Video Editor: Ashutosh Bharadwaj
Comic Con came to the national capital over the weekend. The three-day pop-culture fest saw people from different walks of life gather at the ample exhibition grounds of the National Small Industries Corporation from Friday, 20 December, through Sunday.
There were stalls lined with pop-culture merchandise, limited editions figurines, comic exhibitions and other curiosities. But the cosplayers, dressed-up in their painstakingly elaborate getups, interacting with people and posing for photographs, were the lifeblood of this event.
The Quint caught up with some of these cosplayers, who lifted the colourful styrofoam curtains of their costumes and told us about their real lives.
“Actually, I’m a psychologist,” Shubham, dressed up as samurai Onimaru from the game ‘Mobile Legends’, told us.
When we asked him about why he chose this costume he said, “I feel like, sometimes, there is more darkness in the world. So, there should be some hero who should slay all the darkness.”
Another cosplayer, dressed up as Goku from the popular anime series ‘Dragon Ball Z’, revealed that he was a digital marketer, “We do SEO (search engine optimisation) on Google and Facebook. We are the advertisers that make you see the things that you want.”
His friend, who accompanied him costumed as Master Roshi (from the same series), said he was a student.
“I have a shop for cell phone servicing and repairing,” said Satnam Singh, who was resplendent in the armoured visage of the adventurer ‘Momon’ from ‘Overlord’, another popular anime series.
We also met the cosplayer who would go on to win first place and 20,000 rupees in the cosplay contest which was held on the second day of the Delhi Comic Con.
“My real name is Navita. My cosplay identity is Misa or Navisa. I’m cosplaying as crusader from Diablo. I’m a graphic designer by profession… graphic designing is all about creativity and so is cosplay.”
We even came across a professional cosplayer who was dressed up in what he said was the “abyssal armour“ from the videogame Monster Hunter Tri.
“I was actually a software engineer, then, last year I decided to turn into a cosplayer, professionally. So, left the job for cosplaying.”
Ashish Meena, a freelance personal trainer by profession, was at the Comic Con in the white exoskeleton of Sam Gideon from ‘Vanquish’, a videogame by SEGA. He said it took him two months and countless sleepless nights to finish making his costume which was made of special foam and studded with LED lights.
“It’s not difficult (to walk in this exoskeleton) – it’s pretty easy, I guess, and I only have some problems while sitting,” he said.
Manabendra Majumder, a cosplayer from Kolkata who was dressed as White Ranger from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, said, “I am actually an artist and personal trainer.”
Another professional cosplayer, who is active on the social media network TikTok revealed that this was his first time cosplaying at an event like Comic Con, “This event is my first cosplay event. Out here people are cheering and comfortable with me.”
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