manage to accomplish too much

Attack on Titan and Gargantia on the Verdurous Plan-

in my eyes.

et are my latest favourite action anime, while Hataraku Maou-sama (The Devil is a Part-Timer!) is my

Naruto is about the ninjas who belong to the village

latest favourite comedy anime.

hidden in the leaf; Konoha. It follows one particular ninja; Naruto a struggling ninja trying to pass the ninja exams. At first sight it seems to be more comedy into why Naruto has become this comic character, and why he is an outcast of the village, dealing with adult themes. This is why I’m still able to watch the anime or read the manga to this day and get so much enjoyment out of it.

The 1st time I ever watched the show I watched 24 episodes in one day and it opened my eyes to so much more than manga or anime, but the whole culture of Japan. I’ve watched many more anime’s and read many manga’s too, but none have been able to leave me so eagerly anticipating the next episode; this is why Naruto will stay with me for the rest of my life.

PAGE 30 // FAN CENTRE: FAN FORUM

orientated, but in a matter of episodes you are drawn

PAGE 33 // INTERVIEW; TITE KUBO

TITE KUBO: MANGA ロック ・スター ROCKSTAR Q: When did you decide to become a manga artist?

Tite Kubo: I had already decided when I was in elementary school. When I became a manga artist, I became interested in architecture and design, but I’ve really only wanted to become a manga artist.

T

he life of a successful manga artist is a hectic one, especially for a creator like Tite Kubo who works on a hugely popular weekly series like Bleach. So it was a rare treat to have Kubo-sensei take a break from his intense work schedule to talk to us.

like it would be really cool to become a professional manga artist?

Tite Kubo: Hmm. My number one favorite manga then was Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro (by Shigeru Mizuki)!

I’ve always liked the yokai (monsters) in that series. The other one that I liked a lot is Saint Seiya(a.k.a. Knights of the Zodiac by Masami Kurumada) -- the characters all wear armor and have interesting weapons.

Q: Bleach has so many characters with so many different

powers,

weapons,

personalities

and

Kubo-sensei does carry himself like, well... if not a rock star, then like a very cool, confident and easy-going thirtysomething artist. With his light brown hair, designer sunglasses, heavy silver jewelry, black t-shirt and jeans, he could pass for a Japanese rock star fairly easily.

Even with his sunglasses off, he came across as a relaxed and affable guy.

PAGE 32 // INTERVIEW; TITE KUBO

Q: Which artists influenced you then, made you feel

PAGE 35 // INTERVIEW; TITE KUBO

PAGE 34 // INTERVIEW; TITE KUBO

you always keep them guessing. Do you plan very far ahead how your characters will interact with each other, and the various plot twists you throw into your stories?

Tite Kubo: After i finished drawing chapter one, I already knew that Ichigo’s dad Isshin would be a Soul Reaper. At the time, I didn’t plan on having leaders in the Soul Society, so I didn’t plan on him being one of the leaders.

Q: One thing I enjoy about Bleach is that there are many moments of humor as well as drama. Is that intentional to break up some of the heavier moments in the story?

Tite Kubo: I don’t really plan on it, but when I get bored drawing battle scenes, then I throw in a joke or two to make it more fun for me.

Q: How do you draw your action scenes? Do you have models?

Tite Kubo: Nobody poses for me -- I just have rock music going in my head and just imagine the action scenes. I pause the action and rotate the characters and find the best angle, and then I draw it.

Q: What part of the creative process do you enjoy the most?

Tite Kubo: When I think about the story, if it’s something I’ve wanted to draw for a long time, it’s fun.

I usually have this rundown of scenes I want to draw in my head. My job is to try to make it interesting.

When it comes to drawing a scene I really want to do it’s fun. When I draw the connecting scenes, I try to make it lively. And when it comes to inking, I really enjoy doing that work too.

Q: There are a lot of fans who love manga and who would love to be a professional manga artist like you are. Do you have any advice or secrets to your success that you could share with them?

PAGE 37 // INTERVIEW; TITE KUBO

Tite Kubo: Just believe in your talent. Maybe others will tell you otherwise -- but just believe in it. It’s very important for readers to enjoy what you create, so you must do something that you find enjoyable too. Otherwise, it’s dishonest to charge people for something that you don’t enjoy.

If you like this, then why not try: Saint Seya by Masami Kurumada

Full Works: Bleach Zombie Powder

relationships! How do you come up with them?

Tite Kubo: I really don’t intend that characters have certain personalities when I come up with them.

Sometimes I can’t think of any new characters.

Then other times, I come up with 10 or more new characters.

Q: Are there any characters that you thought fans would love but didn’t, or a character that caught on with fans in a way that you didn’t expect?

Tite Kubo: I don’t really recall any characters that I’ve created that I thought fans would love but didn’t, but usually I notice that when I start describing a character’s personality or back story, the fans start to really respond to them, and really start liking them.

However, in the case of Suhei Hisagi (Lieutenant / Acting Captain of Squad 9), fans got hooked on him before I even started describing his personality, so that was very unusual.

Q: Are there any characters that are most like you?

Tite Kubo: I feel like all the characters have a little bit of me in them! (laughs) Q: How do you come up with the clothes for the characters in Bleach?

Tite Kubo: I just put the characters in the clothes I wish I could buy, but can’t find in stores.

Q: What do you consider to be Ichigo’s greatest strength and his greatest weakness?

Tite Kubo: His strength is that he is always considerate and thoughtful. He always thinks about other people’s needs. That is a great strength, but it’s also his greatest weakness, because worrying about his friends puts him in danger too, sometimes.

Q: How did you come up idea of the Quincies?

Tite Kubo: I created Qunicies to be Ichigo’s rival to the black kimono worn by the Soul Reapers).

Qunicies use arrows because they’re long range weapons, so it’s difficult for Ichigo to fight them with his sword, which is more for short range combat.

The Quincy cross has 5 points, kind of like the the Japanese 5-pointed star. 5 points, quintet, Quincy!

Quincies use arrows, so if you call them Qunicy archers, it sounds like a name, so I kind of liked that.

Q: One thing your fans love about your manga is that

PAGE 36 // INTERVIEW; TITE KUBO

characters, so i put Uryu in white clothing(compared

PAGE 39 // MANGA SAMPLE; BLUE EXORCIST

MANGA SAMPLE: 青いエ BLUE ク ソシスト EXORCIST This issue’s Manga sample comes from Blue Exorcist;

Full Works: Akanasu Blue Exorcist Hoshiota Robo to Usakichi If you like this, why not try: Soul Eater by Atsushi Ohkubo

A

ssiah, the realm of humans, and Gehenna, the realm of demons.

Normally, these two dimensions would never intersect, but having possessed all material substances, the demons are now intruding on the material world.

But among the human race, there are those who can exorcise such demons the Exorcists.

PAGE 38 // MANGA SAMPLE; BLUE EXORCIST

Mangaka: Kazue Kato

PAGE 41 // MANGA SAMPLE; BLUE EXORCIST

PAGE 40 // MANGA SAMPLE; BLUE EXORCIST

PAGE 43 // MANGA SAMPLE; BLUE EXORCIST

PAGE 42 // MANGA SAMPLE; BLUE EXORCIST

PAGE 45 // MANGA SAMPLE; BLUE EXORCIST

PAGE 44 // MANGA SAMPLE; BLUE EXORCIST

T

he joys of writing about Japanese cinema are twofold. On the one hand there exists a seemingly inexhaustible treasure chamber of older films from which forgotten gems are dredged up with astonishing regularity by the likes of festival programmers, curators and other intrepid explorers of all things cinematic.

