Why youths are drawn to cosplay, subculture

　　为何年轻人热衷于cosplay

　　Many cosplay and ACG events are being organized in China, making the subculture popular among some youths. ACG means anime, comics and games subculture, and cosplay means costume play, in which participants wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character, real or fictitious.

　　最近，国内掀起了一股举办角色扮演和二次元活动的热潮，使得该亚文化在青年群体中一下子流行起来。所谓的ACG即为英语中动画、漫画和游戏的总称，cosplay则意为角色扮演，即参加者穿上特定的服装以及佩戴时尚配饰来扮演现实中或虚拟世界中的角色。

　　An outlet for youths to express virtual love

　　是当代年轻人表达虚拟世界情感的方式

　　Cosplay participants often interact with each other to dress up as characters from animes, cartoons, comic books, films, TV programs and/or video games. Thanks to the rising number of cosplayers since the 1990s, a popular subculture has emerged in Japan and some other Asian, even Western, countries. The term "cosplay" was coined in Japan in 1984 at science fiction conventions, which began with the first World Science Fiction Convention in New York City in 1939.

　　Cosplay的扮演者经常会身着特定的角色服装，这些角色可能会来源于动画、卡通形象、漫画书、电影、电视剧或者网络游戏当中。鉴于上个世纪九十年代大量涌现的角色扮演者，亚文化开始登陆日本、亚洲其他国家乃至西方国家。术语“cosplay”则源于1984年的一场世界科幻年会。第一届世界科幻年会始于1939年，当时在纽约召开。

　　Cosplay contests on university campuses in China started increasing around 2008 and 2009. Initially, the students dressed up as Japanese animation and comic-book characters. But with the development of the Chinese animation industry, an increasing number of cosplayers started dressing up as characters from Chinese cartoons, comic books and video games.

　　2008年和2009年，大学校园内玩cosplay的人数开始增多。最初，学生们大多都是扮演日本动漫或漫画人物形象。随着中国动画行业的发展，越来越多的人开始扮演中国卡通形象或者漫画书以及电子游戏中的人物。

　　Juveniles who fancy cosplay are esoteric in nature and have their own sets of jokes, which "outsiders" rarely understand. Perhaps that’s why people are prejudiced against them. But cosplay allows such youths to dress up as characters they love, and express their love for fictitious characters.

　　那些热衷于cosplay的青少年通常都是比较小众，有外界人所不能理解的“小世界”，或许这也是大多数对他们持有偏见的原因。但是cosplay可以让这些少年们扮演自己喜欢的人物形象，表达他们对这些虚拟角色的喜爱。

　　Cosplayers are almost always young, most of them under 25-and as they grow older, they tend to give up the practice. So there’s no need for parents to overreact to cosplay. Instead, they should treat such youngsters as normal youths, but at the same time warn them to never cross the social and moral boundaries. Once a cosplayer who wore a costume made from a Japanese military flag was barred from taking part in the contest. The incident reflects the distortions within the cosplay "community", some of which cross the social and moral boundaries.

　　角色扮演者在年龄上趋向年轻化，大多数都在25岁以下。随着他们年龄的增长，很多人便选择放弃这一尝试，所以家长也无需太过担心。相反，家长们应该用普通眼光来看待他们，同时也要给予提醒，告诫他们不要玩过火，做出有害社会或违背道德的事情。一位角色扮演者曾经身着由日本军旗制成的服装，被制止参加该项活动。该事件表明cosplay也应该把握尺度，防止超越社会和道德的界限。

　　Besides, many companies, especially online game providers, hire cosplayers or organize cosplay competitions, in order to promote their new products. So regulators should strictly monitor such events to check if they also promoting inappropriate behaviors.

　　除此之外，为了宣传新产品，包括很多网络游戏供应商在内的多家公司都纷纷招募角色扮演者或者组织cosplay竞赛。因此，有关管理者也应该对相应活动进行严格监控，以便检查是否有不恰当行为发生。

　　Industry expected to witness more success

　　该行业本身期望可以进一步发展

　　The cosplay subculture is a kind of performing arts and is highly influenced by ACG derivative products. Usually, only zealous cosplay and ACG fans choose to participate in cosplay.

　　作为一种表演艺术形式，Cosplay亚文化很大程度上受到二次元及其衍生产品的影响。通常来讲，只有那些喜爱cosplay和二次元的狂热粉丝才会选择去参与角色扮演等活动。

　　For example, cosplayers usually obtain the costumes in three ways.

　　例如，角色扮演者通常会通过三种方式来获取服装。

　　First, through some companies that make and sell packaged outfits for cosplays. Normally, such products are sold online, but they can also be purchased from dealers at cosplay conventions. Second, through some individuals that make customized costumes, props and/or wigs. And third, by making the costumes themselves using raw materials such as non-styled wigs, hair dye, cloth, body paint, costume jewelry, and "toy" weapons.

　　其一，通过一些专门制作和出售成套cosplay服装的公司。通常来讲，这些服饰是通过网络渠道销售的，但是扮演者也可以在一些cosplay展会上和实体店家进行交易。其二，通过一些专门定制服装、道具以及假发的私人渠道获取服装;其三，利用诸如未定型的假发、染发剂、布料、人体彩绘颜料、服装配饰以及仿冒的玩具武器等原材料自行制作。

　　Based on the research, the development stages of China’s ACG industry can be divided thus: the birth of the term ACG in 1995, and the emergence of campus communities in Chinese universities between 1995 and 2015 thanks to the influence of Japanese animations, along with the gradual growth of derivative products such as games and music-based animations.

　　据研究表明，中国二次元行业的发展历程可以作以下划分：二次元概念起源于1995年，随着日本动漫的流行，中国大学校园在1995年至2015年期间开始出现许多二次元群体，一些诸如游戏和音乐相关的动画等衍生产品也在逐步发展。

　　With capital flowing into the ACG industry, 2015 proved to be a turning point for the ACG industry, as several major content providers were shut down because of problems related to piracy and patent infringement. Since then the domestic animation and game industry has been developing healthily with a stronger sense of using legal products. The 2016-2018 period was one of market stimulation, which facilitated the segmentation of the market and helped build more specific, mature business models committed to developing the industry further.

　　随着大量资金注入二次元行业，2015年可称之为该行业的转折之年。尽管一些主要供应商由于盗版侵权行为关闭停业，但国产动画和游戏行业在“合法使用作品”观念的驱动下一直非常健康地发展。2016年至2018年是市场发展的一个黄金时期，市场的逐渐细化有助于更多具体且成熟商业模型的出现，使该行业能够更蓬勃发展。

　　China’s ACG industry is likely to see higher growth in 2019, with major competitors leading the market, good branding becoming leading companies’ core competitiveness, and Chinese animations exercising greater influence on overseas markets.

　　中国的二次元行业很可能将于2019年出现更迅猛地增长，届时更多强有力竞争者将主导市场，优良品牌则是决定核心竞争力的关键。相信那时的中国的动画行业会在海外市场掀起一股热潮。

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