Mindful Athenaeum

Pantasya ni Tami o ng Cosplayers?

Pantasya ni Tami o ng Cosplayers?

(A column Writing)

All over the media, issues move at high speed. Presently, a new issue has emerged where cosplayers are "harassed" and put their names and faces in shame, whether it is in their personal lives or media. Some people call some cosplayers dirty names, or perhaps they think they are cosplaying for such dirty deeds to fulfill their satisfaction. However, is it really it?

Cosplay is defined as the "practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game" (Oxford Dictionary). Cosplayers defined cosplaying as their hobby, their own escape from their quiet lives, a way to gain friends and their way to express themselves. They love to dress up and reenact the scenes they have read and seen of their cosplaying characters. Cosplaying has no age; some parents or cosplayers who are parents make their infants cosplays as well.

The issues are all rooted in the new and soon-to-be-released (February 1, 2024) movie produced by Vivamax. It was entitled "Pantasya ni Tami," and in the trailer, it showed a girl whose hobby is cosplaying. However, she's doing some sort of NSFW cosplaying where she's showing nudity, cleavage, and some intimate body parts. Thus, it was seen that she was also fulfilling her own needs. Which is probably the most misinterpreted part of the trailer. Those people (mostly minors) assumed that those innocent cosplayers in our society were really doing. Due to the trailer for the adult film, cosplayers around the country were harassed after hearing someone tell them to do intimate things that they had actually never done.

Vivamax is known for its adult films; they have different adult films, such as Bed Spacer. They are making fictional movies that are not based on true stories to avoid such conflicts. Some reviews of the films state that Vivian does promote violence against women and children, did not do such deep research, or just simply made films that filled the different sexual fantasies of people without caring about any consequences.

However, as they released the trailer for "Pantasya ni Tami," the cosplayers were attacked with some harassment, especially the minors. Since cosplaying has no age limit, some minors are into cosplaying. Thus, those minors are now experiencing the terror of reality when it comes to lust and issues.

Due to the uproar of this misinterpretation, the whole community of cosplayers is trying to call out the workers behind this film and requesting to take down the film before its release. Moreover, Vivamax received multiple "not recommended" ratings on their Facebook page due to multiple issues, such as the ads and the promotions of inappropriateness towards children or minorities. Hence, how about those innocent workers and actors who cannot stand up due to this film being their only source of income-the hard work and endurance on the dark side of this film-just to produce financial aid for their own families? They'll be affected by this takedown. Films have their financial budget, and they'll gain it back once the film is released, especially if it is enjoyed by the people. So, a takedown could cause a catastrophe for the actors, actresses, and people behind the scenes.

What about those non-cosplayers who harassed the cosplayers, especially the young cosplayers? Perhaps those who intended to harass youngsters by asking such questions are also minors. In the first place, how does this adult film go viral? This film should be only for those 18+ or of legal age before they can watch it. Vivamax is not that famous for adult films, not even their other films. Perhaps it was a trigger for cosplayers to see a film that somewhat portrays their image of community with that kind of nudity.

In conclusion, parents or adults must supervise their children while they are watching. The aforementioned minorities harass other minors just because they cosplay, interpreting that all cosplayers do such a thing as well. It was a common media disadvantage and issue that I had been trying to avoid, but alas, some still slide off the security, teaching the youngsters wrong deeds and mindsets. Probably, it is safe to discuss this kind of topic with youngsters so they can be open-minded and distinguish what is right and wrong for their own future's sake. As for those adults who are also harassing other cosplayers, adults or minors, they should tolerate themselves, or suing them can help. Use the Republic Act 10627, the Anti-Bullying Act, or other republican acts that showcase your harassment experience. Thou shall not fear fighting for what is right; be brave to fight for yourself or for others to protect your loved ones.