While putting on costumes and displaying ones alter ego has been in existence for a very long time, Cosplay as a phenomenon gained momentum approximately a couple of decades ago. Fans of various pop culture mediums such as comic books, video games, anime and fantasy novels come together in conventions and festivals all over the world to show their allegiance to their favourite fantasy icons.
Comicon, while catering to gigantic comic book franchises, is probably the most well know event catering to cosplay on an international scale. Cosplay is a type of performance art where participants wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea from a work of fiction and fantasy.
For the first time in Nagaland, an Anime/Cosplay festival is scheduled to be held in Kohima on June 29 at the Heritage Old DC Bungalow at 10:00 am. The event is organized by a few individuals under the banner of ‘The Nagaland Junkies’, which was formed in 2011. It started off as a page on Facebook for anime fans to come together and express their shared interests. The page currently has over two thousand followers, mostly young Nagas.
While some may see the whole exercise pointless, these anime fans maintain that “it is not just about creating a character or putting on some fancy clothes. It is about creativity and acquiring new skills such in paper crafts, woodcrafts, dress-making etc in a fun way.”
Temjen L Toshi, a key member of the group stated that the main objective of the Nagaland Anime Junkies is to “promote animation in Nagaland and to create awareness and educate the young generation about Naga culture and history through comics, graphic novels, animated movies etc.” It also aims to provide employment opportunities to artistes, animators and story writers. He added that anime is not just a form of entertainment but an art form at it’s “most liberated and expressive state.”
The festival on June 29 will be a one day event, where anime and art lovers can come together and celebrate their shared love for anime. The event will comprise of competitions, plays, performances, and sale of anime merchandise, food and much more, informed members of the group. The main attraction of the event, according to the organizers will be a Cosplay competition, Body art, Sketching, Music, Games and Food stalls. “It is an opportunity not to be missed by any anime and art enthusiasts,” they added.
