World Cosplay Summit
| World Cosplay Summit | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Venue | Oasis 21 (2006-2013) Aichi Arts Center (2014-) Osu Shopping District |
| Location(s) | Sakae, Nagoya, Aichi |
| Country | Japan |
| Inaugurated | 2003 |
| Attendance | 18,000 in 2012[1] |
| Website | |
| http://www.worldcosplaysummit.jp/en/ | |
The World Cosplay Summit (世界コスプレサミット Sekai Kosupure Samitto?), also known as WCS, is an annual international cosplay event that promotes friendly international exchange through Japanese pop culture.[2][3] In 2012 the WCS was incorporated as a company and until that year was organized by the events division of TV Aichi. It is supported by city organizations, businesses and the WCS student volunteer organization Omotenashi. The parade and championship are held in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan with several related events being held in the Kanto, Kansai and Tokai areas. A cosplay stage performance competition called the 'Cosplay Championship' was first held at Aichi Expo in 2005 and selection of national representatives for the event comes from preliminary and regional rounds held at partnering anime/manga events the respective countries of the participants.
With keen interest in Japanese youth culture from abroad, as of 2008 three ministries of the Japanese government have given support to the event; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT), and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Japanese embassy representatives often attend preliminaries at events in different countries as well.
The WCS has grown from a weekend event in 2003 and is currently held over a one-week period where the representatives visit different parts of Japan, including Akihabara, Kyoto and Sendai, in promotion of Japanese youth culture and its ability to connect internationally. The parade and championship have been held on the Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend of August since 2006.
Contents
History
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The first World Cosplay Summit was held in 2003 to highlight the international popularity of Japanese anime and manga through cosplay,[4] and to brighten up Expo 2005 in Nagoya.[5] The event has grown year by year and has come to include over 20 countries with over 50 cosplay representatives and encompasses several events including the Osu Cosplay Parade and the Cosplay Championship.
2003-2012: The first 10 years
2003
The first event was held on October 12 at the Rose Court Hotel in Nagoya. 5 cosplayers were invited from Germany, France and Italy; events included a panel discussion, photographs session, and mixer event.
An event review dealing with the contemporary situation of anime and manga in Frankfurt (Germany), Paris (France) and Rome (Italy) was produced called "International Common Language" (MANGAは世界の共通語?). The program was broadcast on November 24.
2004
Held on August 1 at the Ōsu shopping district in Naka-ku, Nagoya. 8 cosplayers were invited from Germany, France, Italy and the United States. This year marked the introduction of the Osu Cosplay Parade, which featured about 100 participants.
2005
In 2005, the WCS transferred from an invitational based system to a system where preliminary events were held around the world to select cosplay participants. This was also the first year to hold the Cosplay Championship. Single and group teams came to represent each country with 4 cosplayers from each nation. Along with supporting activities, the event took place in 2 main locations: the Cosplay Parade was held in Osu on July 31 and the Cosplay Championship was held at the Expo Dome on August 7 during Expo 2005. 40 people from seven countries participated in the first Cosplay Championship, with France winning the group category, Italy winning the individual category, and with the overall contest winner being Italy.[6] The initial goal of the event was to bring a part of Japanese youth culture to Expo 2005 and the event enjoyed the support of the Expo organizing committee — the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition.
2006
The next year the event moved to the venue for the Cosplay Championship the location where it was held until 2013 at Oasis 21 in Sakae, Nagoya. 9 countries competed: Italy, Germany, France, Spain, China, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and Japan, with a total of 22 cosplayers.
This year the WCS gained the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT). Over 5,000 people attended the Cosplay Championship stage event and several thousand more attended the Cosplay Parade.
TV Aichi broadcast another TV documentary special, "World Cosplay Summit 2006: New Challengers".
2007
The venue for the Cosplay Championship was Oasis 21 in Higashi-ku, Nagoya. Denmark, Mexico and South Korea joined the event this year to bring the number of participating nations to 12, with a total of 28 participating cosplayers. About 10,000 people attended the Cosplay Championship.
On the evening of the Championship, "World Cosplay Summit 2007: Giza-suge yatsura ga yattekita Z!" (World Cosplay Summit 2007: The Super Cool Have Arrived!) was televised. This year, the event became a part of the 2007 "Visit Japan" campaign of the MLIT.
2008
With growing recognition of the global economic benefits of Japan's Otaku culture, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) began to support the event. About 300 cosplayers participated in the Parade.
13 countries with a total of 28 representative cosplayers performed in the Championship in front of 12,000 visitors. TV Aichi broadcast a TV documentary special, "World Cosplay Summit 2008 - Everyone's Heroes Get Together!"
