The biggest cosplay event of the year in the Philippines opens with much fanfare as Day 1 of Cosplay Mania ’15 drew in cosplayers and enthusiasts from all over the country last weekend at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia. With a staggering 25,000 attendees last year, Cosplay Mania, organized by cosplay.ph, has consistently been one of the most anticipated conventions of the cosplay community. With an impressive lineup of international cosplayers and performers set to thrill and connect with their Filipino fans, it was definitely an exciting weekend for the community.
arkadymac.com is a media partner for Cosplay Mania ’15, and helping us bring the action from this massive annual spectacle are our Photographer and Cosplay Model Keileen and our Coverage Partner Jillian Rose, who got to enjoy the event s well.
Long lines of attendees have formed early at the entrances, all eager to be the first to experience the many attractions that Cosplay Mania had to offer. Many of them told us they have come from different provinces, even countries, and that they have always looked forward to making this yearly pilgrimage.
Over a hundred booths of all manner of attractions and merchandise welcomed attendees inside, and going through all of them for great merchandise and freebies was already an enjoyable preoccupation by itself. What my brother and I enjoyed most was the huge Magic the Gathering booth, where attendees were invited to play and learn this enjoyable and engrossing game, after which they get to keep the starter deck they used for free. Brymac and I, who started playing Magic in the ’90s, got to enjoy playing a few rounds with their friendly staff and volunteers. They were promoting the new expansion set, Battle for Zendikar, which was released internationally just a few days previous.
We got to talk to Teoh Tse Liang, Associate Brand Manager for Hasbro and Asia and he said that it’s great to be back for the second time at Cosplay Mania to have the Magic booth to share the fun of the game with more people. He said that they are happy that there are many Magic card players in the Philippines, and attributes it to the Filipinos’ proficiency in English. He hopes that even more people get to learn and play this game, and says their exhibition here is the biggest ever in Asia.
All throughout the day, attendees were entertained by the many different games and attractions at the exhibit hall stage, like the Asia Karaoke Nodojiman qualifiers. Open to Filipino singers who enjoy Japanese songs, the contest seeks to showcase local talents in singing, with the winner going on an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan to compete in the championships next year.
Girl group Kawaii 5 was also there to support the program as they were also there to promote the Japanese hit series Amachan on local TV.
The main program took place at the Special Performance Hall, where some of the special guests were being presented. The first to put in a special appearance was the wildly popular cosplay pair from China, Hana and Baozi, who have quite a strong following here in the Philippines. There was lots of cheering from the audience as most fans got to see the pair for the first time ever as they got to answer questions from the hosts and got to say hi to their Filipino admirers.
The next guest to be introduced was Ladybeard. The audience went wild as he came into the stage in her Chun Li cosplay. Ladybeard is an Australian wrestler, heavy metal singer and pop idol who has made waves in Japan where he is currently based. He was overwhelmed by the warm welcome by the Filipino audience as he was interviewed by the hosts and he got to show off some moves to the audience, like his finisher called Women’s Liberation, his version of a spin kick owed to his martial arts background. He hopes that he can get to see more of everyone throughout the weekend at his meet and greet session and at the concert later that day.
Then came time for the Solo Cosplay showdown where individual cosplayers got the chance to show off their best performances in their chosen cosplays in front of a huge audience, with top cosplay celebrities Jesuke, Cat de Jesus and Kaname serving as judges.
One by one the participants took the stage, and they were allotted one minute for their catwalk to impress the judges. Each competed under the different categories, like the Super Junior, Astonishing Agility, Heroic Hybrid and Unstoppable Assault, each depending on the size and composition of their costumes.
After the brilliant individual performances, it came time for the Cosplay Team Battle Competition where determined groups of cosplayers put on amusing and action-filled performances in front of an appreciative crowd and a distinguished panel of judges which included, Jesuke Jes, Jin Joson and Kaname.
After the competition, Japanese singer Aya Ikeda went on stage for a special interview. She was warmly welcomed by the audience, and she reciprocated with a very genki greeting. Aya Ikeda is known for singing a number of memorable anime theme songs like from the Precure series, and that this would be her second appearance at Cosplay Mania since her well-received show last year.
Then came time for the announcement and awarding of the winners for the various cosplay competitions held earlier. They were called to the stage and were handed lots of great prizes from the organizer and sponsors. Also, winners in the different categories in the Solo Showdown will get to return the next day to battle once again at the Cosplay Mania Cup for even bigger prizes.
The awarding ceremony concluded the day’s program, but the excitement wasn’t over as Hall S was readied for the Cosplay Mania JAM Concert. It then started off with Moonspeak warming up the crowd, then with Kaname later joining in for the Japanese vocals of popular Japanese songs.
Next up was Loverin Tamburin. It was their second performance in the Philippines after a great showing at last year’s JAM concert. With their vocalist Aya, the band is known for performing songs for well-known titles Disgaea, Natsuhiro Drops and Oedo Blacksmith. And that night at the SMX, the attendees were dancing, swaying and singing to their songs.
Aya Ikeda got to appear next, opening up her set with songs from Precure, delighting the audience. The talented Japanese singer was well-loved by the crowd and she reciprocated with a powerful performance
If only a handful of people knew him before Cosplay Mania, his performance that night changed everything and it earned him an instant Filipino following. Ladybeard was the last performer for the night, but for roughly an an hour he was a class all his own as this Japan-based Australian wrestler, heavy metal singer and pop idol was rocking the second level of the SMX, the floor literally shaking as fans couldn’t get enough of him.
Not only was he singing, he had an an amazing assortment of skills, He was swinging nunchuks, doing ventriloquism with his puppet, Little Ladybeard, and for his encore did rhythmic gymnastics with a ribbon.
He admits being surprised by the Filipinos’ warm reception and he made sure to make the audience feel very special by having selfies with them, rounding the barricades, shaking hands,
He was genuinely touched by the love he got from the audience, and he thanked them profusely and said that he hopes to perform in front of Filipinos again.
All this for just the first day of Cosplay Mania, with our coverage of the second day still in the works. Visit us again soon for Day 2, as well. We will also be having a separate article for the photos of the cosplayers we got to meet that day, so please watch out for it soon as we are doing our best to finish our features.
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