CHENNAI:
Cosplay
artist
Rubina Raphael
, who has immortalized characters such as
Goku
, now performs ‘
quarantine cosplay
’ sitting at home.
It doesn’t earn her money, but she gets a sense of satisfaction.
Cosplayers
were mainly invited to promotional events, get-together and other private functions but the pandemic-imposed restrictions made many
jobless
.
Surya Banu, another cosplayer, says it was in February that she performed last.
“I recreated some old characters that I did. I can’t go out and buy stuff, so I stick to simple attires. This is another way to keep myself busy and active,” said Rubina.
“Nothing is happening in the field since February. Even though we post some pictures online and do some virtual presentations, the flow has been lost. I hope we will get on to the track soon,” she said.
Cosplay is an amateur hobby in which participants, called cosplayers, wear selfmade costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character.
Being a Japanese linguistic blend of the English terms ‘costume’ and ‘play’, the term ‘cosplay’ was coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi while he was attending the World Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles in 1984.
Even though Chennai is new to cosplay compared to cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru, the artform is becoming popular in the city.
Surya Banu said cosplayers who have commissioned works are still getting some assignments.
“Situation is bad everywhere. Cosplay has been gaining momentum in the city since 2019 as more artists showed interest in the art form.
“The
pandemic
has brought in a stumbling block to that progress,” she said.
However, Surya is not going to give up. Being a fan of Japanese comic and animation serials, she makes use of the time to study more about the characters’ style and appearance.
“I get more time to practice the style and design the special shields they use. I am trying to design my characters with resources available today and it’s challenging,” said Surya, who first cosplayed Lelouch vi Britannia, the protagonist of the Sunrise anime series “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion” in 2014.
Rubina said she has learnt how to create the designs with limited resources. “We can’t go out and buy materials like earlier. I decided to make the design simple at the same time I never compromised on the style. I have recreated my characters which according to me is ‘quarantine cosplay,” she said, hoping that things will get better in the coming months.
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