Cosplay, short for Costume Play, is the dressing up as a character from a film, book or video game, especially one from Japanese anime or manga. Cosplay is not just huge in Japan - it is booming in Singapore too! I had a chance to interview 2 cosplayers in Singapore. Chiyo cosplays recreationally and shares her thoughts about the Cosplay community in Singapore, while Akaei Ray does Cosplay for a living and talks about what that is like for her!

I speak with Chiyo, who shares with us her journey navigating as a young recreational cosplayer and her thoughts about the Cosplay community in Singapore.

Q: How did you get interested in cosplay and Japanese culture?

A: When I was in secondary school, my friends introduced me to anime and as any other teenager I got obsessed with it. I’ve always been interested in costumes and makeup especially because I have experience in theatre, so it felt natural that I ended up liking cosplay.

I also romanticised Japanese life because I watched so much anime, so cosplaying made me feel like I was recreating that life somehow. Not something I’m very proud of though!

Q: What are some misconceptions people commonly have about cosplay?

A: How has your time doing cosplay prove that they are unfounded? People think that cosplayers are either “losers who don’t have anything better to do” or “attention seeking people (mostly girls) who want to show off their body”. It’s quite uncommon to see cosplayers in singapore in the first place, so sometimes people think cosplayers are mascots of some kind.

I was really scared of how people would see me in public but I got used to the weird stares. Doing cosplay first-hand made me realise that most of us really do cosplay out of the love of the anime series or the character. Because a lot of anime characters have sexier or more “ecchi” designs, some costumes would be a little more revealing.

However, most cosplayers who do these versions are people who are indeed confident of their body or have worked hard to achieve a certain figure and shouldn’t be shamed for choosing to cosplay sexier characters.

Q: Three must-haves when cosplaying?

A: Eyelash glue: Singapore is so hot and humid that your false eyelashes won’t stay on for very long!

Portable fan: again, a heavy costume, a wig and a full face of makeup is not very comfortable in Singapore’s weather.

Safety pins: just in case your costume falls apart!! Or to secure your costume pieces better.

Q: Describe your typical day at a Cosplay Convention!

A: I get ready at home in full costume when I am either getting a cab or I have my parents to send me to the convention. But when I have to take public transport I’ll do my makeup and bring my costume in my luggage. I have to wear sunglasses and wear a mask just in case people are alarmed by my makeup.

I meet up with my friends once I am in costume, and we usually explore the convention together. Most conventions have artist alleys where people set up booths and sell merchandise. After exploring, I’ll go and look for my photographer friends and take photos. Sometimes fans of the character I am cosplaying might stop me and ask for a picture.

After about 6 hours max in costume, I’ll get out of costume (cos-down) and head for dinner with my friends.

Q: I understand that you’re no longer as active in the cosplay world. Does cosplay and Japanese culture still feature in any part of your life now?

A: As much as I still want to continue cosplaying, my love for anime has dulled a little, and I simply do not have the time or money to continue this hobby. However I still do watch anime casually and go for AFA (Anime Festival Asia) every year.

Japanese culture is still a part of my life and I express this side of me through fashion and makeup instead. I would love to cosplay again with my old friends once I find the time though!

Q: What advice do you have for those that want to try out cosplaying as a hobby but might not dare to do so?

A: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and try something new! Some of the friends you make on your cosplay journey are really sweet and supportive, and it’s nice to feel like you belong in a community. However, make sure you know your boundaries. Stay away from anything shady or sleazy and make sure you cosplay for yourself!

Next, I speak with Akaei Ray - a professional Cosplayer who does Cosplay for a living. She shares with us all about professional Cosplay in Singapore!

Q: Tell us more about yourself and about your interest in Cosplay!

A: I am Akaei Ray and I am 21 years old this year. I started cosplay as a hobby back in 2015 but got more serious about it in 2017. I got into content creation as a job sometime this year.

I would say I am a very friendly person on and off screen - the personalities I have on social media and in real life aren’t too different!

Cosplay is incredibly fun - dressing up and becoming the characters you love makes me feel like a kid again! My secondary school friend brought me to my first anime convention, AFA 2015 and I cosplayed with her there. I was so amazed by the number of cosplayers on scene and by how so many of them looked so accurate to the characters they were cosplaying.

Q: What were some struggles you faced when you decided to take up Cosplay as a full-time career? 

A: It’s definitely not easy editing large amount of photos, going for shoots, printing and making merchandise while juggling schoolwork and social life. Now that I am a fresh graduate, I don’t have schoolwork anymore which gives me more time to work on my content.

Q: What are common comments people would say to you upon learning that Cosplay is your full-time job? How do you learn to cope with that? 

A: The number one question I get is, how I earn money and if it is sustainable in the long run. Or what do you sell - do you sell explicit pictures of yourself? Nudes? Too many along these lines!

But of course I understand why people ask these questions, they are genuinely curious! I was once like this, before I got into cosplay. I would just explain to them what I do and why I do it! Cosplay and content creation is something I really enjoy so the passion for that helps me cope with strange questions and looks. After all, Cosplay not that common in Singapore.

Q: Who is your favourite character to Cosplay and why? 

A: I love cosplaying Himiko Toga from My Hero Academia, and Rem from Re Zero. I love cosplaying these two characters as I feel like I suit them the most, and I really like their personality in their respective shows!

Q: Where do you usually get your Cosplay outfits from, and we’re curious - what’s the most expensive outfit that you have worn? 

A: I used to get my outfits second hand from Carousell, but now I always get them from Taobao. The most expensive outfit I wore is a Jiangshi version of Shuten Doji from Fate Grand Order. It amounted to a little more than a $100!

Q: How does a cosplay full time career work? Where is your main source of income?

A: I work a lot on Patreon and Kofi. By pledging to my Patreon you can get HD photosets monthly that can be used as phone or desktop wallpapers. Polaroids, posters, photo books and more are sometimes sold on my platforms. They are what I usually sell when I booth at events. Paid product sponsorships and events are also another source of income for me.

Q: How do you usually quote for gigs/photoshoots and how does it work? 

A: It really depends on who I am working with, I don’t usually charge for photoshoots as I work with only very specific people. But my rates for anyone else would be $15 to $20 per hour. Photographers I collaborate with usually give me the pictures from the shoot we had, and after editing them I distribute them on Patreon or Kofi.

Q: Did COVID-19 affect your source of income? How did you learn to cope with that during the season?

A: It definitely did! With the lack of events and boothing, my source of income basically got cut by half. But thanks to that, I learnt to adapt and explore online platforms where I can earn.

Q: Is it tough for you to achieve a work-life balance with this career? 

A: It was at first but now it’s just a part of me. I don’t talk about business a lot with my friends as work is work and they aren’t a part of it. I go for shoots when I can and hang out with friends when I am free!

Q: What advice would you give to someone who aspires to take up Cosplay as their full-time career? 

A: You have to be aware of the number of eyes on you if you start going down this path. People may say nasty things but you shouldn’t let that get to you. Cosplay is definitely not a sustainable career, but its fun to do it and you should if you are still young and have a passion for it.

Chiyo & Akaei Ray have really opened my eyes to the world of Cosplay! It really is a community of passionate people who want to spread their love for Cosplay. And there’s a whole range of ways to exploring the cosplay world! So long as you are interested in and are ready to take that leap of faith, you can always pick up Cosplay as a hobby like Chiyo did! Maybe even pursue it as a career like Akaei did. The possibilities are endless!

Many thanks to Chiyo and Akaei Ray for doing the interview with us!
All the best to them!

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