Cosplay, a vibrant expression of fandom, has firmly established itself as a globally recognized cultural phenomenon originating from Japan, alongside manga, anime, and games. the Niconico Chokaigi 2024 event, a large-scale party bringing the Nico Nico Douga online community to life, drew an impressive crowd of 132,657 attendees to Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, surpassing the previous year’s turnout. The event highlighted the intricate artistry and passionate dedication of cosplayers, capturing their commitment to embodying their favorite characters.

Spotlight on Cosplay Artistry

Cosplayers at Niconico Chokaigi 2024 showcased meticulous attention to detail in their craft. Here’s a glimpse into their creative processes:

• Emilia from “Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World” (Nekonome):

  Nekonome focused on the fit of the costume, emphasizing the importance of a stunning silhouette and carefully selected fabric textures.While making the silhouette look beautiful, we also paid particular attention to the texture of the fabric to create the costume. Despite her efforts, she aims to refine her wig styling for future appearances.

• Rem from “Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World” (Chizuru):

  Chizuru emphasized creating a rounded set for Rem’s wig to achieve a softer impression. She meticulously reproduced the character’s parting and hairpin positions. I’ve been careful to properly reproduce the parting and hairpin positions, but this time I accidentally put the flower decorations in the opposite positions… I regret that, so I plan to try again at another event someday. She also incorporated a voluminous pannier to enhance the skirt’s silhouette.

• Tia from “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE” (Mia-sama):

  Mia-sama aimed for a neat and tidy “gal” image, using subtle makeup techniques. To capture Tia’s unique physique, she added layers under the costume to create a thicker body shape and practiced poses that accentuated the character’s chest. In order to express the “feeling” that is unique to Tia, she wore a lot under her costume to give her a thick body and practiced casually practicing poses that emphasize her chest, which are also the key points of her cosplay this time.

• Rapi from “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE” (minato-san):

  Minato-san concentrated on recreating Rapi’s sharp expression through eye makeup and poses. she also dedicated herself to physical training to better match the character’s body shape. We focused on eye makeup and poses to recreating Rapi’s sharp expression and appearance. The fact that she worked hard in building her body to make her look more like the shape of her body was one of the best she could do in this cosplay.

• Trish from “Devil May Cry” (ran-san):

  Ran-san sought to capture Trish’s demonic strength, sexiness, and beauty. She emphasized strong eye makeup and shading to enhance facial depth. To express these aspects, I emphasized the strength of the eyes with eye makeup and shading with the depth of the carving. I chose natural and colored contact lenses, so I would be happy if they could combine well and express a “trish-like” feel in a good way.

• Waraku Chise from “Blue archive-” (Tsukiyonai):

  Tsukiyonai focused on achieving the character’s distinctive pale complexion. The key point we focused on is the “expression of the whiteness of your skin” that is typical of Waraku Chise. Chise-chan’s skin is white, so I adjusted the color using foundation and concealer that really adds tone, which I rarely use in my everyday makeup. She used specific foundations, concealers, and sunscreen to ensure consistent skin tone across her face and body.

• Walnut from “Genshin Impact” (Mizuho):

  Mizuho refined her Walnut cosplay through wig adjustments and improved eye makeup. She also focused on portraying the character’s cheerful demeanor by smiling and showing her teeth during photoshoots. I’ve tried kurumi-chan’s cosplay several times, and this time I think I’ve been able to get a higher quality cosplay by adjusting the length of the wig and improving the eye makeup.Also, one more thing, Kurumi-chan has a strong impression of having a smile, so when filming, I was conscious of showing her teeth as much as possible and smiling.

Upcoming Cosplay Events

Following the success of Niconico Chokaigi 2024, numerous cosplay events are scheduled across the nation. Notable events include:

• Wonder Festival 2025 [Summer]: July 27, makuhari Messe, Chiba
• World Cosplay Summit 2025: August 1-3, Aichi, Sakae area
• Comic Market 106: August 16-17, Tokyo Big Sight

These events offer enthusiasts the opportunity to immerse themselves in the cosplay community and witness the creativity firsthand.

Related Articles

• Chizuru dressed as rem, “Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World”
• Mia dressed as Tia, “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE”
• Minato dressed as Rapi for “Goddess of victory: NIKKE”
• tsukiyonoa dressed as Waraku Chise in “Blue Archive-“
• Mizuho dressed as Walnut in Genshin