| In real life they're a government worker, a fashion designer, a doctor
and a clerical worker. However, these Japanese women really blossom after
hours when they go to work on their amazing anime character costumes. The
group stunned people at Anime Expo with the craftsmanship of their costumes
and delighted onlookers with their beauty. They got together on Sunday
morning at the convention to meet with American fans and talk about their
enjoyment of "cosplay." |
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| The young women said they learned about Anime Expo through the internet,
decided they wanted to travel to the U.S. for the event and spent three
months making costumes specially for the convention. They were modest about
their appearance, noting that they look far different out of costume. In
street clothes and without makeup, no one recognizes then, they said, noting
that some people had walked by them at Anime Expo, talking about the costumers
they had seen - and never knew they were next to the women they enjoyed
seeing a few hours earlier. And these amazingly lovely women said they
were jealous of American women with naturally blonde hair who dressed as
Sailor Moon. |
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| If you look closely at anime and manga characters, you'll notice that
the people in the drawings don't have typical human proportions. The Japanese
cosplayers have to take that into account when they make their costumes.
Just like Americans, the young women study drawings to decide how they'll
make their outfits. What if there are no drawings? One of the women, who
wanted to make a costume of a video game character, said she went to an
arcade, studied the game and took pictures of the screen before she figured
how to make a costume. |
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| The cosplayers said they don't want to be famous, that they want people
to see what they've accomplished. Judging from the reaction of Anime Expo
fans, especially those with cameras, they've met that goal. When the cosplayers
asked if Anime Expo fans would like to see more costumers from Japan, the
crowd cheered. |
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