Cosplay Mania 2008
Hey guys! I'm not dead; the semester just ended so now, after weeks of having no time for updates, I'm back and with lots of time to update! I'm going to start updating little by little and I shall also resume reading my friends' LJs. For now, here's the latest that happened in my life.
Cosplay Mania 2008
When: October 12, 2008
Where: Megatrade Hall 3, SM Megamall
What a way to kick off the semestral break! After enduring a semester's worth of stress, this is how Andrea, Leslie and I marked the beginning of our pursuit for relaxation and happiness. Cosplay Mania promised to be the first convention devoted solely to cosplay (as other conventions did not have cosplay-related events such as costume building contests and cosplay workshops), and it definitely delivered its promise. Judging by the success of this convention, I'm sure it'll still be around next year; only, next time I hope that it will be held in SMX.
I'm hoping that the next Cosplay Mania will be held in a bigger area because the event, while fun, was a bit tiring and overwhelming because the venue was too small. Megatrade Hall could only accommodate so much people, and with the throngs of people attending and some elaborate costumes that required space for the cosplayers to move around in, it was too small for such an event. In fact, most cosplayers gathered outside Megatrade, and even so, the surroundings were quite crowded! People were even wondering why there were so many people on the top floor. "Is it a Halloween party?" someone even asked me. I had to explain what cosplay was all about; in a way, I got to spread the word about cosplay. (Haha, it was amusing how people were staring at the cosplayers and wondering what the heck was going on. Some people stopped to take pictures just because cosplayers aren't an everyday sight.)
I didn't cosplay this time because insecurity kicked in at the last minute, and besides, I've decided that I need to at least lose some weight for my next costume. But, on a side note, someone remembered me; he asked me, "Di ba ikaw 'yung nag-cosplay ng Battle Royale sa Mangaholix?" That made my day, but I don't know whether he remembered me in a positive or negative light.
This time, one of my friends cosplayed, while the other semi-cosplayed (sort of dressed up like a character but not quite cosplayed). I can't say who's who because they might probably get mad at me! :) But anyway, the one who cosplayed looked fabulous, even though she lamented on the inaccuracy of her cosplay, no thanks to the ineffective spray-on dye. And what's even more amazing is that she made her costume herself! She said that she probably wasn't recognizable, but I disagree because people called her by her character's name and even asked for pictures with her. My friend is camera shy so she didn't let us take pictures of her (if she did let us, she didn't want us to capture her face) because we, as her friends, were expected to understand; ironically, when other people wanted to take her picture, she reluctantly obliged. :D She really did a good job cosplaying; next time, she wants to cosplay CC. As for me, if she does that, I'll cosplay along with her. This time, I don't want to wear a schoolgirl uniform; I want to cosplay a Code Geass character. But who? I'm still trying to decide among Kaguya, Nunnally, Nina, Tianzi and Monica. Perhaps next time I'll post a blog entry with pictures so my friends can help me decide.
Speaking of Code Geass, the many Code Geass cosplayers were, for me, the highlight of the con! Having recently finished Code Geass, I'm still hooked on it and thus, seeing all those familiar costumes made my day! I made it a point to take pictures of as many Geass cosplayers as possible - Kaguya, Nunnally, Xingke, Lelouch/Zero, etc. Too bad Orange-kun and Meira (who cosplays Gino) weren't there, though. But, but, but... the best part was that there were two Villetta cosplayers! All hail Britannia!!!
Villetta Nu, as my friends know, is my number-one favorite Code Geass character, so I made sure to take pictures of and with the Villetta cosplayers, who both did a good job of cosplaying Villetta. If only they had an Ougi and/or Orange-kun around, they would've been even better - kidding! :) I could never cosplay Villetta because she is tall and sexy and I'm not, so all I can do is admire the Villetta cosplayers. But in my crazy daydreams, if I could cosplay Villetta, I would ask this person I like to cosplay Ougi. That person is perfect for cosplay; too bad he isn't really into cosplay. :(
Villetta (and Code Geass in general) fangirling aside, another highlight of the convention was the fact that there were so many cosplayers that they were all so overwhelming! I got to meet face-to-face with some people that I only met online or didn't know too well. Nice meeting you, Ate Nami, Ate Rina, Kuya Jade, Ms. Essa and... nice meeting you outside school and at a cosplay convention, "Laralyn" (Andrea tells me that you don't like to be addressed using your real name in public)! I hope I can get to know you more - whether online or at future conventions.
