Cos entrusts that this niche service is becoming more and more common as a new form for some young women to pay for romance: they hire professional Cosers to play the perfect lover in the "anime" virtual world in a realistic manner, and launch elaborate "role-playing dating" again and again.

This new type of service seems to provide them with a brief escape from reality, and to some extent has become the most unique epitome of the contemporary "loneliness economy": young people crave real companionship and intimacy while choosing safe and controllable "virtual" alternatives. This' rented romance 'exposes their inner desires and raises a question: when intimacy and companionship can be precisely customized and priced like commodities, are we approaching intimacy or escaping from it?

1? Be the perfect "anime boyfriend",

Arrival in the 'Third Dimension'

Lin An (not her real name), 24, has fantasized for many times that if her perfect "anime boyfriend", the male characters in the domestic love game "Beyond the World" are easy to meet and can come to her real life, she will meet him sweetly, hold hands shyly, and even wear a wedding dress to become the happiest bride.

When she was really in the "third dimension", she not only stood in the theme song melody of "Beyond the World", which was circulated repeatedly, but also saw the perfect "anime boyfriend" who was dressed in a slim white suit, with soft warm chestnut short hair and gray eyes. She only paid attention to her affectionately and danced for her nervously for twenty times. Finally, she knelt on one knee, raised the ring box, and said in a trembling voice, "Marry me, OK?" When she felt that all her fantasies had become reality and she was "trapped" without resistance.

But strong emotional scenes like proposing are just one of the many classic scenes in Cos commissioned services.

Young girls like Lin An, who are willing to pay money to "meet their favorite anime characters", gave birth to the unique consumption phenomenon of Cos commissioned service, which connects "anime" and "three-dimensional".

Cos commission "- also known as" role-playing dating ". In this mode, the client (almost all of whom are women) pays the cosplayer (mostly female, cross dressing male characters) to play their favorite fictional character and accompany them on a date. Cosplay (role playing), which was once popular only among animation game fans, has now evolved into a highly customized emotional service: Coser brings the client's "anime boyfriend" into the "three-dimensional", making fantasy and reality intertwined.

Orange Orange (pseudonym) is a senior cosplayer. A few years ago, she was "endorsed" by her younger sister for the domestic B-game "Love of Light and Night". While playing with her sister out of interest, cosplay became a male character in the game. At that time, there were no so-called Cos commissions. A few years later, Orange returned to China after studying abroad and found that there were more and more friends playing games around them, and cosplay commissions also developed accordingly. When she went out for cosplay, a girl took the initiative to ask her if she could provide a commission, which became an opportunity for her to take on orders.

Agents like Lin An are referred to as "single masters" in the industry, while cosplayers like Orange who are responsible for playing their desired roles are called "commissioning teachers". "Entrusted teachers" appear in the role of "anime" and are called "epithelia", restore the character's personality and call it "cosy", imitate the role of a boyfriend and call it "coser"... "Single owners" contact these cosers through social platforms or acquaintances, pay hundreds of yuan per hour (top cosers earn up to thousands of yuan per day), and "Entrusted teachers" will accompany them all the way as a role: walking with ten fingers linked, taking a group photo, even gently embracing or jokingly pointing their nose - all according to the script designated by "Single owners".

Last summer, at the invitation of a friend, college student Tao Zi (pseudonym) started working part-time as a "commissioned teacher". Most of her employers who invite her are girls who play the dating game "Love and Deep Space", and their requirements are usually similar: they hope she is "epithelial", has a boyfriend like feeling, and actively creates a romantic atmosphere. During the commission period, Peach needs to create a "dating" experience for the singles that feels like they are in a romance novel: hugging the girls' shoulders in crowded places and creating a safe zone for them; She carried the other person's bag while shopping, opened the door for them when they entered the room, and pulled out a chair for them before dining.

My job is to create a romantic experience for the sole owner, "Peach said.

In the typical Cos entrustment, all details will be settled in advance to maintain the illusion: "single owner" will search for "god like" roles and "entrust teacher" that best suits his own mind on social platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Tiktok; Entrusted teachers will also do their best to "operate" on these platforms, posting detailed "order cards" that explain the roles they can restore, commission prices, and set photos. Once the two are successfully matched, the "sole owner" will engage in thorough negotiations with the "commissioning teacher": which role to play, what context to engage in, and which small details to prefer. Many 'commissioned teachers' will ask clients to fill out questionnaires in advance to understand their preferences and expectations, in order to accurately replicate the character's speech and behavior during the date.

