Photographer Daniele Mattioli is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this documentary photography. From the ongoing project ‘Cosplayer in China’. To see Daniele’s body of work, click on any image.
Boy holding his hat before a performance in a backstage of a theatre .
Vampire girl during a Pepsi Cola show..
Robin dressed up as Gundam after that with his father was able to build up the complicate costume. He has “built” many outfits from japanese animation character for his group which perform in different location in Shanghai, the portrait was done in his little room in his family house located in the old part of Central Shanghai.
Sleeping with the wings, a boy from Hangzhou is having a nap with his heavy wings on his shoulder.
Costume play (Cosplay) is a rapidly diversifying, yet still largely underground culture in urban China. The concept was first created by students in Japan, who dress up in meticulously created, hand-made costumes and perform animated sci-fi comic scenes in cafes, clubs and special competitions.
In China, young Cosplayers – who are mostly in their twenties – have adapted the original Japanese anime theme and added in distinctive Chinese historic and mythical imagery and characterizations.Cosplay in China is particularly strong among university students and young graduates, and has become an online phenomenon, with single children meeting and making friends on the Internet and then dressing up in each other’s houses and at small competitions at weekends.
Na Lan, 19 years old, wearing a green uniform.
Dizzy aka Mao Mao with her dress during a studio shooting.
White uniform, a girl with a pistol posing.
Xiao Yu Yu , 26 years old, working also for specialized magazine for cosplay and animation from japan portrayed in her room, she lives in a small house in the the outskirt of Shanghai with her parents.
A girl from a small village near Guilin arrived to Shanghai for a big show.
