March 5, 2016 was a busy day for Cosplay enthusiasts in Western Visayas. More specifically, on Negros Occidental area. It is the most awaited day because it is the first Visayas Cosplay Summit (Philippines) by WCS (World Cosplay Summit Philippines). People from all across the region went to witness the different costumes featured at this event and even the bystanders in the mall enjoyed the event.
I arrived at SM City – Bacolod around 11 A.M. Thankfully, the event hasn’t started yet. Not a minute passed since I arrived, I already saw different students and teenagers in Cosplay, looking at the bargain items or just chilling while drinking iced coffee. For anyone who is very passionate about Cosplay, anime and/or manga, this is like heaven already. It feels like stepping into the anime world!
I arrived at the event area of the mall and saw several people gathering around, taking pictures with few cosplayers who arrived early at the event. There is only one kiosk selling handcrafted bracelets. I frowned. I was actually expecting different kiosks selling different types of souvenir or anime-related items. It’s understandable, given that this is the first Visayas Cosplay Summit. There’s always room for improvement and I’m pretty sure the next one will be more enjoyable.
Not long after, more and more people and cosplayers arrived. It’s really fun to watch people getting busy with their costumes since there is a Walk-in/Solo contest, Pair/Group category, Gakuen Battle and drawing contest. Gakuen battle, for those who doesn’t know, is where the cosplayers act as their characters as if in a scene from that anime.
Just over 2 hours since I arrived, the place was already full of people. Because this is the first, the participants are not that many and some participants are not that confident yet. If this is going to be a yearly event, I’m pretty sure the Cosplay scene here in Visayas will improve and become more competitive so that we will be able to compete more with other countries.
You may also check pictures from backstage and before the event through the Facebook page of Visayas Cosplay Summit by clicking here. Pictures or video may also be coming to the WCSP Facebook page later.
