Project MUSE - Emerging “2.5-dimensional” Culture: Character-oriented Cultural Practices and “Community of Preferences” as a New Fandom in Japan and Beyond

In recent years, the term “2.5-dimension (ni-ten-go jigen)” has gained much attention within popular culture studies. The term “2.5 jigen” roughly means the space between the two-dimensional (fictional space where our imaginations and fantasy work) and the three-dimensional (reality where we physically exist). Within Japanese anime fandom, fans often use “two dimensions” to mean anime characters, stating, “I am only capable of loving the two-dimensional [characters] (2 jigen shika aisenai).” However, due to the growing success of cosplay and 2.5-D stage performances (theatrical adaptations of manga, anime, and videogames) since the early 2000s, the 2.5-D has begun to be used as an umbrella term to express virtuality embodied by actual human bodies as well as human bodies that look unreal, which I call “virtual corporality” (kyokô teki shintai). A magazine specializing in 2.5-D theatrical performances, Stage Push!, was published in 2014, and in 2016, the March issue of Da Vinci, Kadokaw

In recent years, the term “2.5-dimension (ni-ten-go jigen)” has gained much attention within popular culture studies. The term “2.5 jigen” roughly means the space between the two-dimensional (fictional space where our imaginations and fantasy work) and the three-dimensional (reality where we physically exist). Within Japanese anime fandom, fans often use “two dimensions” to mean anime characters, stating, “I am only capable of loving the two-dimensional [characters] (2 jigen shika aisenai).” However, due to the growing success of cosplay and 2.5-D stage performances (theatrical adaptations of