Little Japan on the Little Red Dot

(A cosplayer imitating Blood the Vampire)

Putting on wigs of all colours and lengths, more than 50 teenagers donned on their self-made costumes from popular anime series like Kingdom Hearts, Bleach and Kamen Rider for the annual Soy-B Start-of-Year Cosplay event.

Held at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, the event spanned seven hours and hosted a cosplay competition, Japanese karaoke contest and featured numerous stalls selling anime paraphernalia. The main attraction, however, was watching the myriad cosplayers parade around the compound and pose for photographs.

While a few cosplayers looked like they walked right out of the television screen and into real life, some of the wigged masqueraders added a humourous twist to the dress code - imitating Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Colonel Sanders and the masked murderer from the Scream movie trilogy.

(Can you see Colonel Sanders in the background?)

Cosplay, short for costume role-play, is a popular hobby originating from Japan. From makeup to costumes and props, no expense is spared in the pursuit of taking on the persona of characters from a wide range of anime series.

Cosplayer wannabes can get started in the hobby by buying their first collection of readymade costumes, props and accessories from the stalls at the festival or specialized stores in the city. From costumes and wigs to replicated toy swords and guns from popular anime series, anyone can undergo an anime makeover - if they have the cash.

(They do hold the key to the kingdom's hearts)

Others choose to make their attires completely from scratch, sourcing for materials and crafting them into full-fledged costumes and props. Cheshire (not her real name), a regular cosplayer who has participated in 11 cosplay festivals since 2005, spends between $120 to $220 to make each costume and an additional $20 to $60 for props.

Though this may seem to be a complete waste of time and money, there is much that can be learnt from this hobby. Take for instance the knowledge of props making, sewing and [putting on] makeup. These things can't be taught from textbooks since it requires trial and error and the experiences of others who have done it before,” she said.

(A character from K-On)

Cosplay, however, is not just about achieving physical and sartorial resemblance to their idols. The hallmark of good cosplayers is their ability to strike definitive poses and reflect the personality of the characters.

“I try to get into character as much as I can. It is a challenge to push oneself to think and feel like the character and portray it [well], said Cheshire.

While cosplayers have different reasons for participating in such events, most dress up for the attention and the freedom to express their true selves.

(Modelling for the fanboys)

“I like it when people take pictures of me because I am neither a model nor a famous TV star,” said 22-year-old frequent cosplayer Sayumi (not her real name). “This is one of the ways I can get the attention I want, without having to suffer from long-term [effects] like pop stars do.”

“I like cosplaying because it is the only time I can truly be myself, without being constrained by societal norms,” said Cheshire.

The event is the first of seven held in the Republic annually. With more and more Singaporean youths attending such events in the past few years, Singapore has become the prime location to stage large-scale anime and cosplay festivals in Asia.

Recognising the growth of the anime fan base here, the Anime Festival Asia decided to relocate to Singapore two years ago and has been holding its annual event here ever since.

While Japanese anime series may not be as popular as mainstream Western or charismatic Korean drama series, a revolution is quietly taking place, turning many Singaporean youths into otakus.

“I love the strong plots and storylines of anime, just like how some people are addicted to drama series,” said 22-year-old Marcus Leong, a second-year Communications student enrolled in the Singapore Institute of Management University

Leong developed a liking to the Japanese language after watching the Masked Rider anime series. After signing up for language lessons in 2007, he honed his Japanese by translating anime theme songs on his blog.

Twenty-two year-old Soh Zhi Hao, known by his nickname Kodomut in anime circles, also took his passion for the Japanese cartoons one step further by starting a photo blog on toy figurines in April last year.

Inspired by Danny Choo, a well-known blogger who writes about Japanese culture, Soh started taking photographs of his favourite toy figures from anime series and wrote stories to bring the characters to life.

(Nendoroids having the ride of their lives. Picture courtesy of kodomut.com)

Using skills honed as a volunteer storyteller at the Yishun National Library, Soh puts his talent into narrating events from everyday life, seen from the perspective of the figures. He lends a voice to his toy figurines, like a ventriloquist to his puppet, giving them an amiable personality and lifelike quality.

“I believe pictures transcend the limitations of language and I try to make my figures speak through my photographs,” said Soh, whose favourite movie Toy Story also played a major part in providing the inspiration for his blog.

When it comes to acquiring anime toy figurines, Soh says that he likes to buy them as they are intricately made and very much like a piece of art. Costing between $50 to $200 for each figurine, Soh’s collection consists of scaled figures, dwarfish Nendoroids and Figmas.

To illustrate how anime culture has been heating up in Singapore, he describes an incident that happened a few years ago. After starting a photo blog entitled Nendoroid Travelogue with a fellow figure-lover, he went around Singapore taking photographs of toy figurines in iconic venues.

Soon, fans were asking to tag along and eight to 10 people would accompany them on each field trip. These are just some of the signs that show that anim-mania is slowly taking over the youth landscape. Perhaps it will not be long before we have a Little Japan on the Little Red Dot.