Anime fandom is growing day by day in Indonesia, especially with the expanding internet access in the last decade. One part of fandom activity that has been growing is cosplay (costume play).
Cosplay has a different cultural background in Western countries (America and Europe) and Japan. In America, cosplay is better known as costuming, while in Japan, cosplay first appeared as a term in 1984 after a Japanese citizen practiced it while observing the costuming phenomenon in Los Angeles, USA. During its growth, cosplay has been an inseparable part of fandom growth in pop culture (animation, comic books, video games, etc.)
Forum Anime Indonesia will semi-academically explore the rise and growth of anime fandom in Indonesia into actual, structured communities. In this event, fans, observers, as well as scholars in this field of interest can gain insight about the selected topic, and make use of it as a source of reference and a chance to learn.
The fourth iteration of this discussion will explore some topics regarding cosplay, such as cosplay as an activity, cosplay and interpersonal relationship (family and society), cosplay in Indonesia, trends in cosplay (trap, hijab cosplay, original characters), as well as cosplaying Indonesian local characters. Cosplay-related controversies in social media will also be discussed.
Organized by KAORI Nusantara with seven years of experience in anime culture and Indonesia’s creative economy, this year’s Forum Anime Indonesia is expected to unite competent parties with fans who has concerns regarding the cosplay scene in Indonesia, or just wanted to say something not only through their social media account.
Hamdan Maulana, the head committee of this event found that cosplay in Indonesia is currently buzzing on social media only.
“We are prone to provocations, for example, the Miku case (sexy clothes), or even the opposite (hijab cosplay). We want to know why people are making a huge fuss over those kinds of things.”
Kevin W, the CEO of KAORI Nusantara, also found that cosplay in Indonesia has gotten more down-to-earth, went global, and also becoming a key factor in the growth of Indonesia’s creative economy.
“It’s hard to find Japanese culture event or convention without cosplay. With the increase in popularity, the standard is also increasing to the point where our cosplayers have made it to international-level competitions such as WCS. Aside from cosplaying foreign characters, things are getting more interesting when people started to cosplay as local characters. Be it from Jakarta Cosplay Parade or re:CON, it shows that local character cosplays have been recognized and respected in our own country”
Meanwhile, Rafly N, KAORI Nusantara’s news director, hopes that this event will be a good opportunity for academics, fans, or even cosplayers alike to have a face-to-face discussion about cosplay phenomenon in Indonesia
“I hope the discussion can went in civil terms” he said.
This discussion will be hold on Saturday, February 27th, 2016, as a part of BIJAC no Tanjoiwai 9 at Binus International, Senayan, South Jakarta.
The Indonesian Anime Times
