Monday, November 17, 2014

Cosplay Feud/Death Match at #AnimeBoston 2014

Here’s a general overview of what a Cosplay Feud/Death Match was. The format of the show was fairly simple. Projected on the screen were images of characters that entered the competition. If I am not mistaken, the characters were randomly picked to duel. Once the selection had been made, a slide of the two combatants was projected onto the screen and the respective characters appeared on stage. Following that, Kaiba, who was the Master of Ceremony (MC), placed his hand over each cosplayer and the one with the most cheers was declared as the victor. Obviously it’s not a real duel and it lasted for about 10 seconds. Once the duel was completed, the loser admitted defeat and was more or less dragged away by the other losers. Then the cycle repeated itself.


Grid of all competing Characters on screen




Image of Cooking Mama character vs her opponent on screen


Sailor Moon vs their opponent with MC

Ok, so now you an idea of what the Cosplay Feud/Death Match was. It helped that there was a comical MC, otherwise it would have not been entertaining. However! There were some interesting moments by the cosplayers and some nice looking costumes.

Princess TuTu & her opponent were to battle, but it turned into a harmonious dance performance. Because of this couple’s dance, the audience demanded they team up for a later battle, which they did.

At some point during the show, Kaiba switched places with Madoka Kaname. Although she took over the responsibilities as an MC, she was not entertaining.

At first, I saw Zelda and there was someone behind her covered in black. When the battle commenced, Zelda switched places with the individual who turned out to be Sheik. By the way, they had some awesome costumes.

I actually enjoy seeing this when it comes to stage performances: a cosplayer being in character. Pictured above is a cosplayer portraying Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV.

Now this was funny. Pictured above on the floor is Samus, who lost the battle. In the back are the losers appearing on stage in gangnam style to carry her away.

There was a sentimental moment at this event. The top two winners were Cooking Mama and Grandma Sophia. Now here’s the kicker. We learned that the cosplayers are “legitimately” the MC’s mother and grandmother. At first, I thought he was joking, but he was being serious. If you look closely, you might notice the heads at the bottom of the photo. It was because people were giving them a standing ovation.

Tough call for the MC in determining who the victor was: Grandma Sophie or Cooking Mama? The MC went back and forth on this one: the screams & cheers were equally dynamic for both. In the end, Grandma Sophie was declared the winner.

Now it was time for battle! Grandma Sophie did some butt kicking with her cane. However, she decided to give Cooking Mama a hug. Then the audience went “Awww.”

Not so fast! As sweet looking as she was, Grandma Sophie pulls a fast one by putting Cooking Mama in a headlock! The unexpected audience blasted into laughter and the show concluded.

© 2014 Linda Thai

Photography by Linda Thai

For more pictures, check out the Something Deeper: Anime, Manga and Comics Page on Facebook

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