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Cosplay is a Japanese subculture centered around dressing
as characters from manga, anime and video games, and, less commonly, live
action television shows, movies or Japanese pop music bands.
The term is a Japanese contraction combining the words "costume" and
"play" which accurately describes the hobby of having fun by dressing up as
one's favorite characters. Besides dressing up for public events such as
anime conventions, it is not unusual for teens in Japan to gather with
like-minded friends just to do cosplay.
The main difference between cosplay and costuming in the United States is
that in Japan people typically dress up as characters from Japanese animated
films (anime), Japanese comics (manga), or Japanese video games, as compared
to dressing up as Star Trek characters or in Renaissance-era costumes. The
other difference is that most costuming in the United States is centered
around particular events such as conventions or festivals.
Cosplay has spread across the world in recent years, joining with
costuming at science fiction conventions in North America and Europe.
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