Cosplay takes over the National Museum of Cultures in Mexico

Cultural and artistic expressions from Japan have crossed the Pacific and arrived at the National Museum of World Cultures for the Kosupure Festival , which gathers Japanese pop cultural activities for a whole day.

There will be cosplay, manga , and other expressions at the festival, which will take place on Saturday 23 , starting at 11 am .

Through a press release, the organizers stated that the festival will be hosting a dialogue, a manga workshop , a parade on Moneda street , and a runway where the best cosplays will be awarded.

Cosplay takes over the National Museum of Cultures in Mexico

Cosplayer Manuel Valdés dressed as Robin - Photo: Courtesy of Manuel Valdés

Cosplay consists of dressing up as characters from videogames, movies, or Japanese TV shows and most cosplayers design their own costumes and outfits. The phenomenon derives from comic cons and conventions in the United States , according to the INAH statement. With globalization, cosplay arrived in Japan, becoming one of the country’s most important cultural expressions.

Cosplay takes over the National Museum of Cultures in Mexico

Cosplayer Oscar A. Balleza dressed as Boba Fett, from the Star Wars franchise - Photo: Courtesy of Oscar A. Balleza

Given its tremendous success, Japanese filmmaker and journalist Noboyuki Takahashi named it “kosuparu” or “kosupure,” which is a phonetic adaptation of the english term “cosplay,” which incorporates the words “ costume ” and “ play ”.

Cosplay takes over the National Museum of Cultures in Mexico

Cosplayer Mauro, from Cozumel, dressed as Sesshomaru, from Inuyasha - Photo: Courtesy of Mauro

In Mexico, cosplay started with the arrival of Japanese cartoons in 1974 . However, it wasn’t until the early 90s when cosplay gained momentum and thus, the Kosupure Festival, hosted by the International Studies Center from the College of Mexico (COLMEX) , will seek to highlight the importance of cultural exchange for the promotion of bilateral understanding between Mexico and Japan.

Cosplay takes over the National Museum of Cultures in Mexico

Cosplayer Fabiola Pedroza dressed as Wonder Woman - Photo: Courtesy of Fabiola Pedroza

The festival will start at 11:00 hours with an opening ceremony, followed by the dialogue “ More Than a Costume: The Journey to a Fantasy World ,” which will seek to fight the stereotype of cosplayers and inform on the implications of this contemporary practice.

Laura Ivonne Quiroz

, an ethnologist from the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) , and founder of the Circle for the Study of Japanese Subculture in Mexico , as well as internationalist Ana Karen Ruiz Arenas , from the International Studies Center (CEI) , and the cosplayer Constanza García .

The manga workshop will take place at noon, imparted by graphic designer Brenda Cruz .

The runway will be held at 13:45 hours , and it will be the most important event at the festival.

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