Man-Faye
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Man-Faye is the moniker given to Damon Evans, the cosplayer who dresses up as Faye Valentine from the Japanese anime series Cowboy Bebop. "Man-Faye" has become infamous in the American anime and manga fan community and cosplay community, not least because of his reaction to being banned from the 2004 and 2005 Anime Expos, and the shock value of his skimpy costume.[1]
He has subsequently made a handful of appearances on television, including in recent promotional spots for the then-upcoming SciFi channel reality series Who Wants to Be a Superhero?, where he can be seen participating in the open call auditions for the show. The clip of "Man-Faye" at the auditions was mocked on some late-night talk shows and variety shows, most notably The Tonight Show.
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[edit] Origins
"Man-Faye" came into existence when a young man was dared by a friend to dress as the character Faye Valentine from the popular series Cowboy Bebop for a convention. Because of Bebop's popularity and her revealing outfit, Valentine is one of the most easily recognizable sex symbols of the American anime and manga fan community.[1]
[edit] Fandom reaction
Evans has been visiting anime conventions in the same costume for several years, and is relatively "famous" (and laughed at) in fan circles - though many would say that "notorious" would be more appropriate.
[edit] The Man-Faye controversy
"Man-Faye" was banned from a well-known U.S. anime convention, Anime Expo, in 2004 for accidentally flashing a non-convention attendant. According to Evans, Anime Expo staff received a complaint about his costume from a convention center staff member. At first, the staff negotiated with "Man-Faye" and told him to wear a jacket over the more revealing parts of his costume, (except for photos) but when a second report was filed about him allegedly taking off the jacket in a non-photograph-related situation, the staff booted him out for good.[1] Since then he has been speaking out about "equal rights" and claiming that the Anime Expo staff is discriminating against him, comparing himself with people who are scarred in horrific accidents and those born with obvious body defects. There were reports that he later returned to the convention using a different identity.
"Man-Faye" was also banned from Anime Expo in 2005 for the same reasons as in 2004 only this time adding on soliciting without a permit outside. He was, nonetheless, often spotted outside the convention center posing with fans and convention goers.[1] "Man-Faye" was, however, present at Anime Expo 2006, which was held July 1-July 4. He also made an appearance at Anime Expo 2007 June 29 - July 2. His first appearance, according to his MySpace blog, was on July 2, though he was spotted on other dates of the convention.
[edit] Reaction to "Man-Faye" and the controversies
Evans' "Man-Faye" persona and costume have drawn mixed reactions from anime and cosplay fandom as a whole, with some indifferent on the matter, some finding him amusing and even sympathizing with him in opposition to the Anime Expo staff, others finding him to be an "attention whore" (this view is no doubt furthered somewhat by his appearance in the promotional clips for Who Wants To Be a Superhero?), and still others simply finding the costume to be in poor taste. He has some active fans, however, and is not universally looked down on; "Man-Faye" was a guest of honor at Chibi-Pa 2005, posing for pictures, selling t-shirts, and participating as a judge in the convention's cosplay contest. "Man-Faye" also made an appearance in an Anime Expo segment called "Anime Expo's Last Comic Standing" as a guest judge for prospective stand-up artists.
[edit] Outside of fandom circles
He has been a guest on TechTV's Unscrewed, but more notable is his showing up for the open-call auditions for SciFi's Who Wants to be a Superhero? series, and the brief semi-publicity it drew thanks to being featured in some of the show's promotional spots.[2] In the April 19th, 2006 episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, "Man-Faye" was shown trying out for the new show. He was also shown in the same casting call on The Showbiz Show with David Spade. On the August 30th, 2006 episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, "Man-Faye" appeared once again, but this time he was challenged by John Melendez to jump on a pogo stick a few times at the Orange County Fair; however, he did not appear in costume.