2009
In April 2009, the "World Cosplay Summit Executive Committee" was created to support the development and expansion of the WCS. The Osu Parade had grown to 500 people, and 30 representative cosplayers from 15 countries competed in the Cosplay Championship in front of 12,000 visitors, with Australia and Finland being the two newest participating nations.
The first international symposium was held at Nagoya University entitled "Outward Minded: Worldwide Impact of Cosplay and Interpretations in Japan".
2010
The symposium was moved to the Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers.
2011
This year, the Netherlands and Malaysia joined the participating nations to bring the total to 17.[7]
This was the first year that the 'Special Tour' was held. After the last day of activities, all cosplay representatives and organizers went on a tour of the Central Japan region, staying that evening at a traditional hot springs hotel in the Chita Peninsula area.
2012
This year, the United Kingdom, Indonesia and Russia joined the event. Being the 10th anniversary of the WCS, the event was spread out over 12 days. Official visits were paid to Gifu, Mie, Tottori and Aichi Prefectural offices, and there were 2 parades held, one in Ichinomiya during the Tanabata Festival and the annual Parade in Osu, Nagoya. The order of the Parade and Championship were switched with the Championship held on the Saturday and the Parade on Sunday. This was also the first year that countries and regions could participate under Observer Status, and with Hong Kong and Taiwan taking part in this manner, the total number of participating countries and regions came to 22.
2013
Vietnam and the Philippines joined as Observer Nations this year, bringing the number of participating countries and regions to 24. The event was held with the help of local and international volunteers since 2009; however, this year saw the beginning of the Omotenashi student volunteer group. This was the first year of the World Cosplay Summit as an independent company after 10 years where it was organized through the Events Department of TV Aichi.
2014
This was the first year that the Championship was held at the Aichi Arts Center beside Oasis 21. Portugal was selected to join. Also, Kuwait joined the WCS as the first nation from the Middle East, which brought the total number of participating nations/regions to 26.
2015
The Championship moved to the largest venue within the Aichi Arts Center called 'The Theater'. With the inclusion of Canada and Sweden as Observer Nations, the number of participating nations/regions now total 28.[8]
World Cosplay Championship rules and regulations
Regulations
Regulations of the preliminaries for each country are decided by the event in which the respective preliminaries takes place. The following are participation regulations of the World Cosplay Summit Championship (finals) in Japan.[9][10]
Participant regulations (for WCS 2012)
1. Each country will be represented by one team of two cosplayers.
2. The costumes must be from Japanese anime, manga, video games and tokusatsu.
- Dojinshi and unique characters from live-action movies based on anime or manga are not permitted (i.e. Dragonball Evolution, etc.).
- When doing a costume from a game, the character must be recognizably Japanese (i.e. not a Disney or Star Wars character even though the game may be made in Japan).
3. Cosplay costumes are to be hand-made.
- It is permissible for family and friends to help with costumes, but the contestants should be actively involved in the construction process.
4. Prospective entrants must be able to travel to Japan for about one week from the end of July to early August for the World Cosplay Summit Championship.
5. Participating minors must have consent of a guardian (rules may vary depending on the preliminary rules in different countries).
6. Contestants must participate in a positive manner in order to ensure the success of the World Cosplay Summit.
7. Legal Documents (i.e. passport application, official documentation, etc.) must be prepared and submitted as quickly as possible at the request of the WCS sponsor (TV Aichi).
8. Media such as TV programs, Internet homepages, newspapers, magazines, etc. may use photos and images of the preliminary contests prior to the World Cosplay Summit. On these occasions, compensation will not be furnished.
9. All image rights in all media exposure, such as news from TV programs and other assorted media involved with the World Cosplay Summit, promotional activities in print media as well as events and performances, and announcements of the Cosplay Summit both prior and during the event, will be attributed to TV Aichi.
10. After the World Cosplay Summit, images, photographs, footage, programs broadcast, Internet homepages and DVDs, etc. of the contestants will come under the jurisdiction of TV Aichi. Compensation will not be furnished for such images used by the media.
Preparation: rules and considerations
1. A minimum of three costumes must be brought to Japan: one for the Parade, one for the Championship, and one for media appearances.
2. In the Cosplay Championship, the costumes of the characters must be from the same Japanese manga, anime, video game or tokusatsu series.
- It is not necessary to coordinate costumes for the Parade or otherwise.
3. All equipment, costumes and props for the Cosplay Championship performance are limited to a maximum weight of 40 kg (88 lb) combined for both performers.
