Podcasts, Photography, and More
While walking around the convention, I got the chance to meet Modz and William, the lively creators of the anime, manga, and gaming podcast channel, The Group Chat PH. Their quest at Cosplay Carnival was to interview con-goers on their anime thoughts and preferences, most specifically what anime they’d like to reincarnate to. It was fun seeing them so cheerful together with con-goers who were just as resolute in answering.
For example, Modz shared with me that it was surprising how everyone they interviewed had different answers and that no anime was mentioned twice. “[Our] Most memorable encounter this CosCarnival 2023 is when we asked a girl in a Nanakusa Nazuna Bunny cosplay what anime she wants to be isekai-ed, she answered Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE) because she wants to turn into LCL juice. What a mood right? We laughed so hard.
This CosCarnival 2023 was very memorable to us since we were able to meet the guests of our podcasts outside the studio and it was amazing to see the Cosplay community in the Philippines grow. We don’t do any cosplay yet but If we’ll start attending events in cosplay we might try to dress up as public safety devil hunter since it’s kinda basic just like having NPC vibes .”
The Group Chat PH also said that they found inspiration from a well-known anime content creator as well. “It’s definitely Trash Taste! We are a fan of Gigguk way back in college, especially when they released the Trash Taste podcast during the pandemic. Just listening to them talk about anime while in Japan made us feel envious and wanted to try a podcast and to make friends with the same interests as us.”
Since they were going around asking everyone about their isekai choices, I decided to also ask them. According to Modz, he said “the One Piece world because I’m such a die-hard One Piece fan ever since I was a kid” while William said, “My Hero Academia because I just wanna live in a world where there’s quirks/superpowers” Personally, I also have a struggle thinking what my answer is, but I’d probably pick Tensura and live in Tempest because it’s a cool city. Also, another thing they told me is that no one had answered Attack on Titan. (Can you imagine that?)
Moving on, I guess it’s safe to say that almost everyone who takes photos agrees that the convention’s lighting is… a struggle! You are never sure if will turn out too bright or dark, especially with a lot of people and camera flashes around. I’ve seen handheld light sources before, but nothing like what this good sir had. He literally had a lighting set-up on his backpack, and because he was mobile, he could easily provide a light source to cosplayers. For example, he gave red lighting to a Makima (Chainsaw Man) cosplayer and he gave the brightest spotlight to Prince and Awie’s crew. It was amazing.
Speaking of cosplay photography, it may look easy but in truth, a lot of work goes into it. They have to consider their subject, angle, lighting, editing, and so on and so forth. After all, why wouldn’t you want the best high-quality photos for your cosplay and craft, right? A convention like this is the perfect venue to take many colorful and story-rich photos of our favorite characters. Whether it’s a group or solo, casual or professional — you can count on a cosplay photographer to bring your costume plays to life. And for that, a big kudos to many of our talented local cosplay photographers.
The Misadventures of CosCarni 2023
Isekai stories are supposed to be the stuff of dreams – comedic, empowering, and adventurous. The talk of the town, however, is mixed feelings for Cosplay Carnival 2023. To say that it was all fun and smiles would be unjustifiable to those who struggled with the crowd congestion, exhaustion, and the overall atmosphere of the management. It’s understandable to follow orderliness and be patient at social events like these. Yes, going to a convention means hanging out with friends, joining activities, shopping, supporting local artists, and just being in the community– but it’s difficult to do all of that when the inconvenience outweighs the fun, as many have disclosed to us. It’s mixed emotions again because people want a place for their passions yet feel bummed about the struggles that come along with it.
On the brighter side, Cosplay.ph managed to improve, as they announced on Cosplay Mania’s Facebook page. “With the help of our adventuring party consisting of our intrepid and dedicated event staff, we’ve managed to level up. Ticketing was much better and responsive thanks to our partnership with Ticketmax, wait times in lines were reduced by more than half, and theft was kept at a record low.” They also added that with the cooperation of SMX staff, Sponsors, Exhibitors, Fanfair Artists, and All-Star Avenue Stars that they were able to resolve issues. They said that staff came “as early as 8:00 AM on Day 2 in order to prevent people spending too much time in the heat. SMX Management not only allowed people to bring their own water, they also turned on the air conditioning much earlier to accommodate the early entry of con-goers.”
In response to the feedback, Cosplay.ph also addressed them. “We’d also like to thank you, the con-goer, for your patronage and for providing us with the feedback that we needed to formulate creative solutions as well as encouraging us to improve with every level of difficulty… We will resolve to conquer more issues that have spawned including assigning and identifying public rest areas, upgrading the customer service level of our staff and 3rd party security personnel as well as improving the overall convention experience.”
A few days later, the organizers made another Facebook post addressing the public’s growing concerns and complaints. “First of all, we’d like to apologize for the treatment of everyone during the recent Cosplay Carnival 2023. The way that security treated people was inexcusable and as organizers, we take full responsibility for their actions under our watch. We have reached out to some of the aggrieved parties for details and we are currently conducting an investigation to find how this transpired so that it can be prevented in the future.” In line with this, they also announced future changes, including the implementation of designated rest and photo shoot areas for their convention guests. “We’d like to thank everyone for their feedback… We will also be providing an online survey shortly in order to find out how we can continue to improve our events in the future.”
Anime and Cosplay Expo 2023 Coming Soon
One down, three to go. The next event in line this year is the Anime and Cosplay Expo (ACX) with the theme of “Re:born a Chimera” on July 15-16, 2023. In an announcement during the program, the special guest cosplayer was revealed to be Amelia Khor, a well-known anisong cover YouTuber, content creator, game streamer, and cosplayer from Malaysia. No ticket information announcements were made.
The flagship event, Cosplay Mania “Re:Born a Machine,” will be taking place on September 30- October 1, 2023. Meanwhile, the year-end Cosplay Matsuri “Re:Born an Oni” will be held on December 28-31. Visit the Cosplay.ph website for more information.
The carnival may be leaving town but the good times will remain. Despite all things, the anime and cosplay convention was thriving with many talented and inspiring people. I hope that you all stick around for the next one, just enough to find joy in these conventions and your hobbies altogether. Stay happy and creative!
Thank you to Cosplay.ph and to everyone who made Cosplay Carnival 2023 possible. Special thanks to our media team onsite – Ian, Rob, Mikhail, and Marvic – for their contribution with photos and research.
Anime Corner was an official media partner for Cosplay Carnival 2023
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