On the stage set up in the middle of the Mozart esplanade, around fifteen “cosplayers”, this Saturday, May 4, paraded in flamboyant costumes inspired by manga characters One Piece, Death Note Or Full Metal Alchemistfrom the American animated series Adventure Time or even Star Wars.
“Cosplay is a contraction of ‘costume’ and ‘play’, it is the art of dressing up and playing a fictional character from mangas, comics, books, films or video games, explains Zac, 20 years old, from Salon and dressed as Ace from the manga ‘One Piece’. With my friends, we form a trio. My bag was handmade by a friend, my belt by my mother, and I created my own dagger, the ‘log pose’, the compass that I wear on my wrist, I redid the braiding of my hat, I styled my wig… I was 5 years old when I watched this manga for the first time with my big brother, it brought us a lot closer.“
Eve Coissac was a cosplayer for six years before deciding to launch her own cosplay agency, Iris Cosplay, a year and a half ago: “It clicked and I realized that I didn’t want to put myself forward but others, she explains. I work with around ten cosplayers who I offer for payment to big conventions like Japan Expo, to specialized brands, and I also do photo shoots myself..”
Bonsai, martial arts and cake design
In addition to cosplay, around fifty stands are present all weekend. There are of course the Rêve de manga, La Licorne and La Bédérie bookstores which offer mangas. Today, at the signing stand, we will find the French mangakas (screenwriters and illustrators) Nevan, Laolyth, Loiki Nihon, Konkuru, M. Fayet and Cari. There are also small creators and resellers on the esplanade offering the usual figurines, key rings, pins, stickers, collectible cards, Pokemon or Dragon Ball Z soft toys, Buddhist rosaries, bamboo katanas or in steel…
