‘Cosplay’ is a wasei-eigo term referring to the hobby [and sometime paid modeling gig] of crafting and wearing costumes that resemble popular anime, comic, and video game characters. The term, a portmanteau combining the words ‘costume’ and ‘play’, was coined by advertiser Nobuyuki Takahashi in a 1983 article for a publication called My Anime. Cosplay steadily garnered a significant following since then, most notably in Tokyo’s Akihabara district – the mecca for all things ‘otaku‘.
Since then, both the word and the subculture have spanned the globe, creating hobbyist groups and expos in most major cities. Conventions, like Anime-Expo in Los Angeles, create receptive forums of like-minded individuals who can appreciate each other’s creations. However, while cosplay is an artistic expression through the medium of costumery, the amount of effort is sometimes greatly contrasted at these events.
A recent thread on Hamusoku created a lot of attention by containing a collection of ‘overwhelming’ cosplay by some amateur foreign costume creators. The overall lack of workmanship created more than one jab at the cosplayers’ motivation, however many people mentioned that ‘as long as they are having fun, let them be’. What Japanese netizens did not realise, however, is that ‘cospobre’ [a mixture of ‘costume’ and ‘pobre’, or ‘poor’] is an online Brazilian competition in which the aim is to create your costume using the least amount of money possible, with many making their costumes for free…
From Hamusoku:
Overwhelming Quality Cosplay Photo Collection
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Overwhelming[-ly horrible] quality!
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These are disguises more than they are cosplay.
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Wow, the quality is really overwhelming! Right? Right?
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Although they are featuring only bad cosplay, it’s remarkable that the quality is enough that you can at least recognize what character they’re trying to be at first glance. w
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I cracked up when I noticed #3’s right hand www
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What the……
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What a relief. It’s just as I expected.
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7 was planned, right? I’ll let that one slide w
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19
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Whichever way you look at it, 19 is a perverted mask w
20
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At least add color to it
23
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I’ve seen guys in real life who looked more like Mister Satan than this guy. And they weren’t even cosplaying.
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25
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I actually laughed at how good number 25 is. Even though it’s cardboard, the quality is better than expected wwww
You really can make amazing things out of cardboard, huh? ww
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Shouldn’t we acknowledge the time #25 put into making the wings?
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That dog looks irritated w
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29
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I think 29 is pretty good
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33
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The level of quality is higher than I thought
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The times of cost reduction have hit the world of cosplay as well, eh?
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Ah, when I try and think about this kind of stuff, the one on the right in 36 really cracks me up.
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Are they even trying to look like the characters?
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Isn’t that the sloppiest Hulk you’ve ever seen? ww
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This really is overwhelmingly childlike quality cosplay. I used to play in costumes I made from cardboard when I was a kid.
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As long as the people who made them are having fun, it’s fine….that’s it!
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Most of the time, it suits them.
43
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IRON MAN wwwwwwwwww
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I actually like 43.
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Not bad. I approve
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Even though the quality in all of these is terrible, at least they are putting effort into making their costume look like the original. But #43, you’re awful.
44
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Is that what you mean by quality? www
I don’t hate it, but why is everything foreigners make rough and crude?
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I like his rendition www
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It’s fine as long as they’re having fun!
