Japan's most popular cosplayers have come together to represent some of the country's biggest Vtubers.The new cosplay collaboration was put together by publisher Shuiesha's Young Jump manga magazine. The project is headlined by Enako, one of the country's most popular professional cosplayers, with each of the cosplayers portraying one member of the Hololive Fantasy team. The publisher has revealed a few preview images from the project, which will also be showcased in an upcoming issue of Young Jump, as well as in its own dedicated photobook, which can be purchased through the magazine's website. A behind the scenes video of the photo shoot was also released.
The cosplayers featured in the project are Moe Iori as Noel, Tsunko as Flare, Manatsukin as Rushia, Kokoro Shinozaki as Pekora, and Enako as the character of Marine. The five characters are part of Hololive's third generation of streaming idols. Hololive is a social media talent agency that specializes in the management of Vtubers -- virtual YouTubers -- that host gaming streams and other videos through the use of animated avatars. Hololive manages over 50 of these streaming personalities, who have millions of followers around the world.
Enako, the most well-known of the cosplayers involved in the collaboration, is recognized as the highest paid professional cosplayer in Japan. The 27-year old reportedly makes approximately $90,000 USD a month through professional photoshoots, promotional deals, and paid appearances at anime conventions throughout the country. Enako began cosplaying 2012 and gained international attention at Comiket 2019, when her cosplay of Re:ZERO's Rem attracted a crowd of photographers numbering in the hundreds. She has made a career out of cosplaying, and she recently hosted a tour of her cosplay warehouse, which houses over 500 individual costumes, wigs, props and other items related to her job. She recently took part in an official Attack on Titan promotion, where she portrayed the character of Mikasa Ackerman.
Young Jump magazine is just one of the numerous publications under Shuiesha's Jump imprint, the most famous of which is Weekly Shonen Jump, the publication that released some of the biggest manga titles of all time, including Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen. Despite its name, Young Jump is targeted at an older demographic than its sister publication, and is known for serializing series with more graphic violence and risqué material. While not as well known internationally as Shonen Jump, Young Jump has premiered a number of hit series of its own, including Gantz:E, Terra Formars and the romantic comedy Kaguya-sama: Love is War. Many of the magazine's manga have been localized into English by publisher VIZ Media.
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