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It has been awhile since I wrote something deep here, well it is nothing too personal but I would like to express my random thoughts. So today I spend reading blogs online and the one thing that has me thinking about is fandom. I am obsessed with fandom, I am not saying I am an "otaku" or nerd (maybe I am not sure), I mean while reading anime blogs and browsing tumblr I find it so fascinating that people fall in love with fictional characters and say that they can really feel they can be themselves expressing their love for a character on these sites and everyone thinks it's ok. I find it really interesting. It is not just in anime people fall in love with characters, it goes back a good while with books and novels. These characters were created to be peoples' fantasies and were never suppose to exist in the real world.
Being a cosplayer, people fantasising about characters is what really give me the kick in cosplay and what I really enjoy. I think Cosplay and fantasy is a big thing with themed roleplaying cafes in Japan, the customer fantasising he is being served by a cute maid or a nurse in costume. Costume and play, playing the character, playing the character so your audience can really believe you are that character. It really all is amazing.
I really want to read more about peoples' obsessions with characters. I had an idea to do a Cosplay and Fantasy panel at Eirtakon but I would need lots of research and I would want it to be intelligent and academic. Perhaps I will plan it and research it and do one for next year. The war between 3d and 2d I find really interesting or maybe I am looking into it too deeply.
Listening to: Sun Kil Moon, Heron Blue
Very thought-provoking post, Amy. I've thought a lot about this in regards to fanfiction, which I wrote non-stop for a long time. I found it fascinating how writers would take a character and extrapolate wildly on the canon information about them in order to construct incredibly elaborate, well thought-out inner lives for them. Sometimes the character in the fanfic would end up bearing little resemblance to the character in the original story, but the writer's ability to use him or her as a starting point for their own creativity was so exciting. In particular, I got the impression that fanfiction was a reflection on how fans wanted more out of the stories and characters so that they could immerse themselves deeper and deeper in those worlds.
ReplyDeleteFandom has been in my life for a long time now for different animes and bands, and there's nothing like connecting with other people who share the same fascination and really understand how it feels. For me, it sometimes feels like my friends and I are speaking our own language and constructing our own worlds that only we can really tap into. It's a powerful form of escapism for me to get immersed in these alternate worlds, which are so enriched by the creativity of their fans. Anime and characters can provide a strong jumping off point for getting in touch with our own points of view, our bodies and our creativity and allow us to express them with great clarity through art.
A panel on this sort of thing could be extremely interesting!
Hey
ReplyDeletethanks for your feedback and I am really glad you found my post interesting. :) At times I like my blog to be more personal and express my random thoughts but I was never the type to really express myself publically but you never know who is reading your blog and it is nice to get some random people commenting saying there relate to you(I know who you are. :p).
I agree that speaking to anime fans I feel we are in a world of our own and people can really express themselves in subcultures and feel a sense of belonging. Glad that you look forward to the Cosplay and fantasy panel. I cosplay as an art and that is why i really enjoy it so I connect to people who are fans of the series or character, it is for entertainment.