The Cosplay That Moves

A Massive Cosplay That Can Still Move Easily Is So Impressive

I’ve seen a lot of impressive cosplays now. Stuff so show-accurate it’s actually astonishing it’s not a costume made by the television crew. I’ve seen cosplays that are basically art pieces, taking the idea of characters and changing them in fascinating ways.

But the thing I find most impressive about cosplayers is when they make suits move that shouldn’t possibly be able to move. Either through mechanical trickery or just lightweight material convincingly masquerading as something else.

And the reason this is so impressive to me is because it’s movie magic in real life. There’s no editing. Through artistic ingenuity, someone has molded foam or plastic, and used something like paint, to convince the eye that something is heavier than it is. That it’s made of metal. That it’s a fully working machine. That’s remarkably special.

Not to get too intense about it, but so many people watch media to escape—and find places and characters that speak to us. Media nowadays is so good. The effects are amazing. Costuming is stellar. Leaving a theater can actually be disappointing because it makes the mundane more mundane.

But then you go to a con, or see a cosplayer on social media, and it’s like some of that magic went out into the real world. A Spartan from Halo is just walking about. Optimus Prime—though not quite to scale—is mingling among people. I am extremely pro-imagination and letting stories exist as wondrous things in someone’s head—but I cannot deny the sheer emotions these creations evoke. It’s childlike wonder. It’s awe at the skill of builders. It’s marveling at the power of characters and story. Someone took all that time for something they clearly love. And I don’t know how to not to be immensely excited about that.

So, bring on the larger-than-life cosplays. The mechanical wonders. Give them their required space—and let their creations get the praise they deserve.