CosplayGen is a gorgeous magazine, just gorgeous. I find the frequent rants about the sanctity of print from dead-tree-devotees a bit trite at this point, but the fact remains that there's just something really nice about flipping through a glossy magazine filled with great photography. Sure, I could look at cosplay photos all day long on the internet (and I've been known to do so), but it's just not the same.

However, despite the fact that I give the mag full marks on the aesthetic level, this is not an unqualified rave- there is serious room for improvement as far as the editorial content is concerned. I knew there was a problem with the writing in CosplayGen from the very first sentence of the opening editorial:

"With a history of over 20 years, nowadays cosplay came to represent more than a hobby..."

Wait, 'nowadays cosplay CAME to represent?" Shouldn't it be 'cosplay has come to represent'?

The entire magazine is like that: reasonably clear, but written in a slightly stilted manner, as though the writers aren't writing in their native language. In fact, they probably aren't- the editor in chief, Ruxandra Tarca, appears to hail from Romania, and most of the other writers have Eastern-European-sounding names. While it's touted as a "Worldwide Cosplay Magazine", and does feature cosplayers from all over the world, at the very least, the editorial staff seems to be centered in a non-English speaking part of the globe. Now there's nothing wrong with that- unless, of course, you happen to be creating a magazine that's written entirely in English.

In the interests of full disclosure, as an editor by trade, the awkward English in CosplayGen probably bothers me far more than it would most readers: fixing awkward sentences is my day job. Not only am I more sensitive to them than most people, but when I see an awkward sentence suddenly I feel like I'm at work; not exactly the best mindset in which to sit down and enjoy something.

However, I can't disregard the flaws in the writing as minor issues that won't bother most readers, because they extend deeper than minor grammar flubs. It's not just awkward phrasing that plague the magazine, but an overall lack of depth. An article about lighting by Thomas Kuan, a.k.a. Hexlord, features beautiful photography, but the editorial can be summarized as "natural light= free but unpredictable; artificial light= controllable but expensive." The sewing tutorial on the last page, The Beginner's Corner by Camelia Antal-Burlacu, seems to be potentially more useful, but the prose makes it difficult to understand her directions. I suppose it would be easy to understand if you already know how to sew, but that would seem to defeat the purpose of having an article for beginners.

In fact, the most informative article in the issue isn't about cosplay at all, but fashion- while still not perfectly smooth, Mariuca Mihalache's article about Lolita fashion actually explains the hallmarks of the Lolita style and the motivations of those who dress in that style, both things I hadn't known and hadn't really thought to ask about.

Also, the content of the magazine seems to fight with the organization at times. I would think that reviews in this sort of publication would be reviews of cosplay products and services, but the only review is of Comiket 77- a piece that reads more like a "how to have fun at Comiket" guide than a review in any sense. The article is reasonably informative and certainly belongs in the magazine, but why shoehorn it into a "reviews" section? Shouldn't it be easy enough to review one or two relevant products and make the Comiket article a feature?

While the interviews with successful, even professional cosplayers like Yaya Han are the best part of the magazine, many of the interviewees answers also suffer from terminal vagueness- they generally offer advice along the lines of "Do what you want, don't let other people get you down." Of course, the magazine can't really be held responsible for the fact that their subjects provide vague answers, but in some cases follow-up questions seem called for.

And yet, despite paragraphs and paragraphs of criticism, I'm still psyched for the next issue of CosplayGen; the enthusiasm of everyone involved for cosplay is infectious, and all of the problems I've mentioned are eminently fixable. Plus, the eastern European focus of the magazine is interesting in and of itself; did you know that there are over 500 cosplayers in Moscow, and that they have tons of festivals? I didn't, and it's genuinely exciting to know that there are vibrant cosplay subcultures all over the world that I never knew about before.

If you'd like to order CosplayGen, you can go here to purchase the first issue. It would cost $11.06, including shipping, for me to get a copy here in New York; obviously, your mileage may vary (quite literally) depending on where you live. Also, you get a free copy of the latest issue of Otaku Magazine, which appears to be made by more or less the same people and has more or less the same strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I think CosplayGen benefits greatly from having such a clear focus; the issue of Otaku Magazine I received (the "End of the World" issue) was not to my tastes. Of course, it's a freebie, so if you order CosplayGen you may as well take a look and see if it's more your cup of tea than mine.

Oh, and I might be cosplaying at Otakon this year; just sayin'.