Meet an anime cosplayer

DW (English)

Cosplay originated in Japan. Now, enthusiasts like Andreas escape their everyday lives across the globe by immersing themselves in fantasy worlds.

Transcript

00:00I'm Andreas, a 26-year-old software developer, but I'm also 19-year-old Reinhard von Astrea,

00:16the Sword Satan of the Kingdom.

00:21It sounds like a cliché, an IT guy who works in a basement and is sensitive to light.

00:29For me, it's actually true.

00:51It's not easy to find time for everything when you're working 40 hours a week, and some

00:55people work even more.

01:07I wear contact lenses to complete the look.

01:10It's not the end of the world if you don't wear them, but it looks cooler.

01:29I always think I look really weird because of how unnaturally pale my skin gets and the

01:34colors I use.

01:36But when I've got the wig on, and the whole look is complete, all the elements come together,

01:42and it works.

01:59There you go.

02:00That's Reinhard von Astrea.

02:03He's a knight from a highly respected order.

02:07Basically, he fights on the side of good against evil.

02:15He's also got a really powerful sword.

02:21Walking around with a weapon makes you feel a bit stronger.

02:24It's a lot of fun.

02:26It's incredible how much you can transform yourself.

02:30You know what you look like when you see yourself every day.

02:35But then you can transform into a completely different person, so that your cell phone

02:40no longer recognizes you, and friends no longer recognize you.

02:46It's completely fascinating.

03:00It's a lot of fun to slip into a different role.

03:07You can try things you might not normally be able to do in everyday life.

03:12And all in a safe environment.

03:18That safe environment could be a convention or a photo shoot with friends.

03:23It's great.

03:26You can try new things without being afraid.

03:44For me, working from home means a lot of sitting around on my own.

03:48I miss my colleagues, but it also allows me to get a bit more sleep.

03:53That's a benefit for a late riser like me.

03:56I also like to get sleep on my lunch break.

03:59It's pretty handy to be able to take a little nap without people judging you.

04:03After a power nap, I feel much more productive.

04:20Time for my lunch break.

04:22I've already figured out how much protein I need.

04:25So I make sure the weight is just right.

04:30I want about 120 grams.

04:34That's 126 grams.

04:36Perfect.

04:37I follow my nutritional plan closely.

04:39That's all I'm having for lunch.

04:45This is an anime series set in a dystopian future.

04:48It's kind of a cyberpunk world where everything is hopeless.

04:53People work 80 hours a week because of the implants inside them.

04:57Of course, there have to be heroes who make things better, whether it's fighting against

05:06big corporations or helping people in society.

05:09You can't have a dystopia like that without a glimmer of hope.

05:29At first, I just wanted a flat stomach.

05:31Then I thought, okay, I'll try this low-carb diet and I'll do these two weeks of intensive

05:36training to build the abdominal muscles.

05:41And I actually ended up with the beginnings of those muscles.

05:44I was quite proud because I'd never had them before.

05:48I wouldn't have thought it was possible.

05:59This is really good for washboard abs.

06:02It's really intense and it gives your abdominal muscles a great workout.

06:28Sometimes it's sad and frustrating that I don't see them very often, because these days

06:32I live a long way away.

06:37I think I made this for Grandma Elli.

06:41She wanted all the pictures, so I put them all together.

06:46That's Grandma and Grandpa's golden wedding anniversary.

06:52Mom's 40th birthday.

06:56They're beautiful pictures.

06:58That carpet was our favorite photo spot.

07:04Thank goodness that's gone.

07:09I was 14 when my mother died.

07:11It was a really emotional time, especially being a teenager and going through puberty.

07:23My mother had prepared me well, so I was able to get through it.

07:30I know I had a good relationship with my mother and that the time we had together was beautiful.

07:36It was still extremely sad at the end, but it was easier to deal with emotionally.

07:44At the time, Andreas was still our little boy.

07:51The others had left home already.

07:53She took special care of him.

07:58And yes, our interactions with one another were more intense around that time.

08:03But thankfully there were no problems.

08:09We had no disagreements.

08:17It also showed me that you just have to enjoy every moment you get in life.

08:23That was an important lesson.

08:25And that's how I go through life.

08:31It's about seizing opportunities and daring to step out of your comfort zone and try new

08:36things.

08:43You need a diamond blade and moisture to cool it.

08:45It isn't really designed for that.

08:49We make things together.

08:52Sometimes we talk and talk about the technical details of something and neither of us understands

08:56the other.

09:01But we both mean the same thing.

09:04Even if he gets me to sketch it, he won't understand what I mean, and vice versa.

09:11But in the end, we're talking about the same thing.

09:14That's pretty funny.

09:16But we still help each other.

09:18And sometimes we do know what the other is talking about.

09:22And we understand each other.

09:26It's funny to realize that I've adopted more of his character traits than I thought.

09:33Of course I don't only ask him about technical things.

09:36I also get life advice from him.

09:38Like if I have important decisions or problems or anything like that.

09:42I know I can ask him.

10:03I do feel like a hero.

10:06It can make me feel really strong.

10:09I mean, if you really want to embrace a role, you just have to think yourself into it.

10:16That's what actors do, when they lock themselves away and learn everything by heart until they

10:20can just be that person.

10:23I try to do that.

10:25And I do end up feeling like a hero.

10:28Like Reinhard van Astrea.

10:32I think there's an overlap when it comes to trying to do good and trying to be humble.

10:42Those are things that I at least try to achieve.

10:47As Andreas in my normal everyday life, I would like to help people a lot more.

11:02Another fascinating thing about cosplay is that gender roles are completely blurred.

11:32It's totally diverse when it comes to characters.

11:37Of course there are male characters, female characters and everything in between.

11:42And that's reflected in the cosplay world.

11:45It doesn't matter what gender you are or what gender you cosplay as.

11:51Everyone's accepted.

11:53And everyone can take part, however they want.

12:04It'd be cool if we could all make the world a better place, each in their own way.

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