But cosplay is still cartoon and game-based and the heavy makeup and unusual
garb cosers wear might concern some parents.
Fortunately others are more supportive. "It's good for a young person to
attend social activities," said Wang Xiuyuan, whose daughter, Lou Min, is a
coser. Besides, she added, Lou has become more outgoing since starting cosplay.
Other parents oppose the activity because it's costly. Cosers have to make
their own costumes, so they have to buy fabric and hire tailors. The cost of one
costume can run up to 500 yuan (US$62.50).
But Miyabi, a famous coser in China better known as Fengjian Ya, said she
never asked money from her parents for cosplay. She earned the money to attend
Beijing Foreign Studies University by doing drawings and now does part-time jobs
such as painting and modelling to supplement her savings.
Next month she and a group of cosers will perform in the Guangzhou Comic
Festival. In some cases, cosers are paid for travel and accommodation. But
cosplay is still a long way to becoming lucrative enough for people to make a
living from.
"Cosplay can hardly compete with Broadway shows," Miyabi said.
If cosplay is ever going to enter the mainstream, better content is the key.
But cosers say China's under-developed animation and comics industry hampers the
prospects.
"The nation's comic industry is the foundation, without which cosplay will be
just a castle in the air," Lu said. "We do not have Chinese roles to take on."
Sun Lijun, head of the Beijing Film Academy's animation school, pointed out
that comics in China, which provide the content for cosplay, are mainly aimed at
teenagers, and that to get adults involved, there should be more sophisticated
stories with profound messages.
"Unlike Japan, we haven't found a way to combine our culture with cartoons
and comics," said Li Liang, a new graduate from the animation school. "Comics
can be a good medium to carry forward Chinese culture, and my dream is to make
them popular among all age groups."
(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)
