For successful kosupure ("cosplay," or "costume play") it is not enough to know your "Bleach" from your "Basara." You also need to be able to make your plats stand on end like Itsuki (from the manga "Basara"), give yourself an extra jaw like Grimmjow Jeagerjaques (from the manga "Bleach") — and as well deck yourself out in a black cloak like Ichigo Kurosaki or a white one like Sosuke Aizen (both from "Bleach").

Most cosplayers learn their makeup and costume-making skills from magazines and by talking to their friends. As of January 30, however, one of Tokyo's largest vocational schools, Vantan Career School, has also been offering a more professional approach.

"We had been running traditional fashion and hair/make-up courses for a long time, but we came to realize that many of our students wanted to apply those skills to cosplay," explained manager of the new "Cosplayers Course," Satoshi Yamagiwa.