A long picture that has gone viral on social media summarizes the key points of the "Cos Commission" industry: the "commission teacher" meticulously puts on the full set of male characters that the "sole owner" loves (even bringing props or gifts that match the character's personality), and pays to accompany the "sole owner" to complete the fantasy party. The intimate interactions designated by the "sole owner" include holding hands, hugging, cheek to cheek touching (often wearing masks), sending flowers, "walling", sharing desserts, and even surprise proposals, all of which are classic scenes in the "Cos commission" experience.

The solo hosts are mainly young girls who play games in China. They are usually college students, but there are also young women who have started working, "said Orange. Some just want to take some nice photos with her, while others choose to pretend to be" dating "on special occasions such as Valentine's Day and birthdays. Girls often specify "sharing umbrellas on rainy days", "taking photos on camera", or replicating classic confession scenes from Yiyou - every small action is carefully arranged to make the virtual boyfriend's concern come true in reality - they hope their favorite characters can come to them as boyfriends in a real way.

2? Purchase intimacy in the 'loneliness economy'

What motivates young women to rent romance through cosplay commissions?

On the surface, Cos entrustment originates from China's growing "anime" economy: Millennials and Gen Z grew up with animation and games, and have long been attracted to virtual lovers. Love games that cater to female characters, such as "Love and Producer" and "Love of Light and Night", have cultivated the habit of countless female players willing to spend money on caring and handsome male characters. Taking "Love and Producer" as an example, shortly after its launch in 2017, the daily active users exceeded 2 million, and players invested over 200 million yuan in in-game purchases in a single month. These huge business successes show that young women are willing to pay love, time and even considerable money for the perfect "anime boyfriend".

Bringing virtual romance from the screen into reality naturally becomes the next requirement for extending the business chain - Cos commission is a commercial response to this gap.

But in the end, the core products entrusted by Cos are companionship and intimacy.

In the eyes of psychologists, this consumption reflects the deeper emotional needs of contemporary young people. Li Xiaojun, director of the Department of Psychological and Behavioral Medicine of Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, believes that there is a complex psychological motivation behind the popularity of Cos entrustment: "They may use this to compensate for loneliness, emotional loss or interpersonal pressure in reality; they may also use an idealized role play to replace the close relationship that is difficult to achieve in reality; or even just to temporarily escape the pressure of school or the workplace, and obtain a temporary breathing space in the" parallel world "of anime and the third dimension."

22-year-old Pei Yi (pseudonym) is a loyal player of the popular second tier game "Love and Deep Space". Last summer, she returned home from studying abroad alone for vacation. Due to her best friend being busy taking her driver's license exam, she became bored and had to frequently play escape rooms with strangers, but the results were not ideal. By chance, she saw a highly attractive Coser on social media and immediately became interested, taking the initiative to propose a commission.

At first, I did have the feeling of 'going on a date' with my favorite character. When we met, my heart beat faster and I was very excited and nervous. Later, with more interaction, I felt more like friends going out to play, which was quite comfortable, "Pei Yi admitted." Of course, Cosers are not friends in real life after all, and it's impossible for them to freely release themselves, joke with each other, or 'play cheap'... If I had the freedom to choose, I would still prefer to go out with real friends. ?

Cos commission is part of China's growing 'loneliness economy'. Like many countries, China is experiencing a surge in the number of young single people: according to the "2018 Statistical Bulletin on the Development of Civil Affairs" released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, there are over 200 million unmarried adults in the country, of which more than 77 million live alone. The marriage rate is declining, the age of first marriage is delayed, and in big cities, career pressure and personal ideals are causing many people to postpone plans for serious relationships. The demand for companionship and intimacy remains strong, giving rise to the so-called "loneliness economy": products and services targeting singles are becoming increasingly popular - from mini KTVs where one person sings, single seat restaurants, to late night voice chats, businesses are well aware of the way "loneliness can be monetized". A survey shows that 57.7% of young respondents admit to consuming to alleviate loneliness.

A large number of young women are also able to conveniently "purchase" a "love experience": from AI companion apps that have accumulated downloads of over 2 billion yuan, the Yi Nv mobile game with a market size of over 1 billion yuan, to virtual idols, the growing female emotional consumption market provides seemingly "safe and controllable connection" choices for those who are sensitive to emotions and afraid of getting hurt. These experiences can be opened and terminated at any time without any messy follow-up. The "sole owner" commissioned by Cos is able to enjoy the sweetness of "emotional services" on demand: being listened to, praised, holding hands and taking photos - without the fear of rejection, and without the need to continue emotional investment the next day.

It is a typical symptom of the "liquid love" that modern people are addicted to, according to sociologist Zygmunt Bauman: modern people "crave connection but fear being constrained" and prefer a form of relationship that can be taken or abandoned at will. Cos dating is in line with this trend - pre scheduling, post event reset, and both parties agree not to go beyond the drama book. The 'sole owner' is able to immerse themselves in intimacy for a day and then return to daily life without any burden. It is safe, easy to digest, and is a 'quantity based love'.

