Cosplay Mania has been around for seven years already, and it seems that they are always ready to push the envelope even further.
Since 2008, the event has evolved from being just a simple event made by cosplayers for cosplayers (and cosplay aficionados) to becoming one of the most awaited anime events in the country, and with good reason.
Cosplay Mania slowly gained traction by bringing in the top cosplayers from across the world. Then last year, they started the very first JAM, or Japanese Anime Music concert, where Aya Ikeda and Loverin Tamburin rocked the stage with their blend of music. And now, they are ready to expand even further.
In this edition of The Pre-Show, we will take a look on the country’s biggest Cosplay-centric convention and how will this year’s event could surely become the template for a more bigger and more bolder Cosplay Mania in the years to come. This is your guide to Cosplay Mania ’15.
Overload of Cosplay Guests
Of course, the hallmark of every Cosplay Mania event are the Cosplay guests. KANAME☆ is making his fourth appearance in Cosplay Mania, and joining him in the fray are first-time guests Ying Tze, Baozi & Hana, and Ladybeard.
Ying Tze is a Malaysian cosplayer who has become a frequent guest in events here in the Philippines, but this year will be her very first time to grace Cosplay Mania as a guest. Baozi & Hana, meanwhile, have been adored by their fans through their impressive cosplays of BL pairings.
Ladybeard, an Aussie wrestler, musician and internet sensation based in Japan, will also be flying in for the very first time in Cosplay Mania, together with his group, Ladybaby. They will perform their song and dance routines that has made the Internet explode.
JAM Concert:
Pile’s First Time in Manila
But the biggest highlight of this year’s event is Cosplay Mania JAM, which will be held for the second time. And the star of this year’s concert is Pile, or Eriko Hori, who plays Maki Nikishino in the Love Live! franchise.
Pile is expected to make Love Live! fans scream with glee as her sweet voice and charming charisma will definitely make waves, especially that the Love Live! School Idol Movie will now be shown in Philippine theaters on Wednesday, October 7.
Pile’s performance will happen on the second day of the JAM concert, alongside the returning Loverin Tamburin, who sang the theme from the Disgaea anime series; and Itsuki Akira, a rising star in the Cosplay and J-pop universe in Japan.
On JAM‘s first night, Ladybeard and his troupe will join Loverin Tamburin and Aya Ikeda, also a returning artist from last year. Ikeda, who performed the themes from the Pretty Cure series, will rock again the Cosplay Mania stage with her bubblegum voice that has captivated thousands of her loyal fans.
Moonspeak will lead the JAM concert and, as an added treat, KANAME☆ will also perform with the band.
Bigger Tournaments:
Cosplay Mania Cup and TORCH 2015: All Stars
As always, Cosplay will surely be front and center at Cosplay Mania 15 as four different cosplay competitions will be held promising big prizes and an opportunity to represent the country in Anime Festival Asia 2015.
The Cosplay Solo Showdown and the Cosplay Team Battle will be held on Day 1. The Cosplay Solo Showdown is the individual Cosplay Competition where a maximum of 150 cosplayers will vie for the right to compete with other cosplayers who were chosen to represent in the Cosplay Mania Cup. Five top placers from the different classes (Junior, Agility, Hybrid and Assault classes, plus one wild card winner) will compete for the Cosplay Mania Cup. Meanwhile, the Cosplay Team Battle is a group cosplay competition where a maximum of ten teams will vie for the right to become the ultimate Team champion.
Day 2 is when the big events will happen, as the Cosplay Mania Cup and The Sixth Cosplay Tournament of Champions will be held on that day.
The Cosplay Mania Cup is a new competition where in the winners from the Cosplay Mania Roadshow legs, from NexCon and the Five winners of Cosplay Solo Showdown will compete for the PHP60,000 prize.
And the country’s largest regional cosplay competition, The Cosplay Tournament of Champions: All Stars, where nine cosplayers (eight from the different Cosplay Mania Legs and one Wildcard entry) will fight it out for the right to represent the country in the Asian Regional Cosplay Championships, which will be held at Anime Festival Asia 2015 in Singapore at the end of November.
The Largest Cosplay Mania Yet
From taking over Function Rooms 3, 4 and 5 last year, Cosplay Mania will be occupying all but one of the entire second floor function room areas of the SMX Convention Center, taking over 6,150 square meters of space. And in a departure from previous years’ events, the Special Performance Hall will be located at Function Rooms 2 and 3, while the Exhibition Hall will be located at the sprawling Function Rooms 4 and 5.
The Exhibit hall for this year is a radical change from as it will house more than 200 different exhibitors ranging from cosplay items, fandom merchandise, and food. Official merchandise from the guests and the event will be available at the Cosplay Mania Shop, as do ticketing upgrades for access to the Special Performance Hall where JAM will be held. The whole exhibit hall measures 4,250 square meters, more than double of last year’s exhibition area.
Meanwhile, the Special Performance Hall will be the focal point of the major activities and events at Cosplay Mania 15. With 1,900 square meters of space, the event is surely going to be full of cosplay aficionados and fans who would want to witness cosplay history being made.
Although most of the events are concentrated at the Special Performance Hall, the Exhibit hall will also house different activities as well, including the Philippine qualifiers of the Asia Karaoke Nodojiman 2015 where the winner will represent the country in the Karaoke singing tilt in Japan.
Ticket Pricing and Entrance Guidelines
Tickets for Cosplay Mania range from PHP198 to PHP498. The Bronze ticket, which will enable you to visit the sprawling Exhibit Hall area, is at PHP198, while the Silver Ticket, which allows you entrance to the Special Performance Hall except during JAM, is at PHP298.
The Gold Ticket, which enables you to enter both halls and also join in the fun at the Cosplay Mania JAM concert, costs PHP 498. Bronze ticket holders will shell an additional PHP150 for the Silver ticket upgrade and PHP 350 for the Gold upgrade. Silver ticket holders who would wish to upgrade their tickets to the Gold ones are pegged at PHP250.
Cosplay Mania has released their entrance guidelines for event attendees. Those who bought their tickets in advance of the event will enter the main entrance of the SMX, while those who will buy their tickets on the event itself will have to enter at the entrance area in front of the Shrine of Jesus Church.
Of course, As one of Cosplay Mania 15’s media partners, we will be reporting every single moment of the event to you. Make sure to follow our official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts to see pictures and reports from the event floor.
Cosplay Mania has been the country’s biggest event where cosplayers, cosplay aficionados, and fans converge despite their differences in fandom. This year, Cosplay Mania evolves and takes up a notch in providing their fans and event goers with the biggest guests and loaded surprises.
It will be no surprise, that, maybe in the future, Cosplay Mania could be a start of something big for Philippine fandom.
Cosplay Mania ’15 is set to happen on October 03-04 at Function Rooms 2-5 and Meeting Rooms 2-9 at the SMX Convention Center – Manila at the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City, from 11:00am to 09:00pm.
For more details on the event, please visit their official website at cosplaymania.com or check out their social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. You can also download the Guidebook app on iOS and Android and download the official Cosplay Mania 15 Guidebook.
