Cosplay (short for Costume Play) is a trend where one dresses up in costumes as their favorite character (either real or fantasy character) at organized events. Through complementary actions the participants become that characters in this fantasy role playing phenomenon.

As the purpose of cosplay is to become one’s character, the intricate details of the costumes and accessories are critical. Many hour of work can go into a single costume design. If you don’t have the creativity to make or design your own costume there are also professional costume design companies who can design your custom costume for you.

Cosplay is not really a new trend, think Star Trek or more importantly Trekkie’s. They have been dressing up for years and gathering at Sci-Fi events around the globe. In more recent times the trend seems to be more based on Japanese Anime Characters. For those of us who don’t know what this means - Japanese Animated Characters (Yes you guessed it Anime is short for Animated).

While it may not everyones idea of a good time, for those who attend such events I guess it is an escape mechanism where they can get away from reality for a while with like minded people.

• Visit: Cosplay & Anime Costumes