Cosplay Knowledge

Anthropomorphic – A humanized animal – a cat given breasts, a dog walking on two legs with thumbs and eating chocolate. A talking animal if you will.

Catgirl – Basically girls with feline features such as cat ears and a tail, and perhaps whiskers and paws. This is one of the most common costumes, since many put on cat ears and call it a costume. (Yes, boys can be catboys, but it’s not as common of a term in general conversation.) As a breed, they are often more hyper than fangirls. The difference between a catgirl and a furry tends to be whether it is a human with feline characteristics or a cat made anthropomorphic.

Crossplay – When guys dress up as girls and girls dress up as guys, though usually when the term is being used, they are more referring to when guys dress up as really girly girls (like Sailor Moon).

Furry – Either someone who is dressed up as an anthropomorphic animal and is covered in fur, or an anime animal given more human characteristics (like big-breasted pokemon). They can cover the whole spectrum of animals available, from mythic to farm animals. The term is used to refer to both the fetish and the actual anthropomorphic animal.

Gothic Lolita – The most common subcategory of Lolita and the style that much of the western world associates with Lolita fashion. Clothing is generally black and white, with the possibility of red, and make-up tends to be white foundation with severe eyes and lips.

J-rock – Rock music from Japan. Besides video game cosplayers, the other deviation from purely anime and manga fandoms is the cosplaying of J-rock singers. Especially from the group Malic Mizer.

Lolita (aka Loli) – Not exactly a form of cosplay, but there are a growing number of characters that wear this style. Based on Victorian fashions, Lolita has a number of subcategories and was essentially founded in Japan and has spread out from there. Characterized by knee-length skirts (with petticoats), cute shoes, over the knee socks or stockings, the point of Lolita is childlike innocence and old-fashioned elegance. Often incorporates a lot of lace and frills, as well as bonnets. To dress in true Lolita style, you need to do some online research, as there are specific rules and standards for the outfits. Most common subcategories are Gothic Lolita, Sweet Lolita, Classic Lolita, and Punk Lolita.

Sailor Suits – A nickname for the schoolgirl uniforms that we see on many anime characters. This is a realistic portrayal of what real Japanese girls wear to school. Characterized by a blouse with sailor style collar, pleated skirts, and tall socks, they are militaristic in style and part of the strategy to keep everyone standard. It’s hard to tell at cons if someone is dressed as a specific character from anime or if they are just dressed in a generic school uniform. Many anime characters’ school uniforms only vary slightly, and if you are cosplaying a character in a school uniform, make sure to copy distinctly any hairstyles or other accessories that make that character more visually unique.

Japanese you may overhear or be forced to quote in character

-chan – suffix for names that shows familiarity, usually for girls and small children (so rather diminutive if used on a guy)

-san – a general suffix that means something like Mr./Mrs. – also used with peers

-sama – Honorific for lord, master, someone you hold in high regard (or could kick your butt)

Sensei – Honorific for teacher, also a suffix for names

Kawaii – “Cute’” as in “Oh My God, that Pikachu is soooo kawaii.”

Sugoi – “Great!”

Genki - in good health/energy - used to describe happy, energetic people