Anime fans mass in Japan for cosplay fest

By Elaine Lies

TOKYO (Reuters) - Women in breastplates, men with swords, and blond vampires paced the staid halls of Japan's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

They were fans of anime and manga comics gathering for an international Cosplay Summit, part of Tokyo's efforts to raise its world profile and promote a "Cool Japan" as admirers of its pop culture increase rapidly.

"Manga is an international language," said Michio Oguri, the chairman of the fifth annual event which is being held in the central Japanese city of Nagoya this weekend.

"Every year our festival is more and more accomplished."

Cosplay, which originated in Japan, is a combination of the words "costume" and "play." In cosplay, people dress mainly as characters from Japanese anime, as well as graphic manga novels and video games.

Cosplay fans gather at a growing number of festivals around the world to show off their elaborate costumes, the products of hours of loving work, and enjoy their shared passion.

Some, like Brazilian contestant Marcello Batista de Andredo Fernandez, even go as far as to wear colored contact lenses to give their eyes an otherworldly glow.

"I love anime," said Alejandra Rodriguez Rivera, 18, from Mexico who wore a flamboyant kimono and parasol as part of her costume.