Cosplay is the highlight of many a geek’s life. Every convention is decorated with the wonderful people who put so much love and effort into making costumes, or as some deem them: uniforms, to act as their badge of support for their favorite geek culture character, or thing, whichever it may be. I have done it myself, and find it to be an exhausting yet exhilarating experience and wish I still had time to do it more often.
The SyFy Channel wants to share the experiences of a few devoted fans who dive head first into the world of cosplay in the network’s new show Heroes of Cosplay. Formatted as a reality television entry, the series will focus on a group of cosplayers who fully make their own costumes ramping up to convention deadlines. If the preview at the end of this article is any indication, it should be a total behind-the-scenes look at the achievements, frustrations, and satisfactions that comes from this artful craft.
As with any show like this, there may be a bit of exploitation as they are ultimately produced for the purpose of entertainment. Although there may be some insight into the cosplay world, the situations and events could be manipulated by the production crew. I am always skeptical with a reality show of how much is truly happening naturally. Not many producers tend to take the Prime Directive approach to this type of storytelling. The whole thing may be scripted as far as I know but I certainly hope not. I think at the least we will get to see people doing one of the things they love the most, so that has to be worth the viewing.
The SyFy Channel offers this summary with the first look video from their Facebook page:
Heroes of Cosplay is a tantalizing six-episode docuseries that lifts the veil on the imaginative world of cosplay competition. The series follows some of the hottest cosplay stars as they make a splash at comic book conventions around the country. The show dives deep into their lives, following their process as they create extravagant and visually arresting costumes each week. These individuals will constantly defy odds and race against the clock to transform themselves into amazing fictional characters that push the boundaries between fantasy and reality, all in hopes of impressing the convention judges to win a cash prize and the chance to become a cosplay legend.
So, right away, the attitude to win is set. The list of competitors I have been able to obtain include Yaya Han, Riki LeCotey, Monika Lee, Victoria Schmidt, Chloe Dykstra, Jessica Merizan and Holly Conrad, Becky Young, and Jesse Lagers, which begs the question, why just one guy if this is the entire list?
With only six episodes scheduled, the channel is not betting too much on the success of the show, which is set to premiere Tuesday, August 13th at 10:30EST. To myself, it does look worth watching. Cosplay is a very engrossing part of the geek world, to which I give high honors. But for all the cosplayers who visit this site, what do you think of a show such as this? Is “Heroes” a word that should be used for this? Are these cosplayers going to be presented in a respectable light and spread awareness of this important part of our culture, or do you think they will be martyred on screen as the Honey Boo-boos of geekdom? Let us know your thoughts!
And since I do not get the SyFy channel, for anyone who may watch this, please let me know how it turns out.
