In Lagos, Nigeria, the annual Lagos Comic Con was held on the 23rd of September, which marked the 11th edition of the convention. Tagged as Africa’s biggest Geek and Pop culture event, the convention brings together enthusiasts from all forms of media: think comics, books, animation, film, and games. The most sought out, and perhaps most exciting part of the convention is cosplaying. Like any cosplaying event, otaku lovers—as we members of the fan community have come to call ourselves—use the convention as a meeting point while donning costumes of anime and manga characters.
As an otaku lover myself, it was exhilarating to be in a space like the Comic Con, as it is one of the few places where anime lovers can express and interpret how Japanese culture has impacted their social lives. This year marked my second time at the convention, and what I have come to cherish and love about cosplayers across all media remains their dedication and how intentional they continue to be.
Most of the panel discussions that were held featured media that excluded anime and manga. However, a particular panel discussion that stood out for me as an attendee was held by Amanda Iheme, a clinical psychologist who talked about mental health and gaming addiction. A topic that I appreciated and believed was very much needed.
Although there was an effort being put into cosplaying from the anime fandom, the community still felt quite niche at the convention, with only a handful of otaku attending. This may be due to the fact that young people in the country are still trying to open up to the idea of attending this event, cosplaying, and most importantly, the cost and expenses associated with it. It was my pleasure to speak with some of these attendees about how they use cosplay as a form of self-expression.
Shekinah
Shekinah is a first-time cosplayer, and it is also her first time at the Lagos Comic Con. She first fell in love with anime about sixteen years ago, with her favorite type being genres that deal with, and is rooted in, romance and love, also known as shoujo. This year, Shekinah is cosplaying as Rangiku Matsumoto, a female character from the popular manga series Bleach.
“I love a badass female character and cosplaying as Rangiku reflected that,” she said. “Also, as a plus-sized person, I really wanted to do a character that was fun, not so popular, and thankfully it was quite easy to pull off the costume.”
Laolu
Growing up watching Naruto, Laolu developed an avid interest in cosplaying and has since cosplayed at other spaces like Anime Fest which is also held in Lagos.
“Roronoa Zoro is one of the strongest characters from the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece and I stand for anything and everything that embodies strength,” she says.
Chika
Chika is a twenty-two-year-old Otaku channeling the character Mickey from the 2017 manga, Tokyo Revengers. Another first-timer cosplayer, Chika enjoys how safe cosplaying is and how a place like Comic Con allows him to be himself.
“I plan to continue experimenting and channeling different characters, before discovering that I could actually cosplay, I had always felt like an outsider prior. Cosplaying just seems to work perfectly.”
Although he reveals how expensive it is to cosplay, Chika isn’t letting that get in the way.
Tosin
Naruto can arguably be referred to as one of the most popular manga/series from Japanese culture to penetrate the Western world, and it would be almost unreal to not catch a glimpse of a cosplayer decked as a character from the franchise. For Tosin, he chooses to cosplay as Akatsuchi from the series.
“Cosplaying as a form of self-expression is as important as anything and everything worth doing. It is fun, and I think one of the most important things about cosplaying is getting to see other people and like-minded people participating in the activity. Being able to identify your other fellow Otakus.”
Alice
Alice is another Comic Con attendee who brought to life a character from One Piece. Her outfit as Monkey D. Luffy was a very easy one to pull off as she credits it to her very flexible wardrobe.
“All I needed was a red vest, shorts, a yellow scarf, and a hat. It was very exciting to put together and I believe I nailed it as a first-timer cosplaying”.
When Alice started watching anime, her favorite shows were Demon Slayer, Tokyo Girls, and Hunter X Hunter. However, as time passed, she began to lean and gravitate toward One Piece, and when the live-action adaptation hit Netflix last month, Alice knew she had to cosplay as a character from the show the following month at Lagos Comic Con. And Luffy became her go-to character because she resonated more with the protagonist.
- Photographer: John Diamond Iris
- Edited By: Lydia Rivers
