It is by far the most satisfying article that I get to write.
What makes me the happiest is not the fact that I get my first full page coverage and a little write-off on the cover as an intern. It's the fact that when I saw the paper this morning, Kakashi's face was there on the cover of the Jakarta Post! It's surreal!
And here is the first article:Playing pretend: No night at the promVirania Munaf, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Twelve years ago, a ninja village was attacked by a raging nine-tailed demon fox. To save the village, the leader sacrificed his life using a forbidden technique, which sealed the demon within the body of a newborn boy.
The boy's name is Uzumaki Naruto and in January he visited Jakarta's Cilandak Town Square along with his two teammates: Haruno Sakuraa, a pink-haired girl with monstrous powers and Uchiha Sasuke, a child prodigy in the ninja world who possesses the ability to copy and predict his opponent's movements using his three-pupil red eye.
Welcome to the world of costume playing, where ninjas are everywhere to be seen, pocket monsters come to life and Darth Vader chats enthusiastically with Sailor Moon.
On Jan. 27, a small costume playing competition was held in Cilandak Town Square to promote the popular Japanese animation Naruto. Children and grownups alike turned out for the event dressed as their favorite characters.
Costume playing or cosplay is a hobby born out of the Japanese youth subculture on the streets outside of Harajuku station and around the district of Akihabara, a neighborhood in Tokyo where the teenagers wear wild and outrageous clothing. Sometimes they depict fictional characters and sometimes they wear over-the-top clothing just to express themselves.
This then became a tradition for devoted fans of Japanese animation, video games, and sci-fi and fantasy movies to dress up as their favorite fictional characters. They call themselves cosplayers, short for costume players.
Costume playing has become more than just dressing up. In anime and sci-fi conventions around the world, the cosplay competition is the most awaited event.
Cosplayers come in character and are given two to 10 minutes on stage to perform a skit or cabaret for the judges and the audience. The winner will receive some sort of a prize, usually money and a selection of goodies
In Indonesia, the quality of the competition has dramatically improved in the past few years as more events are held and more fans are passionately devoting their time and money to bringing their favorite characters to life.
University student, 18-year-old Nimas, spent six months finishing her latest costume, a black-and-white mini dress with red ribbons strapped around her limbs completed with a huge pair of black wings.
"I'm cosplaying as Reinforce from the anime Magical Girls Lyrical Nanoha A's. It's my most complicated costume so far!"
Another Indonesian cosplayer, Haryo Wisanggeni, 22, can devote two or three weeks to make a costume.
"I am a slave to cosplay," he joked.
"For me, it's not only about the costume. It's more about the characterization, the action of putting your heart and soul into playing the character," Haryo said.
Nothing is more satisfying for Haryo than seeing his costumes materialize.
"Cosplaying is a manifestation of parts of my personality that I can't express in real life. I want to be a little narcissistic and a little bit of a flirt. When I'm cosplaying, I can do that without any negative repercussions. I can just say that I'm playing a character."
The shy Haryo once cosplayed as the smart and flirty Midoriba Itsuki from the game "Shuffle". On the stage, he grabbed the microphone from the host and shouted, "Jakarta girls are very beautiful!" He then proceeded to give a rose to the host.
Both Nimas and Haryo believe that costume playing is a form of art. "I really don't like it when other people pollute this form of art by taking it lightly. It's not Halloween, nor it is your high school prom where you just dress up and stand there. Acting is very important!" Nimas exclaimed.
A more seasoned Indonesian cosplayer, Nur Wijayanti, has cosplayed 20 times since 2005. She too believes that characterization and role playing are very important in engaging in cosplay.
"I always try my best to portray the character and not be me on stage. Getting away from the pressures of study is a good feeling."
However, not all fans of Japanese animation think that costume playing is the best hobby and outlet for them.
Twenty-one-year-old medical student Annora Thoeng can't get enough of anime and manga (Japanese comic books).
She lists Nana and Naruto as her favorite series. Annora, however, is not a big fan of costume playing.
"I have read so many mangas and watch a lot of anime. I am a big fan of both of them, but costume playing? It's like creating an alter-ego. That's just ... geeky. Social suicide, I tell you."
Law student Bambang Dhanisworo, who reads and watches both the manga and anime of Bleach and One Piece religiously, agrees. "I don't do cosplay because I think it's geeky! I do like the anime culture but I don't like it when it's overdone. Cosplay is just too much for me," he said.
Nur said Annora's and Bambang's reactions were fairly typical. "It's just the view of people who have never been in our shoes. They don't know anything about this hobby and frankly, I think they just haven't been to this part of the world, yet!" she laughed.
