Casa Mai - Cosplay Links

Back in the 1980s, I (Bruce) discovered Japanese anime (back then, it was still called Japanimation). I've been interested in Japanese SF media and costume ever since. I'd seen hobby magazines with pictures of fans of TV programs and movies in costume at conventions. As we started putting this room together, I did some web surfing to see if I could find some related sites. Needless to say, were my eyes opened! Japanese anime costuming is another whole costuming sub-culture. "Cosplay", as it is called in Japan, is bigger there than SF costuming in general became here in the U.S. Here's a wikipedia link that explains it. Interestingly, this Cosplay has perhaps an even stronger appeal to females than it does to those here in the States, if the websites are any indication. While I admit to not having familiarity with many of the character recreations, I will say that if you like looking at pretty, costumed young Japanese girls, this is definitely a genre to check out. (There are a lot of American fans who do this, too.)
(You might want to try out AltaVista's Babelfish to translate the Japanese sites below. It may not make any more sense, but sometimes what comes out is a hoot, anyway. Sites with frames may not work.)
Cosplayer Photo Collections Be prepared to spend lots of time looking through the hundreds and thousands of photos kept on the sites below.
Cosplay.com It's one of the biggest sites out there. It has an incredible wealth of photos from conventions, and individuals who costume. It also features a bulletin board forum, links, convention listings and more. Definitely worth a look.
Cosplay Lab This is site has a similar purpose as the one above. However, there's somewhat more of an emphasis on individual costumers, with an easy to navigate interface to view their works. And there are a lot of them. Some good conventions photo collections, too, though. www.cosplaylab.com
Dark Knight(?) I'd been searching for a site like this for some time. I figured there had to be some Japanese costumers who were making the anime giant robots, and boy howdy this is da place! There are some incredible shots stored here. Even if the site's in Japanese, navigation isn't too hard. The best place to start is on the left side of the page, where there are section numbers. These will lead you to a list of pics and links to individual shots or sites and how-tos, in some instances. It also appears as though many of these props are for sale. The biggest problem this site is they can have a lot of broken links. If you persevere, though, you'll find some very nice costumes. Be warned though - lots of pop-ups. www.ops.dti.ne.jp/~darkk/index.html
	There's a page or two of pics where just individual costume pieces are showcased. I cherry-picked these particular two just because they actually show the piece worn. Very nice. www.ops.dti.ne.jp/~darkk/irai/ivi2.jpg www.ops.dti.ne.jp/~darkk/irai/ivi3.jpg
	Tokyo CosPlay Zone 23 This is a huge site full of excellent costume shots. Though a Japanes site, this is linked to the English version. All the photos appear to be of female Cosplayers. Some of the best costumes, so far, are under the names Luke (several nice ones), Ruka Kurusu (Final Fantasy) and Kaie Tada (very pretty, extravagant red dress). *http://avex.dip.jp/cp23/index-e.html*
	Cosplayers Photo Studio *Not to be confused with the above Cosplayer Photo Gallery,* this is yet** another collection of costumes. www.cnet-ta.ne.jp/n/night/cos/index.html

Cosplayer Personal Sites
	U-Style *It appears* to be a personal site, but it could be a group. www.geocities.co.jp/AnimeComic-Cell/7726/**
	Tiki (?) Male Japanese Cosplayers are a bit more rare, but here's a good one. His emphasis seems to be on Japanese TV and American comic book superheroes. The main problem wiht this site is it has too many "gee-whiz" effects, which detracts from trying to navigate it. ww8.tiki.ne.jp/~ctake/ *(note: there is not a typo in this url)*
	Alisa's Cosplay This young Cosplayer's site is notable for her prolific production of costumes. Each one comes with an explanation of how she did them. The site is very well designed -- I'm not sure whether she's responsible for it or not, but it's sharp. And boy, does she get a lot of hits! www.alisachan.com/index.htm
	The JASPER David Ramsay's extensive site is like several in one. They feature his works, as well as his wife's, plus other sub-sites for their costume business, resources, and lots and lots of links. *www.thejasper.com/*
	BioWeapons.com *David Carpenter's whole site is dedicated to the anime character The Guyver.* Very impressive. Of special interest and possible use is his photo documentation of how he made the costume, including making a body cast. *www.bioweapons.com*

General Cosplay Directories
The Cosplay/Anime Costuming and Masquerade Links Page This mega-listing page has links not only to costumers who like Cosplay, but conventions, anime fan artists, and lots more. www.nyx.net/~wsantoso/cosplay.html
	American Cosplay Paradise This one's a lot like Tokyo Cosplay Zone 23, only in English, with a list of American costumer sites. www.acparadise.com
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