4. All large props set on stage before the Cosplay Championship performance begins are limited to a maximum weight of 10 kg (22 lb). Prop dimensions are limited to 2,100 mm (83 in) in height, 2,100 mm (83 in) in width and 900 mm (35 in) in depth.
5. All large props set on stage are limited to a maximum of 3 items. Dimensions of hand held props carried onto the stage must be relayed to WCS head office in written form and accompanied by photographs.
6. It is not permitted to directly copy original drawings or logos to your equipment or props.
7. You are required to bear the cost of any overweight luggage charges when shipping costumes and other items. It is not possible to send them to Japan by air or ship beforehand.
8. Please prepare your own music for your performance. A performance sheet stating what you will perform is to be submitted in advance. The use of voice actors voices from original works in your music is prohibited.
9. Please send the documents and sound file at latest one month before the date of the Cosplay Championship.
Judging
The Championship judges are a panel of usually 5 guest judges from the anime, manga and cosplay community.
Judging criteria
Each judge of the Cosplay Championship can award 10 points for costume, 10 points for performance and 5 points for faithfulness to the original work, for a maximum total of 25 points.
1. Performance (10 points): level of performance, inventiveness, entertainment 2. Costume (10 points): design, faithfulness to the original characters costume 3. Fidelity to Original (5 points): level of faithfulness of the performance towards the original story and characters
List of guest judges
| Year | Judges |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Leiji Matsumoto Hironobu Kageyama Ippongi Bang Akifumi Takayanagi (TV Aichi) Shin Nagai (Tokyo Mode Gakuin) |
| 2006 | Go Nagai Hiroshi Kitadani Essai Ushijima (Cosplay critic) Yuji Tokita (MOFA) |
| 2007 | Monkey Punch Ichirou Mizuki Essai Ushijima (Cosplay critic) Yuji Tokita (MOFA) Ken Nagata (MLIT) |
| 2008 | Yumiko Igarashi Rica Matsumoto 10 general judge |
| 2009 | Tōru Furuya Go Nagai Ichirou Mizuki Hamada Britney |
| 2010 | Tōru Furuya Hironobu Kageyama Himeka Hiroyuki Kobayashi (Sengoku Basara) Nobuyuki Takahashi (Inventor of the word cosplay) |
| 2011 | Tōru Furuya JAM Project (Hironobu Kageyama, Masaaki Endo, Hiroshi Kitadani, Masami Okui and Yoshiki Fukuyama) Takaaki Kitani (President, Bushiroad) Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) Masaaki Nagase (Editor-in-chief, Tokai Walker) |
| 2012 | Tōru Furuya Go Nagai Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) May'n Rica Matsumoto |
| 2013 | Tōru Furuya Tomokazu Sugita Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) Mel Kishida (illustrator) Ikenotani Ken (ACOS Producer) |
| 2014 | Tōru Furuya Mika Kanai Mel Kishida (illustrator) Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) Andrea Vesnaver (WCS 2013 Champion Italy Representative) Dr.Oh (Bushiroad Producer) Azuma Fukashi(TV Tokyo Producer) |
| 2015 | Tōru Furuya Inui Tatsumi (Site administrator of Cure) Nek (WCS 2014 Champion Russia Representative) Nichi (WCS 2014 Champion Russia Representative) Nakazato Ikuko (Kodansha Nakayoshi Aria Editorial Department) Nao Hirasawa (Animation Producer of Ultra Super Pictures Ltd.) Ryutaro Ichimura (Dragon Quest Producer of Square Enix) Tomokazu Tashiro (Composer) Åsa Ekström (Swedish Cartoonist) |
Attending countries
Attending countries in bold indicate first attendance for that year:
Teams at the most recent edition of the WCS
The following representative teams were present at the most recent edition of the World Cosplay Summit, in 2015:[11]
