Rushing to Sto. Domingo Church yesterday to meet up with a fellow volunteer-turned close friend after a quick lunch with new friends, I found myself asking why on earth I let myself be invited to attend the Cosplay Meet in Intramuros. Oh well, that in itself is justification enough. It's highly unusual to have such an event take place within the historic walled city and it's enough to pique my curiosity.
But then it's raining. Somewhere in the north and in parts of Southern Luzon, typhoon Lando must be unleashing terror, bringing rains to Metro Manila in the process. And on a weekend. Could have been a perfect time to stay at home and read since JM just lent me a copy of the coffee table book Pasig: River of Life and also a dear professor lent me a book authored by Noam Chomsky, that intellectual giant who's famous for his anti-US policies.
 |
| "Hakune Miku" applying makeup on "Light Yagami" |
But oh well, I already said yes to R. And I also would like to see the potential of Intramuros to hold such an event. We all know the place to be historic and maybe, just maybe, the event will be an added boost to make it more attractive to the younger generation. And it's been a loooong time since my last cosplay event and that last time, I exited in less than an hour after entering.
It was raining when we got there. R and I were targeting to leave at around 6PM but the event dragged on until 10PM. I should have known. I badly wanted to go home to read books and I'm worried about getting the coffee table book in bad condition in case it gets wet.
 |
| Magic Knight Rayearth cosplayers |
And there wasn't much food choices around. People get free yakisoba and Mr. Chips and that's it. We had to go to nearby Cioccolata Churros Café at Bayleaf Hotel for some coffee. Not that I am a coffee drinker but I needed the extra energy boost to last me until 10PM. While there we discussed about the usual stuffs--- volunteer projects, government projects, financial problems (yes, this is a recurring issue LOL), and also academic work. I often tell him how frustrated I am that I can't seem to get a decent scholarship that will take care of my expenses so I can focus on my acads and social work/ volunteer work.
 |
| I thought they were going to win... |
 |
| cuties at the event: Fuu was nowhere to be found though :( |
Around 7PM we went back to Baluarte de Dilao. There were band performances and they were really good. I did a recording of some of them. I especially love Zenshin Aru Nomi. Yes they cuss and curse while onstage but in a funny way because there's a problem with the sound system. Nevertheless, they were a joy to watch as they rocked the night with songs from Beck.
 |
| I couldn't resist, pardon my love for cannons! |
Natsuyasumi rocked the night with a favorite song from Hunter X Hunter: Ohayou. Now something that someone from my generation can relate to. LOL Deep inside I was wishing so hard for some band to play Do You Feel Like I Feel, also from HXH.
Observations:
1. The organizers were not able to fully take advantage of Baluarte de Dilao. It was a very good place for open concerts and they should have jumped on that to hold singing contests and/or battle of the bands.
2. Weather forecasts have been very accurate in saying that it will rain almost the whole day. Tents were set up not for the attendees but for the sound system and various booths. Not all attendees are okay with getting wet... and sick later on. And the chairs were all wet so we were all reluctant to sit on them. [In short, organizers failed to consider what attendees need to have an enjoyable time.]
3. Only junk food is served inside. Free Mr. Chips, yet no free drinks. [Maybe I''m a little bit too demanding but normally free drinks are in tandem with free food, right?]
4. The event didn't seem to be marketed enough as I only heard about it a few days ago. There were very few people, and methinks the event is a flop because of the meager attendance. I should be happy with that because it made moving around so much easier but then there were also very few cosplayers. Take note, as Asia Cosplay Meet 2015, this is supposedly a big event.
5. Setting the time fro 2PM to 10PM is not a good idea. We arrived at 3PM and stayed until the end but there was not much going on because of the rain. Methinks four hours would have been sufficient. And I could have gone off around Intramuros and visit my favorite places there.
6. The sound system sucked. It's sad to see such talented bands and singers having had to endure performing with such bad sound system. This got fixed only in the end.
 |
| awarding |
7. One cosplayer stormed out in rage, claiming that the whole cosplay thing is a big joke. I don't know if there is truth to what he says about the winner being close with the organizers but then again, such attitude should not be tolerated in a public event as it definitely puts people in an awkward situation and ruins the night. [It's my first time to witness something like that and I was shocked beyond words.]
8. Questioning the criteria and asking for an explanation on the judging process, which one cosplayer did, is I think the more sensible move. (In relation to #7.)
-------------------------------------------------------
After that, we headed to our favorite bulalohan in Welcome. He paid for my bulalo because he lost in a challenge with me. Yay for free food! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment