Usually on the 2nd day of any convention I’m usually more lazier to take photos. But for some strange reason I happened to have taken more photos than I normally would. I’m not sure why that is the case but I guess it would be the number of quality cosplays compared to previous years. Mind you I was also running off 4 hours of sleep so it was quite a feat. Hit the jump to check out more coverage of Day 2!
As I mentioned in the previous post, you won’t find pictures of the cosplay competition here for the Sunday. There are some basic reason, first one is that the stage is too high for those at the front. I would stand up and take a proper portrait photo, but that would mean being in the way of the people behind me, and I’m not scum enough to do that. Perhaps if I had a media pass I would. Second is that cosplayers don’t stand right at the end of the catwalk hence the chopped look. Thirdly is that most of the best cosplayers don’t even enter the competition.
icie commented that there’s a lot of involvement for the competition such as pre-registration and lining up etc, but my argument is that a lot of people probably find it a little daunting to go up on stage and show off their costumes. Though it does seem strange since they’re fine going around a con in costume having their photos taken every 5 steps they make. Still if you’re a cosplayer do let me know why. As for future conventions, I may not turn up to the cosplay competition since I can spend time resting and/or doing other things.
So onwards to the other cosplay pictures:
Gotta love the Miku cosplayers with my Hachune Miku plushy
It’s a Vocaloid crowd
Some girls dressed in gothic loli wear were taking photos amongst themselves. I managed to sneak a few in. This is another type of photography I’d like to do more of.
PowerPuff Girls Z!!! Except they were missing Buttercup. Icie was also scared that I knew who they were.
So rare to see Touhou cosplayers.
The only Shugo Chara cosplayer I saw throughout the weekend.
Icie wanted them to hold my Hachune Miku.
It’s Miku Miku Fever!
The Shinsengumi from Gintama. A lot more Gintama cosplayers recently which is awesome.
A better Vocaloid group.
Cute girls dressed as cute maids. Well I think they were maids. Does it really matter?
That pretty much covers the cosplayers. I had pretty much outdone myself in terms of the number of photos that I took for both days. Once I get myself a better camera I’m sure it’s going to be pretty consistent and of better quality. So would a gallery work better for most people or do you still prefer that I post everything in a post still?
Just so more random shots that I forgot to post about:
Some dancers I saw outside practicing.
Retrovertigo of StrangeHead scheming away
Some fellow BJD owners relaxing
The Madman Panel
plexy and Futurhythm on the Great Debate
A reader of Moé Moé Rabu who’s giving a helping hand at one of the stores.
Karaoke Finals will always be an awesome event.
On of the curious things I found at Animania this year was the Living Arts Space. I had a chance to talk to Amanda, who is the organiser of this idea and the concept is about bringing a slice of Japanese culture and present it. This year it was about Lolita Fashion and High Tea. In a sense you could say that it’s a form of maid cafe but at a higher level and much more refined. It combines not only cute girls in lolita clothing but also the elegance and atmosphere in hopes to give people a better insight.
I think it’s actually a great idea as this is what a maid cafe should really be like. Not like the one at SMASH. I think I would’ve have enjoyed having high tea with the girls there but seeing how I wasn’t exactly dressed for the occasion I think I’d be more out of place than anything. Living Art Space will most likely return next year, hopefully bigger as well and I look forward to what they will bring.
Lastly but not least is the BJD display table. I couldn’t tell if there were less dolls or an equal amount compared to Saturday but it was still a lot of dolls. But here they are anyway:
And that’s a wrap for Animania Sydney 2009. As an overall convention I wasn’t expecting much, but now that it’s over I have to think about that again. It is the first time I went to Animania at the ATP and from what others have told me it’s a big improvement over it’s first year. The fact that the convention has now moved to larger grounds means that the convention itself is growing in size. Plenty of space to walk around but it’s also a lot of space to fill up given that the warehouses for ATP are still HUGE.
However I do question the ticket price rise just like everyone else. A change in location compared to Town Hall can’t be all that expensive right? I don’t know much about the logistics of running a convention so I can’t really say much on the issue. But I do know that when seeing a price of $35 for single entry on one day, I’d question if it’s really worth me going at all. The other part I don’t understand was the two stages of pre-registering and how the 2nd stage ended costing more for a single day pass than paying at the door.
To me now, I think the quality of good cosplayers was what made a trip to Animania worth it. If it was similar to what it was 2-4 years ago I’d definitely say it was a rip off. For those who wanted to purchase merchandise, well unfortunately this year there weren’t all that many vendors. Oh and for those wondering, no I didn’t buy anything at Animania. Only recently acquiring a job still means I’m low on cash.
At this point I think I’ll wait and see what happens in terms of job, camera equipment and other stuff to see if I want to continue attending Animania. But so far it seems most unlikely that I’ll return to Animania, that is of course unless I’m an invited guest once again.
If you want a copy of any of the photos seen here, send me an email to adun[AT]moemoerabu[DOT]net with the subject “Photo Request” and the name of the photo you want.
Other coverage of Animania Sydney 2009. Keep checking this post as this list gets updated:
ahaha that’s me =D
nice run down on wat happened, most if not all the stuff u said, i agree on, from the cosplays to the ticket pricing.
Great coverage, and gorgeous photos of the high tea ^^
Koharu’s last blog post..New Link Buttons
Can’t believe you missed the cutest little girl cosplaying Amulet Heart! There was also a Su out there.
Great photos little bro!
“However I do question the ticket price rise just like everyone else.”
The door price HAS NOT CHANGED SINCE 2007 and the Weekend pass was CHEAPER than it was in 2008 AND 2007.
AngelThesis: I was quite surprised when you spotted me. Was it the camera that was the give away?
Juanita: Yeah I know, I saw that a friend of mine had taken a picture of Amulet Heart.
Umineko: This is based on what others have told me since I did not attend last year. I had a look and you are correct that the weekend pass is cheaper and the door price is the same. But I think that a change in location would at least put a lower door price into consideration wouldn’t it?
@Umineko - well i was vendoring so prices didnt affect me =)
@Adun - well i guess the camera and facebook =D