This weekend, Comic Market (aka “Comiket”) rolled through Tokyo. How scorching was it? Hot enough for thermal cameras.
Japan’s largest networks featured Comiket on their news variety shows, focusing on the boiling temperatures. The country is being hit with a heat wave that has topped 40°C (104ºF). The high temps are serious; sadly, four have recently died from heat stroke.
FujiTV’s Mr. Sunday introduced Comiket as an “anime event” (which isn’t exactly correct, FujiTV!) and focused on cosplayers in heavy costumes and people sweating.
Here, an Ultraman cosplayer is talking about how rough it is due to the heat.
“It’s very hot,” says this Resident Evil cosplayer.
And here is one of a couple sweaty backs Mr. Sunday showed.
Cosplayers sweating through their outfits.
Showing just how hot this Mazinger Z costume is…
…with a thermal camera. The areas in white are 43°C (109ºF). Geez, that really, really looks hot.
Knowing that, it really makes you appreciate cosplayers who were willing to deal with the awful temperatures to don masks, make-up, and heavy outfits.
Brave cosplayers like this, who, let’s face, could risk heatstroke if they’re not incredibly careful:
Then, there were the cosplayers dressed as characters in swimwear, which might have helped them beat the heat (though, problematic for those who burn):
And with high attendance numbers and all those people packed inside the convention hall, things didn’t feel much better for those out of costume, either. Kotaku‘s Toshi Nakamura summed it up best: “I was there, and the heat was pretty fucking terrible.”
Photos: オタク1, 2, 3, 4, oki244_p, はちま起稿, Aeron_Chair, Kein_avp, n9m2k, Log-Channel
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Comments
6 responses to “When Cosplay Is Too Damn Hot”
Helmets are death, even in non-heatwaves. Which kind of sucks since the vast majority of my outfits seem to involve them in one form or another. Really need to rig up some kind of ventilation system to get some airflow happening.
Black Suit Spidey…
In crocs…
That WarGreymon cosplay looks sick, wonder what it’s made of.
I wonder if anybody with one of the bulkier costumes had the forethought to include a couple of pouches for ice packs?
That would be a perfect excuse to build a true scale spartan suit when cosplaying as the Master Chief: Cooling systems.
Ouch 40 degrees and Japans summers are high humidity too, so none of that “but its a dry heat” crap.