Japanese pop culture blogger Danny Choo’s latest photobook, Otacool 2: Worldwide Cosplayers, takes an interesting approach to content aggregation. Thanks to the level playing field offered by Danny’s online crowdsourcing, the cosplayers on the cover make for a truly flat-world mix that would make Thomas Friedman proud.
When top otaku culture blogger Danny Choo needed cosplayers for his upcoming photobook, Otacool 2: Worldwide Cosplayers, he didn’t seek them out in the traditional way. He didn’t set up geographically limited auditions or prohibitively expensive photoshoots.
No one was surprised to see Filipina cosplay princess Alodia Gosiengfiao apply for inclusion on the cover of Otacool 2: Worldwide Cosplayers. What did surprise me, however, were applications from two other very famous cosplayers.
Top otaku blogger Danny Choo signed autographs at the international launch of Otacool: Worldwide Otaku Rooms during the recently concluded Anime Festival Asia 2009. Also signing autographs was renowned Filipina cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao, who was dressed up as Danny’s blog mascot Mirai Suenaga.
Marketing guru Seth Godin hails otaku as the most desirable audience in today’s word-of-mouth-driven marketplace. If you walk into a hardcore otaku’s room, you would easily see why.