The increasingly difficulty of young talent to evolve into professional filmmakers is a genuine problem for, and possibly a danger to, Japanese cinema. Occasionally, though, a film comes along that make one feel that the greater the distance from major studios the better, lest its maker’s uncompromising visions become diluted. One such filmmaker with uncompromising visions is Kyoto-based Moriro Miyamoto, director of Uzumasa Jacopetti, a film whose contents are even odder than its title. (Uzumasa, ironically, is the area of Kyoto where the lots of traditional major studios Shochiku and Toei are located.)

IT worker Shoji (Wada) leaves his job to devote himself to the construction of a house held together by the pure repelling power of its magnetic floors. A frustrated beat cop with vigilante tendencies (Kitahara),

PAGE 47 // FILM; UZUMASA JACOPETTI

but not the nerves to carry them out, catches him in

On the other, there is no shortage of new talent either, many of them labouring far away from the hub of Tokyo’s professional film industry, yet displaying surprising deftness, audacity and imagination. This constant supply of fresh blood unfortunately does not always manage to revitalize the industry at large, but it does at least infuse the distant observer with a constant sense of discovery and wonder, not to mention curiosity and excitement. For a recent example, see Saudade by Katsuya Tomita, an indie creator operating from his home prefecture of Yamanashi.

PAGE 46 // FILM; UZUMASA JACOPETTI

ナ イ フ CUTTING の 端 FILM EDGE

twist (the film may as well have been titled Uzumasa

the act of slaughtering a bull whose hide is meant to

Roeg) to Miyamoto’s distorted-lens visions of hand-

function as wall decoration for this magnetic abode.

to-mouth existence that provides overall coherence.

Recognising Shoji’s skills at dismemberment, the cop

Discover and wonder.

offers him money to maim several local hoodlums, a task subsequently carried out with matter-of-fact efficiency. Meanwhile, the budding inventor-turnedavenger’s wife (Kiki) takes a cue from her hubby’s new vocation and expands her penchant for squashing bugs into a full-blown murder spree. Which provides the vigilante cop with a dilemma that gives new dimension to the age-old giri-ninjo conflict.

Year

Despite what its title suggests, Uzumasa Jacopetti

2013

plays less like Kansai mondo than a downtown version of Jeunet and Caro’s surreal slaughterhouse

Original Title

comedy Delicatessen. Though it seems an unidenti-

Uzumasa Yakopetti

fied cinematic object, it does come with a set of credentials: director Miyamoto previously made the baf-

Japanese Title

fling Butt Boat and was director of photography on

太秦ヤコペッティ

Kasumi Hiraoka’s The Primitchibu World as well as the short that preceded it, Red Light District Graffiti

Director

(Rakugaki Iromachi), two garishly paletted and viv-

Moriro MIYAMOTO

idly imaginative examples of original filmmaking on the margins of Japanese cinema. Uzumasa Jacopetti’s

Cast

Kyoto-based producer, Toshiki Shima, was the man

Hanaka KIKI

behind Go Shibata’s abrasive and quite insane Doman

Masaki KITAHARA

Seman (Horikawa Nakatachiuri, 2010) and therefore

Seizo FUKUMOTO

also no stranger to colouring luridly outside the lines.

Shinji WADA Shishimaru OZAWA

Odd but also oddly endearing, Uzumasa Jacopetti has loopy ideas to spare, yet its 83-minute running time

Running Time

means the film never overstays its welcome. Defi-

83 minutes

nitely a candidate for more adventurous film festival programmers out there, it’s a gory spectacle too, yet

PAGE 49 // FILM; UZUMASA JACOPETTI

there is a skewed, other-dimensional, even futuristic

PAGE 48 // FILM; UZUMASA JACOPETTI

OP: I listened to this album, and I thought that it was an incredible peice of work where the band’s vigor and the depth of the music really shines through.

When did you start work on it?

Mitsumura: I think the songs this time are very “real.”

Mitsumura: We’ve been writing songs continually

On our last album, “Aurora,” we took a very “writer-

since around the time we concluded our Budoukan

ly” approach the to writing and felt like we’d achieved

performance last year. We started talking about re-

something, but this time, in contrast, we tried writ-

cording an album at the beginning of this year. We

ing from within ourselves. Because of that, I can put

didn’t think about what kind of album, but instead we

more into it when I sing, and the words come more

thought about which songs would be fun to play live.

clearly than on our previous albums. We were strong-

There were a lot of songs, and when it came time to

ly aware of what the performance will be like live.

add them to the album there were so many good ones that it was hard to pick.

OP: The first song, “Rodeo,” is like a declarative statement for the whole album. The sound is like riding a

OP: You were at the Budoukan in March 2010, so you

mechanical bull, and the lyrics set that mood as well.

had the condense the songs that you’d created over the past year.

Mitsumura: The concept for that song is, “What would it sound like if a Mexican mariachi band tried

Mitsumura: The span of time since our previous

to play ‘My Sharona’ by The Knack?” From there, we

album isn’t all that different from other times, but

hit on the idea of a Mexican/Arabian sound, and from

that year we were mainly working on the tour, so

there we went in the direction of a stateless sound.

the amount of things to do was different than usual.

It was the first time in a long time that we’ve writ-

So we had new songs poking out all over the place.

ten such a strange song. But it has an exciting feel-

That made us really happy, and it really increased

ing, and it doesn’t feel like we’re overreaching our-

our confidence as a band. We were really proud be-

selves, so it really feels like we’ve found our groove.

cause all of them were songs that showed we’d gotten

We were writing music at the end of the year, so the

really good.

staff didn’t think we’d be recording, but as a band we just thought “Now we really want to do an album!”

OP: So you focused on songs that would be good live.

and this is the number one song that we twisted their arms on.

Furumura: We’d finished the first stage of the tour,

Furumura: Mitsumura and Tsushima wrote the first

and when we gathered up the songs that we had it

draft. When we were thinking about what to do with

was easy to break them up across the tour. We don’t

the guitar, we thought we’d try an Arabian sound. It

intentionally do the music we want for our lives, we

was like we were testing ourselves, and we had fun

do it intuitively. But I think we got even more deep

creating it.

into it this time than ever before.

Sakakura: The theme for the rhythm section was also to give the feeling of a live show. More than just play-

OP: You felt that you had an even greater degree of

ing accurately, Tsushima and I seemed to get into our

performance freedom. This time you included a song

own groove. We worked together through the places

by Sakakura [“Matryoshka”], and in many ways this is

that we didn’t understand and where we didn’t jive

a perfect album.

PAGE 51 // MUSIC: NICO TOUCHES THE WALLS

well, and we went through it a number of times.

Mitsumura: On this album, more than those before it,

Sakakura: I was really happy to have my song includ-

the bass and drums really laid down their parts well.

ed, and I also think it’s very good for the band. In the

When we did the arrangement, their groove made up

middle of last year’s tour, the drum and bass compli-

the “guts” of the band, so if they seemed to be getting

mented each other perfectly, and I think we hit our

a little too loose we’d stop right away. Sakakura would

stride. I think we’ve grown as a band with this album.

make faces (laugh), but we were really focused while we were recording, like we were weight training.

OP: It has energy and a strong sound, but it’s not because creating energetic music is your guiding prin-

OP: Mousou Taiin A” has powerful lyrics that give the

cipal. There’s a message in each song, and you dig

impression of reality and fantasy mingled together.

deep for it.

Mitsumura: We were going for a sound like “Erotica Seven” by Southern All Stars. Our generation was right in the middle of the mid-90s pop. I don’t know if there’s a trend in terms of themes right now, but we wanted to release stuff that shamelessly reflects our roots.

