Figurines and cosplayers at Wonder Fest (Image from Dengeki, Akibablog and Akibana)

You can view more pictures at Akibana, Akiba-Ch, Akibablog, Heisei and Dengeki. Mind that some of the pics are not safe for work.

World Cosplay Summit 2007 (Image courtesy of Kuanhoong)

Don’t get over-excited, the person behind the mask could be a macho man…

2 videos during the parade…

Cosplay fans gathered at a news conference in Tokyo on August 1, ahead of the World Cosplay Summit 2007.

Cosplay fans posed at the news conference (Image courtesy of Mainichi)

The annual event is moving into its 5th anniversary; the summit will be held in the central Japanese city of Nagoya this weekend.

Cosplay, which originated in Japan, is a combination of the words “costume” and “play”. In cosplay, people dress mainly as characters from Japanese anime, as well as graphic manga novels and video games. [Reuters]

There is a new business in Tokyo, aiming at Otaku (anime and manga fan) who love 2D girls but can’t stand the face of real girls – satsueikai (photo session) of hybrid models called Anigao which means ‘anime face’.

Cute or freaky? (Image courtesy of Anigao)

From Danny Choo…

Anigao Girls offer you the exciting chance to pay a measly 10,000 yen to take photos of an Anigao Girl for one whole hour. The session is 1 on 1 and you get to choose what costume you want her to wear.

It costs 1,000 yen per extra costume and if you bring your own costume for her to wear then it’s going to cost you an extra 1,500 yen. If you want her to wear a bikini then it’s an extra 2,500 yen. (1,000 yen ~ USD8.30)

Below are some videos of the Anigao Girls in action…

This got to be one of the freakiest business idea I have ever seen, but I bet there are going to make some good money. One thing though, I wonder how the girls will look without the mask.

Hundreds of Otaku took part in the ‘Akihabara Liberation Demonstration’ last Saturday (June 30) to protest against otaku discrimination.

Akihabara Liberation Demo (Image courtesy of Danny Choo)

Otaku is a Japanese term commonly used to refer to people with obsessive hobbies, mostly with anime, manga and gaming. Akihabara neighbourhood of Tokyo is a popular gathering place for Otaku.

It looks kinda fun actually… (Image courtesy of Hector)

According to Hector who joined the demo…

They claimed respect from traditional media that sometimes treats otakus people in general as “criminals” and also the “liberation of Akihabara and otaku emancipation”. Lately many big department stores are conquering Akihabara, little shops are disappearing, and with them the “authentic Akihabara spirit” is also being destroyed.

The main message according to Danny Choo, translated from the official Japanese website…

* We make our own future!
* We wont let anybody stop what we like doing!
* In order to make enjoyment, lets stand together!