In the day, Dzafri Mohd Nor is a lorry driver. At night, he is a predator.

 

Not that anyone should panic. The 35-year-old is into cosplay despite his daily work with a courier company in Shah Alam. He and other enthusiasts put countless hours and loads of money into becoming their fictional characters and can be seen at every anime or comic convention in Malaysia.

 

Cosplay, which originated in Japan, is a combination of the words “costume” and “play” where participants called cosplayers wear costumes to represent a specific character whether it be from comics, manga, anime, or other various forms of media.

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Started actively in Malaysia when the first Comics Fiesta was organised in 2002, Muslim female cosplayers in Malaysia tend to settle on characters who do not wear tight or revealing outfits, even by donning hijab while being in character.

 

The rising number of costume enthusiasts spreading across Malaysia and who gather at a growing number of festivals to show off their elaborate hand-made creations, the products of hours of loving work, and enjoy their shared passion.

 

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