NICO 会 談 TALKS TO US N

PAGE 50 // MUSIC: NICO TOUCHES THE WALLS

ICO Touches the Walls (ニコタッチ ズザウォールズ, NICO Touches the Walls) is a Japanese J-Rock band formed in 2004. In the same year, they won a prize at the Yamaha Teen Music Festival. They signed to Ki/oon Records in 2007 which is the same label that signed the popular band Asian Kung-Fu Generation.

Their major debut single is Yoru no Hate (夜の果て) released in February 2008.

Recently, their song “Broken Youth” was featured as the 6th ending theme song for the popular anime Naruto Shippuuden. In August 2008 they performed in the ‘Rock in Japan Festival’ along side many other popular upcoming bands.

and strong, so we decided to give it direct lyrics, too.

OP: Mitsumura wrote “Yuujou Sanka” when he was a senior in high school, but it doesn’t feel out of place on the album.

Mitsumura: If it weren’t for this song, we wouldn’t have “Matryoshka,” or “Rodeo” or “Mousou Taiin A.”

OP: Was [“Mousou Taiin A”] fun to perform?

I think this song is the root of them all. Even when we play it live, we have fun.

Furumura: It was. We played it according to our interpretation of the song, without diluting the impact

OP: The final song on the album is the title song,

of the music.

“Passenger.” What are you trying to convey with it?

Sakakura: There were a lot of songs that we’d already completed the lyrics for, so we placed a lot of impor-

Mitsumura: From the very beginning, we wanted the

tance on the feeling of the song. We unified our image

title of this album to be a word that combined “pas-

of the songs as a band, then we put that together with

sion” and “messenger.” It’s meant to convey our en-

the lyrics and recorded.

thusiasm and feelings. I think that all of our thoughts and feelings about music are packed into this final

OP: What was your image for the mysterious ballad

song, leaving nothing out.

“Kimi Dake?”

OP: I think this song is very direct in terms of the

Sakakura: We kept using the phrase “insane love.” A

singing and music.

one-sided love. I’ve been in that position myself, so I understood what it was about. (laughs)

Mitsumura: While doing our tour in the Budoukan last year, we made the resolution to “live within the

OP: I think this is an experience that people every-

music.” So I wanted to sing as though I really was

where can relate to. And it’s also very beautiful song.

living within the music. I want people to listen to our songs, but this past year I unconsciously tried to leave

Mitsumura: More than just beautiful, it’s a scary love

a part of myself in them.

song. I don’t have a philosophy about love that would

Furumura: I think Mitsumura made the lyrics very

fit in with a shoujo manga; I wrote a love song about

plain, and it’s easy to see in the lyrics the things we

the way love is, like a tightrope walk. Even when we

did and thought about over the past year. Since we so

were doing the arrangement and figuring out the in-

intimately understand it, it’s easy to perform.

strumentation, we wanted the song to feel cold.

Sakakura: When we did our final recording, we liked this song better than any of the others. We even like

OP: From the beginning, ‘Nico Touches the Walls’ has

the lyrics best. When I listen to it on my headphones,

had a strong UK flavor, but this album also includes

there are parts that make me cry. It’s a personal song,

country elements with “Page 1,” some American fla-

which gives it universality.

vors, some Arabian sounds, and there are all kinds of

PAGE 53 // MUSIC: NICO TOUCHES THE WALLS

other styles to accent it. Were you specifically looking OP: And you’ll be going on tour again starting in April.

to break out of your style?

Mitsumura: We were able to create an album that fo-

Mitsumura: We weren’t really looking to break out

cused all the energy from last year’s live shows, so we

of our style so much as it just happened before we

want to do a tour to pick up the feedback energy from

noticed it. We recorded in the fervor that comes with

our fans. We want to thank everyone for giving us

the end of a live show, and when we listened to it af-

everything it took to create an album of this caliber.

terwards we realized that it was different from our

We want people to take strength from this album’s

previous work. We really felt like our songs and our

positive energy.

band had come alive.

Artist:

OP: Matryoshka,” the song that Sakakura wrote, is a

NICO Touches The Walls

solid rock song that would sound great in a live show.

S: Until now my ideas had been fragmentary, and this

Albums:

is the first time they took shape. I think it really suits

Aurora

the band.

Humania Passenger

Mitsumura: It’s fashionable to do songs with a con-

Shout to the Walls

nection to UK dance, and we’ve been doing it since

Who Are You?

before we went major, so we don’t feel like we don’t have to do it anymore. But Sakakura’s song is direct

PAGE 52 // MUSIC: NICO TOUCHES THE WALLS

PAGE 55 // FASHION; HARAJUKU

TOKYO TREND: HARAJUKU スタイ ル STYLE Harajuku presented the debut collections of HIBI by Yeji Joe, CHIMERICAL by Patsuko, and ORLEANS

by Dannu. All three of the designers are currently students at Bunka Fashion College, Japan’s most prestigious fashion school. The young designers are also familiar faces in the Tokyo street fashion scene.

Yeji Joe, who we have street snapped previously, invited us to check out the exhibition and agreed to answer a few questions about her brand HIBI. Enjoy our interview with Yeji & check out the pictures of the debut collections of Hibi, Chimerical & Orleans.

T

okyo is famous worldwide for its creative street fashion. DIY, resale, and major brands have a strong presence in the fashion scene here, but some of the most awe-inspiring pieces we see on the street come from young Japanese designers working to make a name for themselves. This ever-changing pool of edgy indie creators includes recent graduates of Tokyo’s major fashion schools (Bunka, Vantan, Musashino, etc.). Their careers are incubated by a network of shops scattered about Tokyo’s hip neighborhoods – including wellknown boutiques in Harajuku, Koenji, and Shibuya. Last week in Harajuku, three new Japanese fashion brands were born into this creative, competitive, and exciting world.

PAGE 54 // FASHION; HARAJUKU

The MGK exhibition at Design Festa Gallery in

OP: What is the MGK and what’s the group’s purpose?

Yeji: MGK means kaleidoscope. It has three members: Dannu, Patsuko, and Yeji. Its brands consist of ORLEANS, CHIMERICAL, and HIBI. This group was created to gather beginner designers and new brands together to hold exhibitions and parties. We plan to continue increasing our members and searching for capable designers, to gather a lot of disparate pieces together and make a beautiful kaleidoscope. being serious is important for design, I think that having a sense of humor is even more important. I

OP: What is the concept of your fashion brand HIBI?

think that clothes that you can have fun with while you wear them are really wonderful.

Yeji: In Korea, the word HIBI means “sadness and happiness,” while in Japan it means “day by day.”

OP: Some of the items look like they have been spray-

Every day, you know. I design things from all sorts of

painted. Are you influenced by street culture/graffiti”

different emotions, every day. And I would like that to become part of the daily lives of many different people,

Yeji: Yes, that’s spray paint. I also considered silk

to make them feel both sadness and happiness.

screens or digital prints, but I was influenced by the graphics of the street culture and chose the spray.

OP: Who is a designer that inspired you?

OP: How did you choose the (non-traditional)

Yeji: I really like Jeremy Scott’s pop designs.

materials used in this collection?

OP: What is your background – how did you get into Yeji: This collection was a mix of vinyl and Japanese

fashion design?

print materials. I think that uniting things that don’t go well at all together is a very important part of a

Yeji: I was born in the Korean port town of Busan,

creator’s work.

and was raised there until I was 18. I learned design at 17, and went to Busan’s NORANO Design Academy

OP: What is your dream/goal as a fashion designer?

for half a year, and right after that I came to Japan (2011). Then, I entered the Bunka Fashion College.

