Cosplay Competition!

Sci-Fi-London has an Anime Allnighter on 29th April 2006 and as part of this there will be a cosplay competition with special prizes.

We have 2 tickets for the UK�premiere of "Places promised in our early years", just Contact Cosplay UK� and you may be the winner.

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---- Pictures from cosplay.com

What is Cosplay?

"Cosplay (a.k.a. "Costume Play") refers to the activity of dressing up in costume. �The term cosplay, or �ko-su-pu-re,� originates from Japan, where cosplay is a popular form of entertainment among children and young adults. �Japanese cosplayers frequently attend costume role playing parties and the ComicMarket to celebrate and be seen. �Cosplay costumes are not limited to a particular theme. �Cosplayers enjoy dressing up and performing as their favorite fantasy, Sci-fi, anime, manga and game characters. �Cosplay is the Japanese version of western �Fan Masquerade" and �Hall Costuming� combined. �For examples of year-round cosplay antics, visit y2cosplay"
-----from�Cosplay Closet

"In Japan, "cosplay" as a hobby is usually an end unto itself. Likeminded people gather to see other costumes, show off their own elaborate handmade creations, take lots of pictures, and possibly participate in best costume contests.

The most specific anecdote about the origin of the word "cosplay" was that Nov Takahashi (from a Japanese studio called Studio Hard) coined the term "cosplay" as a contraction of the English-language words "costume play" while he was attending the 1984 Los Angeles Science Fiction Worldcon. He was so impressed by the hall and masquerade costuming there that he reported about it frequently in Japanese science fiction magazines. This ultimately triggered Japanese cosplay. This point is debatable."
-----from Cosplay UK