Cosplay: DANOBU 4

Today's cosplay event is a good one that has become a mainstay of local events within the time I've cosplayed. It's a local high school event that could be said to have taken root as Japanese and cosplay events became ever more popular. In the past, the school became the host to a Japanese event, though it wasn't the school's own; in a way, the school was "introduced" to the concept, so they held one of their own, and it has taken off ever since. They chose to name it "Daikyuu Koukou no Bunkasai" ("High School Culture Festival" - loosely), which eventually just got shortened to DANOBU, which is the commonly accepted name today.

It also happens that I have some personal memory connections to this event. The first time this event was held, I was having some issues with cosplay, specifically whether I wanted to continue this activity. As it so happens, at that point I had also finished my second Ash costume set; I decided it was worth being used instead of letting it sit. The costume turned out to be well-received, and I made quite a few relationships through the cosplay. I decided then that it was well worth it to continue cosplaying, and the result is that I'm still cosplaying to this day.

Based on the progression of my costumes in the past years this event was held, I chose to cosplay Pokémon Trainer Red. As much as I like keeping things the same, I also like to vary up my costumes from one edition to the next, and I thought this one would provide a slight change of pace. This is one of the few events that I haven't repeated a costume from one edition to the next consecutively, so I'd be delighted if I can keep it that way. But I'm happy to come and cosplay regardless.

Regarding cosplay, street cosplay and cosplay walk were put up as competition offerings. I signed up for the former, though somewhere along the way things got mixed up, which resulted in entrants from both groups performing on stage, including me. This still didn't work in my favor and I ended up getting nothing, but then again so did many of my fellow cosplayers. Perhaps it'll have to be for another occasion.

As for the event, there were a lot of people that came, so it was a bit crowded for a Saturday event, which typically is not as popular as the Sunday counterpart. There was the usual menagerie of food and merchandise stands, which offered plenty of options for both. Community stands were few but satisfactory. In terms of these and the usual entertainment (bands and dance cover), the event was pretty lively.

Not to forget, I met two girls and another friend who brought their 3DS today! I'm always glad to meet people with their 3DS so that we can interact and possibly play. Due to the demands of the event, though, we weren't able to spend much time playing. But then there's always the StreetPass hits, which are important by themselves. Maybe we can play another time.

There were lots of hits and a few misses today, but this event still turned out good. I'll still continue to have good memories of this event with my Pokémon cosplay.