Yeji: Just like the word HIBI, I would like to keep

Currently I am still studying, but I already feel a little

designing while both being grateful for, and never

bit sad because I only have a year left.

taking for granted, those small every day feelings and events. I want to use HIBI to brighten up every day,

OP: What inspired the graphic elements of the debut

for everybody.

HIBI collection?

OP: What are you plans after graduating from Bunka

Yeji: I got inspiration from the face of Xzibit, and

Fashion College (next year)?

“DUMB ASS BITCH” is his catch phrase. Although

Yeji: I will stay in Japan and continue HIBI.

PAGE 57 // FASHION; HARAJUKU

OP: Any final words?

Yeji: This summer, MGK will return again to see everyone, even more audacious than before! We hope you’ll enjoy it! Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!

OP: Thank you Yeji!

PAGE 56 // FASHION; DON’T KNOW

the masquerade (Ledoux and Ranney 1997). It was

manga cosplayers, (2) social settings, (3) character

not long before anime and manga otaku were don-

and roleplaying, and (4) dress,2 which includes cloth-

ning cosplay dress to Japanese conventions (Bruno

ing or costumes, makeup, wigs or hairstyles, jewel-

200n). During the 1980s, there was a growing de-

lery, and accessories. Last, I offer an introduction to

mand for Japanese anime (and manga) imports

the anime and manga cosplay social structures (i.e.,

(Drazen 2003), and an increasing number of otaku

interactions, environments, and experiences) in or-

attended North American science fiction and fantasy

der to provide the reader with an awareness of the

conventions (Hlozek 2004; Poitras 2001). As a result,

complexities and dynamics of the cosplay world.

these types of North American conventions began to include anime- and manga-focused activities, such as

ORIGIN STORIES OF COSPLAY

panels, guest speakers, anime video rooms, and mas-

The few sources that discuss the origins of cosplay

querades (i.e., organised costumed performances). In

are primarily found on Web sites, online publica-

time, otaku organized conventions expressly for fans

tions, and weblogs. Constructed and maintained by

of anime, manga, and related media. Overall, North

anime and manga fans, these sources communicate

American and Japanese cosplay have many common-

information about anime and manga (most with a

alities, such as a dedicated fan base and the use of

personal bias). Therefore, it is not surprising that

costumes. They also have distinguishing character-

the specific origins of anime and manga cosplay are

istics, such as variations within masquerade com-

highly debated topics among anime and manga otaku

petitions, appropriate locations for wearing cosplay

(Hlozek 2004). One side speculates that cosplay be-

dress, and cosplay markets.

gan in North America, during the 1960s, when people

PAGE 59 // OTAKU ACADEMY; COSTUMING THE IMAGINTAION: ORIGINS OF ANIME AND MANGA COSPLAY

dressed as and role-played their favourite science ficCONTEXT OF COSPLAY

tion and fantasy characters, such as Spock from Star

The context of anime and manga cosplay is a combi-

Trek and Robin from Batman (Bruno 2002a). This

nation of the presence of basic components and relat-

type of costumed role-playing (not yet called cosplay)

ed interactions between those components. The four

spanned a variety of genres and may have inspired

basic components are anime and manga cosplayer,

Japanese anime and manga fans to dress as their fa-

social settings, (fictional) character and role-playing,

vourite characters. On the other side of the debate

and dress (e .g., hair, costume, makeup, and acces-

are those who speculate that cosplay was imported

sories, including weapons). Furthermore, these com-

from Japan, coming to North America with the for-

ponents facilitate complex interactions between peo-

mations of anime and manga fan clubs (Bruno 2002a;

ple (e.g., cosplayers, spectators, masquerade judges,

Ledoux and Ranney 1997).

etc.), environments (e.g., personal, private, public,

The origin story that appears to have the most evi-

and virtual), and fantasy (e.g., imagination, fictional

dence to support it actually blends the Japanese

characters, etc.). The following four sections are an

and North American contributions. In 1984 Taka-

overview of the basic components and complex inter-

hashi Nobuyuki (known in the United States as “Nov

actions that create the context of cosplay.

Takahashi”), founder of and writer for Studio Hard, an anime publishing company, attended WorldCon,

Anime and Manga Cosplayer

a science fiction convention, in Los Angeles (Bruno

Anime and manga cosplayers may be any age, gen-

2002a; Hlozek 2004). He was impressed with the cos-

der, and ethnicity. They have varied educational

tumed science fiction and fantasy fans whom he saw,

backgrounds, occupations, disposable incomes, and

especially those competing in the masquerade (Bru-

resources. Essentially, an anime or manga cosplayer

no 2002a). Consequently, when he returned to Japan

can be almost anyone who expresses his or her fan-

and wrote about his experiences at the convention,

dom and passion for a character by dressing and act-

he focused on the costumed fans and the masquer-

ing similarly to that character. Since the exact cosplay

ade. Moreover, Takahashi encouraged his Japanese

demographics are currently unknown, this is an area

readers to incorporate costumes into their anime and

in need of further research.

manga conventions (Bruno 2oo2a).

A cosplayer researches and studies an already exist-

Takahashi was unable to use the word masquerade

ing anime or manga character with a keen eye for

because this word translated into Japanese means

detail, in order to create a cosplay character. The in-

“an aristocratic costume party,” which is drastically

terpretation usually takes shape by reading or watch-

different from the costume competitions seen at

ing the chosen character within its given medium

conventions (Bruno 2002a). Instead, he created the

(Le., manga, anime, or video game). The level of

phrase costume play, which was eventually shortened

research and study is ultimately guided by the cos-

to kosupure, or cosplay (Bruno 200n). As a result,

player’s objectives (e.g., masquerade participation,

Takahashi added two new words to the subculture

socialising, etc.).

and pop culture lexicon: cosplay and cosplayer.

Cosplayers exist at various places along a cosplay

In 1980, at the San Diego, California, Comic-Con, sev-

continuum, which is based on their level of commit-

eral fans dressed as anime and manga characters in

Costuming the Imagintaion: Origins of Anime and Manga Cosplay

Theresa Winge

The term cosplay combines costume and play (or roleplay). Cosplay also refers to the activities, such as masquerades, karaoke, and posing for pictures with other otaku, that are associated with dressing and acting like anime, manga, and video game characters (Macias ‘ and Machiyama 2004; Poitras 2001). While the term cosplay encompasses various types of costumed roleplaying, such as science fiction, fantasy, horror, mythology, fetish, and so forth, this chapter focuses only on Japanese and North American cosplay related to anime, manga, and video games.

My objective here is to provide the reader with an understanding of anime and manga cosplay, cosplayers, and their social structures. First, I explore the origin stories of cosplay to establish contributions from both Japan and North America. Next, I discuss the distinguishing characteristics of Japanese and North American cosplay to determine the similarities and differences between the two cultural settings. I contextualise four cosplay elements: (1) anime and

A

ll over the world, cosplay fans gather at conventions and parties to share their appreciation of and affection for anime and manga (McCarthy 1993; Napier 2001; Poitras 2001). These fans, who also refer to themselves as otaku,1 wear detailed makeup and elaborate costumes modeled after their favourite anime, manga, and related video game characters (Poitras 2001; Richie 2003).

Cosplayers spend immeasurable monies and hours constructing or purchasing costumes, learning signature poses and dialogue, and performing at conventions and parties, as they transform themselves from “real world” identities into chosen (fictional) characters. This is the essence of cosplay, or kosupure (Aoyama and Cahill 2003; Richie 2003).

