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.@spacespecs shortly after I moved to NYC, some friends of mine contacted me because they knew I would be interested in this project: the BBG was looking for a few cosplayers to attend a dinner/event in costume. I agreed to participate, packed up Zidane and rolled down to the BBG on the night of the event.
It turned out it was a bonsai tree event, with performances by a few Japanese troupes, with a catered dinner for the audience. When I arrived I was informed that my friends who had asked me to join them in costume had all bailed on the event, but the organizer encouraged me to get into my cosplay and get ready to participate.
I was far too embarrassed to get into my costume all by myself. Besides, now that I was there it was clear to me that running around in a costume of any kind would be wildly inappropriate. Fortunately I had dressed in a suit to the office that day, so I just stayed in that suit and helped cater the event (thank you 8 years of serving tables). It was a really lovely experience, to be honest. The performances were fun to watch, I got to help prepare and later eat a lot of really delicious finger foods, and I met some really sweet people among the caterers and performers.
But to this day I'm kind of superbly confused as to what *any* cosplayer was supposed to add to the event. It wasn't about anime or manga or video games; cosplay isn't something that homogeneously mixes into every aspect of Japanese culture. Why was I there?? WE JUST DON'T KNOW.
I feel like cosplay is being used as a weird tool to shoehorn in Americans/WHITE PEOPLE/non-Japanese people voices as if they have a place in an event that is about Japanese culture and. yeah. anyway. Just hashing stuff other people have already said now.
HANAMI VIEWING WHEEE
It turned out it was a bonsai tree event, with performances by a few Japanese troupes, with a catered dinner for the audience. When I arrived I was informed that my friends who had asked me to join them in costume had all bailed on the event, but the organizer encouraged me to get into my cosplay and get ready to participate.
I was far too embarrassed to get into my costume all by myself. Besides, now that I was there it was clear to me that running around in a costume of any kind would be wildly inappropriate. Fortunately I had dressed in a suit to the office that day, so I just stayed in that suit and helped cater the event (thank you 8 years of serving tables). It was a really lovely experience, to be honest. The performances were fun to watch, I got to help prepare and later eat a lot of really delicious finger foods, and I met some really sweet people among the caterers and performers.
But to this day I'm kind of superbly confused as to what *any* cosplayer was supposed to add to the event. It wasn't about anime or manga or video games; cosplay isn't something that homogeneously mixes into every aspect of Japanese culture. Why was I there?? WE JUST DON'T KNOW.
I feel like cosplay is being used as a weird tool to shoehorn in Americans/WHITE PEOPLE/non-Japanese people voices as if they have a place in an event that is about Japanese culture and. yeah. anyway. Just hashing stuff other people have already said now.
HANAMI VIEWING WHEEE