Scott Pilgrim of the movie/book franchise walks through the door and heads for the snack table. A “Japanese” schoolgirl wearing a sailor outfit rifles through a stack of manga.  Another teen with strange red markings on her face and a giant stuffed peanut strapped to her back  scoops punch from a bowl. Is she really just a girl with strange red markings and a giant stuffed peanut, or is she Gaara from the anime Naruto? It is no coincidence that all these fictional characters are gathered in one place. They are, in fact, costumed students attending the J club’s (short for Japanese club) first ever Halloween Cosplay party at the Encinitas library. Local students, including members of SDA’s Japanese National Honors Society (JNHS) and Cosplayers’ Society, shared their passion for Japanese culture and for dressing up at the Encinitas library’s J Club/Halloween Cosplay party on Oct. 27. The J Club, hosted every Thursday in the library, usually has activities that give local students the chance to learn about Japanese language and culture. At this meeting, students participated in cosplay (short for costume play) by dressing up as their favorite anime or manga characters. They answered Halloween-themed trivia questions,  and enjoyed snacks, prizes, and a presentation about cosplay by SDA junior Arin Mallin. Said sophomore Cassidy Mayeda, “I learned that there are many other people interested in cosplay, manga, and anime. I think that was the point of the party, to meet others who also love your obscure obsession.”