Cosplay: The Fantasy World Of Role Play by Lauren Orsini (book review).

From time to time, I like to look around and see what cosplay books are out there.

Many of the current ones offer guidelines on how to make the costumes, but I’m often more interested in the end product. “Cosplay: The Fantasy World Of Role Play” by Lauren Orsini covers five chapters: the history, anime and manga, science fiction and fantasy, video game heroes and heroines, and TV and culture icons, providing enough content to cover all tastes.

Although it must have sold well back in 2015, there are still some cheap copies available if you know where to look, but be careful to get intact copies.

I believe that filmmakers should occasionally look at books like this as a reminder that amateurs and home industry enthusiasts can match fabrics to the original designs, rather than some of the flights of fancy in design and materials that we’ve seen over the past couple of decades.

There is plenty of content in this book to fuel the imagination.

GF Willmetts

March 2023

(pub: Carlton Books, 2015. 256 page squarish softcover. Price: varies but there still some floating around out there. ISBN: 978-1-78097-630-3)

check out website: www.carltonbooks.co.uk