To the long list of English language hybrids around the world, you can add a new dialect — Cosplish. It has its origins in Tokyo, and more specifically, in the slang used in cos-play, or costume play, which has fans of anime and manga comics dressing up and speaking like the animated characters.
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If you’d like to brush up on your Cosplish, you might want to head to Tokyo where a Japanese entrepreneur has joined the ever growing list of businessmen looking to turn a quick buck off the exploding anime and manga craze in the country. He’s set up a school that teaches Cosplish — a look at the month’s schedule reveals courses in Broken English, Geek English, and Moeng (or “cute English”). Not exactly Shakespeare.
According to the entrepreneur Yohiu Suzuki, the Otaku (Japanese for geek) market in the country has exploded, and there is actually a demand for a place where geeks can gather to brush up on their English language skills without intimidation from the cool young things that frequent English schools in Tokyo.
The school sounds like a load of fun for geeks — activities include discussing the latest comic books, and anime, and picking up abbreviated slang that’s used in text messages. The teachers even dress up as manga characters.
Japan’s geek market made up of loyal Otaku fans is estimated at $1.7 billion, and is fueled by the high spending geeks who grab at every Otaku related product or service that’s dangled before them.