Cosplay has a special place in Razziah Abdul Rashid and her husband Mohd Izwan Shaari’s relationship. In fact, it’s what sealed the couple’s bond when they first started dating.

“Do you know how girls sometimes like to ‘test’ a guy who approaches them to see if he’s sincere? Well, cosplay is what I used to test my then boyfriend,” admits Razziah.

Razziah cosplaying as Layla from 'Mobile Legends: Bang Bang', a mobile phone game. Photos: The Star/Yap Chee Hong“I told him ‘I’m weird and I have an unusual hobby and quirky tastes so if you want (to be with) me, you have to accept all of me, including the ‘weird’ parts’,” adds the 37-year-old graphic designer.

Razziah thought Mohd Izwan might not be able to accept her hobby because at that time, cosplay was relatively new in Malaysia and not as widely accepted or as popular as it is now.

Cosplay, which is made up of the words “costume” and “play”, is a performance art where participants dress in costumes and makeup to represent characters from anime/manga, video games, films or books.

Besides wearing the costumes, cosplayers will also act out the character they are representing, explains Razziah, who started cosplaying when she was in high school in 2002.

“At that time, I had to go solo because I didn’t know many cosplayers. It was discouraging because I would go alone to events, and didn’t really have the mood to do so,” she admits.

“After that, I would go with my sisters whenever they cosplayed. Then, I stopped cosplaying for five years due to studies, even though I still attended the events,” she recalls.

Razziah and Mohd Izwan met in 2009 through the social networking site, MySpace.

“I thought that if he could accept my hobby, then maybe I could accept him as a life partner,” she shares.

The first time they went to a cosplay event, they didn’t wear any costumes but were just there to watch.

“I wanted to see his reaction,” she says.

Mohd Izwan cosplaying as Dragon Knight from 'Dota 2'.Mohd Izwan, a 35-year-old freelance video editor, admits that he initially found her hobby a bit odd but he soon warmed up to it.

“At first, I found it strange to see everyone in fancy wigs, costumes, and makeup because in 2010, there weren’t many cosplay events and I didn’t even know such a thing existed,” he says.

“But then, I remember watching anime series as a kid and imagining myself as one of the characters. So, I asked my then girlfriend if I could cosplay as the character Sasuke Uchiha in the Naruto Japanese manga series, which is about a young ninja. And she said ‘yes’!

“Then I started to get interested in cosplay because it really tests one’s creativity,” he adds.

At their second cosplay event together, they went in costumes. Mohd Izwan dressed as a street magician while Razziah went in Japanese Lolita style.

At Razziah and Mohd Izwan’s themed wedding, their guests came in cosplay. Photo: Razziah Abdul Rashid

From there, their passion for the leisure pursuit continued to grow. The couple, who have been married for six years, even had a themed wedding where they invited their guests to cosplay and come in costumes, although out of respect for their elders, they themselves wore “proper themed wedding attire”.

Razziah wore a Japanese kimono-styled wedding gown with a tudung, while Mohd Izwan wore a Western-style suit.

The couple reveals that their parents are aware they cosplay and “don’t mind as long as they behave appropriately and don’t do anything wrong”.

Razziah (front) and Mohd Izwan (left) pictured with Razziah's siblings and mother at an ACG (animation, comics and games) event. Photo: Razziah Abdul Rashid

“In fact, my mum and dad are very supportive and when we take part in cosplay competitions, they even attend for moral support,” says Razziah.

“My parents also tell me to do my best even though they seldom attend the events,” adds Mohd Izwan.

He says that cosplay isn’t haram as long as your way of practising cosplay doesn’t oppose the religious teachings of the Syariah laws.

“Of course, you have to be wise and choose a character where the costume isn’t too revealing, and don’t choose characters such as terrorists or religious ones,” he advises.

(from left) Mohd Izwan, Razziah, Razziah's elder sister Hafizah, younger sister Nisa, and youngest brother Azizan cosplaying characters from online video game 'Dota 2'. Photo: DarkDragon Phonetography & Gaming

All about the details

Taking their hobby to a new level, the couple shares that they make their own costumes from scratch.

“Since I have a background in art, I decided to challenge myself to make the costumes personally, which includes the costumes we’re wearing today,” says Razziah during the photoshoot.

She cosplayed Layla from Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, a mobile phone game, while Mohd Izwan was Dragon Knight from Dota 2, a video game.

“We make our costumes using eva foam – the material that’s used in yoga mats and it’s like rubber – and fabric wrap which is similar to vinyl,” she explains, adding that they buy the materials in bulk directly from the supplier.

“We need a lot of it for Layla’s canon and Dragon Knight’s armour,” she adds.

After making the costumes, Razziah used acrylic paints and a brush to do the shading and colouring.

Mohd Izwan’s costume took six days to make, while Razziah’s, two weeks.

“It is a detailed and time-consuming task,” she says, but adds that she doesn’t mind because they’re doing it together as a team and this constitutes family-bonding time.

Mohd Izwan as Lars Alexandersson from the 'Tekken' game. Photo: John Gullidge

The couple has their own cosplay team called Team Blood, which initially involved Razziah and her siblings, then her husband, and recently, a brother-in-law after one of her sisters got married.

“It’s called ‘blood’ because we’re blood-related,” she said.

“In the cosplay community, we have stage names: Izwan is ‘Izzy’ while Razziah is ‘Vinca’,” adds Mohd Izwan.

Each has their own role in the team. Razziah, who is the captain, focuses on designing the costumes, while Mohd Izwan choreographs the skits for their cosplay competitions.

Razziah cosplaying as Valkyrie Randgris. Photo: Razziah Abdul RashidRazziah, whose favourite character is Sailor Moon, says that one of the international cosplayers she admires is Kamui Cosplay from Germany.

“She’s a talented cosplay prop maker and has many YouTube tutorials, so I’ve learnt a lot from her,” she says.

Mohd Izwan, meanwhile, loves characters with swords and shields.

“I’m more of a warrior type of person,” he says.

The couple has even won cosplay competitions. In the recent Nijigen Expo in Bukit Jalil, Mohd Izwan won second place on the first day while Razziah won first place on the second day, and also the overall grand championship, making their total combined winnings reaching nearly RM7,000, which they reinvested into making new costumes.

Their next target is to join the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, Japan. They’ll need to compete in the local competition in May and the winning team (duo) will go to Japan in August.

“Yes, it’s possible to earn an income from cosplay, although it can’t replace a day job,” the couple reveals.

There are however “professional cosplayers” who are famous and earn from making appearances and promoting brands, being judges at events, and selling their prints and endorsed merchandise to fans.

There are also those who earn an income from making props, or selling materials for prop-making.

To Razziah and Mohd Izwan, though, it’s “a hobby to release stress”.

“I love to challenge my creativity and make the impossible possible. I enjoy problem-solving when making difficult costumes or props.

“We research, simplify, move forward, and end up with a masterpiece!” she enthuses.

“It’s really fun to see your friends in costume. At each event, they’ll choose a different character to play and I can see their costumes and makeup improving.

“That’s encouraging because we challenge each other to grow, become more creative and achieve our goals,” concludes Mohd Izwan.