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オ タク OTAKU ア カ デ ミー ACADEMY

PAGE 63 // OTAKU ACADEMY; COSTUMING THE IMAGINTAION: ORIGINS OF ANIME AND MANGA COSPLAY

FIGURE 1. Gothic Lolita, 2005, Cedar Falls, Iowa Costume designed and constructed by Erin Hamburg. Photograph by the author.

FIGURE 2 (RIGHT). Rainbow Brite Lolita, 2005, Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Costume designed and constructed by Erin Hamburg. Photograph by the author.

An additional cosplay character type is known as

Lolita Anime I: Yuki no kurenai keshô and Shôjo bara

“crossplay” (Hlozek 2004). Crossplay is where a cos-

kei (1984); however, this character has an earlier ref-

player employs gender reversal (i.e., a female who

erence in Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita (1955). Both of

dresses as a male character or vice versa). Depending

these references for the Lolita character define and

on the cosplayer’s objectives, the crossplay may por-

emphasise its sexualised imagery; however, not all

tray the opposite gender with accuracy or it may have

Lolita cosplayers intend to communicate that image.

humorous intentions within its display (e.g., dress,

Certain anime and manga characters are more popu-

role-playing; etc.), For example, at CONvergence

lar than others, which results in trends within cos-

2004 (a science fiction and fantasy convention held in

play. The popularity of anime and manga characters

Bloomington, Minnesota) there were several males

is most evident by the numerous observations of

dressed as each of the Sailor Moon Scouts (teenage

cosplayers dressed as the same character at a con-

heroines who assist Sailor Moon in her endeavours

vention. For example, in the September 2003 issue of

to save the world from evil), and a young woman was

Newtype, there is a photograph of multiple depictions

dressed as Tuxedo Mask (the young hero who often

of Inuyasha (i.e., a half dog demon and half human

assists Sailor Moon and the Scouts in their quest). In

male, with silver or black hair and dog ears, wear-

this example, crossplay was utilised for humorous ef-

ing a red kimono-style garment with a sword) at

fect and social levity. These Scouts had deep voices

the Anime Expo convention in Anaheim, California.

and visible chest and leg hair, along with five o’clock

Another example is the frequent sightings of Lolita

shadows, and this Tuxedo Mask had a high-pitched

characters at anime and manga conventions. The

voice and curvaceous silhouette. Moreover, the group

Lolita genre is so popular that there are numerous

was continuously making gender-related puns and

Web

jokes aimed at further identifying and establishing

sites,

costume

shops,

and

publications dedicated to it.

tators use applause, verbal cues, and laughter to en-

ment. At one end are cosplayers content with dress-

courage cosplayers to perform and interact.

ing (e.g., wig, makeup, and costume) as their chosen

Furthermore, the cosplay social settings exist beyond

character and attending conventions and events for

the stage of a masquerade. Cosplayers interact with

socialising and having fun. At the other end are those

each other, often role-playing their chosen charac-

cosplayers obsessed with a given character, re-cre-

ters while participating in hallway conversations,

ating that character with meticulous attention to de-

karaoke parties, and online chat rooms. These social

tail and performing as that character as often as time

settings take any shape or form desired by cosplay-

and money allow. Between these extremes, there are

ers. Often the settings extend beyond tangible spaces,

cosplayers who research, study, and practice their

into virtual spaces, such as Web sites, weblogs, and

characters and participate in cosplay events, such as

online journals (Poitras 2001). Cosplayers utilize Web

masquerade and karaoke. Regardless of his or her

sites to register and plan activities for conventions,

place on the cosplay continuum, each cosplayer has

as well as to promote and communicate about their

an extraordinary level of dedication and commitment

fandom for anime and manga cosplay. They also use

to the depiction of a chosen character, based on indi-

weblogs and online journals to confide in others, ex-

vidual objectives that may include, but are not limited

press opinions, and argue about the finer details of

to, the following criteria: humour, accurate depiction,

cosplay. Additionally, traditional print media, such as

and casual participation.

the magazines Animerica and Newtype, feature several pages

per

issue

of

cosplay

photographs

Social Settings

from recent conventions.

Cosplay is primarily a social activity associated with

Character and Role-playing

gather to share their passions for anime and manga

An otaku chooses an anime, manga, or video game

characters (Aoyama and Cahill 2003). The cosplay

character to cosplay based on personal criteria. A

social settings may include, but are not limited to,

resourceful cosplayer has few limitations in char-

the following: masquerades (i.e., character based

acter choice, beyond his or her imagination. The

costume or performance competitions), photograph

pool of characters to choose from is vast, including

sessions, themed parties, karaoke, club meetings,

characters from anime feature movies and serials,

and conventions. While the social settings for cosplay

manga single image and series, and related video

may vary greatly, conventions are often the primary

games. Some cosplay characters are featured in all

space where large numbers of cosplayers gather, so-

three media, such as Dragon Ball Z and Fist of the

cialise, and perform.

North Star. In fact, there are so many characters to

Conventions are held at all times of the year, around

choose from that they have been informally classified

the world, for fans of science fiction, fantasy, horror,

into sub genres.

anime, manga, and the like to share their interests

Among these sub genres are mecha, cyborg, furry,

and passions with like-minded individuals (Poitras

and Lolita. Mechas (short for “mechanicals”) are

2001). The dedicated cosplayer may attend conven-

giant robot characters, often piloted or operated by

tions on the average of one a month. As a result, many

humans (Napier 2001). Some examples of mecha

science fiction and fantasy conventions include a va-

characters are Gundam Wing Zero (Gundam Wing

riety of activities, such as discussion panels, skits,

television series, 1995-96) and EVA units(Neon Gen-

film screenings, and masquerades specifically aimed

esis Evangelion television series, 1995-96). Cyborgs

at anime and manga otaku.

are part machine and part human, such as Major

The convention activity that attracts the most interest

Kusanagi Motoko (Ghost in the Shell, 1995) and the

from otaku, especially cosplayers, is the masquerade.

Knight Sabers (Bubblegum Crisis, 1987- 91). Furries

Cosplayers compete in masquerades by posing or act-

are characters that have “fur,” and the cosplay cos-

ing in skits relevant to their characters. At science fic-

tumes for them are usually created from faux fur.

tion and fantasy conventions, anime and manga cos-

Some examples are Totoro, a giant, gray catlike crea-

players compete against various genres of cosplayers.

ture (My Neighbor Totoro, 1988) and Ryo-ohki (an al-

Despite slight variations between each masquerade,

ternate romanization of Ryôôki) , a cute, furry cabbit

participants are generally judged on three main cri-

(cat-rabbit) (Tenchi muyô ryôôki series, 2000, known

teria: accuracy of the costume’s appearance to the ac-

by the alternate romanization Tenchi Muyô Ryo-ohki

tual character; construction and details of the cosplay

in the United States). A Lolita character attempts to

dress; and entertainment value of the skit and/or ac-

convey a kawaii image, which is young, childlike,

curacy to the character.

and cute (Aoyama and Cahill 2003; Schodt 1996).

