Joy NgReview: Asia Cosplay Meet Championships
It could only get bigger and better – think elaborate costumes, choreographed stunts and diverse characters set against the dramatic backdrop of downtown Marina. The Asia Cosplay Meet (ACM) championships was part of the DBS Marina Regatta this year with participants from 9 Asian countries such as Korea, Japan and China.
Organized by Cosfest Asia, it was hailed as the largest cosplay competition in Asia with a special guest appearance by Kaname, an ambassador for Anime Festival Asia.
After an hour’s delay due to heavy downpour, the event kicked off with participants performing a short segment of choreographed battles and fight sequences. The judging criteria was split evenly between costume and performance.
Team China opened the show with a quirky historical Japanese theme consisting of the shoji screen backdrop (a Japanese sliding door made from wood and rice paper) and traditional formalwear.
Team Taiwan followed, performing a scene from Saint Seiya with the Athena character having large wings protruding from her back. Fortunately, one of the finalists, Izumi, regained composure after nearly losing her balance due to her inches-high platform shoes.
Local team, the Digimon Frontier cosplayers, simulated a video game fight sequence similar to the Pokemon video game series, where they took turns “selecting an attack” before delivering the blow to the other party. It was accompanied by an 8-bit soundtrack, which endeared to nostalgic fans.
Team Indonesia presented a battle consisting of both swordplay and close-ranged multi-combo attacks and stunts while clad in armor fitted with LED lights, reminiscent of the popular game Metal Gear.
Outperforming Team Indonesia in stunts and diverse weaponry was Team Korea with their bag of tricks from somersaults, cartwheels and even a flip to an intentional fall, combined with chains, katana [a Japanese sword] and a blood-scythe. Furthermore, the sequence had a twist to its ending with the villain capturing the good guys.
Rie, the previous winner of ACM 2013 participated again, making up Team Japan with Mitaka and Edhoff. Together, they reenacted a heartwarming scene from the Neon Genesis Evangelion series with the main character saving his female comrade.
Team Malaysia’s performance was of a bizarre, internal struggle, all happening within a large rotating set that required 4 men to carry it up on stage. Eerie piano and violin music enhanced the chilling performance, which started with the main character Alice tearing out of her straightjacket and ended with a crazy version of her slicing off her enemy’s head. “We were trying to summarize the plot of Alice Madness Returns,” said Fishii, one of the team members.
Team Philippines reenacted the last episode of the Tiger and Bunny anime, from the struggle between two comrades to the comical ending defeating evil. The audience was treated to a frenzied array of splits, jump kicks, and the armored team even utilized a machine gun for dramatic effect.
Rounding up the competition was Team Thailand with a slow-paced fight that showcased the villain’s power to stop time.
Emerging victorious among the teams in the intense competition was Team Philippines, who were awarded a prize cheque of $2,000, courtesy of sponsor DBS Bank. Not a bad sum for the winners, who probably gonna spent on more awesome costumes, props and perhaps a bigger machine gun.
Additional Info:
Performance line-up:
- ShaMo, Diezhu and Reihua from China (Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5)
- Lieh Shen, Izumi and Chou from Taiwan (Saint Seiya)
- Maria Tachi, Kasumi and Christy Bell from Singapore (Digimon Frontier)
- Octavianus Rizky, Lie and Rap from Indonesia (Metal Gear)
- Kyle, Kiule and Pis Amaterase from Korea (Blazblue)
- Rie, Mitaka and Edhoff from Japan (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
- Fishii Loh, Lea and Momiji from Malaysia (Alice Madness Returns)
- Helios, Lychii and Panda from Philippines (Tiger and Bunny)
- Minuet Hisa, Scarleta and Espressolism Vinz from Thailand (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)