The appeal and reviews of "Cosplay Complex": A must-see anime for cosplay enthusiasts

Comprehensive evaluation and recommendation of Cosplay Complex

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

May 25, 2002

■Release and sales

Kadokawa Shoten, IMAGICA

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 3

■Original Story

June 13th

■ Director

Shinichiro Kimura

■ Production

Animation production: TNK

■Works

©Wonder Farm/Cosplay Complex Production Committee

■ Story

Let's give it a go!
The members of the Cosplay Club at Oizumi Higashi Gakuen Junior High School have been practicing day and night to participate in the Cosplay Koshien. During the summer training camp, the Cosplay Club will be cosplaying as waitresses at Hamachaya and will be doing cosplay training. With the Cosplay Koshien just around the corner, they will be playing a practice match against the Shin Takarazuka Gakuen Cosplay Club, the winner of last year's Cosplay Koshien...

■Cast

・Hasegawa Chaco/Nogawa Sakura/Delmo/Kugimiya Rie/Imai Maria/Chiba Saeko/Imai Atena/Shimizu Ai/Jenny Mattel/Watanabe Akino/Aoshima Reika/Takahashi Chiaki/Bandai Goro/Chiba Susumu/Ari Sachiko/Masuda Yuki/Tamiya Kosuke/Sakurai Takahiro/Ikebukuro/Ono Kenichi

■ Main staff

・Planning / Arisugawa Kei・Original story / Mutsumi Mutsumi・Producers / Yasuda Takeshi, Suzuki Michio, Sako Nobuhiko, Shimamura Tatsuo・Producers / Ito Atsushi, Tomioka Shigeaki, Takechi Tsuneo, Fukui Masafumi・Screenplay, composition / Kimura Nobu・Character design / Hirata Yuzo・Chief animation director / Hirata Yuzo・Art director / Nagayoshi Yuki・Color design / Ueki Yoshinori・Director of photography, editing / Okazaki Hideo・Music / Hiraiwa Yoshinobu・Music producer / Inoue Shunji・Sound director / Takahashi Hideo・Sound effects / Nishimura Mutsuhiro・Sound adjustment / Sato Chiaki・Sound production / Enomoto Takahiro・Recording studio / Studio T&T
・Sound Production: Dream Force ・Planning, Production: Wonder Farm ・Animation Producer: Nagaki Kato ・Animation Production: TNK ・Director: Shinichiro Kimura ・Production: "Cosplay COMPLEX" Production Committee

■ Main Characters

Chaco Hasegawa is a second-year student at Oizumi Higashi Gakuen Junior High School and a member of the Cosplay Club. She is a bright and lively girl. She is clumsy with her hands, and even when sewing for costumes, she often pricks her fingers with the needle. There is a man named "Tamiya" that she admires.
Maria Imai is a second-year student at Oizumi Higashi Gakuen Junior High School and Chaco's best friend. Her family home is a shrine called "Hime Ryuin." She is always with her younger sister "Atena" and is a girl who cares about her younger sister. She has a gentle personality, but also has a strong side.
・Imai Atena A third-year student at Oizumi Higashi Gakuen Elementary School. Although she is still in elementary school, she is a member of the cosplay club at the junior high school together with her older sister Maria. She has a quiet and shy personality. She is always hanging out with her older sister "Maria".
Aoshima Reika is a third-year student at Oizumi Higashi Gakuen Junior High School. She is the vice-captain of the cosplay club. She speaks in a ladylike manner, using phrases such as "It's ~", and is good at elegant cosplay. She is always fighting (or is it the straight man?) with Bandai, but actually...
Jenny Mattel: A second-year student at Oizumi Higashi Gakuen Junior High School. She is an exchange student from Italy. She seems to really like how Atena speaks in broken Japanese (?), starting with "ne".
・Goro Bandai A third-year student at Oizumi Higashi Gakuen Junior High School. He is the captain of the Cosplay Club. He is elusive, fearless, and considered quite the oddball. His ambition is to participate in the Cosplay Koshien.
・A fairy who is staying with Delmo Chaco. When she speaks, she ends her sentences with "-pi"!! She's so small that she can sit on Chaco's head and shoulders! She loves sweet things. She's always eating something. She can transform into clothes, but as a fairy, she's only half-baked.
・Ikebukuro An owl-like fairy(?) who is staying with Chako. She speaks in a "ho-ho-ho-ho" style. However, everyone in the cosplay club seems to understand what she means.
Kosuke Tamiya A young man who aims to become a photographer. He has a gentle personality and is a bit of an airhead. He is someone Chaco looks up to, but he is insensitive and doesn't notice Chaco's feelings.
・Sachiko Ari A seemingly gentle yet somewhat eccentric woman. (In the OVA, she is the widowed landlady of Chaco's boarding house. In the comics, she is a teacher at Higashidaiizumi Gakuen.)