Spectators play an important role in the social set-

The character may don a baby-doll dress trimmed

tings of cosplay. In fact, it could be argued that cos-

with layers of lace, kneesocks, and sometimes carry

play events, especially the masquerade, would be

a stuffed animal or a parasol. A common anime ref-

pointless if it were not for the spectators, even if they

erence for the Lolita character is the Wonder Kids’

are composed of friends and other cosplayers. Spec-

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various activities and conventions, where cosplayers

PAGE 63 // OTAKU ACADEMY; COSTUMING THE IMAGINTAION: ORIGINS OF ANIME AND MANGA COSPLAY

als and research), a public space (interactions with

tention (Richie 2003).

other cosplayers, both in person and virtual), and

A final distinguishing characteristic between Japa-

a performance space (ranging from small parties

nese and North American cosplay is the available

to masquerades). Cosplay merges fantasy and real-

goods and markets for cosplayers. In Japan, there

ity into “carnivalesque” environments and spaces,

are districts where anime and manga cosplayers are

where individuals have permission to be someone

the target market for consumable goods, such as cos-

or something other than themselves (Bakhtin 1968;

play costumes, accessories, and publications. North

Napier 2001; Richie 2003). It is here that cosplay char-

American anime and manga conventions feature

acters, distinctive from their anime and manga ori-

dealers who sell a limited selection of cosplay items

gins, emerge and interact with other cosplay charac-

(e.g., magazines, DVDs, action figures, etc.). Within

ters. This further suggests the malleable identities of

science fiction and fantasy conventions, anime and

the cosplayers created in these environments where

manga cosplayers compete with other fandoms, such

people are “not themselves” but instead are fictional

as Star Trek and Star Wars fans , for a portion of the

anime and manga characters.

market. Outside the convention setting, anime and

Cosplay social interactions and environments provide

manga cosplayers must resort to catalogs and online

cosplayers with unique and significant experiences.

shops for cosplay items, such as wigs, costumes,

These experiences include making new friends to

and makeup.

claiming a moment in the limelight. Moreover, cos-

During the latter portions of the twentieth century,

play experiences appear to have real benefits for the

Japan and North America exchanged pop and sub-

cosplayers, because of the continued participation

cultural ideas (Napier 2001; Poitras 2001). This is

and growing interest in cosplay and related activities.

evident in Hollywood movies influenced by Japanese

The variety of cosplay experiences contributes to the

anime (e.g., The Matrix was influenced by Ghost in

social structure of cosplay.

the Shell) . An example of how Japanese anime and

I

n summary, cosplay inspired by anime, manga, and related video games expands not only the anime and manga art form but also the interactions of two global cultures-Japan and North America. The interactions begin with origin stories of cosplay and continue as cosplayers share fandom from both Japan and North America (via surfing the Internet and attending conventions). The impact of these interactions is visually evident at conventions where the context of cosplay, which includes social settings, cosplayers, characters and role-playing, and dress, is on display.

Moreover, these interactions contribute to, build on, and develop into the social structures of cosplay, providing cosplayers with unique interactions, environments, and experiences.

manga story lines have been influenced by North American subcultural activities is the Record of Lodoss War stories, which were influenced by Dungeons and Dragons role-playing games (Poitras 2001) . This Japanese and North American exchange has extended to anime and manga and is apparent within the sources of inspiration for anime and manga cosplay.

SOCIAL STRUCTURES OF COSPLAY Cosplay is a highly social activity that occurs in specific environments, such as anime and manga conventions, karaoke events, and club meetings (Aoyama and Cahill 2003). Therefore it provides significant social benefits for cosplayers, who are often labeled “geeks” (i.e., socially and culturally inferior individuals) by the dominant culture. As a result, the anime and manga cosplay subculture provides cosplayers with “social structures” (Merton 1968). This social structure is composed of social interactions, environments, and experiences.

Most of the social interactions take place via the cosplay character(s). The character provides a (protective) identity for the cosplayer, which may allow for more confident and open interactions. Moreover, cosplay dress and environment(s) permit the cosplayer to role-play the character he or she is dressed as and engage in such social activities within a “safe” and “supportive” social structure. In this way the cosplay social structure is established, developed, and maintained.

The environments and spaces created for and by cosplay provide cosplayers with a variety of spaces for social interactions. Some of these environments include, but are not limited to, the following: an intimate space (dress), a private space (solitary rehears-

for muscles, dyeing hair to bright, unnatural colours,

their gender role reversals.

and wearing platform shoes. They often spend sig-

Crossplay among cosplayers is not unusual, consid-

nificant amounts of money and time to create the

ering the many gender reversals, confusions, and

perfect replica of their character’s dress (Aoyama and

ambiguities within anime and manga. For example,

Cahill 2003). Still other cosplayers are content with

Oscar Francois de Jarjayes, from the Rose of Versailles

the bare minimum of dress that communicates their

(1972-74), was raised as a male; however, she is actu-

chosen character.

ally a female. The story centers on Oscar’s ambigu-

Typically, cosplay dress is either self-created or pur-

ity and duality. Another example is the Three Lights

chased, or a combination of the two. Wigs, cosmet-

from Sailor Moon. In the manga, the Three Lights

ics, and jewellery are often purchased because these

females pose as human males in a rock band, but in

items are difficult to make or may be less expensive

the anime they transform from male pop stars into

than construction from raw materials. The construct-

female sailor senshi-Sailor Starlights.

ed portions of cosplay dress usually include the cloth-

The cosplayer relies on dress and role-playing to

ing, but may also include foam swords and (faux)

display a given character. Cosplay role-playing is

gem-encrusted wands. Some portions of cosplay

the ability to dress, walk, talk, and act similar to the

dress that usually are a combination of purchased

chosen anime or manga character in order to portray

and constructed often need to be modified, such as

a character in a desired fashion. Role-playing is an

shoes and accessories.

essential skill for a cosplayer, regardless if he or she is accurate to a character, creating a parody, or just

JAPANESE AND NORTH AMERICAN COSPLAY

having fun. Role-playing a character is greatly aided

A distinguishing characteristic between Japanese and

by cosplay dress.

ers perform in competition. In North America, dur-

Dress

ing masquerades cosplayers wear their dress onstage

Cosplay dress includes all body modifications and

and perform skits, often humorous but not necessar-

supplements, such as hair, makeup, costume, and ac-

ily an exact mime of their chosen character. In Ja-

cessories, including wands, staffs, and swords. This

pan, cosplayers also wear their dress on stage during

dress is often referred to as a “costume”; however,

competitions; however, they usually give only a static

cosplay dress goes well beyond a simple costume.

display, such as striking their character’s signature

Cosplay dress may be the most important tool the

pose or reciting the motto of their chosen character

cosplayer has to nonverbally communicate his or

(Bruno 2002b).

her chosen character and character traits. This dress

Another distinguishing characteristic is where cos-

functions as character identification and provides

play dress is worn. In North America, cosplayers wear

a basis for role-playing and interactions with other

their dress in nearly any setting (Bruno 2002b). For

cosplayers. Cosplay dress also enables cosplayers to

example, fully costumed/ dressed cosplayers may

move from their actual identities to their chosen cos-

leave a convention and eat at a nearby restaurant. In

play characters, and sometimes back again.

