Drew Tetangco
- Cosplay Mania 2019 was held at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia on September 28 and 29, 2019
- It was an event that got anime enthusiasts, cosplayers, toy collectors, and gamers together for the weekend of fun and entertainment
- Japanese music fans were also treated to a great concert, thanks to the Japanese Anime Music Concert, or JAM Concert the night of the event
Cosplay Mania is an event that initially celebrated the event of cosplay, but it slowly evolved to include a lot of other activities, becoming one of the most anticipated conventions every year. 2019 celebrates the event’s 11th year running, and they did not hold back this year.
I went to the event on Saturday, Day 1, anticipating the events for the night. The event was held in the four halls of SMX; Hall 1 and 2 had all the selling booths and their smaller stage. Hall 3 had the food stalls, as well as the Cosplay Mania merchandise booth, the Meet & Greet areas and the new “Premium Lounge,” which is for exclusive use of VIP ticket holders. Hall 4 had the main stage, where stage appearances of the invited guests and the Japanese Anime Music Concert, or JAM Concert, is to be held.
Gundam Philippines had an area where you can get and build your own Gundam plastic model for free. Good Smile Company, the Japanese company that manufactures collectible action figures, had a huge booth, thanks to Arigatoys, a local toy distributor. For the first time, they had new and exclusive figures for sale, and they had up and coming figures on display, including those that were still in their prototype phase. They also had a “Try and Touch” section, where you can freely touch and play with their action figures.
Animax, as one of the sponsors, had a huge booth advertising the anime that they are showing, including up and coming ones that will be available from their channel, and the Lumica booth brought together fans of both anime music and dancing.
Cosplayers were of course the star of the event, and there were plenty. The most popular anime this season, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer, might have been the most commonly seen cosplay that time.
Evening came, and the JAM Concert started. As per rules and regulations, photographs and video and audio recording during the international artists’ performance is prohibited. The opening act came from the runner-up of Cosplay’s Got Talent, Joannie, who did a great performance with singing songs from Kimetsu no Yaiba and Sword Art Online: Alicization.
The next act was one of the international guests, ASAKA. She was doing her own routine, but she slowly warmed up after seeing the energy that came from her audience. She finished her set by singing “Shiny Days,” the opening song for the anime Yuru Camp.
The final performance came from May’n, another international guest. She sang her famous songs, specially the ones from Macross Frontier and the opening song for the anime Accel World.
After the concert, the Meet & Greet session for both ASAKA and May’n went on their way. ASAKA had her own line, but for you to be able to meet May’n, it was purely through a raffle with the seat numbers in the VIP section. I was one of the lucky ones to be able to get it.
Due as well to the strictness of the policies that are set with Japanese artists, May’n only had an “autograph distribution.” Marshalls checked your tickets to make sure it was included in the winning numbers, and as you enter the booth, you will be greeted by May’n herself as she hands you an autographed picture that they have prepared beforehand. Marshalls and security were present to ensure the safety of everyone and everyone was constantly reminded as well of proper etiquette.
All in all, only being able to attend the first day, it was still a fun experience, and Cosplay.PH is sure to have more in store for next year’s events.
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