Articles
Relay Column: Dressing Up Your Heart in 'Cosplay' (Nero Takeda)
PROFILE
Nero Takeda
Graduate of Kuwasawa Design School. A long-time anime and manga fan, who has made numerous guest appearances on foreign stages. As we head into the ninth term of a corporation that runs several business ventures aimed at otaku, such as bars, beauty salons, and spas, there are also a variety of activities on the side like performing at anime song DJ events and stage performances.
Identity & Self-expression
As a child, I was the kind of otaku known as a 'Hidden Geek,' quiet and reserved in class. I was so soft-spoken when greeting my co-workers at my part-time job, they couldn't hear me and ended up calling me 'Otaku-chan,' picking on me without even knowing it.Now, I'm active in live streaming, appearing on international stage events, and even juggling business operations involving multiple employees. I cannot overstate how much my hobby of cosplay has encouraged me to be active.
By donning a variety of 'character cosplay,' I've taken on many 'personas.' Sometimes I'm a seductive princess, sometimes a socially adept prince charming, and other times a hero saving the world. The courage to communicate that these different character designs have given me is not simply about wearing flashy costumes. There's something more to it.
In this column, by exploring what happened to me as I wore these character costumes, I want to delve further into the role of cosplay as a form of fashion.
This article is for members only.
Please register to read the rest of the article.
What you can do with a membership
- Read members-only articles
and use text-to-speech. - Unlimited article favourites
and browsing history. - Attend members-only events.
- Get the latest information
with our email newsletter.
How was the article?
Share