What I regret, though, is not taking many pictures. With so many cosplayers, I expected to take lots and lots of pictures, but no, I missed out on a lot of photo ops because there were just too many people. Either I would be blocking the way if I tried to take certain cosplayers' pictures or there were too many people surrounding certain cosplayers that I couldn't take their pictures. Or sometimes, Leslie, Andrea and/or I were just too tired to take a picture; we just wanted to go somewhere else to get away from the crowd and to breathe. Aww... too bad! I wanted to take pictures of Pedobear (some person dressed in a cute bear costume), Darth Vader, Mitsuru (from "Persona"), Tidus and Squall, to name a few, but I wasn't able to! My friends and I also wished we could take pictures of the Tuxedo Team and of Ms. Alodia Gosiengfiao, because we heard that they would be at the convention. But because there were too many people, we didn't even know what time they arrived, and thus, we weren't able to take pictures of them, which is a real, real shame.
The other regret I have is kind of minor; it's not being having much time to check out the merchandise on sale at the convention. I was supposed to go on an anime DVD and Goth Loli clothing shopping spree that day, but Megatrade Hall was just too crowded for me to be able to leisurely look around or to try on the clothing for sale. Again, too bad! I could've been watching a new anime series right now, or I could've bought some Goth Loli clothing. If there's any consolation, I bought two wigs for P200 each; one is green and the other is brown. The quality, I think, isn't exactly cosplay material, but for a cosplay newbie like me, the wigs will do. Currently, I'm using them to get a feel of what it's like to wear a wig; practice, one might call it.
Regrets aside, Cosplay Mania was a blast! I can't wait for the UP AME convention on November 8. Maybe then I will be able to cosplay!
Cosplay Mania 2008
When: October 12, 2008
Where: Megatrade Hall 3, SM Megamall
What a way to kick off the semestral break! After enduring a semester's worth of stress, this is how Andrea, Leslie and I marked the beginning of our pursuit for relaxation and happiness. Cosplay Mania promised to be the first convention devoted solely to cosplay (as other conventions did not have cosplay-related events such as costume building contests and cosplay workshops), and it definitely delivered its promise. Judging by the success of this convention, I'm sure it'll still be around next year; only, next time I hope that it will be held in SMX.
I'm hoping that the next Cosplay Mania will be held in a bigger area because the event, while fun, was a bit tiring and overwhelming because the venue was too small. Megatrade Hall could only accommodate so much people, and with the throngs of people attending and some elaborate costumes that required space for the cosplayers to move around in, it was too small for such an event. In fact, most cosplayers gathered outside Megatrade, and even so, the surroundings were quite crowded! People were even wondering why there were so many people on the top floor. "Is it a Halloween party?" someone even asked me. I had to explain what cosplay was all about; in a way, I got to spread the word about cosplay. (Haha, it was amusing how people were staring at the cosplayers and wondering what the heck was going on. Some people stopped to take pictures just because cosplayers aren't an everyday sight.)
I didn't cosplay this time because insecurity kicked in at the last minute, and besides, I've decided that I need to at least lose some weight for my next costume. But, on a side note, someone remembered me; he asked me, "Di ba ikaw 'yung nag-cosplay ng Battle Royale sa Mangaholix?" That made my day, but I don't know whether he remembered me in a positive or negative light.
