FANS of cosplay in Penang have another opportunity for a great gathering at the three-day Cosworld Festival at 1st Avenue Mall beginning today until Sunday.
After a long wait due to Covid-19 pandemic, the festival is now back at 1st Avenue Mall. The mall hosted the Comic Fiesta event in 2019.
About a fortnight ago, Prangin Mall hosted the Cosplay Convention Summer Fest Penang 2022. It was a success, drawing about 35,000 visitors.
Komtar assemblyman Teh Lai Heng, who was present for the opening ceremony today, said he looked forward to the event drawing an influx of tourists to the state.
“The recent Cosplay Convention Summer Fest Penang 2022 brought a lot of tourists from other states about two weeks ago.
“I believe the Cosworld Festival can attract many visitors as well. This will stimulate our local economy as well as assist the local businesses,” he said in his speech.
Teh said many youths have nowadays accepted the cosplay culture.
“When you are in a cosplay event, you can temporarily put your original identity behind,” he said, adding that the state welcomed diversity of cultures.
Cosworld founder Richard Lim said the event would unite all the anime fans.
“We hope to see cosplay fans here as there will be a Cosworld photography competition as well,” he said.
Also present were 1st Avenue Mall general manager Yeap Chin Chong and mall’s leasing and marketing manager Tracy Tan Ling Hong.
At the recent Cosplay Convention Summer Fest Penang 2022 at Prangin Mall, Teh said the cosplay trend has opened up new career opportunities for the community, especially with the growth of anime culture from all around the world.
He said people now know much more about the animation community, whether it is about Japanese anime, Chinese manhua, western animation among others.
“Cosplay has grown beyond the Japanese anime community. It no longer just seen as an in-group event but rather, it is largely accepted by most of the public.
“Some people might think about cosplay only a hobby and could not be a proper career. This is, however, not true.
“The cosplaying community is one of the most accepting communities. When you are cosplaying, people will look past your real life identity and will interact with you as your character. They can communicate easily because of a shared hobby and interests.
“This help boosts confidence for many and help them to find a loving community. Some cosplayers could go professional and become models or online celebrities. There are careers to be built as long as you put effort into it.
“We could learn a lot from cosplayers. For one, they are resourceful. We know that custom-made costumes are expensive. It could cost thousands for one suit. So, many cosplayers learn how to make use of things around us to build props and make their own costume,” Teh said.
Story and pix by Edmund Lee