The cosplay kids of Myanmar - in pictures

Male "cosplayer" in blue takes a selfie of himself and a woman in a red dress, at the eventAndre Malerba

Cosplay has been one way in which Myanmar's young people have sought to define themselves in a radically different world to that of their parents.

Young woman in a blue uniform points a cartoon style sword at the face of a young man in a green outfitAndre Malerba

Cosplay encourages participants to leave their everyday selves behind, often taking on the look of a favourite character from video games, anime or cartoons.

Cosplayer playing a violin, wearing a Japanese schoolgirl costumeAndre Malerba

Modern cosplay culture began in Japan, from where many participants took their stylistic cues

Seven women in cosplay dresses, line up behind one another, in pose, on stageAndre Malerba

The recent festival - the eighth to be held in Myanmar - gave participants a chance to show off their costumes and to participate in choreographed dances.

Young men and women apply makeup to a young mans faceAndre Malerba

After months of preparation for some, participants applied the finishing touches to their look at the venue, part of Hlaing University in Yangon.

A man in a black and red cosplay outfit, carrying a plastic sword, crouches down on the floor in a pose in front of spectators at the eventAndre Malerba

While the first day resembled a nervous school dance, by the second day the building was awash with brightly coloured outfits and cartoonish fake weapons.

A girl in an orange animal outfit surrounded by taller, older boys in colourful wigsAndre Malerba

The event brought together a mix of people of different ages and genders, some of whom switched gender roles in their costume - a common practice in cosplay and a nod to the free expression cosplayer feel it encourages.

A woman in a cosplay dress stands on stage, in front of three other waiting participants, during the eventAndre Malerba

The cosplay subculture is something that would once have been hard to imagine in what was once one of South East Asia's most repressive countries, and which is still amongst its poorest.

A group of five young women in cosplay, sitting in a circle and laughing, sitting on the floor of the main hall, with attendees standing around themAndre Malerba

Though still in its infancy, the growing cosplay community in Myanmar offers fans a space they can call their own, where many normally strict social rules do not apply - the antithesis of the decades of control and isolation the country has seen.

Young man in samurai cosplay outfit, using a mobile phone, with other participants standing behind himAndre Malerba

Even cosplay samurai need social media, something which has helped spread the subculture in Myanmar and around the world.

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