■Subtitle

・ROUND 1/The Cosplay Club is Born! (2002/05/25)
・ROUND 2/Enchanting Summer Camp!! (2002/07/25)
・ROUND 3／The Final Battle! The Oizumi Higashi Gakuen Gymnasium is Burning Red! (2002/10/25)

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Moete Koso ・Cosplay ・Lyrics by Mutsumi ・Composition by Jin Chizawa ・Arrangement by Kenichi Sudo ・Singers by Hasegawa Chaco (Nogawa Sakura), Delmo (Kugimiya Rie), Imai Maria (Chiba Saeko), Imai Atena (Shimizu Ai), Jenny Mattel (Watanabe Akino), Aoshima Reika (Takahashi Chiaki)

・ED1
・Cosplay Ondo・Lyrics by Junichi Mutsumi・Composition by Ritsuko Miyajima・Arrangement by Kenichi Sudo・Singers by Chaco Hasegawa (Sakura Nogawa), Delmo (Rie Kugimiya), Maria Imai (Sako Chiba), Atena Imai (Ai Shimizu), Jenny Mattel (Akino Watanabe), Reika Aoshima (Chiaki Takahashi)

Detailed review of Cosplay Complex

"Cosplay Complex" is an anime series released as an OVA in 2002, and is based on an original work by Mutsuki Juzo. Although it is a short series of only three episodes, it is a fascinating work with a unique story and characters themed around cosplay. The work was published and distributed by Kadokawa Shoten and IMAGICA, and the animation was produced by TNK.

Story and Themes

The story of "Cosplay Complex" depicts the members of the Oizumi Higashi Gakuen Junior High School Cosplay Club as they strive to compete in the Cosplay Koshien. The story unfolds through various episodes, including cosplay waitresses and special training at summer camp, and a practice match with the Shin Takarazuka Academy Cosplay Club. The theme of this work is young people enjoying their youth through cosplay, and it depicts friendship, hard work, and the attitude of taking on challenges towards their dreams.

Particularly impressive is the way the members of the cosplay club, led by the main character Hasegawa Chaco, come together to work towards their goal, making the most of their individual personalities. Each character has a rich personality, with Chaco's cheerfulness and awkwardness, Maria's reliable side, Atena's shyness, Reika's ladylike way of speaking, Jenny's broken speech, and Bandai's eccentricities, and the way each character grows through cosplay is beautifully portrayed.

Characters and cast

Each character in "Cosplay Complex" is unique and charming. The main character, Hasegawa Chaco, is voiced by Nogawa Sakura, and her bright and energetic character is well expressed. Chaco's best friend, Imai Maria, is voiced by Chiba Saeko, and Imai Atena, is voiced by Shimizu Ai, and their acting, which makes you feel the bond between sisters, is impressive. Aoshima Reika is played by Takahashi Chiaki, and is characterized by her ladylike way of speaking, while Jenny Mattel is played by Watanabe Akino, and her cute broken accent stands out. Bandai Goro is played by Chiba Susumu, and his eccentricity is portrayed in a comical way.

Additionally, Rie Kugimiya voices Delmo, the fairy who stays with Chaco, and her cute "-pi" endings are the voices for the owl Ikebukuro, who is played by Kenichi Ono, and his distinctive "ho-ho-ho-ho" is memorable. Takahiro Sakurai plays Kosuke Tamiya, the man Chaco looks up to, and his gentle and innocent character is well expressed. Yuki Masuda plays Sachiko Arii, and her eccentric character is charming.

Staff and production

Many staff members were involved in the production of "Cosplay Complex." The director was Kimura Shinichiro, the script and composition was by Kimura Nobu, the character design and general animation director was Hirata Yuzo. The art director was Nagayoshi Yuki, the color design was Ueki Yoshinori, the cinematographer and editor was Okazaki Hideo, the music was Hiraiwa Yoshinobu, and the sound director was Takahashi Hideo. These staff members worked together to bring out the best in the work.

In particular, the work of Yuzo Hirata, who was in charge of character design and chief animation director, is superb, and the individuality of the characters is well expressed visually. Additionally, music and sound are also important elements in enhancing the atmosphere of the work, and the music by Yoshinobu Hiraiwa and the work of sound director Hideo Takahashi enhance the appeal of the work.

Theme songs and music

The opening theme song for "Cosplay Complex" is "Moete Koso Cosplay" and the ending theme song is "Cosplay Ondo". The lyrics for both songs were written by Mutsuki Juzo, the opening song was composed by Chizawa Jin, the ending song by Miyajima Ritsuko, and the arrangements by Sudo Kenichi. The songs are sung by Nogawa Sakura, who plays Hasegawa Chako, Kugimiya Rie, who plays Delmo, Chiba Saeko, who plays Imai Maria, Shimizu Ai, who plays Imai Atena, Watanabe Akino, who plays Jenny Mattel, and Takahashi Chiaki, who plays Aoshima Reika, and the cast's voice actors sing the songs to further deepen the worldview of the work.

"Moete Koso Cosplay" is an up-tempo song that evokes the fun of cosplay and the energy of youth, while "Cosplay Ondo" is a song that will liven up the cosplay festival. These theme songs are important elements that symbolize the theme of the work, and will surely leave a strong impression on viewers.

Recommendations and ratings

"Cosplay Complex" is a unique work with the theme of cosplay, and is a fascinating anime that depicts the energy and friendship of youth, and the attitude of taking on challenges toward one's dreams. Although it is a short series of only three episodes, the characters are rich in personality and the story is well-drawn, so it has the power to draw viewers in. In addition, the performances of the voice actors of the cast are excellent, and the theme song and music also deepen the worldview of the work.

This work is recommended not only for those who are interested in cosplay, but also for those who like youth anime and comedy anime. In particular, you can enjoy the work more deeply by paying attention to the personalities and growth of the characters. Another attractive feature is that it is released in the form of an OVA, making it easy to watch.

Overall, "Cosplay Complex" deserves praise for its unique theme, charming characters, and story that evokes the energy of youth. It's a great anime that will leave viewers smiling and moved.