Cosplay and Otaku Culture: Notes on Japan’s Transcultural Impact in Latin America

Abstract

This article aims to problematize some conceptualizations about cosplay, which is often seen as one of the most representative fandom subcultures, particulary Otaku, or Japanese culture fans. The increasing visibility gained by this activity worldwide is evident in its media mentions on traditional and streaming channels. Against this backdrop, there is a justified need to delve into the ways cosplay is shaped, both in terms of common sense and academia. To look at the conceptualizations of this practice, we conducted a systematic review of the literature that round up the state of the art on this phenomenon. Also, those formulations were contrasted with our own findings stemming from observation and qualitatively analyzed interviews, both face to face and online, conducted during anime events and on related social media. Three common axes were identified as related to Cosplay, as (a) an art, (b) a game and carnival phenomenon, and (c) a collaborative and creative activity. Likewise, regarding its use by scholars to reflect upon issues dealing with youth cultures, genres, and sexualities, we conclude that it is important to apply an expanded intersectional and intercultural approach to include dimensions that have been scarcely examined, such as nationality, race, and class, cleavages that also cut across the heterogeneity of cosplay.