An Intro to Cosplay- Sakura-Con 2009

Heidi, we have made a grave, grave mistake. Remember when I told you that Sakura-Con 2009 was last weekend and that it cost an insane $40 to get in and we decided to not go? I don't think I realized this event was the pinnacle of nerd activity until I went looking for photos to see exactly what we missed. I feel like that $40 might of been well worth seeing these nerds in action. For example:

Example 1: Jesus is a nerd AND skipped Easter to go to Sakura-Con? The Apocalypse is truly nigh.

Example 2: Dude be packing some Pocky. I'm in love. Wait a second, it just occurred to me that some of our readers might be more clueless than I, especially after seeing these pictures. Maybe you don't know what a "Con" is, or more importantly what cosplay involves. Well, let me enlighten you.

Cosplay is not unlike larping, where individuals dress up and really dedicate themselves to becoming a character. However cosplay is more like a fashion show whereas larping revolves around using one's character in an ongoing game. Short for costume play, cosplay is often considered a type of performance art because participants reenact character scenes as well as concentrate on the intricate details needed to replicate their character's costume.

Japanese culture is a very popular theme, and anime and manga provide infinite character inspiration... none of which I know, because we just haven't delved into that insanity yet. And finally, there are literally like a hundred of these Con's around the country where all the cosplay nerds flock to exhibit their hard work. And no, I'm not even mocking here, the time and money put into some of these costumes is quite amazing. Last weekend's Sakura-Con was Seattle's big convention, and just because I enjoy them SO much, and I am already planning the 2 Girls 1 Larp maiden cosplay adventure for next year, here are some more examples:

The Pièce de Résistance