What: Cosplay is a Japanese term for 'costume play'.It involves a person dressing up as and behaving like anime, manga and video-game characters. The term 'cosplay' was coined by Mr Nobuyuki 'Nov' Takahashi, president of anime company Studio Hard, after he saw people in costume at the 1984 Los Angeles Science-Fi WorldCon. The cosplay movement in Japan was sparked by his reports in Japanese magazines.
You may have seen: Fan favourites like the masked Kakashi, former ninja Kakuzu and caped villain Itachi from the Naruto anime series, as well as the flame-haired lead character Ichigo Kurosaki in the series, Bleach. There are also those like student Tan Jun Mao (right), who dress as Gundam robots.
Get the look: Hardcore cosplay fans insist on making their own costumes. Still, ready-made outfits can be bought from stores here like Pan-In-The-Box and Mr Cosplay's Otaku House. Pan-In-The-Box (133, New Bridge Road, #02-09, Chinatown Point, tel: 6221-3293) carries almost 300 cosplay outfits. Prices start from $50 for a Slam Dunk jersey and shorts to $1,000 for an armour suit. The shop welcomes customised orders. Mr Cosplay's Otaku House (3, Temasek Boulevard, #03-089, Suntec City Mall, tel: 6887-4381) also carries Japanese school uniforms and Naruto costumes.
