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Reviewed by Jon Michael Miller for Readers' Favorite
Cosplay & Consequences (The Fandom Narratives) by J.C. Sato is a brilliantly written novella that could even be described as one long, shifting scene. The setting is an urban cosplay convention where performers, entrepreneurs, fans, and perverts assemble in this growing subculture to show off and sell their anime wares to their fans. The protagonist of the intriguing tale (introduced simply as “she,” and later named Vivian) performs as a beloved anime personality, Yae Miko, in a costume constructed by Vivian’s own talented and perfectionistic hands. We first see her as a disillusioned daughter of an even more disillusioned mother, then as she rides the subway to the convention hall, then performs, reacts to her fans, and interacts with her fellow performers. She is furtively molested by a passerby who rips her costume. She soon encounters her ex-boyfriend, jealously analyzes hand-crafted versus machine-made costumes, defends another molested performer, and is finally offered a lucrative corporate contract.
I admit that I am a stranger to the cosplay universe, mine belonging to an age that has long passed, being a child of the Sixties. Hippiedom was my cosplay culture. But I was drawn into J.C. Sato’s piece by the quality of the writing. The first sentence, and I was hooked! Soon, I was Googling numerous words such as kitsune mask, geta sandals, ahegao, and Funko Pop, but I soon adjusted to the much more absorbing themes: Vivian’s character and personal outlook on life. She defines herself as a “textile engineer,” as opposed to just a cosplayer, and she has a distaste for cheaply manufactured costumes. Beneath all the anime jargon, this extraordinary novella deals with the universal theme of art versus artifact, handmade perfection versus machine-produced product, a theme that is becoming the essence of our age as AI is rapidly replacing humanity. Though reading J.C. Sato’s exquisite short story is akin to interpreting a Wallace Stevens poem, Cosplay & Consequences is more than just of interest to the cosplay crowd; it is a must-experience for any serious reader of literature.
