COSPLAY@PORT
April 5th 2009 22:58
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
On Sunday March 29th at a little bit before 3 pm the Port Macquarie Library held a Cosplay event and combined book launch which I managed to attend, clearing out various events in an already hectic and jam packed social schedule to do this (well not really). Now for those of you who are not in the know, and this pretty much included me up until a few months ago, Cosplay is where you dress up as your favourite anime or manga character and attend a convention or other similar event in said costume. The term is short for Costume Play and I am not sure if it originated in Japan or the US. Certainly it’s a big phenomena in the Land of the Rising Sun, according to some sources it doesn’t even take a convention or media event for people to do it, kids, teenagers etc roam around in costume on the weekends in Tokyo. Each to their own I suppose, anyhow on this particular overcast Sunday afternoon I sauntered around to the library dressed in my usual black outfit and decided to check things out.
My rationale for being their was not so much to participate in Cosplay but to cast the Lantern’s eternal emerald gaze on the various items that would be on display and available to borrow. After all the library has been a source of material for me down through the last eighteen or so months so when I heard they were staging this event and doing a launch of new gear I was there, nothing was going to stop me…not hail, rain, sleet or gloam of night.
The organisers of this event certainly pulled out all stops to make this a fun afternoon, along with the actual Cosplay competition to see who had the best costume there was a chopstick competition, karaoke (I left before that got started, having managed to gather some useful material and data by that time), lucky door prizes and a few freebies here and there. I managed to get myself a neat bag as well as a comic that is based around Electronic Arts Dead Space computer game and naturally called Dead Space for obvious reasons. I noticed that amongst those who had decided to embrace the whole Cosplay shtick the weighting was heavily towards the hit anime/manga series of Naruto and Death Note. Obviously these are the two better known series that have captured the attention of the young folk, although there was someone portraying the character of Rip Van Winkle from Hellsing Ultimate IV along with some others from Pokemon and other series – but they were in a distinct minority.
All of the Cosplayer’s were young kids which also tied in nicely with the fact that the launch also coincided with the beginning of Youth Week. So there was an element of killing two birds with one stone in organising this event, and a good idea it was. The local newspaper gave the event some coverage, something I wasn’t aware of but then again I don’t bother with the local rag due to its over inflated cost, higher than major national newspapers and more advertising than you can shake a stick at. Over five hundred flyers about the event were distributed hither thither and yon to various schools, businesses and TAFE campuses throughout the area.
Now like I said earlier once the Cosplay fashion parade, the chopstick contest and lucky door prizes had all been decided it was time for the karaoke; that was when I knew it was my signal to depart for my inner sanctum and let the Lantern’s light wash over the items I’d borrowed. And what pray tell where these items, what goodies did I find amongst the various treasures that were on display? Ah well dear readers that is a story for another time, something that you’ll have to wait to read about over the coming weeks as I collect my thoughts and opinions on said relics, artefacts and gee gaws.
And let me once again say kudos to the staff of the Port Macquarie Library for organising such a fab event…
The organisers of this event certainly pulled out all stops to make this a fun afternoon, along with the actual Cosplay competition to see who had the best costume there was a chopstick competition, karaoke (I left before that got started, having managed to gather some useful material and data by that time), lucky door prizes and a few freebies here and there. I managed to get myself a neat bag as well as a comic that is based around Electronic Arts Dead Space computer game and naturally called Dead Space for obvious reasons. I noticed that amongst those who had decided to embrace the whole Cosplay shtick the weighting was heavily towards the hit anime/manga series of Naruto and Death Note. Obviously these are the two better known series that have captured the attention of the young folk, although there was someone portraying the character of Rip Van Winkle from Hellsing Ultimate IV along with some others from Pokemon and other series – but they were in a distinct minority.
Now like I said earlier once the Cosplay fashion parade, the chopstick contest and lucky door prizes had all been decided it was time for the karaoke; that was when I knew it was my signal to depart for my inner sanctum and let the Lantern’s light wash over the items I’d borrowed. And what pray tell where these items, what goodies did I find amongst the various treasures that were on display? Ah well dear readers that is a story for another time, something that you’ll have to wait to read about over the coming weeks as I collect my thoughts and opinions on said relics, artefacts and gee gaws.
And let me once again say kudos to the staff of the Port Macquarie Library for organising such a fab event…
| 22 |
| Vote |
