Takahashi was unable to use the word masquerade because this word translated into Japanese means "an aristocratic costume party," which is drastically different from the costume competitions seen at conventions (Bruno 2002a). Cosplay, short for 'costume-play', is the modern practice of wearing costumes, props,and accessories to represent a character. Typically, cosplay is the extension of apersons fandom for the character or genre, such as science fiction and fantasy,anime and manga, comic books, and other creative media.The few sources that discuss the origins of cosplay are primarily found on Web sites, online publications, and weblogs.

https://www.ccosplay.com/

Constructed and maintained by anime and manga fans, these sources communicate information about anime and manga (most with a personal bias). Therefore, it is not surprising that the specific origins of anime and manga cosplay are highly debated topics among anime and manga otaku (Hlozek 2004). Consequently, when he returned to Japan and wrote about his experiences at the convention, he focused on the costumed fans and the masquerade. Moreover, [End Page 66] Takahashi encouraged his Japanese readers to incorporate costumes into their anime and manga conventions (Bruno 2002a).