Won't somebody think of the cosplayers?! This past weekend, lots of people did at the World Cosplay Championship in Nagoya.
Beating out 14 other countries, Japan took top prize with a Sengoku Basara (Devil Kings) costume performance. "We worked hard to make our performance more entertaining so we can appeal to as many people as possible including those who are not familiar with cosplay," says Yuri Hayashi, who along with fellow cosplayer Rie Otsuka took top prize. 'We performed hard trying to improve the quality of Japan's cosplay and encourage more people to start doing it," added Rie.
According to spokesperson for the event, Japanese cosplayers are shyer than their foreign counterparts. "Some think cosplay is done by people who shut themselves off from society," explains Rie. The girls says they had to overcome a "negative image" cosplay has in Japan.
The World Cosplay Championship launched in Japan in 2005. This year is only the second time Japanese cosplayers have taken first place since winning when the event debuted.
FEATURE: Japanese 'cosplay' performers seek to be more [Kyodo] [Pic]