Japan, cosplayers are not welcome in certain areas

For example, “Sailor Bubba,” a bearded male cos-

beyond the convention, and some conventions re-

player (and crossplayer) dressed as Sailor Moon

quest that cosplayers not wear their dress outside the

(i.e., manga and anime teenage, female heroine with

convention (Bruno 2002b). Both Japanese and North

magical powers), speaks with a deep voice, walks

American cosplayers gather with friends for cosplay

with a gait natural to a 6-foot-tall, 250-pound man,

at conventions and private events.

and has dark black chest hair poking out of the top of

Since Japanese culture values community above the

his schoolgirl uniform. Still, anime and manga cos-

individual, cosplayers exist as a subculture, outside

players recognize the dress and accept his change

the acceptable norms of the dominant culture, where

in personality (and gender) when a man in a tuxedo

acts of discrimination have occurred by the dominant

and top hat, the costume for Tuxedo Mask, enters the

culture (Aoyama and Cahill 2003; Richie 2003). As a

room. Suddenly it is a cosplay version of Sailor Moon

result, Japanese cosplayers have a negative reputa-

and Tuxedo Mask having a conversation about saving

tion as individualists within some areas of Japanese

the world (with not-so-subtle references to a room

culture (Bruno 2002b; Richie 2003). In Japan, unlike

party as the scene for the next battle with a villain

North America, there are areas, such as the Aki-

called “Mr. Jagermeister”).3

habara and Harajuku districts in Tokyo, strictly des-

Each cosplayer determines the accuracy of his or

ignated for cosplay costume shops, cafes, and restau-

her cosplay dress and character portrayal. For some

rants (Prideaux 2001). Although Japanese cosplayers

cosplayers the costume must be an exact replica of

may venture into areas not designated for cosplayers,

that worn by an anime character, which is no easy

such activity is discouraged because of the negative

feat, given the unrealistic aspects of animated cos-

reputation of cosplayers, and to

tumes. These cosplayers take extreme care to get

protect young female cosplayers from unwanted at-

every physical detail correct, such as adding padding

PAGE 62 // OTAKU ACADEMY; COSTUMING THE IMAGINTAION: ORIGINS OF ANIME AND MANGA COSPLAY

North American cosplay is the way in which cosplay-

PAGE 65 // OTAKU ACADEMY; COSTUMING THE IMAGINTAION: ORIGINS OF ANIME AND MANGA COSPLAY

THIS ESSAY WAS TAKEN FROM: ‘Mechademia’ Volume 1; ‘Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga’ Mechademia is an annual forum for Anime, Manga, and Fan arts.

M

echademia is a series of books, published by the University of Minnesota Press, devoted to creative and critical work on anime, manga, and the fan arts. Linked through their specific but comples aesthetic, anime, manga, and the fan arts have influenced a wide array of contemporary and historical culture through design, art, film, and gaming. This series seeks to examine, discuss, and theorize, and reveal this unique style through its historic Japanese origins and its ubiquitous global pressence and manifestation in popular and gallery culture. Each book is organised around a particular narritive aspect of anime and manga; these themes are sufficiently provocative and broad in interpretation to allow for creative and insightful investigations of this global artistic phenomenon.

NOTES 1. In North America, otaku refers to an anime and manga (hardcore) fan or enthusiast. However, in Japan, otaku is an honorific and is used to address a good friend or the like (Schodt 1996).

2. In this chapter, I utilise J. B. Eicher’s (2002) definition of dress - any body modification or supplement, which includes makeup, wigs, shoes, clothing, jewellery, and piercings - when I refer to cosplay dress.

3. Jagermeister is an herbal (anise) liqueur that is popular in North America.

REFERENCES -Aoyama, T., and J. Cahill. 2003. Cosplay Girls: Japan’s Live Animation Heroines. Tokyo: DH.

-Bruno, M. 2002a. “Cosplay: The Illegitimate Child of SF Masquerades.” Glitz and Glitter Newsletter, Millennium Costume Guild. October. http://millenniumcg.tripod.com/glitzglitterl1002articles.html (accessed March 20, 2005).

--2002b. “Costuming a World Apart: Cosplay in America and Japan.” Glitz and GlitterNewsletter, Millennium Costume Guild. October. http://millenniumcg.tripod.com/glitzglitterl1002articles.html (accessed March 20,2005).

-Drazen, P. 2003. Anime Explosion! The What? Why? & Wow! of Japanese Animation. Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge.

-Eicher, J. B. 2000. “Dress,” in Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women’s Issues and Knowledge, ed. C. Kramarae and D. Spender. London: Routledge.

-Hlozek, R. 2004. Cosplay: The New Main Attraction. May. http://www.jivemagazine.com/article.php?pid:1953 (accessed March 20, 2005).

-Ledoux, T., and D. Ranney. 1997. The Complete Anime Guide, 2nd ed. Issaquah, WA: Tiger Mountain.

-Macias, P., and Machiyama, T. 2004. Cruising the Anime City: An Otaku Guide to Neo Tokyo. Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge.

-McCarthy, H. 1993. Anime! A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Animation. London: Titan Books.

-Merton, R. K. 1968. Social Theory and Social Structure. New York: Free Press.

-Napier, S. 2001. Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation. New York: Palgrave.

-Poitras, G. 2001. Anime Essentials: Everything a Fan Needs to Know. Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge.

-Prideaux, E. 2001. ‘’Japanese Trend Sees Teens Dress in Costume.” CNews. Associated Press (Tokyo), February 7.

-Richie, D. 2003. Image Factory: Fads and Fashions in Japan. London: Reaktion Books.

-Schodt, F. L. 1996. Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga. Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge.

PAGE 64 // OTAKU ACADEMY; COSTUMING THE IMAGINTAION: ORIGINS OF ANIME AND MANGA COSPLAY

-Bakhtin, M. 1968. Rabelais and His World. Trans. H. Iswolsky. Cambridge, MA: MIT.

PAGE 67 // PUBLISHED IN UK; MANGA PUBLISHED IN UK

PUBLISHER

AUTHOR

TITLE

Bandai Entertainment

Jinsei Kataoka/ Kazuma Kondou

Eureka Seven

Viz Media

Riichiro Inagaki/ Yusuke Murata

Eyeshield 21

Kodansha Comics

Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail

Gutsoon! Entertainment

Buronson/ Tetsuo Hara

Fist of the North Star

Tokyopop

Natsuki Takaya

Fruits Basket

Viz Media

Hiromu Arakawa

Fullmetal Alchemist

ADV Manga

Retsu Tateo

Full Metal Panic!

Dark Horse Comics

Hiroya Oku

Gantz

Tokyopop

Yuya Aoki/ Rando Ayamine

GetBackers

Titan Books

Masamune Shirow

Ghost in the Shell

Viz Media

Hideaki Sorachi

Gin Tama

Dark Horse Comics

Kouta Hirano

Hellsing

Viz Media

Yoshihiro Togashi

Hunter × Hunter

Viz Media

Rumiko Takahashi

InuYasha

Tokyopop

Yuichi Kumakura

Jing: King of Bandits

Tokyopop

Shiro Amano

Kingdom Hearts

Dark Horse Comics

Kazuo Koike/Goseki Kojima

Lone Wolf and Cub

Kodansha Comics

Ken Akamatsu

Love Hina

Dark Horse Comics

Osamu Tezuka

Metropolis

Tokyopop

Hajime Yatate

My-HiME

Viz Media

Masashi Kishimoto

Naruto

Viz Media

Yoshiyuki Sadamoto

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Dark Horse Comics

Garon Tsuchiya/Nobuaki Minegishi

Old Boy

Viz Media

Eiichiro Oda

One Piece

Yen Press

Jun Mochizuki

Pandora Hearts

Viz Media

Various

Pokémon

Viz Media

Takeshi Konomi

The Prince of Tennis

Kodansha Comics

Hiro Mashima

Rave Master

Viz Media

Akira Amano

Reborn!

Viz Media

Akihisa Ikeda

Rosario + Vampire

Viz Media

Nobuhiro Watsuki

Rurouni Kenshin

Tokyopop

Naoko Takeuchi

Sailor Moon

Viz Media

Masami Kurumada

Saint Seiya

Bandai Entertainment

Shinichiro Watanabe/Masaru Gotsubo

Samurai Champloo

Tokyopop

Akimine Kamijyo

Samurai Deeper Kyo

Viz Media

Hiroyuki Takei

Shaman King

Viz Media

Yoshiki Nakamura

Skip Beat!

