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Costume and Fairy Tales
  • ISSN: 2052-4013
  • E-ISSN: 2052-4021

Abstract

This article presents a close reading of two costume designs from Takahashi Rumiko’s series (manga 1996–2008), and details the methods used to create a pair of cosplay costumes. It will explore how character designs are imbued with identity and narrative foreshadowing. Throughout this article, reference will be made to fan scholarship in addition to more academic sources. As Matt Hills points out with his model of the ‘scholar-fan’, fans are often conducting research and work that academics have yet to address, and this is often the case with anime fandom. Further, my work on cosplay treats fan-constructed costumes as an act of fan translation akin to other activities such as ‘scanlations’, that is scanned translations of manga, comics or graphic novels.

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • La Trobe University ASSC Research Start Up (Award 2019–2020)
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/content/journals/10.1386/scp_00076_1
2023-02-23
2026-04-19

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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): anime; costuming; dog gods; kimono; manga; Takahashi Rumiko
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