Cosplay: Kisetsu no Matsuri

I've been to many Japanese-themed events, both minimalist and grand ones, and I always (try to) find something to enjoy. Regardless, the event that I went to today appeared to be of the former than the latter, which is seemingly in contrast to the efforts that have been made to promote the event. On the other hand, I'm not disappointed that I at least went with a few of my friends so that we could have fun together, which makes up for that.

Now, loosely translated, the title of the event means "festival of the season", which means that is directed to celebrate the current season in Japan, which is autumn; this is evidenced by the autumn leaf motifs in things related to the event. Taking this into account, I decided to "celebrate" one of my recent acquisitions - Hoenn Cap Pikachu in my Sun game - so I went as third-generation Ash, which just happens to be one of the best costumes I have, if I do say so myself.

For cosplay competitions, however, things were fairly limited. The street cosplay required active participation in specific social media, and the performances required teams, neither of which I had; thus I had to forego both and only do non-competitive street cosplay. The opportunity was still welcomed. One of my friends, though, did participate in a non-cosplay competition, and I think he did really, really well. It's still a competition that would be slightly out of reach of the things that I like.

The event itself seems to be well-received for its passable design, but perhaps if it weren't windy and sunny hot. That's because the event was held outside in a place known to be hot in the daytime. There were plenty of food and merchandise stands to serve the visitors, though, so this was all right. And for those seeking a respite, a mall was present nearby, which was wonderful. Oh, and those merchandise stands? I spotted quite a few Pokémon merchandise, so I'm content. I got a few and will be sharing them soon.

So, ignoring all the downsides of the event, there were lots of things to enjoy today. That includes being able to include Pokémon cosplay and meeting lots of friends, which are only bigger pluses. In that sense, this event and this day was grand, though by appearance it was minimalist. The fun is definitely anything but.