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Like an underground art movement bubbling just beneath the surface of conservative culture, cosplaying has been a part of the anime fan community ever since it crawled up onto the beach and grew legs. Cosplay is an abbreviation of Costume Play and is used to describe the art of making a replica of an outfit worn by an anime or manga character and "playing" him/her out in public (usually, but not always, at anime conventions). Cosplayers unite at conventions all over the world to display their eye-catching outfits. They're everywhere -- flooding the halls and performing in masquerades -- individually, in couples, in big groups, as families. Not long after the phenomenon hit, organized groups began sprouting. Some have created national identities for themselves while others modestly attend their local convention in a cathartic move to embody their animated heroes while enveloped in the safety of their friends. Taken to the next level, Groups like Sailor JAM-boree, Phoenix SeeD, iPlay, Northern Cali Cosplay, Anything Goes School of Masquerade Arts, Senshi Mysterious and many others have danced across the stage time and time again to flaunt not only their costumes, but just how creative and entertaining cosplay can be. From musical numbers to game show spoofs, these groups have impressed upon the anime community just how far-reaching and extroverted a hobby anime can become. A requisite for nearly every convention now is a Masquerade, a competition for cosplayers. The turnout of cosplayers at Anime Expo alone increases every year -- I was even recently asked if cosplaying is required to attend Anime Expo. Such a positive response is encouraging for cosplayers all over the globe; but it also brings the pressure of having to outdo performances from previous years.
Two California groups have been known to cause a stir around the West Coast anime convention circuit. Star Crossed Lovers, the infamous duo of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune who stole a kiss from each other at Anime Expo 2000, raised eyebrows and carved out a little bit of celebrity in the community. The Anything Goes School of Masquerade Arts artfully parodies anime, the fan community and even themselves at times. I was fortunate enough to speak with Lynleigh and Ashley, founding members of Star Crossed Lovers, and Wayne, co-founder of AGSMA. How did your groups come into being? Lynleigh: I met Ashley at Disneyland in 1996, but we didn't know what cosplay was until Anime Expo 1999. We were first exposed to cosplay then and decided to dedicate ourselves to join in for Anime Expo 2000. The costumes actually came before the name "Star Crossed Lovers." We didn't have an official name until the Anime Expo masquerade form asked for a group title. At the time, Ashley was reading Romeo and Juliet for school. "Star Crossed Lovers" just seem to fit and after Anime Expo, it stuck.
Wayne: We started as just a couple of friends who decided to dress up in 1994 at SDCC (San Diego Comic Convention) and who heard of this little thing called the masquerade. We decided to compete in 1995. We felt the best way to conduct such an operation was to organize, and hence we formed into a masquerade/cosplay group -- each person with their own specialties operating as a team for the greater good. Setting up the order of management and membership rules back in 1995, we've pretty much kept the same pattern of organization since it's worked out so well. Since then, we've added multiple friends to our group as well as made friends with other groups, and have enjoyed doing it.
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