| Country/region | Cosplayers | Team name | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
I-Artemis-I (Natalie) Lucy |
Participating | |
 Brazil |
Daysuke (Diego) Nando Gray (Fernando) |
Participating | |
 Canada |
Miss Messy Mia Detailed-Illusion (Niq) |
Detailed Mess | Observing |
 China (PRC) |
Xin Yi Qing Qian |
Participating | |
 Denmark |
Rinaca (Carina) Surine (Sørine) |
Participating | |
 Finland |
Sonoko Cosplay (Kaisa) Rullarinkeli (Aino Peltokoski) |
Participating | |
 France |
Chibi Juice (Justine Védovato) Lynah (Laura) |
Participating | |
 Germany |
Cherie (Heike) MeNanA (Melina) |
BIG BOOOBs Cosplay | Participating |
 Hong Kong |
Gino Nega Sho Akatsuki |
Cosplay Team FruitPitch | Participating |
 Indonesia |
John Switch (Bima) Yonchan (Ovitria Rachmadanti) |
Eternal Creativity | Participating |
 Italy |
Akiba (Manuel Capitani) Luca Buzzi |
Participating | |
 Japan |
Mariko Mahio |
琉演 Ryu-en | Participating (host country) |
 Kuwait |
Ayox (Anas) Don Lawless (Abdullah) |
Participating | |
 Malaysia |
Siow Wen Tan Joo Ing Tan |
ING & WEN Cosplayer | Participating |
 Mexico |
Juan Carlos Shema Arroyo (Jose Maria) |
TWIN cosplay | Participating |
 Netherlands |
Iloon Sednobis (Sahar/Mitzuki) |
Participating | |
 Philippines |
Hong Ping-ping Bi (洪 碧 娥) SJ de Ocampo |
EuRika 愛 | Participating |
 Portugal |
Samantta Amano Saphira Cosplay |
Participating | |
 Russia |
Archangel Michael/Misha (Nataliya Malysheva) Trisha (Ekaterina Malysheva) |
Kyoudai Cosband | Participating |
 Singapore |
Zephyus Maria Tachi |
Participating | |
 South Korea |
Pion Kong1/Rikert |
Team.CSL (Cosplay Stage Laboratory) | Participating |
 Spain |
Zihark (Dani Talavera) Virchan Puu |
Participating | |
 Sweden |
Tennyo Cosplay (Josefin Slorafoss) Mayo-chan 真夜ちゃん (Linn Eriksson) |
Observing | |
 Taiwan |
Tobu (Andy Chun) Light (林光光) |
Little Hands 小手創意 | Participating |
 Thailand |
Yuki Godbless (Natthar Janjarhatsin) JiakiDarkness (Charnon Porngarunathikul) |
Participating | |
 United Kingdom |
Noa Tarka (Rachel Conroy) |
Participating | |
 United States |
Alpacosplay (Ashley Rochelle) Yummy Gamorah (Sarah R.) |
Something Clever Cosplay | Participating |
 Vietnam |
Cua Kani Satou Tin |
Tin x Cua Cosplayer | Participating |
Results
Yearly results for the top awards:
| Year | Grand Champion | Runner-up | Special award from "brother" | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 1, 2 |
 |
Giorgia Vecchini Francesca Dani Emilia Fata Livia |
– | – |  |
Nakamura-han |
| 2006 3 |
 |
Maurício Somenzari L Olivas (Mah Psylocke) Mônica Somenzari L Olivas (Kawaii Aeris) |
|
Mariko Cyoko |
|
Goldi Aoisakuya |
| 2007 |  |
Damien Ratte Isabelle Jeudy |
|
Kikiwan Naoki Shigure |
 |
Linaloe Rodriguez Rivera (Linamoon) Alejandra Rodriguez Rivera (Yunnale) |
| 2008 | |
Jéssica Moreira Rocha Campos (Pandy) Gabriel Niemietz Braz (Hyoga) |
 |
Zhao Chin Zhang Li |
|
Yui Mino |
| 2009 | |
YuRi RiE |
 |
Bereniç Serrano Vidal (Piruletosa) Laura Fernández Ramos (Madoka) |
 |
Elizabeth Licata (fatwetdog) India Davis (Dia) |
| 2010 | |
Luca Buzzi Giancarlo Di Pierro |
|
Gabrielle Christine Valerio Gabriel Niemietz Braz (Hyoga) Orawan Aggavinate (Alexis Seiz) |
 |
Orawan Aggavinate (Alexis Seiz) Patawikorn Uttisen (Pat) |
| 2011 | |
Maurício Somenzari Leite Olivas Mônica Somenzari Leite Olivas |
|
Marika Roncon Daniela Maiorana |
 |
Tessa Beattie Jessica L. Allie |
| 2012 | |
Yukari Shimotsuki Kaito |
 |
Frank Koh (Raistlin03) Valerie Seng (ayatenshi) |
|
Frank Koh (Raistlin03) Valerie Seng (ayatenshi) |
| 2013 | |
Andrea Vesnaver Massimo Barbera |
|
Cassandra May (Breathlessaire) Tiffany Tezna (Starlighthoney) |
|
Cassandra May (Breathlessaire) Tiffany Tezna (Starlighthoney) |