Franky, 30, is new to the cosplay world.
Shamelessly standing in the middle of the busy Cilandak Town Square as the cool yet perverted copy ninja Kakashi from the anime Naruto he also think that cosplay is not reserved specially for the geeks.
"I think it's the opposite! When going to these conventions, I get to meet new people and socialize. There is nothing geeky about that!"
Moreover, Haryo insisted that this is just a harmless hobby.
"At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what other people say. As long as I do my job properly and be a nice person, who cares if my hobby is a little bit new and different?" he shrugged.
Nevertheless, most cosplayers agree their hobby is getting more competitive.
"There are professional cosplay groups that create beautiful costumes, and there will always be new cosplayers with better outfits and performances," Haryo said.
And all of them are looking forward to battling it out in the upcoming awaited event held by the animation magazine Animonster-Animonster Sound Aishiteru 2008.
"You definitely have to go. I can't wait!" Nimas said.
I also wrote another article (more about cosplay groups) to accompany the first one!:
The feeling of belongingIn the Indonesian world of costume playing, many form cosplay groups to take this phenomenal hobby to the next level. These cosplay groups perform their skits, or cabarets, at conventions as a group. Each member plays a different character from the anime they are portraying, bringing the animation to life.
Of the many cosplay groups, there are those with their own characteristics. One of them is the group Endiru, short for `The Endless Illusion'.
"Oh, Endiru is definitely the best in Indonesia because of their costumes. They are so beautiful! I am such a big fan of them," said 18-year-old Nimas.
Nimas also said it might be Endiru's leader, Pinky Lu Xun, who introduced cosplay to Indonesia in 1998.
Pinky, who works as a project architect for a major company in Indonesia, started cosplaying solo in 1998.
"(However) I became really envious of cosplayers from other countries who could take great pictures together as a group. I then began my search for other Indonesian cosplayers to start a group. I almost give up, but then I met Orochi X in 2004 and we started Endiru," Pinky explained.
Endiru's activities mostly involve creating costumes for private photo shoots and some cosplay competitions. A member of Endiru, Tsadhe, said she got the biggest kick out of making the costumes.
"My most elaborate costume is the one for Esther Blanchett from the anime and manga Trinity Blood. The material cost a lot, because she is a queen and is deserving of luxury materials like velvet. It's a highly intricate costume," Tsadhe said.
The costume-making process lasts three to six months. This does not include the planning, the pattern making, the material hunting and the endless meetings.
This is where Endiru is unlike other groups. "We are an all-girl cosplay group. Not only does that make us unique but it also comes in handy when we need to sleep over at a friend's house to finish a costume," Pinky said.
Pinky said having an all-female cast had never been a problem.
"We choose roles we are comfortable with. Some of our members specialize in cross play (cosplaying as the opposite gender) and it's not hard for them. Also, I find it much easier to act out intimate scenes with another female. It would be awkward acting it out with a male," Pinky said.
Unlike Endiru, which puts most of its energy into making costumes, another Indonesian cosplay group, Machipot, said their strength laid in the quality of their performances.
"You will know what makes us different when you see us perform," said Handian, the cofounder of Machipot. Handian guaranteed Machipot's performance was "breathtaking".
Thirty-year-old cosplayer Franky said Machipot's on-stage energy made them the best in the country.
"I was totally blown away by their performance at the 2005 Animonster event as the terrorist organization Akatsuki from Naruto," he said.
That particular event was in fact the first in which Handian and his friends performed together as Machipot.
Handian cosplayed as one of the members of Akatsuki, the ruthless Uchiha Itachi who has the ability to blow giant fireballs from his lungs.
"Our performance for that was total! I even learned how to blow fire from my mouth for two days to portray Uchiha Itachi. It's things like this that make me want to continue with cosplay, improving the cosplay world," Handian said.
He also cosplayed as Kuchiki Byakuya, a cool and suave character from the anime Bleach. For this performance, Handian tried his best to portray Byakuya in his powerful final form.
"I spent four hours styling my hair to look like his and I wore a life-size pair of wings with a big electrical halo which lit up! All to create Byakuya in his final form," he said.
While he confessed Machipot members did not make their own costumes, he said this allowed them time to focus on their performances.
Handian said Machipot was currently busy rehearsing their latest cabaret for the upcoming Animonster event. The anime they are acting out?
"It's a secret!" Handian said.
--Virania Munaf
WOO-HOO! Now back to my sister's essays...Kayanya selama gw di Jakarta all I ever do was helping both of my sisters doing their schoolworks...sialan. ciao
love, viraaaaa
