Cosplay is Derived from the English word "Costume Play" that speaks itself but to further explain Cosplay is a term Used and Originated in Japan this name is very popular in  Japan and North America due to countless admirer's and fan of Anime. They tend to Act and Dress like there favorite Anime, Manga, Tokusatsu, Video Games, J-pop and J-rock stars, and Entertainment software(this are Games that are played on the Internet like Flash Games, Arcade Games or PC Games). Character Cosplaying can be devided into two Categories the Basic Cosplay and Masquerade. Basic Cosplay only involves an attempt to look like a particular character, either in the halls of a convention or on stage. While, Masquerade is much more involved. When masquerading, CosPlayers attempt to act and sychronize as the character they portrayed. They often have prepared skits with memorized lines, and some advanced masqueraders they can easily ad-lib their character’s personality. Note that Cosplaying can be either gender Male or Female it is not unusual to see genders switched, with women playing male roles and vice versa.  Did you Know that Many avid fan of Anime investing large amounts of time and money in this process, while others buy their costumes from professional costume designers, Some CosPlayers make their own costumes just to look like there favorite character. The end products are generally shown off at Anime conventions or Stage. Many Anime conventions hold contests for Cosplay and for Masquerade. Some successful cosplayers have become very popular and are considered celebrities in their own right. Call it crazy all you want but that's just it you can't blame them for being an Anime Lover.