World Cosplay Summit
| World Cosplay Summit | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Venue | Oasis 21 (2006-2013) Aichi Arts Center (2014-) Osu Shopping District |
| Location(s) | Sakae, Nagoya, Aichi |
| Country | Japan |
| Inaugurated | 2003 |
| Attendance | 18,000 in 2012 |
| Website | |
| www |
|
The World Cosplay Summit (世界コスプレサミット Sekai Kosupure Samitto), also known as WCS, is an annual international cosplay event that promotes friendly international exchange through Japanese pop culture. In 2012 the WCS was incorporated as a company and until that year was organized by the events division of TV Aichi. It is supported by city organizations, businesses and the WCS student volunteer organization Omotenashi. The parade and championship are held in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan with several related events being held in the Kanto, Kansai and Tokai areas. A cosplay stage performance competition called the 'Cosplay Championship' was first held at Aichi Expo in 2005 and selection of national representatives for the event comes from preliminary and regional rounds held at partnering anime/manga events the respective countries of the participants.
With keen interest in Japanese youth culture from abroad, as of 2008 three ministries of the Japanese government have given support to the event; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT), and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Japanese embassy representatives often attend preliminaries at events in different countries as well.
The WCS has grown from a weekend event in 2003 and is currently held over a one-week period where the representatives visit different parts of Japan, including Akihabara, Kyoto and Sendai, in promotion of Japanese youth culture and its ability to connect internationally. The parade and championship have been held on the Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend of August since 2006.
The first World Cosplay Summit was held in 2003 to highlight the international popularity of Japanese anime and manga through cosplay, and to brighten up Expo 2005 in Nagoya. The event has grown year by year and has come to include over 20 countries with over 50 cosplay representatives and encompasses several events including the Osu Cosplay Parade and the Cosplay Championship.
...
Wikipedia