page_title: Japanese pop culture in the United States
section_title: American cosplayers
hierarchical_section_title: Japanese pop culture in the United States / American cosplayers
caption_attribution_description: English: The Rozen Maidens are killing Death Note L
context_page_description: The flow of Japanese animation, manga and video games to the United States has increased American awareness of Japanese popular culture. Anime differs from American animation in the range of its audiences and themes. Anime is made for young teenagers and adults more often than are American cartoons, and often deals with more serious themes. Anime and manga incorporate a multitude of genres such as romance, action, horror, comedy, drama and cover a wide variety of topics like teen suicides, high school rivalries, and social commentary, and more subjects. Described as a gateway for many fans that takes them to a whole new culture; it is used as a way to learn about Japan. People who are avid devotees to anime in the United States affectionately refer to themselves as otaku, although in Japan the term is similar to geek, and is commonly frowned upon by society. Much like punk and goth, anime has become a subculture.
context_section_description: The term "cosplay" corresponds to an abbreviation of the English words costume play, though the term was coined in Japan the practice is not solely Japanese. The use of the term cosplay applies to any costumed role play outside of theaters. Characters are often taken from popular Japanese fiction. Popular sources that fans draw from include anime, manga, video games, comic books, and graphic novels. American cosplayers practice this form of fandom at anime conventions. However, there are a growing number of web pages and photo sites dedicated to the art of cosplaying, such as DeviantArt and Cosplay.com.
caption: Cosplay of Rozen Maiden
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