Expectations were exceeded as Cosplay Mania ’15, the biggest cosplay event of the year in the Philippines, stayed strong on its second day, continuing to draw in cosplayers and enthusiasts from all over the country and beyond last weekend at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia. Almost filling the second level of the SMX to capacity, Cosplay Mania, organized by cosplay.ph, has consistently been one of the most anticipated yearly conventions by 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.
Cosplay Mania is the first event I’ve ever cosplayed in, and this year marked my third anniversary in cosplay, so after quite a while of being hidden away, my ANBU cos got to see action again. I certainly missed the days when I can cover events all day long while in cosplay, so there.
arkadymac.com is a media partner for Cosplay Mania ’15, and helping us bring the action from this massive annual spectacle is our Photographer and Cosplay Model Czyrah, who got to enjoy the sights and sounds of the event as well.
The second day featured even more activities all over the venue. Booths by exhibitors offered great attractions, merchandise, and freebies as well.
The exhibit hall stage had many different exhibitions, attractions and games for attendees. There was a kendama exhibition, as well as cosplay.ph’s trademark games, such as Facepalm the music, which were enjoyed by the crowd. Idol group Sugar 48 also put in a great performance for everyone.
The highlight of the exhibit hall stage was the Asia Karaoke Nodojiman 2015 Grand Prix. Open to Filipino singers who enjoy Japanese songs, the contest sought to showcase local talents in singing. Those who passed the qualifiers from the previous day got to square off to see who among them would have the right to represent the country at the , championships in Japan later this year.
Overwhelming talent came from the contestants as they gave it their all in front of an appreciative audience.
It was a grueling tournament, but one singer truly stood out amongst the talented pool of singers. Maychell Adora won the tournament, ending up with the highest score singing the theme of Kimi no Todoke. She and special prize awardee Jhona Sacramento will be going to Japan all expenses paid to compete in the finals next year.
Throughout the Cosplay Mania weekend, the special guests had meet and greet sessions where they got to connect with their Filipino fans. We got to cover the session for the wildly popular cosplay pair from China, Hana and Baozi, who have quite a strong following here in the Philippines.
Cosplaying as Haruka and Makoto from popular anime series Free!, the pair got to answer questions from the audience, revealing more about the lives of these charismatic cosplayers.
There was an outpouring of admiration and wonder from the attendees as most fans got to see and meet the pair for the first time ever. After the questions, there was an autograph session with the fans and some picture-taking afterwards.
The main program took place at the Special Performance Hall, where some of the special guests were being presented. Loverin Tamburin made an appearance, being their second time to visit the country after a great performance 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.
Itsuki Akira came on stage for a special interview. She is a rising J-pop idol known for her cosplays of Super Sonico and Toujo Nozomi and has since moved on to singing and acting. She was well-received by the audience and she was grateful to everyone for coming and for supporting her.
The Cosplay Mania Cup started not long after, featuring the winners from the different legs of Cosplay Mania Roadshow and other cosplay.ph events, as well as the top placers from the previous day’s Cosplay Solo Showdown. Serving as judges were outstanding international cosplayers Ying Tze, Jesuke, and Kaname.
The competitors showed their best performances for this truly intense contest, impressing both the judges and the audience.
After intense individual performances came TORCH All-Stars, where winning pairs from the various TORCH legs held all over the country went head-to-head for the right to be named this year’s champion. Exceptional teams from previous years were also screened and given the chance to compete for their chance at redemption.
The teams put on spectacular performances, leaving the audience amazed and the judges extending their praise.
Before the awarding ceremony, seasoned cosplayer and crafter Guy Singzon made a special appearance in his award-winning Spawn Samurai Cosplay.
Then came time to announce the winners. For the Cosplay Mania Cup, Rem Roca from Cagayan de Oro was named champion for her spectacular performance as Star Guardian Lux of League of Legends. Second place went to Raymark Reyes as Spiderman while Izabel Cortez took third place with her Ultima Weapon cosplay.
Named as Grand Champion of TORCH All Stars 2015 was Team Ban X Kai, who were emotional as after many challenges and disappointments, they finally got to claim the championship. They won the right to represent the Philippines at AFA Singapore later this year.
After the ceremonies, the hall was prepared for Cosplay Mania JAM, with Loverin Tamburin, Itsuki Akira and Pile performing for the excited attendees. The concert marked the end of Cosplay Mania ’15. It was a truly phenomenal event in magnitude and intensity, with attendees coming in by the thousands. As cosplay.ph have already announced Cosplay Mania ’16 to take place Oct 1-2 next year, we congratulate their staff, partners and volunteers for a job well done and looking forward to more quality events in the future.
With that we conclude our event coverage of Cosplay Mania ’15, but please stay tuned as we will also be having a separate article for the photos of the cosplayers we got to meet that weekend, so please watch out for it soon as we are doing our best to finish our features.
Thank you for dropping by, and do visit us again for more features here at arkadymac.com.
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