Have you ever seen those photos where cosplayers not only dress up as the character of their choice, but also put on a huge mask that covers their entire head and includes Anime features like huge eyes and a face with very fine details? Normally they tend to fall into the so-called “uncanny valley”, a term to refer to something artificial that is too close to human, without really being.
Well, it seems that an event was held in China that brought together dozens of these cosplayers, which led some to experience a strong feeling of discomfort when watching the scene. But, referring to the months that use this type of photography: «Didn’t you want us to be real, senpai?».
The snippet is quite short, but don’t worry, thanks to the details offered by the original video, we were able to find out quite a bit more information about it. However, why does this trend exist? Some might say that it is to make a much more realistic representation of the target character, but others also point out that it is a perfect way for the cosplayer to hide her identity and to be able to cosplay without the fear of someone else recognizing her on the street.
By the way, this type of cosplay has a specific name, the “Animegao (アニメ顔)“. However, in Japan they refer to this as “Kigurumi (着ぐるみ)“.
Of course, these photos found their way onto Japanese forums, where they inspired comments like:
- «This seems scary to me».
- «This reminds me of the nightmares I had as a child.».
- «Imagine going on the train with these people, I would really feel uncomfortable».
- «Incredible, I thought it was CG animation, but then I saw them in motion and I didn’t know what to think».
- «It’s intimidating when you look at it in person, even worse when it becomes apparent that the person is a man.».
- «Judging by the way they’re sitting and the fleshiness of their thighs, they’re all women, don’t worry.».
- «Impossible, I’m sure there is at least one man among all that group».
- «I don’t think so, even in China, otakus are people who neglect their bodies and it’s obvious what they are».
- «It scares me too, but it seems like fun to walk around without anyone recognizing you.».
Fountain: @katyusha_kig on Twitter