The charging standards for this' quantity based love 'vary depending on the popularity of the character, the appearance of the cosplayer, geographic location, and the number of fans on social media. Orange charges 60 yuan per hour, starting from at least four hours; Peaches are charged daily, with a price of 260 yuan for 8 hours, and an additional fee of 130 yuan for makeup artists is required. Some customers spend much more than regular dinners or trips to experience a perfect "date".

Pei Yi is well versed in the pricing system of this industry: "Cities like Shanghai and Beijing are usually more expensive than other places. Cosers with high looks and heights exceeding 170 centimeters are priced at least 500 yuan per day; If she has tens of thousands of followers on social media, her daily fees can easily reach four figures. Of course, different customers have different preferences. Some value appearance, while others care about the authenticity of interaction. ?Overall, this type of transaction requires a high level of appearance. If the other party's appearance is lower than expected, the customer's experience is usually greatly compromised

But the commission fee itself is not the only expense, and clients usually also need to bear Coser's transportation, accommodation, and even "chat" expenses. In March of this year, the "sole owner" Luo Jing (pseudonym) paid a month in advance to accompany and cultivate their relationship for a movie like date. In addition to gifts, remote reception, dining and travel expenses, as well as booking a movie theater, they spent over 15000 yuan in just one day. 22-year-old Pei Yidan's investment is even more astonishing: in less than a year, she has booked more than 60 cosplay commissions, with role-playing fees alone reaching as high as 200000 yuan, plus travel and entertainment expenses, totaling nearly 500000 yuan.

This consumption method of "paying to take virtual lovers out of the screen" has quietly evolved into a huge gray market. Although there is no lack of genuine emotional investment, this type of transaction also harbors profound psychological, legal, and security risks, making the originally romantic fantasies shatter at any time.

3? Broken at the junction of dreams and reality

After experiencing the strong emotional experience of "anime boyfriend" proposing, Lin An "bought out" the role of "entrusted teacher", which means one-on-one special "service".

Lin An soon realized that Cos commissioning was not just a 'game'.

She had originally planned to make only one appointment, but it lasted for four times, and the expenses increased from the initially expected seven or eight thousand yuan to 60000 yuan, covering role-playing fees, travel expenses, and various expenses. Lin An decided to terminate the entrustment until he realized that his feelings on the "entrusted teacher" were getting heavier and blurred the boundary between the "anime" role and the "three-dimensional" real person.

When intimate relationships are 'commodified', even if it is just a brief illusory service, the boundaries between each other must be particularly clear. The 'sole owner' and 'commissioned teacher' carefully balance fictional emotions with real feelings, allowing the other party to feel genuine emotional flow while also preventing them from becoming too immersed beyond their boundaries and causing harm to themselves. As a senior "solo host", Pei Yi has always been cautious in choosing to meet with "entrusted teachers" in public places, resolutely avoiding situations that may cause danger such as staying overnight or spending time alone late at night. Peach, as a "entrusted teacher", said frankly that in order not to "OOC" (that is, to break away from the setting of the role itself), she can only accept the anime characters she is familiar with, and even try to figure out the details that every sentence and action conforms to the character of the role, "sometimes it's tiring". Even though the "sole owner" is mostly a girl, her safety awareness is still tight, and she always keeps a small knife in her bag every time she makes a commission.

Singles who are immersed in false emotions are unable to extricate themselves and often suffer from both mental and financial pressures.

After ending her high spending on Cos commissions, Lin An had to spend a lot of money again - this time to solve the psychological dilemma she had fallen into as a result.

When she realized that she had placed too much affection on that Coser, Lin An tried to divert her attention by scheduling appointments with other Cosers, but found it useless. In December 2024, she finally gathered the courage to confess her chaotic emotions to the Coser and voluntarily cut off all contact. Next, she embarked on a solo trip, hoping to fill the psychological void with intensive work and frequent outdoor activities. But she soon realized that her sense of loss had not subsided, and even severe physical symptoms appeared - headaches, insomnia, repeated palpitations, followed by a series of indescribable anxiety.

In despair and confusion, she ultimately chose to seek professional psychological counseling. This is another fee that I have to pay. So far, I have spent over four thousand yuan, "sighed Lin An wearily.

On the surface, cosplaying may seem like harmless consumption, but the strong emotional dependence it forms with customers actually has pathological addictive characteristics, similar to video game addiction or internet addiction. ?Li Xiaojun, director of the Department of Psychological and Behavioral Medicine at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, explained, "When the commission ends and the illusion is shattered, the emotional 'withdrawal' experienced by the participants may bring more profound psychological trauma

Many cosplayers have experienced this kind of "emotional low point" after dating. After a day of perfect romantic emotional climax, there is a strong gap when returning to daily life.

