Cosplay: Harusaki no Matsuri - COSMO's 9th Anniversary

Me: Heads up, it's gonna be a busy three days, all of which will be evident in conversation. And it begins with... this one!

Ash: Wow, this should be great!

Pikachu: Pi pika! ["Hey yeah!"]

Goh: An event! A festival, it seems?

Me: That's the gist of it. The title means "early spring festival", so you're on the money. It's also the anniversary celebration of a group of friends I know very well.

Goh: So it's obviously special for you.

Me: And Ash, of course. Today is also very special in another way - or make that two ways - but we'll get to that as the day unfolds.

Goh: So, what did you see there?

Ash: I saw the usual stuff - communities, goodies, and food. But it looked a bit tight.

Goh: Many people? Many booths?

Ash: I think it was both!

Me: Wherever I send you, it's always a squeeze, it seems.

Ash: Oh yeah, I saw lots of characters too... but lots of them were from a really far land.

Me: Sorry about that. It seems like this festival was in a way a validation for them. 

Ash: Your friends even performed a stage play as those characters! I saw a little bit, but just enough.

Me: Yeah, see, there you go.

Goh: They must be incredibly popular, just like how Pokémon is popular... not in this place, but elsewhere.

Me: Goh is absolutely right. Down in my neck of the woods, characters from that faraway land are very popular - but only for a time. Who knows how long it will be before the next set of popular characters.

Goh: I'd love to see Pokémon more popular!

Me: All of us do. That's why I consider it our mission. Now, also as usual, there are competitions. How are or were they?

Ash: There were three: singing, character performance, and character parade. The singers were good, but some were really good, and those were the winners too.

Me: That's always to be expected.

Ash: For the character competitions, I didn't get a chance to see them, but I got to see the list of everyone in them. That was because you had me do something else with a lot of Pokémon for a few hours.

Me: I have to say that we'll handle this later, but it's a good thing this can still happen.

Ash: And then I got to see who won. They were all really good.

Pikachu: Pika pika. ["Very good."]

Goh: Wait a minute! So... you weren't in the competitions?

Me: No, he wasn't. Instead, he was asked to be a "guest performer", to open the festival nonetheless, so he couldn't possibly be in them. I probably should have said this right away, huh.

Goh: Woow! It's just like that Christmas Day event. What song did you sing?

Ash: I sang two songs: "Saikou Everyday" and "Mezase Pokémon Master". The first one was why you sent me with my Sinnoh outfit.

Me: Indeed I did! How did that go?

Ash: I did just great! But the sound person...

Goh: Did that not go too well?

Ash: The first song was a little quiet in the beginning, even after I checked it way before and it was fine. And I think the fast parts were a bit fast for me today. But I kept singing!

Me: That is very good. That is what is expected not just as a guest performer but when you get back to competitions.

Goh: I have to agree with what our friend said. This is the first time for the first song for you both, right?

Me: Right you are. I've always wanted to include this in a performance by Ash, and that finally happened.

Ash: I'm touched. Thank you!! Let's see if we can do the first song again for a future competition.

Goh: By the way, where is this?

Me: You won't believe it - it's at the same place where one year Ash was a judge and another year he first performed with a band.

Ash: Yeah! So you could say I got to do something really special again in this place.

Goh: That's impressive! Anything else I and others should know about?

Ash: The entertainment was good even if it was the usual - bands, dance groups, and so on. I just saw some parts.

Goh: I bet you'd like it if you had been able to collaborate with one of the bands like other times.

Ash: Yeah! I hope that can happen.

Pikachu: Pika, pi pika! ["Yeah, let's hope!"]

Me: Overall, though, what did you think?

Ash: I think your friends really pulled off a good event! I heard they sold out the tickets.

Goh: That's something you rarely hear. That has to be very, very nice.

Ash: And I'd love to sing again!

Me: Why not. You're continuing to prove your worth - and mine. I think it will happen.

Ash: Today was a great day! It was tiring, but it was really good.

Pikachu: Pika chu! ["You bet!"]

Goh: It seems like it was not only a good but bright day with this event - and that Pokémon thing you made Ash do.

Me: I think this day of the "early spring festival" really does scream "early spring" in more ways than one.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 5/21/2022

Two years ago: Anime with Mixed Language Content?

Three years ago: More Virulent Impacts

Four years ago: Respect for Rica Matsumoto

Five years ago: Throwing Poké Balls

Six years ago: Cosplay: East and West