East collides with the West as the wild and thrilling synthesis of cosplay, Japanese pop culture and clubbing enthralled revelers at JAPANIGHT, a Cosplay Anime Club presented by OtaCutE Event DAO and EXOSIA Project last July 8, 2023, at Brooklyn Warehouse, Recto, Manila. As a more adventurous venture for cosplay and club enthusiasts, JAPANIGHT was a more mature foray by the community to fill its ever-expanding interests and pursuits. Who wouldn’t admit that clubbing while in cosplay was exponentially fun and liberating?
On the heels of its sensational reception by fans as it was introduced last year in Otasuke! Cosplay Festival July 2022, JAPANIGHT Cosplay & Anime Club was a themed night club event that mainly focused on introducing the wonders of AniKura (Anime Club) and serving as an event for cosplayers, anime lovers, and anime club fans to hang out and party. It brought together the basis and framework to the developing AniKura and local EDM (Electronic Dance Music) industries and introduces the night club life to the community.
Keeping the clubbers on their feet all night long were a terrific lineup of both new and established acts from last year’s event which included last year’s closing act DJ BORI, also debuting new AniKura DJs like SIGLUS. Returning headliners included SEA AniKura Disc Jockey, DJ ZEROBLADE, a disc jockey and music producer, along with content creator NICDROID who had a special audio-visual Experience and 2023 EP launch. Also headlining and performing at the event were cosplayer and disc jockeys SIGRID and KAORI RAMOS.
Special guest FUMIYA was a big hit among the attendees, and delivered an engaging performance that really riled up the crowd.
Delivering a surprise performance was debuting AniKura DJ: MISURU from Japan, who gave a solid and captivating set from the stage.
Returning from a good showing last year, Wotagei Group HIBANA pumped up the crowd with their high-energy light dance performance.
A unique highlight of the event was the OtaCutE Events Dao x Cosplay Token (COT): SEXY KYARA Cosplay Contest where the contestants showed of sexy performances and attendees got a part in voting their favorite cosplayers. Bagging the 5000 Cosplay Token grand prize was Sowon in her Alt Masked Girl Luna cosplay.
Our Correspondent Sab shares her experience at JAPANIGHT: “For a door charge, you get entry and a free beer or cocktail. They began the party with performances by the contestants of their SEXY KYARA Cosplay Contest, where the the 5000 Cosplay Token grand prize was claimed by Sowon in her Alt Masked Girl Luna cosplay. What followed after were playlists by their house and guest DJs and an impromptu performance by Wotagei groups, including Hibana Wotagei. Nicdroid also celebrated his birthday during his DJ set. I met my friends Rexu Lili, XC Enriquez, and Chie Kurosaki. Everyone was too shy to dance at first but by midnight, everyone was raving and having fun.
While not exactly for all audinces, JAPANIGHT: EAST MEETS WEST still got to present just some of the many exciting and diverse possibilities from the passion for anime, cosplay and AniKura, and that the more mature cosplayers can have the opportunity to enjoy themselves and relax through this unique event. While AniKura has just started taking root in the local cosplay and club scene, JAPANIGHT: EAST MEETS WEST showed that it definitely has promise within the fandom.
arkadymac.com has been a media partner for JAPANIGHT. Many thanks to OtaCutE Event DAO and EXOSIA Project for accommodating our team. Congratulations on an exciting event, and we look forward to more such events in the future.
Many thanks to our Correspondent Sabthulhu for bring the highlights of the event to us, as well as our gratitude to our Photographer Mat for his excellent shots for our coverage.
Thank you for dropping by, and do visit us again for more features here at arkadymac.com.
#japanight #otacute #exosia #otasuke #arkadymac
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