| 2014 |  |
Nek (Neko-tin) Nichi |
|
NadiaSK MOGU |
 |
Shinji Tiny |
| 2015 | |
Juan Carlos Jose Maria [Shema] Arroyo |
|
Akiba (Manuel Capitani) Luca Buzzi |
|
Alpacosplay (Ashley Rochelle) Yummy Gamorah (Sarah R.) |
- ^1 Group Champion: France (Pauline Mesa, Laurence Guermond Wendy Roeltgen)
- ^2 Individual Champion: Giorgia Vecchini
- ^3 3rd: Italy (Alessandro Leuti, Alessia de Magistris)
Results of the most recent Championship
Results of the 2015 World Cosplay Championship:[12]
| Award | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Place (Grand Champion) 優勝 (外務大臣賞、ANA賞、旅Pad賞) |
|
Juan Carlos Shema Arroyo |
| 2nd Place (Runner-up) ２位 (ラグーナテンボス賞) |
|
Akiba (Manuel Capitani) Luca Buzzi |
| 3rd Place ３位 (WCS実行委員会賞) |
|
Alpacosplay (Ashley Rochelle) Yummy Gamorah (Sarah R.) |
| Best Wigs ウィッグNo.1 (シペラス賞) |
|
Zihark (Dani Talavera) Virchan Puu |
| Best Soundtrack 音響効果No.1 (JOYSOUND賞) |
|
Mariko Mahio |
| Best Costumes コスチュームNo.1 (ブラザー賞) |
|
Alpacosplay (Ashley Rochelle) Yummy Gamorah (Sarah R.) |
| Best Performance パフォーマンスNo.1 (LIVEDAM賞) |
|
Xin Yi Qing Qian |
| Most Exciting Moment on Stage ワクワクと感動を与えてくれたコスプレイヤーNo.1 (HIS賞) |
 |
Gino Nega Sho Akatsuki |
| Fidelity Award リスペクト得点No.1 (モビぶっくインディーズ賞) |
|
Gino Nega Sho Akatsuki |
| Niconico Live Broadcast Viewers' Vote ニコ生視聴者投票No.1 (niconico賞) |
|
Juan Carlos Shema Arroyo |
Preliminary conventions, organizations and events
The following conventions, organizations and events have held or organized the preliminary contests to select the representatives of each country for the Cosplay Championship since 2005:
- Australia: SMASH! in Sydney
- Brazil: Editora JBC / Festival do Japão in Sao Paulo
- Canada: Otakuthon[8] in Montreal
- China: Howell International Trade Fair Ltd. in Beijing
- Denmark: J-Popcon in Copenhagen
- Germany: Animexx / Connichi in Kassel
- Finland: Cosplay Finland Tour / Tracon in Tampere
- France: Japan Expo in Paris
- Indonesia: Indonesia Cosplay Grand Prix [13] in Jakarta
- Italy: ROMICS in Rome
- Japan: Nipponbashi Street Festa in Osaka
- Kuwait: PLAMO Q8 Con (2014) in Kuwait City
- Mexico: Expo-TNT in Mexico City
- Netherlands: Animecon in Amsterdam
- Philippines: Anime Alliance Philippines [14] in Manila
- Portugal: Iberanime (2014) in Lisbon
- Russia: Hinode in Moscow
- Singapore: Cosfest
- South Korea: Samsung Everland / Wonder Cosplay Festival in Seoul
- Spain: FICOMIC / Salón del Manga (es:Ficomic / es:Salón del Manga de Barcelona) in Barcelona
- Sweden: Comic Con Stockholm[8] in Stockholm
- Thailand: Negibose Thailand / Oishi Group in Bangkok
- UK: Hyper Japan in London
- USA: Anime Central in Chicago
Former preliminary conventions, organizations and events
- Australia: Animania in Sydney (2009-2013)
- China: Hangzhou True Design Company Ltd. (2005–2007)
- France: Epitanime (2005)
- Japan: Cosplay Festa in Tokyo Dome City (Tokyo, 2006–2008)
- Japan: Layered XTRM at Osaka Castle Bandshell (Osaka, 2007)
- Japan: Cosplayers JAM Revolution (Osaka, 2008)
- USA: Anime Expo (2004, 2005) in Los Angeles
- USA: New York Anime Festival (2008, 2009) in New York City
- USA: FanimeCon (2010)[15] in San Jose
- USA: AM2 (2011)[16] in Anaheim
- USA: Katsucon (2012) in Washington, D.C.
See also
References
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- ↑ http://www.tv-aichi.co.jp/blog/wcs_e/2011/03/malaysia_makes_it_17_countries.html
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- ↑ http://www.worldcosplaysummit.jp/en/2015/team/
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/WorldCosplaySummit/videos/1050658541611541/
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External links
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