Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll already know that NieR and other games, films, TV shows, etc all have a big, thriving community that is dedicated to fan-art, fanfiction, and cosplay.
Cosplay and fan-art can do amazing things, like bringing people together and allowing them to express themselves, and not only to the people around them. Often cosplayers and fan-artists are able to connect with the people that inspired them in the first place, the creator of the very thing they love, either face-to-face or through various social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
However there are some individuals, or should we say some people who just don’t know how to have fun, that go out of their way to belittle the hard work that fan artists and cosplayers dedicate to their craft. It’s a terrible move that disheartens many, including NieR creator Yoko Taro.
He recently shared his views about fan-art and cosplayers on his Twitter account. He explains that he doesn’t actively retweet fan art or cosplay is because he doesn’t want to broadcast them to ‘strange people’. Clearly, Taro knows how hateful people can be, and wisely does not wish to give these people the opportunity to tear people down.
Taro also mentioned on his Twitter that there was too much hatefulness against cosplayers and fan-artists. He said, “I’ve felt this from before, but there are too many folks complaining about fan art and cosplay done by others.”
And for those who feel that Taro doesn’t want to see ‘bad’ fanart or cosplay, well, you couldn’t be more wrong.
“It’s okay if the illustrations are no good or if they don’t look anything like the character. At the very least, I’m happy.” He said. “Generally speaking, those folks doing it because they like it, and I think people on the outskirts shouldn’t moan and complain.”
So before you’re about to comment on what you think is a bad cosplay or fan-art, consider this: what would Yoko Taro do?
