FANS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF YOUTHS IN SINGAPORE'S COSPLAY COMMUNITY

Abstract

Cosplay, the practice of dressing up and role-playing as a character from Japanese cartoons, comics, and games, is an increasingly popular fan activity among youths in Singapore. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Singapore’s cosplay community, this thesis explores youths’ utilization of cosplay as a platform to form rewarding and deeply affective friendships. Contrary to the general perception of youths being weird and delusional for engaging in cosplay, this thesis argues that cosplay is meaning for youths in providing a space for them to imagine alternative ways of relating to each other beyond the confines of school, work, and blood. Through the narratives and lived experiences of youths, this thesis examines the porous, stretchable and expandable boundaries between commercial and non-commercial, emotional and material, kin and non-kin, and the private and public spheres in the practice of cosplay.