Yen Press

Atsushi Okubo

Soul Eater

Dark Horse Comics

Yasuhiro Nightow

Trigun

Tanoshimi

Clamp

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle

Viz Media

Takehiko Inoue

Vagabond

Viz Media

Matsuri Hino

Vampire Knight

Viz Media

Keiko Nobumoto/Toshitsugu Iida

Wolf’s Rain

Tanoshimi

Clamp

xxxHolic

Gollancz Manga

Kazuki Takahashi

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Viz Media

Yoshihiro Togashi

YuYu Hakusho

Viz Media

Michiro Ueyama

Zoids: Chaotic Century

Viz Media

Tite Kubo

Zombie Powder

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Naoki Urasawa

20th Century Boys

Viz Media

Yuu Watase

Absolute Boyfriend

Seven Seas Entertainment

Takashi Okazaki

Afro Samurai

Dark Horse Comics

Kosuke Fujishima

Ah My Goddess!

Tanoshimi

Oh! great

Air Gear

Kodansha Comics

Katsuhiro Otomo

Akira

ADV Manga

Aoi Nanase

Angel/Dust

Dark Horse Comics

Masamune Shirow

Appleseed

Dark Horse Comics

Osamu Tezuka

Astro Boy

Yen Press

Kiyohiko Azuma

Azumanga Daioh

Raijin Comics

Keisuke Itagaki

Baki the Grappler

VIZ Media

Ohba Tsugumi/ Obata Takeshi

Bakuman

Yen Press

Masahiro Totsuka/ Aguri Igarashi

Bamboo Blade

Last Gasp

Keiji Nakazawa

Barefoot Gen

Tanoshimi

Masaki Segawa

Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls

Tokyopop

Koushun Takami

Battle Royale

Dark Horse Comics

Kentaro Miura

Berserk

Viz Media

Kentaro Yabuki

Black Cat

Viz Media

Tite Kubu

Bleach

Viz Media

Tsuneo Takano/ Takeshi Obata

Blue Dragon RalΩGrad

Viz Media

Yoshio Sawai

Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo

Vertical, Inc.

Osamu Tezuka

Buddha

Tokyopop

Clamp

Chobits

ADV Manga

Daisuke Moriyama

Chrono Crusade

Viz Media

Norihiro Yagi

Claymore

Tokyopop

Hajime Yatate/Yutaka Nanten

Cowboy Bebop

Viz Media

Katsura Hoshino

D. Gray-man

Tokyopop

Yukiru Sugisaki

D.N.Angel

Yen Press

Noki Ya

Darker than Black

Viz Media

Tsugumi Ohba/ Takeshi Obata

Death Note

Viz Media

Akira Toriyama

Dr. Slump

Viz Media

Akira Toriyama

Dragon Ball

Dark Horse Comics

Hiroki Endo

Eden: It’s an Endless World

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Rei Mano

Ghost Hunt

Manga Entertainment

Mamoru Oshii

Ghost in the Shell

Manga Entertainment

Mamoru Hosoda

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Optimum Home Entertainment

Isao Takahata

Grave of the Fireflies

Warner Home Video

Various

Halo - Legends

Manga Entertainment

Various

Hellsing

Manga Entertainment

Tetsuro Araki

High School of the Dead

Optimum Home Entertainment

Hayao Miyazaki

Howl’s Moving Castle

Manga Entertainment

Makoto Shinkai

Journey To Agartha

Optimum Home Entertainment

Hayao Miyazaki

Kiki’s Delivery Service

Manga Entertainment

Naoko Yamada

K-On!

Optimum Home Entertainment

Hayao Miyazaki

Laputa - Castle in the Sky

Anchor Bay

Various

Lupin the Third

Optimum Home Entertainment

Isao Takahata

Little Norse Prince

Manga Entertainment

Susumu Kudo

Mardock Scramble

MVM

Kenji Kamiyama

Moribito

Manga Entertainment

Various

Naruto

Manga Entertainment

Hayato Date

Naruto - Shippuden

Optimum Home Entertainment

Hayao Miyazaki

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Optimum Home Entertainment

Isao Takahata

My Neighbours the Yamadas

Optimum Home Entertainment

Hayao Miyazaki

My Neighbour Totoro

Starz Home Entertainment

Kazuki Akane

Noein

Manga Entertainment

Junji Nishimura

Nura - Rise Of The Yokai Clan

Optimum Home Entertainment

Tomomi Mochizuki

Ocean Waves

Manga Entertainment

Yoshiaki Iwasaki

Okami-san And Her Seven Companions

Optimum Home Entertainment

Isao Takahata

Only Yesterday

Manga Entertainment

Keiichi Sugiyama

Origin Spirits Of The Past

Manga Entertainment

Various

Ouran High School Host Club

Manga Entertainment

Hayao Miyazaki

Panda Go Panda!

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Satoshi Kon

Paprika

Manga Entertainment

Seiji Kishi

Persona 4: The Animation

Optimum Home Entertainment

Isao Takahata

Pom Poko

Optimum Home Entertainment

Hayao Miyazaki

Ponyo

Optimum Home Entertainment

Hayao Miyazaki

Porco Rosso

Optimum Home Entertainment

Hayao Miyazaki

Princess Mononoke

Manga Entertainment

Terri Doty

Rin, Daughters of Mnemosyne

MVM

Takayuki Inagaki

Rosario & Vampire

MVM

Various

Samurai Champloo

Manga Entertainment

Various

Sekirei

Manga Entertainment

Mamoru Oshii

The Sky Crawlers

MVM

Takashi Watanabe

Shakugan No Shana

Manga Entertainment

Various

Soul Eater

Manga Entertainment

Mamoru Hosoda

Summer Wars

Optimum Home Entertainment

Hayao Miyazaki

Spirited Away

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Satoshi Kon

Tokyo Godfathers

MVM

Satoshi Nishimura

Trigun

Manga Entertainment

Kiyoko Sayama

Vampire Knight

Optimum Home Entertainment

Yoshifumi Kondô

Whisper of the Heart

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Various

Aeon Flux

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Fuminori Kizaki

Afro Samurai

Manga Entertainment

Katsuhiro Ôtomo

Akira

Manga Entertainment

Kazuhiko Katayama

Appleseed

Optimum Home Entertainment

Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Arrietty

E1 Entertainment

David Bowers

Astro Boy

Paramount Home Entertainment

Various

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Manga Entertainment

Takahiro Omori

Baccano!

Manga Entertainment

Shin Oonuma

Baka And Test - Summon The Beasts

Manga Entertainment

Various

Bakuman

Manga Entertainment

Shinobu Yoshioka

Black Rock Shooter

Manga Entertainment

Various

Bleach

Manga Entertainment

Hiroyuki Kitakubo

Blood - The Last Vampire

MVM

Tatsuo Sato

Bodacious Space Pirates

MVM

Masahiro Ando

Canaan

Optimum Home Entertainment

Hayao Miyazaki

The Castle Of Cagliostro

Optimum Home Entertainment

Hiroyuki Morita

The Cat Returns

Manga Entertainment

Various

Claymore

Manga Entertainment

Goro Taniguchi

Code Geass: Lelouch Of The Rebellion

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Various

Cowboy Bebop

Manga Entertainment

Tensai Okamura

Darker Than Black

Manga Entertainment

Tetsuro Araki

Death Note

Manga Entertainment

Various

D. Gray Man

Manga Entertainment

Yasuhiro Takemoto

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Manga Entertainment

Daisuke Nishio

Dragonball Z

MVM

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Dream Eater Merry

Manga Entertainment

Kenji Kamiyama

Eden Of The East

101 Films

Mamoru Kanbe

Elfen Lied

Manga Entertainment

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Evangelion

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Various

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Manga Entertainment

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Freezing

Manga Entertainment

Yasuhiro Irie

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

MVM

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Ga-Rei-Zero

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