The art of cosplay

Joined by Japanese writer Nobuyuki Takahashi, cosplay is largely popularised and given its modern form by Japanese anime and manga culture.

- Shloka Shukla

Joined by Japanese writer Nobuyuki Takahashi, cosplay is largely popularised and given its modern form by Japanese anime and manga culture. The act of embodying a character is also an act of reimagining their narrative, free from judgments or expectations. Oblivious to societal norms, cosplay leads to the dissolution of rigid, inherited definitions of identity. "My interest in cosplay piqued when I came across this anime called JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. I mostly cosplay male anime characters, especially the villains. Even though I'm timid and not as toned, I can pull off the characters. So cosplay makes me want to care less about insecurities, social anxiety, or body image," shares Sailee Angree, cosplayer and student at NIFT Mumbai.

Perhaps one of the subtle gifts of this art form is fluidity and the disenthralling sense of possibility that comes with it.

Freedom in fluidity

At its core, cosplay is a paradox—an art form of imitation that reveals something greatly original about the self. August 30 is celebrated as International Cosplay Day. It's a world where the boundaries of who you are and who you want to be are delightfully blurred. The allure lies in the graceful shedding of the mundane for the boundless imagination.

The costumes, from the wigs to the robes, act less as a disguise and more as a catalyst for genuine self-discovery. It offers an escape from the social scripts. One gets to test-drive a new persona, to explore courage without consequence. Ergo, cosplay is a quiet declaration that identity is not a fixed monument, but a fluid work of art.

Community forged, not inherited