rise in popularity of Cosplay in the US

Cosplay, or "costume play", refers to dressing up as Japanese Animation, Manga (comic book), or video game characters. Though amongst "cosplayers" in Western society, it's become accepted to extend that term to dressing in virtually any type of costume. Cosplay in Japan is considered a hobby, and many cosplayers meet to show off their hand-made costumes at conventions (like Comiket in Japan) or