"The authoritative guide to cosplay written by a legend in the community, and packed with step-by-step advice and fascinating investigations into every aspect of the art"--
The authoritative guide to cosplay written by a legend in the community, and packed with step-by-step advice and fascinating investigations into every aspect of the art.
Cosplay&;a portmanteau combining "costume" and "play"&;has become one of the hottest trends in fandom . . . and Yaya Han is its shining superstar. In this guide to cosplaying, Han narrates her 20-year journey from newbie fan to entrepreneur with a household name in geekdom, revealing her self-taught methods for embodying a character and her experiences in the community. Each chapter is information-packed as she covers everything from the history of cosplay, to using nontraditional materials for costumes, to transforming your hobby into a career&;all enhanced with expert advice. Illustrated throughout and easy to use, this practical manual also delights with fascinating stories from the past decades' global cosplay boom. It's the perfect gift for anyone interested in learning (or improving their skills in) the art of cosplay.
Cosplay has become one of the hottest trends in fandom . . . and Yaya Han is its superstar. In this comprehensive guide, Han narrates her 20-year journey from newbie fan to entrepreneur with a household name in geekdom, revealing her methods for embodying a character and her experiences in the cosplay community. Information-packed chapters cover everything from the history of cosplay, to using nontraditional materials for costumes, to transforming your hobby into a career. Illustrated throughout, this practical manual also delights with fascinating stories from the global cosplay boom.
| Introduction |
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PART ONE Welcome to the World of Cosplay |
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Chapter 1 What Is Cosplay, and Who Are You? |
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1 | (7) |
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Chapter 2 A Girl Drawing in the Corner |
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8 | (18) |
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Yaya's Advice: Starting a Costume |
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16 | (10) |
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PART TWO The History of Cosplay |
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Chapter 3 The Bodmerang Effect |
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26 | (8) |
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Chapter 4 How Cosplay Saved My Life |
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34 | (6) |
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40 | (6) |
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Chapter 6 The Growing Pains of a Fringe Culture |
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46 | (26) |
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Yaya's Advice: Sewing and Armor, aka the Pillars of Cosplay |
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54 | (18) |
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PART THREE The Creative Expression of Cosplay |
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72 | (12) |
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Chapter 8 The Cosplay Guest |
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84 | (9) |
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Chapter 9 Cosplay in Focus |
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93 | (13) |
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Chapter 10 Going Beyond Re-creations |
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106 | (24) |
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Yaya's Advice: How to Navigate Conventions and Photoshoots |
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120 | (10) |
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PART FOUR The Duality of Cosplay |
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Chapter 11 Negativity in Cosplay |
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130 | (5) |
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Chapter 12 The Cosplay Body Issue |
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135 | (10) |
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Chapter 13 Racism and Blackface in Cosplay |
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145 | (23) |
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Yaya's Advice: Transforming Negativity into Positivity |
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158 | (10) |
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PART FIVE The Industryof Cosplay |
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Chapter 14 Becoming Yaya Han |
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168 | (11) |
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Chapter 15 The Cost of Building a Cosplay Empire |
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179 | (15) |
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Chapter 16 Cosplay as a Career |
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194 | (25) |
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Yaya's Advice: What You Need to Know - if You Want to Go Pro |
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210 | (9) |
| Conclusion The Dream of Cosplay |
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219 | (8) |
| Acknowledgments |
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227 | (1) |
| Resources |
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228 | (3) |
| Photography Credits |
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231 | (1) |
| Index |
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232 | (9) |
| About the Author |
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241 | |
Yaya Han is a cosplayer, costume designer, and entrepreneur. Widely regarded as the most inspirational figure in the world of cosplay, Han was featured on the first Network TV show about cosplay, Syfy channel's Heroes of Cosplay, and as a guest judge on the TBS competition show King of the Nerds multiple times, Today, she has made close to 400 costumes in the genres of anime/manga, comic books, video games, sci-fi, and her own original designs. She has built a successful business in the cosplay community, including becoming the first cosplayer to design cosplay-focused products for global in-store mass retail. She has more than two million Facebook followers and 500,000 Instagram followers. She lives in Atlanta, GA. Find her online at yayahan.com.
