Ozvi (left) and Yoru getting into character.
COSPLAYERS in Penang dusted off their costumes and returned to what they enjoy most -– parading as their favourite characters.
After being starved of events during the Covid-19 pandemic period, the opportunity to meet like-minded friends again was something they could not pass up.
Several hundred Cosplayers had a good time at the Cosplay Convention (Coscon) Winter Festival 2022 held over three days at Prangin Mall in George Town.
Sporting various guises from pop culture icons to anime and video game characters, they snapped countless photos with each other and posed with curious onlookers.
Among the Cosplayers were two friends who wanted to be known only as Ozvi, 16, and Yoru, 14.
Ozvi was dressed as Chainsaw Man’s Power and Yoru as Genshin Impact’s Hu Tao.
Ozvi said they both got into cosplay only this year.
(From left) Dewi Maharani, Jin and Puteri Noor Zulaika having fun at the convention.
“A friend said I looked like this particular character and it was like a lightbulb turned on.”
Yoru added, “I feel prettier and more confident when I dress up as my idol.
“At first, I was worried about being judged or seen as weird but once I got into the community, I had a lot of fun.”
Puteri Noor Zulaika Mohd Adnan, 15, cosplayed as Power, while her friend Dewi Maharani Hasan, 20, dressed up as Sukuna and another friend Jin Lid, 17, as Toge Inumaki from Jujutsu Kaisen.
“For me, it all started when a friend lent me a costume,” Jin said.
During the convention’s launch, Komtar assemblyman Teh Lai Heng described cosplay as an industry that could positively impact youths.
According to him, anime promoted virtues like fighting for what is right and overcoming challenges in life.
“Everyone needs good role models and for many, these role models come from comic books, novels or anime.
“It’s normal for people to want to dress up like someone they admire in a bid to become more like them and adopt the same values,” Teh said.
He said cosplaying could lead to lucrative careers with many full-time cosplayers earning tidy sums by creating or selling content and merchandise.
“Many started from scratch and can comfortably support themselves through their hobby.
“It shows that every career deserves to be respected and parents should not extinguish the passion of their children without first letting them try,” Teh urged.
He later joined Coscon CEO Charles Ang and other organising committee members in touring the event and watching the stage shows, games, skits and sharing sessions.
The convention, held in conjunction with Christmas, also featured a mini AniMusic Party, trading card and model kit building competitions, costume and prop-making workshops, esports games and a merchandise bazaar.
