COSPLAY POST-EVENT: Swordplay - A Rurouni Kenshin Cosplay Competition - OtakuPlay PH: Anime, Cosplay and Pop Culture Blog

(Article by NCPH Media Blogger Geo Ann Golangco)
Three days from the nationwide showing of Rurouni Kenshin Live Action Movie and everyone couldn't stay in their seats. Fans from all over the region buckled up for UP AME's Swordplay - A Rurouni Kenshin Cosplay Competition! Swords were raised and fights were drawn as everyone counted down for the premiere showing of Rurouni Kenshin Live Action!
Lots of fans and cosplayers alike went home with smiles on their faces. While prizes were given to the winners of the cosplay competition and the fan art drawing contest, there had been a lot of raffle drawing which includes the premiere tickets for the Rurouni Kenshin movie on the same night, movie posters, water bottles, action figures, regular movie tickets and lots of other exciting goodies! The raffle drawing were done in between breaks to fill in the void and they sure had a lot of winners. I myself won a ticket for the regular viewing of Rurouni Kenshin valid between December 5 to 9. Everyone was feeling generous as lots of goodies were given away.
A well known Filipino J-Rock band Yui For President performed for the audiences with notable songs from Sword Art Online and, the much awaited, medley of opening and ending songs from the Rurouni Kenshin anime series. Their performance was phenomenal and it was obvious how they enjoyed the songs they play, joining in with the excitement of the fans. For a video of their performance, come and check this out!

What followed was a battle of the brains, the geeks, and the hardcore fans of Rurouni Kenshin. The game had the same mechanics as the well-known game Pinoy Henyo, however the ones who will be answering for the players will be the audiences for a wider knowledge about the answer. First round had been easy and everyone easily answered yes or no to the player's questions. However, round two and three came and almost none could answer because of the difficult keyword. The players were very amazing as some of them answered it within seconds!

For the last two contestants, Pinoy Henyo turned to Charades. Basically, they would be guessing what the UP AME member was trying to tell them through actions. The last round was quite intense as answers bounced here and there but there was only one person who rose on top, Mei! She won a CherryMobile cellphone and a premiere ticket for Rurouni Kenshin Live Action.

One of the sponsors of the event was Pioneer, and they gave out a lot, and I mean A LOT, of water bottles through the raffle draws. Not only that but they demonstrated a new DJ tool suitable for beginners or traveling DJs called the DDJ-WeGO. It is a light, compact, and durable DJ controller. It's also customizable with the color you wished and desired, as well as change the colors on the controller. It's extremely portable, and all you needed was a laptop and the speakers, and you're good to go! They had their own booths in the back where people could try out the DJ tool and make their own mixes. For more information, please refer to their website.

There was a total ten winning fanarts in the fanart contest and all of them won themselves more premiere tickets for the movie on the same night! It looked like the theatre will be packed with all the winners. Some of the artists of the entries weren't around but they could always avail it later on the booth of UP AME so they could watch the premiere viewing.

There's nothing more exciting than the cosplay competition of these events. There were two categories for cosplay: the Rurouni Kenshin cosplay and the open cosplay. Judgement for both categories are separated, giving a total of six winners.

A special guest was introduced to be a judge for the cosplay competition, and it's none other than Jin Joson, one of the well-known and renowned cosplayers of the Philippines. She was known for her excellent portrayal of Himura Kenshin and she's also a part of the shop Tuxessories. Cosplayers showed off their costumes as well as being the character themselves. It was very awe-inspiring at how others show their skills in their costumes as well as show their love for that character. You could see that they really enjoy what they do and I admire them for that. The winners won premiere movie tickets, CherryMobile phones and a certificate.

All in all, it was a very fun event for fans and non-fans alike. The games were entertaining and the cosplayers were really pro even though some of the parts of their costumes were falling apart. After a long day, everyone returned to their homes with smiles on their faces, and others stayed to watch the premiere showing of Rurouni Kenshin Live Action!