Have you ever imagined that characters in anime would appear in front of you? Have you thought you could become one of these characters? Have you ever seen a group of people dressed as anime and manga characters in a performance? Cosplay will give you the wonderful experience many people have enjoyed.

So, what is cosplay? Cosplay is a short term for "Costume Play". It is a very popular activity during anime conventions, also referred to as masquerading. It consists of dressing up as an anime or a video game character to participate in contests or simply for fun. There is no limitation in cosplay; you can dress up as any characters you like or love from different animations, manga, video games, or even idols and movie actresses.

Anime is a style of cartoon animation originating from Japan, with distinctive characters and background stylings that visually set it apart from other forms of animation. Manga is the Japanese word for comics and print cartoons; outside of Japan, it usually refers specifically to Japanese comics.

Yoshino Rinka, who has played cosplay for about six years since she was in high school, said cosplay is one of her favourite hobbies. "I love cosplay because I can dress up to be any anime or manga characters I like," she said. "It is interesting to try out different images and styles, and we [cosplayers] gather together in the cosplay conventions or competitions to discuss and share our love for cosplay. Since we treat cosplay seriously, it doesn't matter that we might even need to spend a few months just making our costumes."

"I think cosplay is getting more and more popular in Macau since the conventions are getting bigger and bigger," Rinka remarked. "During cosplay events, you can see how others are dressed and how they present their characters. We used to go to large areas, such as the ground floor of the Cultural Centre to play cosplay."

"I usually make the costume with a sewing machine," Rinka continued. "But for those difficult parts, I will go to find a tailor who would make adjustments according to my suggestions. For detailed parts, like accessories and drawings are usually made by our own hands.

"For me," Rinka added, "all my costumes are my treasure. But then, there is too little space for me to keep all of them, so in the end I need to give up some of my costumes to others who will love them as much as I do."

Cosplay, as a subculture for teens, originated in Japan in the late 1970s and rapidly developed in the mid 1990s. Nowadays, it is a popular activity during anime conventions not only in Japan, but also in USA, Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc. Cosplay is now becoming one of the hit international activities all over the world.

"I started to play cosplay since 1999 and the atmosphere of the events was so warm that made me keep on playing cosplay," Rinka said. "I hope that there are more of these kinds of events in Macau so as to let others know the attraction of cosplay."

So if you happen to come across any such event, just get yourself dressed up and enjoy the fun of it.