Highlights for Cosplay Mania 2016
Anime, manga, games, movies, TV series, comics… any of these can be a source of inspiration for cosplay (costume play). It takes a lot of time and dedication to become the best. Gathering the country’s best under one roof, Cosplay Mania 2016 showed just how far the Philippines has gone in terms of cosplay.
Guest cosplayers
Guest cosplayers are nothing new to Cosplay Mania. What made Cosplay Mania 2016 different was a gathering of ten of the best cosplayers in the world – yes, TEN – under one roof.
EVERYONE’S FAVORITE. Kaname, a renowned Japanese cosplayer known for his Cloud Strife, is a regular at Cosplay Mania.
SINGAPORE REPRESENT! Both based in Singapore, DD Tenka and Kirisaki wowed the crowd with their costumes, sharing their experience as cosplayers
TAIWANESE TALENT. Ruka Lee and Hiko, both hailing from Taiwan, had everyone jumping not just with their costumes but with their impressive singing.
Day 2 had fans clamoring for the next Cosplay Mania as Kaname, Ruka Lee, Hiko, Kirisaki, DD Tenka, and Yukari Shimotsuki as they showcased their talents and gamely answered questions about cosplaying from fans.
Anisong Artists
Apart from the cosplayers, the day’s events also featured interviews with anisong artists brought in by SOZO, organizers of Southeast Asia’s biggest anime convention: Anime Festival Asia.
LET’S DO THE DOMOBICS! Three members from Tokyo Performance Doll, a J-pop idol group under NHK, got the crowd cheering and moving with their latest single, Domobics. Oh, and they brought Domo-kun with them! From left to right: Nana Takashima, Kaho Hamisaki, and Sakurako Iida.
BACK-ON! The widely popular J-Rock band Back-On really brought the crowd to life. Their music has been featured in anime such as Air Gear, Eyeshield 21, Initial D Legend 2: Racer, Gundam Build Fighters, and Fairy Tail.
Four renowned artists wowed the crowd for two nights: Riho Iida, Starmarie, Kanako Ito, and Back-On. They were joined on stage by three members of NHK-Japan’s Tokyo Performance Doll and the runner-up and champion from this year’s Cosplay Got Talent.
Cosplay Mania Cup
Cosplay Mania 2016 would not be complete without the intense cosplay competitions. Day 1 saw cosplayers giving it their all during the Cosplay Mania Solo Showdown, all for a chance to compete at this year’s Cosplay Mania Cup.
Cosplay Mania Cup is the battle between champions of Cosplay.ph-sanctioned competitions: Cosplay Carnival, Nexcon, Anime and Cosplay Convention, SM Cyberzone Cosplay Craze, and the Cosplay Mania Solo Showdown.
One thing everyone needs to know about cosplay is this: it’s not as simple as wearing a costume and walking down the ramp like a model. It involves performing as the character you’re re-creating, and the participants of Cosplay Mania Cup did not disappoint.
HONORABLE MENTIONS. They weren’t awarded, and it’s not official, but we feel that these two cosplays deserve recognition. Top: Cosplay Mania Solo Showdown Assault class winner Mark Celtic Buenaventura dressed in an armor from Fallout 4. Bottom: NexCon 3 champion Orly Denzon as Araghast the Pillager from Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II.
At the end of the day, however, there can only be 3 winners: Lego Spiderman, Bushido Batman, and Clockwork from Defense of the Ancients (DotA) 2.
LEGO SPIDERMAN. He would later remove the Lego parts, but this seemingly simple costume coupled with all the moves he did took a lot of skill to pull off.
Lego Spiderman came in third, played by Marvin De Luna, the champion of SM Cyberzone Sucat’s Cosplay Craze. The combination of visuals from Lego games, The Lego Movie, and a short but hilarious clip from Captain America: Civil War gave him the nod.
BUSHIDO BATMAN. One of the many forms that the caped crusader has taken, Bushido Batman is the latest of the TIMELESS series from Square Enix.
Bushido Batman, one of the many variations of the caped crusader, came in second. Played by Joren Seldo, SM Cyberzone Southmall’s Cosplay Craze Champion, his intricately-designed armor coupled with a well-choreographed swordfight made him stand out in the eyes of the judges, which included Ruka and Hiko.
CARRIED BY CLOCKWORK. DotA2 is one of the most popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, and Clockwork is one of its heroes.
Clockwork, however, stood out from the field of 17. Jeffrey Miranda, the champion from SM Megacenter Cabanatuan’s Cosplay Craze, went above and beyond the rest of the field with his amazing rendition of the DotA2 champion. Accuracy played a huge part in his armor, coupled with an animatronic sentry ward and game footage playing in the background.
Tournament of Champions 7 (TORCH 7)
The best was saved for last, as Cosplay Mania 2016 was the sight for this year’s Tournament of Champions (TORCH). Featuring cosplay duos from across the country, TORCH is where the best of the best battle it out for bragging rights.
7 teams went at it for this year’s TORCH: Team T.A. Mode from Manila, Team Genesis from Iloilo, Team Ka-po-w from Baguio, Team Matchawaited from Cebu, Team Bankyn Donuts from Davao, Team Eyebrows from Cavite, and Team Pura from General Santos City.
TORCH saw two anime/manga series and four games being represented. These were Naruto, One Punch Man, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Dawn of Mana, and Fire Emblem: The Awakening.
HONORABLE MENTION. Team Matchawaited, who hail from Cebu, did a great job with their fight scene featuring characters from Final Fantasy XIII. They may not have won, but they did leave a mark.
All of the contestants played their parts well. Costumes were all on point, and they left the judges in awe of the quality of their cosplay. One team, however, stood out from the rest and was crowned champion of TORCH: Team Ka-po-w from Baguio.
KA-PO-W. Team Ka-po-w from Baguio claimed the title as this year’s Cosplay TORCH Champion with their portrayal of the fight scene from One Punch Man.
Ka-po-w’s recreation of the final scene from season 1 of One Punch Man was on point. It showed how Saitama, a bald and seemingly ordinary costumed man, went toe-to-toe and beat the alien Lord Boros in a fight to save the world.
Everything about their recreation was spot-on: from the costumes to the acting. They even went above and beyond and had a video that highlighted each punch, power-up, and occasional peek into the thoughts of Saitama.
Indeed, this year’s Cosplay Mania went big in more ways than one. After the activities during the day, each night featured anisong artists that delighted the crowd.
One can only expect bigger things for next year’s Cosplay Mania.