This time, one of my friends cosplayed, while the other semi-cosplayed (sort of dressed up like a character but not quite cosplayed). I can't say who's who because they might probably get mad at me! :) But anyway, the one who cosplayed looked fabulous, even though she lamented on the inaccuracy of her cosplay, no thanks to the ineffective spray-on dye. And what's even more amazing is that she made her costume herself! She said that she probably wasn't recognizable, but I disagree because people called her by her character's name and even asked for pictures with her. My friend is camera shy so she didn't let us take pictures of her (if she did let us, she didn't want us to capture her face) because we, as her friends, were expected to understand; ironically, when other people wanted to take her picture, she reluctantly obliged. :D She really did a good job cosplaying; next time, she wants to cosplay CC. As for me, if she does that, I'll cosplay along with her. This time, I don't want to wear a schoolgirl uniform; I want to cosplay a Code Geass character. But who? I'm still trying to decide among Kaguya, Nunnally, Nina, Tianzi and Monica. Perhaps next time I'll post a blog entry with pictures so my friends can help me decide.
Speaking of Code Geass, the many Code Geass cosplayers were, for me, the highlight of the con! Having recently finished Code Geass, I'm still hooked on it and thus, seeing all those familiar costumes made my day! I made it a point to take pictures of as many Geass cosplayers as possible - Kaguya, Nunnally, Xingke, Lelouch/Zero, etc. Too bad Orange-kun and Meira (who cosplays Gino) weren't there, though. But, but, but... the best part was that there were two Villetta cosplayers! All hail Britannia!!!
Villetta Nu, as my friends know, is my number-one favorite Code Geass character, so I made sure to take pictures of and with the Villetta cosplayers, who both did a good job of cosplaying Villetta. If only they had an Ougi and/or Orange-kun around, they would've been even better - kidding! :) I could never cosplay Villetta because she is tall and sexy and I'm not, so all I can do is admire the Villetta cosplayers. But in my crazy daydreams, if I could cosplay Villetta, I would ask this person I like to cosplay Ougi. That person is perfect for cosplay; too bad he isn't really into cosplay. :(
Villetta (and Code Geass in general) fangirling aside, another highlight of the convention was the fact that there were so many cosplayers that they were all so overwhelming! I got to meet face-to-face with some people that I only met online or didn't know too well. Nice meeting you, Ate Nami, Ate Rina, Kuya Jade, Ms. Essa and... nice meeting you outside school and at a cosplay convention, "Laralyn" (Andrea tells me that you don't like to be addressed using your real name in public)! I hope I can get to know you more - whether online or at future conventions.
What I regret, though, is not taking many pictures. With so many cosplayers, I expected to take lots and lots of pictures, but no, I missed out on a lot of photo ops because there were just too many people. Either I would be blocking the way if I tried to take certain cosplayers' pictures or there were too many people surrounding certain cosplayers that I couldn't take their pictures. Or sometimes, Leslie, Andrea and/or I were just too tired to take a picture; we just wanted to go somewhere else to get away from the crowd and to breathe. Aww... too bad! I wanted to take pictures of Pedobear (some person dressed in a cute bear costume), Darth Vader, Mitsuru (from "Persona"), Tidus and Squall, to name a few, but I wasn't able to! My friends and I also wished we could take pictures of the Tuxedo Team and of Ms. Alodia Gosiengfiao, because we heard that they would be at the convention. But because there were too many people, we didn't even know what time they arrived, and thus, we weren't able to take pictures of them, which is a real, real shame.
The other regret I have is kind of minor; it's not being having much time to check out the merchandise on sale at the convention. I was supposed to go on an anime DVD and Goth Loli clothing shopping spree that day, but Megatrade Hall was just too crowded for me to be able to leisurely look around or to try on the clothing for sale. Again, too bad! I could've been watching a new anime series right now, or I could've bought some Goth Loli clothing. If there's any consolation, I bought two wigs for P200 each; one is green and the other is brown. The quality, I think, isn't exactly cosplay material, but for a cosplay newbie like me, the wigs will do. Currently, I'm using them to get a feel of what it's like to wear a wig; practice, one might call it.
Regrets aside, Cosplay Mania was a blast! I can't wait for the UP AME convention on November 8. Maybe then I will be able to cosplay!