A Guide to Manga, Anime and Video Game Cosplay

Do you find yourself sat at home wishing you could be in your favourite video game? Or dream of a time when you pretended you were Sailor Moon? Or do you want to embody your Dungeons and Dragons character for real? What's holding you back? Maybe you need to introduced to cosplay! Cosplay is a phenomenon that is taking over the world. If you haven't seen it yet, have you not been looking at social media? Cosplay is a mix of exciting craft skills, heady escapism and passion for pop culture that lets you be whoever you want, whenever you want. Cosplay has made its way into TV shows and documentaries, been included as part of film premieres and video game launches, it's even referenced in the comics, manga and media it comes from! Talk about meta. But what is this super popular hobby? Well, pick up this book, and it's twin A Guide to Movie and TV Cosplay, to get all the answers. Because it's more than just dressing up, promise. With a little bit of help from this handy, dandy guide to cosplay, you can get stuck in. Learn about the history of the hobby (it's been around longer than you'd think!), where it came from and how it got to be the way it is now, get your head around making and designing costumes, find out how about all the amazing skills people are using to make these costumes, and perhaps even try a few yourself. Who knows, you might be rocking out as Astro Boy, Chris Redfield or All Might at the next big comic con! So why not give it a try and play make believe for a day. AUTHOR: A cosplayer and lover of all things "geek" since they were 15, Holly Rose Swinyard is now a pop culture journalist and editor, running the cosplay magazine, The Cosplay Journal. They have also written on cosplay, pop culture and the need for "escapist play for adults" for national publications and on BBC Radio 4. It would be a shock to find them any where but their sewing machine, or scrawling notes for the next exciting project. 130 colour illustrations