Cosplay Complex Anime Review

Quick Review

• Reviewer: Chainclaw
• Review Date: 2012-03=31 (updated 2012-03=31)
• 1 stars out of 5 (?)

Cosplay Complex is, surprisingly, one of the only cosplay-centered anime series in existence--seemingly ripe with untapped potential. Too bad none of it was actually used. Instead, you get an incomplete, borderline-hentai show that uses the cosplay theme sporadically in a vain attempt to make itself look more interesting than it really is. The main thing that sticks out in Cosplay Complex is the outright hostile treatment of cosplayers themselves, be they spectators or participants--it's treated like the whole thing is just a bizarre costume fetish, full of willing sex objects and perverts. Apart from one (mercifully unsuccessful) pedophile (played for humor, of course), the characters are dull and uninspired--it's a series about a bunch of typical anime characters who dress up and act like... typical anime characters. The story is also thin and incomplete--the final episode is spent setting up things that it never gets to. On the plus side, it's absolutely loaded with anime and game references to try and identify, and some of the humor is embarrassingly funny in a guilty-pleasure way. It also looks great, and has a good English voice cast well-matched to the characters.

Overall, the funny parts are simply not enough to sustain a series with such a shoddy plot, lame characters, and such blatant, juvenile fanservice pandering. It would be a good bonus in an otherwise decent series, but it's not enough to carry Cosplay Complex on its own.

Read the full-length review...

Full Review

• Reviewer: Chainclaw
• Review Date: 2012-03=31 (updated 2012-03=31)
• 1 stars out of 5 (?)

Cosplay, the art of dressing up like popular characters from films, anime, and video games, has developed into a worldwide phenomenon, and its popularity seems to be going nowhere but up. While all sorts of media characters are well-represented in the field, it is most heavily associated with anime, so it seems only fitting to make an anime specifically about cosplay. It represents a rare subject that is popular among the otakus, yet largely untapped in the anime realm, so it has a lot of potential. Too bad none of it was actually used. Quite the opposite really. Instead, what we have here is an incomplete, borderline-hentai show that uses the cosplay theme sporadically in a vain attempt to make itself look more interesting than it really is.

The main thing that sticks out in Cosplay Complex is the outright hostile treatment of cosplayers themselves, be they spectators or participants. Rather than a series for cosplay fans (something like Genshiken), it appears this was made for people who hate cosplay and have the lowest opinion of everyone involved it. Literally every character in the show is a pervert, a sex object, or someone who treats all others as such, while at the same time being totally okay with their place in the world, as if they don't mind being treated this way. Or, even worse, actually enjoy it. And, while Cosplay Complex is certainly a comedy, it's not a good-natured send-up of its subjects--it's as if the makers actually want us to believe this is how everyone in cosplay is, as though cosplay is just about catering to some bizarre costume fetish rather then paying homage to one's favorite media characters.

Beyond that, the characters are dull and uninspired. It's just a standard collection of ditzy airheads and lust-crazed freaks, who treat rape attempts and stalking like a normal part of life and talk about breast size in casual conversation (this is how cosplayers really are, right?). There are also a few "straight men" mixed in, whose only purpose is to be appalled or angered by everyone's else's crazy behavior (and of course dish out proper punishment to the male characters when their lust gets the better of them). That's bad in general, but even worse in a show about cosplay.

Really, who wants to see a series about a bunch of typical anime characters who dress up and act like... typical anime characters? What's the point? Sadly enough, the one character who really stands out is Jenny Matel, as her obscene and open pursuit of Athena is technically "original." Is that really what a character should be distinguished for?

The story itself is a total fiasco. The first episode is the one that most heavily focuses on actual cosplay, but again it seems done more for fanservice than the actual appeal of the subject, and none of the competitions have any real relevance to future events. The second episode features the team going on a "training" trip in which there is almost no cosplay at all, instead focusing heavily on a potential love interest for the main member of the team, Chako Hasegawa, which is completely pointless since it's obvious it will lead nowhere. How can you tell? Because there is only one more episode. And all the final is about is setting up a rivalry between East Oizumi and another cosplay club, as well as setting up a love triangle between that club's leader and the object of Chako's affection. Don't you just love it when the final episode is about setting up rivalries for matches that won't be shown and romantic relationships that won't go anywhere? The main goal--making it to the Cosplay World Series--is never addressed at all.

The main problem with the story, though, is that there simply is not enough focus on the actual aspects of cosplay, something I was hoping for as I know almost nothing about it. To be fair, it occasionally shows issues like the difficulty of picking the right outfit for certain situations and the hardship of creating one's own costumes without formal sewing training and limited resources. But the show doesn't make a big enough issue out of them, and in some cases actually cancels them out. Why does it matter whether Chako can learn how to make a proper outfit in time for an event when she's got Delmo, who can transform into any costume she needs?

The series does show a fair amount of actual anime and video game characters in the cosplay scenes, and the ending theme features pictures of real cosplay events. But it seems these are just thrown in to remind us that the series is supposed to be about cosplay, because if they were not there we would forget. The main themes are still fanservice and low-brow humor, no matter how much the makers try to cover it up.

That said, as much I hate to admit it, Cosplay Complex can be rather funny at times. Even Jenny's obscene pursuit of Athena has its guilty-pleasure moments. Shock value does exist for a reason, I suppose, and it's especially amusing how Jenny seems totally oblivious to how wrong and horrific her actions are. Plus, at the very least, the director was nice enough not to have anything significant actually happen between them. Instead, Jenny's attempts at seduction backfire in occasionally funny ways. Some of the other humorous elements effectively use the style of shows like Dragon Half and Excel Saga, breaking the fourth wall and using unconventional running gags, such as a coach who always ends up getting hospitalized after giving an inspirational speech and a character who tries to seduce the female members of the team by arbitrarily narrating their situations in the style of an erotic novel (you can guess how effective that turns out to be).

However, the funny parts are simply not enough to sustain a series with such a shoddy plot, lame characters, and such blatant, juvenile fanservice pandering. It would be a good bonus in an otherwise decent series, but it's not enough to carry Cosplay Complex on its own.

What really surprised me though, is how well presented Cosplay Complex is. The beginning and ending songs are both excellent, and do a good job of articulating the cosplay theme. The animation is slick, brightly colored, and shows off a wide variety of actual characters at the cosplay events. In a way, this can be used to test your anime knowledge by how many you can identify. Also, the English dub was way better than I expected. The voices are crisp and distinctive, and the jokes didn't seem to suffer at all. It's one of those shows where if you just heard the voices, you wouldn't know it was made in Japan.

But, Cosplay Complex was made in Japan, which is a good thing since I don't want my home country associated with something like this. It has decent bonuses and a few funny moments, but that's all they are: moments. The majority of the show is just a series of trivial and low-class fanservice events that barely form a cohesive story. It's been around a decade since Cosplay Complex was released, and as far as I know the only other anime TV shows or OVAs in which cosplay is anything like a main theme is Genshiken and its sequels. Considering how this one turned out, one can understand why.

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Related Recommendations

Excel Saga, Dragon Half, and Labyrinth of Flames all use similar comedy themes, though the first two have much less pointless nudity and fanservice mixed in. Genshiken is, similarly, about anime geeks, and cosplay plays a significant role in the plot, but it's drastically less insulting to the characters and their club. Finally, the wackier half of Akahori Gedou Hour Rabuge (Love Pheromone, that is) is another show with not one but two pedophiles as protagonists.