However, I did not fully enjoy this year's Cosplay Mania. There are some factors which affected the event itself. I'm hoping that the organizers would learn from what happened, so they would be prepared for next year, which would be the 10th Cosplay Mania.
Day 1
I work on graveyard shift, which ends at six in the morning. I could go to the venue directly from work, but I have to get my stuff first, like the camera, and the armor stuff. I decided to go home and take a short rest before going to the venue, only to find out I had to line up for two long hours before I could even enter the event halls. Worse, was the fact that we bought early bird tickets, thinking we wouldn't have to line up for the ticketing booth, but towards the event halls, we fell on the same line as those who bought tickets on that day.
Day 1 line in a nutshell, starting with lining up outside.
"Finally, we got in the venue. Wait, another line towards the escalator?"
"Finally, we got up the escalator. Wait, another line, with a lot of curves, towards the booth where we can get our wrist bands? Come on!"
The event had a lot of attendees, a lot more attendees from previous events, which led to the event halls being difficult to traverse to. In addition, we're guessing that less space was alloted for the main event.
I also pity the artist alley, which was worse than last year. It's so cramped, like the placing was not properly planned, considering the price increase for the area, according to a friend. The artist alley is where I buy most of my souveniers during conventions, but this setup made it difficult to even look through the items, and pass through.
Moving on, we, the Rice Cult, planned to do shameless advertising, so we could get some more members. Rice Cult, by the way, is a group formed which is dedicated to Koizumi Hanayo. Unfortunately, we can't even execute it properly, because the huge number of people. We were also undermanned, and to add, our volunteer photographer went to watch the JAM concert. The two of us who were left decided to give up on the advertising, and continue it on the next day.
This is the time I was actually able to roam around the hall. A bit of advertising was still present, as we are still wearing out Hanayo jacket, and I still have my rice shield on. I was able to meet and do some catching up with some friends, who I only see once or twice a year.
Some favorite shots from Day 1:
I usually stay until closing time, but for Day 1, I did not, since I have to rest up, as I only have an hour of sleep.
Day 2
I went to the venue at around 2:30 in the afternoon. While on the way, I asked my friends regarding the line, and what they did. Finding out that the line for silver ticket holders is still the same, I decided to upgrade mine to gold, to have a peace of mind, since there is almost no line for gold ticket holders. I'd rather spend, than to wait for a long time again.
This time, we had an increase in roster for Rice Cult shameless advertising, including a cosplayer who did Hanayo. My friend also set up camp inside the hall for easier publicity, while waiting for me, and the owner of the flag that will be used as part of advertising. With everything ready, we marched around the halls despite the huge amount of people and the difficulty to traverse. Other flag bearers of Love Live! characters also joined us, and together we rallied for our love of the franchise.
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| Gun from a soldier of Ruby, Cyaron flag, Maki flag, Honoka/Chika flag, and Rice Cult flag |
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| The best picture that I can find, and not the full roster of Rice Cult who did advertising |
Even though I upgraded my ticket to gold, I did not plan on watching JAM Concert, since I did not really know any of the guests, and what I really wanted to do at Cosplay Mania is to take pictures, meet some friends, and do some shopping, like what I would always do.
Here are some of my favorite shots for Day 2:
(I am going to loli jail for this)
Nothing much to say, but I'd say that Rice Cult shameless advertising is a success for Day 2. I enjoyed Cosplay Mania a lot, because of Day 2. I will definitely look forward to next year's Cosplay Mania.
There are some things that I am considering for future conventions that I will be attending:
I need a photographer, who does not vanish when I need him, and does not play around with stolen shots. Skill in photography would also be a great addition, as some of my friends who used the camera needs directions for the good shots. I would be happy to take photos, but I have the shield with me. This Cosplay Mania, our volunteer photographer vanished. Day 1, he watched JAM Concert. Day 2, he's busy with meet & greet, and he also watched JAM concert, because he upgraded his ticket to gold, and does not want to waste the privilege.
Rice Shield upgrade - I'm considering making a shield, despite easy to keep, will be stable and sturdy when used. With the current shield being used every convention since its creation, it's starting to wear out. I'm also planning to make it wearable to the arm, so I can get hold of the camera when I need to, and do the good shots myself.
Rice armor and battle flag - I wanted to have a wardrobe change, something that would go with my armor. As for the flag, I wanted something that would be easy to carry, and can be attached to my clothes. I'm considering a smaller version of the usual flags that my friends use.
With Cosplay Mania done, I can finally have a rest from conventions. The next wave of conventions that I attend will be on December. My wallet can finally rest, and recharge.
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