ANIME CONVENTION?

Anime conventions are events for fans of anime (Japanese animation) and other related media, such as manga (Japanese comic books) and video games, to gather and share their interests. Common attributes include screening of popular shows, stalls or vendors for selling merchandise, panels, various contests and appearance of special guests. Basically one attends a convention for various reasons but it all boils down to one reason that is to interact and share common interests.

WHAT IS AN

MY cHILD TO DRESS UP?

It is common for attendees to dress up or cosplay at conventions. It is a common practice but not compulsory. A lot of attendees buy or make their own costumes in accordance with their favourite shows, comics or video games. Most people plan ahead if theyre going as a group or a team. If youre child does not feel comfortable taking his/her pictures or does not simply want to, it is best to discourage one from cosplaying as photography and the costuming tend to go hand in hand in conventions. If your child insists on dressing up, dont worry. In situations like this its generally quite harmless. Parents joining in the fun is quiet acceptable.

SHOULD I ALLOw

HOw MUcH wILL IT cOST?

It depends on a lot of factors: The registration fee that is paid beforehand, the entry fee; whether you plan to attend for 2 days, how far you need to travel, etc. The entry fees alone could cost anywhere from 50 - 100. Other things to consider are gas, food, and hotel costs as well as spending money if you or your child wishes to purchase anything like merchandise such as masks, figurines, key chains, books or costumes of your favourite heroes, anime or video game characters from the vendors. Also if one wishes to bring DSLR or equivalent camera there is a certain price to pay.

WHAT EVENTS cAN I EXPEcT?

Anime Conventions have all sorts of events that vary from one convention to another, but there are a few commonalities to expect. Popular attractions are screenings of various anime series and movies, the stalls where vendors sell everything from DVDs and comics to art books and posters, and an artists alley, a space set aside for attendees who are artists to sell their work such as paintings, sketches, sculptures, or other crafts. Most conventions designate a large spaceto house the main events stage. This is where featured events such as opening and closing ceremonies, major contests, and featured performances are held.

SHOULD I AccOMPANY MY cHILD?

It is up to you and depends on your child. It also depends on how old he/she is and how far the convention is being held. If your child is below the age of 13, it is mandatory that you accompany your child. Generally, if your child is above the age of 13 years and is well- behaved and travelling with a group of trusted friends, its probably fine for them to attend the convention without you.

IS MY cHILD SAFE?
Anime cons are generally very safe environments. This year it will take place on the rooftop of Millennium Centre that can only be accessed by those attending or running the convention and all have security personnel. Common sense rules apply: Remind your child there is safety in numbers, not to give out contact information or go anywhere alone with strangers, not to leave their belongings unattended, and most importantly to seek out security personnel or other convention staff if someone is bothering them or making them uncomfortable.

INTERVIEW WITH EMPEROR OF FANTASY REALM 2012

Today we are happy to be able to get an interview with last years Emperor of Fantasy Realm 2012, Lalramnghahmawia. He is an energetic, polite and a friendly young man who patiently took his time to answer all our questions.

PZ: What character did you cosplay in last years cosplay convention and where is it from? A: I cosplayed Sogeking from One Piece.

PZ: One Piece is quite famous and pretty much anyone should know about it, and since you cosplayed Sogeking, how has this series influenced you? Does it hold a special significance? A: The first thing I want to say is that, if you havent watched this series yet, you just HAVE to watch it. I got a huge inspiration from this series and I realise from this series that if you believe and have a firm determination and courage in life, everything is possible. Also, One Piece has a huge significance in my life; I can deeply feel the fun, the adventure, the bond and so much more of the things that I dont even know how to express it out with words. I always watch this movie in times of sorrow because it is really peaceful to me and always give me joy and happiness. PZ: What was the process or how did you put your costumes and props together?

