コスプレ ko su pu re — Ti dedico corpo e animæ by Gloria Furlan

This research explores the phenomenon of Cosplay as experienced by Cosplayers themselves through a subjective lens. A project that stems from specific personal attitudes and inclinations to the practice of Cosplay — コスプレ kosupure — in relation to japanese entertainment media. The focus of the analysis resides in individuals influenced to the point of bordering on obsession, surrounded by characters from works of Japanese animation, illustration and graphics — Anime, Manga and RPG — culminating in the practice of donating one’s body through the practice of interpretation, assimilation and appropriation. Consistencies and idiosyncrasies between assumptions and experience are addressed starting from Japanese imagery, cultivated by years of tactile and vivid experience of this practice as carried out in Italy. The impact and perceived impact of the journey facilitated a firsthand, lived experience through my month-long stay in Toshima, one of Tokyo’s twenty three special districts. The reiteration of this practice in the country accredited for the birth and export of Cosplay, put to test the skills and preconceptions developed over years of experience and virtual exploration. Analyzed the ideological presuppositions set forth by Luca Vanzella in Cosplay culture: fenomenologia dei costume players italiani, found within my personal experience in Italy, the same were used as a key to reading and interpreting the experience in Japan, analyzing points of contact and divergence. Through this paper I wish to document the vivid aspects of a research at a still embryonic state, without rushing to judgment. A vision that is not intended to be faithful to reality as a focused image, but rather as the perception of light imprinted in the first impact with the retina. It represents, in its essence, an investigation that reports testimonies and subjective experiences, exploring with individuals the value placed on their choice of character, the reasons for choosing to lend one’s body to such practice. The unambiguous presence of the self, versus, the assumptions of loss of identity and desire for escape in the link between Cosplayer, performance act and self-perception. Analyzing the relational dynamics between Cosplayers and those shared personas, with a focus on the figure of the otaku and the way it relates to this practice. This printed object consists of 2 main parts; the first visual and graphic and the second textual and theoretical. Bound together by the “japanese stab binding” technique, that has been appropriated in correlation to the practice of Cosplay. Becoming not only a physical link, but also a key conceptual and graphic element. Giving body and matter to the characters that make up the term Cosplay.

This project unfolds through a narrative structure that interweaves personal experience with the formulation of theoretical frameworks. Each chapter is introduced by a Japanese term or concept, carefully selected in consultation with native speakers to encapsulate the thematic focus of the section.

These titles are preceded by etymological definitions, and each chapter concludes with transcriptions of interviews conducted with Japanese cosplayers met during the ACOSTA cosplay event, held in Ikebukuro on December 7–8, 2024.

Each chapter is further marked and enriched by visual inserts: scanned images of meaningful objects collected during the research journey and preserved until the return to Italy. The selected pages feature silver foil stamping and matte lamination, applied to 151 gsm black paper. These material traces act as tactile and visual bookmarks.

The entire visual section of the project was created—or its elements sourced—during the journey in Japan. Even the chapter titles were composed using materials recovered along the way. Of particular significance are the calligraphic and graphic fragments that punctuate the chapter openings, derived from scans of ancient scrolls discovered at the Oedo Market, Japan’s largest open-air antiques fair. These materials, possibly unearthed for the first time, remain unarchived, and their origins and meanings often remain unknown—even to contemporary native Japanese speakers.

Grounded in the lived experience, cosplay functions as the interpretive lens through which the entire work is developed. It is both subject and methodology — a means of analysis and a practice of embodiment. The project seeks to define a specific process of appropriation as inherently affective and personal: to appropriate is understood here as both a consequence and a symptom of feeling as one's own, which in turn leads to making one's own. This performative process fluctuates between homage, appropriation, and theft.

Central to the investigation is the relationship between cosplay and its source material, with a particular emphasis on the figure of the otaku: a devoted consumer of entertainment media who provides a key to understanding the ideological foundations of this cultural practice. The urgency to appropriate often emerges from affective bonds with so-called “non-real” characters and narratives.

The object containing this introduction is the result of a twenty-five-day experience in Toshima — a special district of Tokyo's Ikebukuro area — and consists of two parts. The first part presents a series of images: raw photographs, sometimes enhanced by illustrations selected from the moleskine that I kept with me during the journey, which serve to express emotional depth.

The illustration precedes the photograph, partially obscuring the image and positioning the viewer to first engage with the signs, emphasizing the elements of recognition highlighted. Only then they are to confront the photographic image. This sequence offers a glimpse of my perspective before encountering the "real" — if "real" refers to what is visible — through the lens of a tool used as an expressive medium in the curation and selection of images.

