Cosplay finds new fans in Myanmar

IMAGINE a room filled with young people dressed up as manga, anime and gaming characters, eagerly socialising to the strains of Japanese pop music.

This scene could be in Japan, Taiwan or even Singapore.

But this can now also be seen in the unlikely locale of Myanmar, where cosplay (short for costume play) has arrived, and entranced a generation of young people.

Last Saturday, the scene became reality in Yangon's Tatmadaw Hall convention centre, where the International Food Drink Expo 2014 hosted a two-day cosplay event, the Myanmar Times reported.

The only clue that this was not taking place in Japan was the antiquated facilities of the convention centre.

As a barometer of cosplay's popularity in the country, a company called Negibose has been hosting comic convention events in Myanmar since 2012 only, but it saw 300 people take part in the latest event, according to the Myanmar Times.

What's more, last week's cosplay event in Yangon was the sixth time the company has visited the city.

Many of the participants came dressed as a different character on each of the event's two days, and spent between US$100 (S$128) and US$200 per outfit.

Though most of the participants came from Yangon and Mandalay, some came from other countries like Singapore and Thailand, reported the Myanmar Times.

Special guests Koyuki from Bangkok and Rain Yee from Siberia, who have fan sites all over the Internet, also graced the event, and performed a Japanese pop number. Performing competitions were also held, as a chance for the less famous attendees to make a name for themselves.

A participant known only as ZEASonal, who was seen on both days of the event dressed in what could only be described as a costume that was Geisha-inspired, flitted through the event promoting his book, armed with business cards.

Asian cosplay ironically began life in the United States, inspired from its comic conventions where fanboys and girls dress up as their heroes from comics. But it became hugely popular halfway across the world in Japan, with its existing culture of anime. With the advent of the Internet, the activity gained increasing numbers of fans from all over the world.

One would wonder why cosplay is thriving in Myanmar, given the country's decades of strict military rule.

But perhaps that it is precisely these many years of repression that have spawned a desire among the Myanmar people to be someone else for a change, someone as far removed from reality as possible. Some might say that they are used to it, having suppressed their true identities for years under military rule.

Or perhaps this different identity participants take on during cosplay events is actually their "real" identity – normally hidden from sight, but now displayed in full view to the world - who cares whether or not others accept it.

Whatever the psychological reasons for its popularity, it's clear that cosplay has found new life in Myanmar, and as the country finally emerges from the shadows, the activity is one of the ways its people can emerge, too.

jerlee@sph.com.sg

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/cosplay-finds-new-fans-in-myanmar/