I can still remember the day when I found out what anime was. A friend of mine who had recently got into Sailor Moon came up to me. Said friend, who was a brilliant artist, gave me a picture of a beautiful girl with what looked like meatball buns on top of her head. Despite the strange hairstyle, I was intrigued, and minutes later, I found myself going down the rabbit hole that was the world of Japanese culture. Anime, or Japanese animation, was quite literally a foreign concept for me. However, it didn’t take long for me to discover the ins and outs of anime, manga, and everything in between. While I don’t watch anime as much as I used to, there is one aspect of the anime culture that has stuck with me. It might seem weird at first, but that one aspect is cosplay.

Cosplay is a convenient portmanteau of the words “costume” and “play.” You’ve probably seen it if you know anything about Comic Con or the wonderful world of anime. If you haven’t seen it, the best way to describe it is witnessing your favorite characters coming to life. This culture began in Japan, where dedicated fans would create dazzling costumes that looked exactly like their favorite anime and manga characters. This hobby rubbed off on American culture, and because of the Japanese, we have conventions like Comic Con. There truly is nowhere else in the world where you can see costumes that look like they were taken right from a movie set. In fact, being a cosplayer can be a lucrative business for some. Famous cosplayers include Jessica Nigri, Yaya Han and Jeff Siegert. They can earn thousands of dollars for creating their costumes and attending conventions for promotional purposes. You don’t have to be famous just to cosplay, though. Regular people can walk around as superheroes, anime heroines, video game villains or anything else they can imagine. I am one of those people, and while my initial spark for cosplay began in the anime world, it has since branched off to include characters from web comics and video games.

As someone who has been attending conventions and cosplaying for over six years, I am still amazed every time I see other people who are just like me. Costumery is a confusing, expensive and frustrating hobby; most cosplayers will tell you the struggles they go through to get that perfect look. Some even act the part of their characters just so they can fully immerse themselves in their role (this can be quite funny when you run into, let’s say, a Deadpool cosplayer). The construction of a full costume can range from being easy to gut wrenching, and in most circumstances, many skills are required. Sewing, wig styling, makeup and armor creation are just a few of them. Regardless of the amount of blood, sweat and tears that goes into a costume, I can tell you from personal experience that it is worth it every time. The most satisfying thing about cosplay for me is being able to make someone’s day a bit better. I cannot begin to explain the joy I feel when someone asks to take a picture with me because of my costume or the zeal that fills me when I get asked about the hobby. It makes the finger pricking, the stickiness of the hairspray and the headaches worth it. Another aspect about cosplay that I love is the tight knit community that comes with it. I have met many friends through conventions, most of which I only get to see a few times per year. They help to make those few days magical.

Just as I can recall my first experiences with anime, I still remember my unfortunate first cosplay. While in middle school, I was determined to become Sailor Moon herself. One expensive online purchase later, I quite literally transformed into the meatball head that I had first seen back in elementary school. I had never dressed up to that extent before, and as cheesy as it is, it’s magical. Even though I have grown and improved a lot since those days, the excitement of putting on my wig and making sure everything is perfect still rattles me every time.

While my lack of a car makes it difficult to go to many conventions, I make sure that I attend Animazement in Raleigh, North Carolina every year. Over the years, I have seen the convention grow. Since I first started going, attendance has nearly doubled and has gained more and more media attention. It attracts journalists, aspiring photographers, DJs and more. Each Memorial Day weekend, the city of Raleigh is transformed by the freaks and geeks that come out to play. I have never been prouder to be one, either. There’s a certain rush that comes with Animazement each year; I’m not sure if I even have the words to describe it. I’ve also had the privilege to go with friends and share this rush with them. A few of these friends also shared their first cosplaying experience with me. Seeing them warming up to the hobby and having the same feeling as I did was amazing. It’s safe to say that I won’t forget many moments I’ve had at Animazement. Dancing in front of the convention center without a care in the world, posing for photos and attending photoshoots are just a few of these memories.

I’ve always known that cosplay isn’t a conventional hobby. In fact, many people frown upon it due to how different it is. However, this has made me love it even more. It may sound vain, but when people stare and ask me questions about my costumes, I am always happy to answer them and talk about what I’m doing. If I can do anything to educate people on cosplay and the community itself, then I know I’ve contributed to the hobby in some way. The most important thing to remember about cosplay is that it’s not about having the best costume or accumulating the biggest amount of fame in the community; it’s the effort, dedication and fun that comes with it that matters.