Pei Yi emphasized that she herself is not the "dream girl" commonly referred to in the industry - those girls who fantasize about having a real romantic relationship with virtual characters. She always knew that the essence of Cos' commission was a service mediated by money. But she has also witnessed many girls holding strong emotional expectations during this process, even longing to experience a 'virtual love' in reality. One of her friends has a much higher level of emotional investment in cosplayer commissions than she herself: friends are extremely happy whenever they meet a cosplayer they like, but if the cosplayer's response is slightly insufficient, they will quickly fall into loss and pain. In the eyes of bystander Pei Yi, these Cosers did not actually engage in any obvious inappropriate behavior, but their friends had high expectations for the interaction itself, which led to intense emotional fluctuations.

Once you entrust a date with a strong emotional need or with the mentality of 'meeting the virtual character in person', it is particularly easy to get involved and difficult to extricate yourself, "Lin An commented. One of her friends was once enthusiastic about cosplaying and appeared very happy during the "date" process, but as soon as Coser neglected to reply to messages afterwards, this friend would immediately collapse and become extremely emotionally unstable, ultimately leading to a severe episode of bipolar disorder.

After experiencing this emotional storm, Lin An believes that young girls with fragile and sensitive inner structures are not suitable for participating in high-intensity and immersive emotional interactions such as cosplay commissions. Especially for people with a tendency towards depression or emotional instability, it is advisable to stay away from this seemingly beautiful but highly traumatic 'love consumption', "she cautioned cautiously.

As an emerging emotional service, the "Cos Commission" industry is still in a gray area of legal and regulatory uncertainty and chaos. Some customers often struggle to achieve the expected perfect "dating" experience after investing money.

One of the most frequently criticized issues in the cosplay community is the excessive beauty of photos (commonly known as "high P"). The huge gap between online buyer shows and offline seller shows has become a norm in the industry, causing many customers to feel confused and even angry. Peach herself has also experienced a similar disappointment: "One time, the Coser I arranged to meet with, although I had stated in advance that I hoped for a significant height difference, only to find out when we met that she had just added height pads and was just as tall as me, without the feeling that a 'boyfriend' should have. ?Due to the fact that most cosplayers are female, they have to rely on special props and makeup to simulate the skeletal contours and height of an ideal male when playing male roles, which exacerbates the possibility of reality crashing.

Another issue that has caused widespread dissatisfaction among customers is' being ignored '. Peach once invited four cosplayers at the same time, but one of them frequently chatted with others on site and remained indifferent to her throughout. Pei Yi has also encountered a similar cold reception: "Coser only talks about gaming topics that interest him all day long but I don't care at all. Even if I politely express my desire to change the topic, the other party doesn't care at all. In the end, throughout the entire date, it turned out that I was catering to her - even though I was the one who paid for the service. ?

The imbalance in this delegation relationship also troubles the Coser community. Some cosplayers have reported that clients sometimes completely ignore the basic needs of the cosplayers and make clearly unreasonable demands, such as high-intensity companionship throughout the day without arranging time for meals or rest. Pei Yi even met a Coser friend who was asked by a client to sing to sleep at night, but this friend was not good at singing and had to awkwardly sing "Two Tigers" repeatedly for the other party to listen to, ultimately choosing not to accept similar orders anymore. In addition, Coser has complained on social media that they have encountered customers breaking their contracts or even running out of orders, causing economic losses and mental stress.

At the legal level, as a private transaction based on the development of the anime industry, cos entrustment is difficult to be established as an independent business category, regardless of the industry management and service standardization.

Han Xiao, a lawyer from Beijing Kangda Law Firm, pointed out that according to the Copyright Law, personal appreciation and non-profit performances belong to "reasonable use", but commercial performances commissioned by Cos involving monetary transactions and targeting unspecified clients do not meet the conditions for exemption from infringement. Coser's role-playing without permission from the copyright owner may infringe on the copyright owner's reproduction, modification, and performance rights. If disseminated through the internet, it also involves the right to information network dissemination.

Despite the obvious risks, participants often selectively ignore them. A 'sole proprietor' admitted, 'The continued existence of Cos commissions relies on the copyright owner turning a blind eye.'. ?

Despite this, many young girls are still willing to continue to pursue the perfect lover of the "anime" in their hearts, even if it is only a temporary and illusory companion projection. Luo Jing admitted that she may still invite Cos clients in the future, but her psychological price has been lowered to between 80 yuan and 200 yuan per appointment; Lin An, on the other hand, decided to completely withdraw from this circle. She deleted the game and even gradually cooled down towards the characters she once loved: "I think people still can't get too addicted