Japan Expo in France

Looks like the Spice Gir's reunion ain't going too well.

Le Freak !

Second from left is nice.

Why Japanese would want to focus on advertising and exporting this aspect of their centuries old culture, absolutely baffles me. Anime, otaku, cosplay, etc. Japan has so much more to offer the world.

Chinese pandas and qipaos are now part of Japanese subculture?

Chinese pandas and qipaos are now part of Japanese subculture?

The definition of cosplay is: Dressing up and pretending to be a fictional character (usually a sci-fi, comic book, video game, anime character).

It's the characters that are part of japanese subculture NOT the dressing or the panda.

Tekken! Sweet!

lol - french cosplay fail cosplay doen't really work if you're not japanese

second from left is cute but seems to be thinking - "what the...."

Why Japanese would want to focus on advertising and exporting this aspect of their centuries old culture, absolutely baffles me. Anime, otaku, cosplay, etc. Japan has so much more to offer the world.

Yeah I would agree with that. But I don't think they have a choice now. Cartoons are popular amongst kids. So learning to love good anime comes naturally to them when they reach an age to watch / read some more mature stuff. I remember when I was 9 and I watched Pokemon everyday before school. Needless to say the english dub was awful but I didn't know that at the time. Next twas dragon ball etc etc. So now you have all these young adults who grew up around japanese anime all over the world. It's a good export that makes money. So I can't see it stopping any time soon.

It's not like they are only exporting anime and manga though. I did karate as a teenager and you would be hard pressed not to find a sushi restaurant within 200m - 300m of your home if you live in a city. PS. Im Australian. Actually Supernova comic con was in my home town just the other week.

I'm pretty sure most Japanese would not consider this to be their culture. It is just trash!

I'm pro-cosplay. It's a harmless, creative hobby, and people doing it have fun. Cute girls!

Aliasis

I'm pro-cosplay. It's a harmless, creative hobby, and people doing it have fun. Cute girls

Exactly. It's harmless fun, it's playful and it is unique to Japan. I cannot comprehend why people get off on just ragging things out for the heck of it. What a dull world it would be if we were all the same. But then you mob would be becrying the fact that we are just....all the same. How dull.

I have never understood the grown "adults" who like to pretend they are still kids and dress up as comic book stories for "fun", always struck me as creepy and rather sad.

If they think that look is representative of Japanese Culture, they have been watching to many Anime and AKB48 videos.

"Why Japanese would want to focus on advertising and exporting this aspect of their centuries old culture, absolutely baffles me. Anime, otaku, cosplay, etc. Japan has so much more to offer the world."

eh!?

you think this is organized by Japan?

That they are going further and even focusing on it as you say? look at the jnto as see what they are really focusing on. this event isn't organized by Japan. Its just what some in France(and elsewhere) have an interest in.

I was always for introducing a rule that only allows cute girls to do cosplay. And most of the girls in the picture show the reason why.

OMG! i love cosplay, usually means hot half dressed nerdy chicks! those are generally the best! :)

girls cosplay = kinda sexy guys cosplay = freak, gay

Exactly. It's harmless fun, it's playful and it is unique to Japan. I cannot comprehend why people get off on just ragging things out for the heck of it. What a dull world it would be if we were all the same. But then you mob would be becrying the fact that we are just....all the same. How dull.

I agree with everything except for the part about it being "unique" to Japan. It may have STARTED that way, but it has spread. I'm volunteering at a big East Coast otaku convention at the end of the month, and most of the discussion on the Con's forums involve who's cosplaying as whom, and where can they get items to complete outfits? Personally, the only cosplaying I'll be doing is as a non-descript, four-eyed, middle-aged, slightly heavy-set and balding man. I don't think I'll be asked for any photos. ;-)