SWOT analysis "Cosplay and manga"

Swot analysis on topic
MANGA AND COSPLAY

Introduction:
Manga, the popular Japanese comic book medium, has sparked a cultural phenomenon that goes beyond its pages. Cosplay, the practice of dressing up as manga characters, has become a vibrant and creative subculture that allows fans to embody their favorite characters. Cosplayers invest time and effort into crafting authentic costumes and props, showcasing their dedication and artistic expression.

Strengths: 

-Creating a cosplay design pumps the visualization and imagination of cosplayers, they have the ability to imagine how ordinary things from everyday life can be turned into a magical object of unusual scale, physics and design. The authors have the ability to use even text to create an image.

-Manga attracts more than ten thousand viewers in Australia, it is almost part of their culture. They believe that the study of materials

in practical communities – objects, texts and resources – and the role they play

are playing: they are a crucial element in both the preservation and transformation

of these communities (see Shove, Pantzar, & Watson, 2012).

-A new type of activity has opened up as the interpretation of manga into other languages, where it is important to understand the peculiarities of each country's cultures, adapt sounds, font design, the location of the “Clouds” of conversation, a new design thinking, which is called “qualified vision". It develops in master classes when interacting with people or in a cultural environment.

-Cosplay expands a person's capabilities, positively affects his psychological state. Cosplay - it is  a magic wand or time machine which can offer excitement,

contentment, escapism, and empowerment.

-Cosplay is an identity marker that allows you to create an exciting, extraordinary and self-satisfied person, instead of trying to transform in real life. As they say, pretend until it becomes true.

-Manga and the creation of cosplay parodies combine accuracy and creativity, because at such events they show not only basic dialogues, but also non-canonical ones. At the same time, they try to preserve the canonical character of the characters and combine this with the expectation of the fan base. Therefore, it is necessary to thoroughly study the works, serious accuracy is needed here

Opportunities:

1) No restriction/ accuracy is only perceived as a hybridization.

At least in European countries, accuracy is not necessarily a must. Most of the cosplayers started their journey even when manga sources didn’t have colored details. One series can be portrayed differently according to their presentation in media: manga, anime, live and theoretical actions. For, example many Australian cosplay communities, manga plays a source for costume creation and performance.

2) Cosplay is more universal than other fan activities.

As we know, cosplaying is not only for anime or Japanese media, it also involves in video gaming, tv shows, and series. Even in the West before anime globalization, most people started cosplaying Star Wars and StarTreck characters in the 70s. Cosplay in general is more tedious than other fan expressions, and individuals find more support from professional cosplays. Most cosplayers prefer going on a Cons with small groups and performing skits with preexisting teams. Cosplay skits, as we follow mostly show that people enjoy performing with a group like “The seven days of Naruto” which was performed at WaiCon as a parody of a traditional Christmas carol “The twelve days of Christmas”

3) Cosplaying opens the creative and analytical sides of individuals.

There is a term called “Cosplay Vision” among researchers. The definition of it is clear that cosplayers tend to look for more details than the average consumer of media. It is a more taught skill that most professionals perfect their ways. It also develops problem-solving skills by showing how to recreate certain details by using everyday objects. For instance, the reader will not focus on the characters' earrings or how many buttons they have in their clothes. However, cosplayers' visions always caught these types of details. In the West, it is more preferred to create their own merchandise rather than buy like in Japan. By creating a certain look, competitors can see that a cosplayer is keen to recreate a character in interesting ways.

4) Most fan works and activities can be professionalized.

Doujinshi - fan manga for existing media are often written by professional mangakas in Japan. Some of the artists were deputed because of their fan works and contribution. Although it is highly shunned in Western countries, most of the art is performed because of fan works. The contribution of fans in art, writing, and media always inspires other artists and cosplayers, often helping with conceptualizing certain characters in cosplay. Nowadays, most comics have a competitive environment for cosplayers, so their work can be evaluated professionally.

5) Cosplaying is more beginner friendly.

Cosplaying in itself is really hard work, however there is plenty tutorials and lessons in designing and performing characters. Unlike in the past, where everything was new, most of the professionals will gladly help with the process. Most of the lessons can be taught freely with some online practices, and because of the somewhat casualty in conventions, first experience will be amazing.

Weakness:

1) There are restrictions for certain media.

You cannot attend Cons that are majorly focused on anime media with different thematics. Some aspects have their own themes that can be shown in cosplay, however, it is largely influenced by larger conventions. Cosplayers also choose mostly popular characters or media, because of their recognizability. Manga that has the least coverage and information cannot be shown in the cosplay community because of the lack of materials. Secondary characters in popular media can also be overlooked by fans and judges.