Description: Planet Cosplay is authored by widely published scholars in this field, examining the central aspects of cosplay ranging from sources and sites to performance and play, from sex and gender to production and consumption.
Brief description:
Paul Mountfort is chair of the Auckland University of Technology Centre for Creative Writing.
Review Quotes:
'An effective primer for anyone looking to better understand the topic. [...] Where the book is particularly effective is in providing broader histories and working definitions for an under-researched area. While many accounts of cosplay begin with Takahashi's 1983 article, the first part of Planet Cosplay charts how costuming as characters from popular culture dates back over a hundred years. [...] This rounded approach enables the authors to position this under-analysed fan practice as an important site of cultural exchange, fluid identity and communal participation. Collectively, these perspectives make a persuasive argument that cosplay is worthy of sustained scholarly interest and that Planet Cosplay should provide a useful entry point for those hoping to take up that research.'