The Big Read: A glimpse into the world of cosplay, underneath the wigs and fancy costumes

SINGAPORE: An unlikely relationship began to form between Maoru and cosplay when she was in secondary school.

Cosplayers like her portray animated, fictional or sometimes historical characters by using costumes and props.Besides connecting her with fellow enthusiasts, some of whom have become close friends, cosplaying has made Maoru interact and talk to people more frequently, which has helped her “gain a lot of confidence”.

Exposed to cosplay in 2013, he began to partake in it more consistently in 2019 “as an outlet for expression” and to keep himself busy to prevent the “worsening of mental state”. “As a group, the cosplay community may also be a very supportive and encouraging space too,” said Mr Kenny Liew, a clinical psychologist from Mind What Matters.

In Singapore, three gatherings deemed as highlights of the cosplay calendar all reported an increase of at least 20 per cent in visitorship last year, compared to the last time they were held in 2019. According to the festival's website, its first edition in 2008 attracted 29,000 attendees, growing steadily to 85,000 in 2013 and 105,000 in 2018.

A spokesperson from Sozo, the organising team behind Anime Festival Asia 2022, said that besides seeing a quantitative growth, “the quality of cosplay has been steadily improving over the years” too, referring to the quality of the costumes being more well made, and a growing number of cosplayers turning professional.

Polytechnic student cosplayers such as Mr El Goh and Narumi, for example, have earned around S$100 from selling physical printouts of their photos at a recent event booth. She told TODAY that she earned a “mid-range, five-figure” revenue last year, the bulk of which came from campaign deals with major brands.

Cosplayer Yosuke Sora said she earned a “mid-range, five-figure” revenue last year, the bulk of which came from campaign deals with major brands. Such rich rewards are, however, the exception rather than the rule, said Mr Tan Zhao Han, director at cosplay talent agency firm Geist Productions, which manages Yosuke and over a dozen other cosplayers based in Singapore and overseas.

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