I have been covering cosplay for over a decade nowand in that time I’ve seen tons of books, publications, YouTube videos, and even TV series on the subject. What I had never seen before was someone actually going and doing it a documentary as slick and comprehensive as Cosplay Universe.
A feature film now available on most digital platforms, Cosplay Universe examines history, people, craft and culture and features interviews with everyone from Yaya Khan to Jessica Nigri to Stan Lee (the film is in production that was close). Here is the official presentation:
The award-winning documentary ‘Cosplay Universe’ gives viewers a window into the ever-growing and evolving world of cosplay. What began in Japan as a subculture defined by a shared love of anime and the characters it creates has now become a global phenomenon that embraces characters from media around the world.
At first glance, this relatively new type of activity may seem like just a “dress up game”, but cosplay has a lot more to offer than that. This kind of “dressing up” encourages self-expression in a way that is inspiring and quite rare. This enables people to discover parts of their identity that may have previously been hidden. Cosplay is art, cosplay is transformation, cosplay is community.
This film will give you a front row seat to a truly unique art form dedicated to fantasy and the people who make it come true.
I recently sat down and watched it and loved it! The whole thing it’s simple really seriously; it’s fueled by interviews with cosplayers big and small and never feels like it’s going overboard or going too far. It’s just a fun, honest look at cosplay and people’s passion for it.
You can watch its trailer below, and get more information on its official site: