Cosplay Mania 2025 kicked off last weekend, and as always, the event was a gathering for fans from all walks of life to celebrate their love for anime, cosplay, and everything fandom. It was held from October 4 to 6, 2025, at the SMX Convention Hall in Pasay, Philippines.
As one of the biggest and most awaited events in the Philippines, CosMania brought together a lineup of internationally renowned cosplayers, amazing Japanese musicians known in the anime industry, and a convention center full of passionate creatives and enthusiasts. The event also hosted the ultimate go-big-or-go-home singing and cosplay competitions, as well as the amusing Yoshinoya Gyudon-eating contest. Aside from the JAM Concert, the AniSounds and Karaoke Open Mic performances were also among the music highlights, providing hyped-up energies to everyone inside the convention.
Although the set-up of the expo floor may have been different this time around, Cosplay Mania 2025 still delivered a lively celebration, and in true Filipino energy, the convention felt like one big festival.
Discovering Awesomeness at Cosplay Mania
All con-goers have different agendas at these events. Some come to meet friends, join cosplay competitions, see the special guests, or go shopping. From the expo floor, the exhibit and special hall stages, the meet-and-greets, and to the artist alley — the variety of activities is what makes attending a convention exciting, and here at Cosplay Mania, it has all the awesome vibes to make each adventure a memorable one.
The wonderful (and financially threatening) treasure mine of fan artwork and authentic collectibles is one of the most exciting hotspots of the convention. The main expo floor featured a lot of stores that had anime figures, plushies, and other interactive experiences.
Hubbyte had their gacha machines (I wanted to get Gojo, but I got Toji instead), while the Razer x Genshin Impact booth featured a big display of Flins and the Nod-Krai illustration. Mountain Dew had their gaming set-ups, while XP Pen also had their tablets available for anyone to check out. District 1 Cosplay Studio was packed with cosplayers who wanted to bring home a photo souvenir. William and Tina, who helped with our cosplay gallery, also mentioned the delicious coffee from Key Coffee.
The most noticeable highlight of the event is the stage in the exhibition hall, where most of the program and games were held. This year, Cosplay Mania welcomed cosplayers Thames Malerose and Le Josette, as well as Hiroto Kuramasu. There was also the Cosplay Mania Cup and the Cosplay Karaoke Cup at the Special Hall.
Meanwhile, the All-Stars and Fan Fair (artist alley) housed plenty of amazing art that every fan could dream of, from stickers, posters, keycaps, keychains, plushies, to T-shirts. The only catch was that this year, the expo and the artist alley were on both ends of the halls, which brought about a lot of mixed reception. Some said it was detached, while others felt like it was spotlighted — either way, the con-goers had to walk a distance for the full experience.
Guests of Honor and the Japanese Anime Music Concerts
What caused this great divide, you ask? Well, it was the stage to host the special guests! This year, Cosplay Mania welcomed VTubers HOLOSTARS English – ARMIS – including Goldbullet, Jurard T Rexford, Octavio and Crimzon Ruze, Voice Actor Jacob Takanashi, and Stage Actors Kairi Miura, and Kosuke Asuma. Meanwhile, the concert highlights included Octavio, Sangatsu No Phantasia, STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION, TRUE, Unnämed, angela, and Shouta Aoi.
Everyone had their own stage appearance at the Special Hall. The JAM performers were especially excited to share their music with their Filipino audience, and when asked what was their favorite thing about the Philippines, most of them humorously said that it was the delicious food. TRUE specifically mentioned that it was her first time eating at Jollibee, while Jacob Takanashi said that he enjoyed the crackling snacks from the staff. In her concert, Sangatsu No Phantasia shared that she’s already tried Chicken Inasal, Tortang Talong, and Lumpiang Sariwa, and so, the audience (Filipino pride!) cheered for her.
We were able to join Day 1 of the JAM Concert, courtesy of Cosplay.ph, which featured Octavio and Sangatsu No Phantasia. The performances were a blast of energy, and I could not help but be especially mesmerized by Sangatsu No Phantasia’s cute presence onstage. Anime music holds a special place in my heart — that’s why I could not be happier with the fact that STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION and TRUE were performing together on Day 2 of the JAM Concert. The performances of “Daisy” from Beyond the Boundary and “Sincerely” from Violet Evergarden were both so lovely, electrifying, and hands down, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Filipino fans, including myself, were able to enjoy a fun night of being in the presence of these awesome anime-singers. Nothing beats experiencing their music live, after all. In addition, Anime Corner also had the exclusive opportunity to meet and interview with angela and Shouta Aoi, so make sure to check it out!
Cosplay Mania 2025 – The Imperfect Memories We Make
Back in 2023, I wrote that Cosplay Mania 2023 was another convention to remember, with its unique set of highlights and memories. You see, joining this three-day convention is an amusing mix of exhaustion, fulfillment, frustration, and enjoyment. There were good moments, and then there were some.
As much as I want to be happy for the community — that includes the arts, cosplay, prop crafting, photographers, fans, and the industry — coming together for the biggest convention of the year, I also can’t help but share everyone’s sentiment that the event took a step backwards this year. There were a lot of messy moments caused by the division of the expo and artist halls, which became undeniably bad on Day 3 when con-goers and lines were rerouted to hallways, eventually spilling onto the sidewalks outside the SMX. The artist alley doors were also closed early, leaving a lot of last-minute shoppers frustrated. The chain of events inconvenienced a lot of people.
Despite all of that, it still remains true that Cosplay Mania 2025 brought about some awesome memories. Like the feat of bringing its guest lineups, pulling off a solo hall full of artists, electrifying musical performances, and so on and so forth. It’s still a weekend spent with our favorite fandoms and people. Overall, Filipinos are resilient, positive, and fun people, so even if this may not be the picture-perfect event that we hoped for (wabi-sabi), it at least comes with a few funny tidbits and some new “That Time We -” stories to tell.
Before I end this article, I want to share how I had the honor of touring around friends and professionals who called Cosplay Mania 2025 their first convention. I introduced them to the creators and friends I’ve made through the years, and it felt nostalgic and surreal to be the one telling them about the community and culture. Five years ago, that was me in their position!
Since then, I’ve met many different people with whom I’ve shared memories and learned things from. Now, I feel very fulfilled to be where I am, and I can only imagine how happy it must feel for Cosplay.ph to be celebrating 25 years of this. Every Filipino cosplayer, artist, and creative, and even the generations its passed — this celebration is possible because of the passionate people behind the community through the years.
That said, I hope everyone will always stay creative, passionate, and that all your anime, manga, or cosplay wishes will be fulfilled by the end of 2025. Make sure to check out our cosplay gallery article, as well. See you around!
And that’s a wrap on our Cosplay Mania 2025 coverage! Thank you to Cosplay.ph and to everyone who made this event possible (and a big thanks for the JAM Concert invitation!). For more information, visit the Cosplay Mania Facebook page.
Photography: Ate Tina Co and William Mescallado
Special Thanks: Kuya Ian Carlo
Disclaimer: Anime Corner is a media partner for Cosplay Mania 2025.
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