Nothing is objective. The theoretical text is accompanied by the voices of various individuals met during the experience. These voices are not treated as "data to accumulate," but as vital and meaningful testimonies. The intention is to make clear — both to the reader and to the viewer — the opacity of the images. Here, the materiality of the paper plays a key role.

Observing before reading becomes essential: it is a conscious decision to leave space for doubt before offering an embryonic interpretive hypothesis. Perhaps greater value is attributed to what is perceived rather than to what is explicitly communicated.

Ti dedico corpo e animæ

This research explores the phenomenon of Cosplay as experienced by Cosplayers themselves through a subjective lens.

A project that stems from specific personal attitudes and inclinations to the practice of Cosplay — コスプレ kosupure — in relation to japanese entertainment media.

The focus of the analysis resides in individuals influenced to the point of bordering on obsession, surrounded by characters from works of Japanese animation, illustration and graphics — Anime, Manga and RPG — culminating in the practice of donating one’s body through the practice of interpretation, assimilation and appropriation.
Consistencies and idiosyncrasies between assumptions and experience are addressed starting from Japanese imagery, cultivated by years of tactile and vivid experience of this practice as carried out in Italy. The impact and perceived impact of the journey facilitated a firsthand, lived experience through my month-long stay in Toshima, one of Tokyo’s twenty three special districts. The reiteration of this practice in the country accredited for the birth and export of Cosplay, put to test the skills and preconceptions developed over years of experience and virtual exploration. Analyzed the ideological presuppositions set forth by Luca Vanzella in Cosplay culture: fenomenologia dei costume players italiani, found within my personal experience in Italy, the same were used as a key to reading and interpreting the experience in Japan, analyzing points of contact and divergence. Through this paper I wish to document the vivid aspects of a research at a still embryonic state, without rushing to judgment. A vision that is not intended to be faithful to reality as a focused image, but rather as the perception of light imprinted in the first impact with the retina. It represents, in its essence, an investigation that reports testimonies and subjective experiences, exploring with individuals the value placed on their choice of character, the reasons for choosing to lend one’s body to such practice. The unambiguous presence of the self, versus, the assumptions of loss of identity and desire for escape in the link between Cosplayer, performance act and self-perception. Analyzing the relational dynamics between Cosplayers and those shared personas, with a focus on the figure of the otaku and the way it relates to this practice.This printed object consists of 2 main parts; the first visual and graphic and the second textual and theoretical. Bound together by the “japanese stab binding” technique, that has been appropriated in correlation to the practice of Cosplay. Becoming not only a physical link, but also a key conceptual and graphic element. Giving body and matter to the characters that make up the term Cosplay.

The binding of this project materializes its theoretical foundations, giving tangible form to its conceptual framework.

The term Cosplay — rendered in its Japanese form コスプレ — is embodied through the thread that connects the two sections of the work, both physically and symbolically. This gesture reflects the nature of Cosplay itself: a practice grounded in corporeality. The Cosplayer offers their body in an act of affectionate appropriation, embodying figures that do not originate from the self.

To express this concept visually, the project employs the Japanese binding technique — originally derived from Chinese tradition — as a symbolic act of cultural and formal appropriation. This choice mirrors the logic of Cosplay: the creative reinterpretation of existing elements through a personal and affective lens.

Graphic design functions as a structural element, shaping a narrative that weaves together theoretical reflection and lived experience.

Each chapter draws on a Japanese term or concept, beginning with an etymological definition and concluding with excerpts from interviews conducted with Japanese Cosplayers during the ACOSTA event in Ikebukuro on December 7–8, 2024.

Cosplay serves as the interpretive key that unifies the entire project. Appropriation is framed as a personal and emotional process — a way of making something one’s own through identification and embodiment. This performative dynamic unfolds across a spectrum that includes homage, translation, and transformation.

Format 14 × 28 cm.

Photographs and Text are laser printed on TAKEO’s Vent Nouveau Lt-Fs, Fsc Mix Credit, Snow White 151 gsm.

Cover and illustrated inserts are laser printed on TAKEO’s Tela White 60 gsm paper.

TAKEO’s Vent Nouveau Lt-Fs 226 gsm, is used at the front and back of the project as structural flyleaves to enhance rigidity and support.

Selected pages feature silver foil stamping with matte lamination, applied to 151 gsm black paper.

The entire work is hand-bound using Japanese stab binding with waxed thread, featuring a custom stitch pattern developed specifically for this edition.

コスプレ

ko su pu re

コスプレ

ko su pu re

Ti dedico corpo e animæ

Art Direction Gloria Furlan

Advisor Saul Marcadent

Printing Tipografia Mistero

Binding Mariangela Savoia

Translation assistance 橘ヒロ Hiroaki Tachibana

Phototgraphy Gloria Furlan

Illustrations Gloria Furlan