PZ: What made you choose this character? A: I chose this character because he is one of my favourite among all other anime characters - his name, his figure, his attitude, I love everything about him. PZ: Where does your inspiration come from? Do you have any favourite artists or favourite fellow cosplayers? How do they inspire you? A: I do not have much of an inspiration, neither a favourite artist nor a favourite fellow cosplayer....I just love this character and when I heard about the event of 1st Annual Anime Cosplay Con Mizoram, I was really excited and decided quickly that Ill cosplay Sogeking because he is my number one.

A: We collected different kinds of materials which we thought was essential for cosplaying this character, we usually collect the materials from local shops and do the crafting ourselves. I mostly received a lot of assistance from my friends and a huge support from my family as well. PZ: What is your favourite part in putting on a cosplay? A: My favourite part in putting on a cosplay was that the moment when I put on my costume I just felt like a different person, I felt as if something like my brother always stays with me. All the timidness is gone and I gained much more confidence than usual. PZ: How far into the character are you willing to go while in cosplay? At the end of the day, are you YOU or are you your CHARACTER? A: During the cosplay, Im willing to go all out because staying like him was really fun to me so at the end of the day I felt a little like my character than myself because it was what I tried to be the whole day, to think and act like him. PZ: How was your experience? Which part of the program did you enjoy the most? A: I experienced lots and lots of fun. I had particularly enjoyed the performance part especially when you have to do the posing, the funny dances as well.

PZ: How does your family feel about you cosplaying? A: Though they dont know anything about cosplaying, they never criticised me for even once. I received a huge support from them so Im really thankful to them. PZ: How long have you been cosplaying? A: Just once, Sogeking was my first cosplay and I havent cosplayed any other character since then.

PZ: Do you think everything was worth all the hard work you went through, the making of the costumes, the equipments? A: Yes I think it was really worth it, the prize was really good and most importantly, the experience was fun and all those memorable moments nothing could buy it out. PZ: Will we be seeing you in this years cosplay convention? Can you tell us what you are planning to cosplay this year? A: Yes, Im working for my costume right now but I couldnt tell one because its gonna be a surprise. PZ: What are you most excited and look forward to in this years cosplay convention? A: This year, Im really excited because I know this convention is gonna be far bigger than last year and Im looking forward for far more epic cosplays than last year. I believe that can happen if we all work really hard for this convention. PZ: Did you learn anything about yourself from the whole experience? What advice would you give someone thinking of cosplaying this year? A: From my experience, I truly learned the importance and the meaning of the word try. Never give up on anything before you even try. My little advice is that always choose the character that matches you. Choose the character that matches your height, your face, your complexion, your figure and most of all HAVE FUN!

PZ: Is Cosplay a hobby that you could see yourself in doing after 10 years? A: I dont know but I really want it as a hobby because in my opinion, cosplaying is really healthy for our mind. At the time of crafting for our costumes we use and open up our mind most frequently than before which enables us to think wisely and logically than ever before that in turn is helpful in our day to day life as well. PZ: Reverting back into last years convention, you received the 1st prize in the male category, how did u feel about getting the 1st position and the title Emperor of Fantasy Realm 2012? A: Last year, when I prepared myself for cosplaying...Ive never dreamt for even once that I would receive 1st prize. All I was trying was just to have fun and to enjoy the day but at the time of announcement of the results, my number was called out. It was a total shock for me and perhaps Beyond dream come true.

INTERVIEW WITH EMPRESS OF FANTASY REALM 2012

Today we are happy to be able to get an interview with last years Empress of Fantasy Realm 2012, Marilyn.
PZ: What character did you cosplay in last years cosplay convention and where is it from? A: The character I played was Tia Halibel from Bleach. PZ: What made you choose this character? A: I chose her because she is unique and cool, not too feminine and kawaii , she also have a good leadership. This is why I love her and of course her costume is nice. Her skin tone really suits me well too. PZ: Where does your inspiration come from? Do you have any favourite artist or favourite fellow cosplayer? How do they inspire you? A: Umm...I don`t know much about the cosplayers but I like Alodia. She can play almost all the female characters. I can say Im living in a world of fantasy, so I love to bring out fantasy into reality, you know, through cosplay. PZ: Cosplaying really is like living in a fantasy realm right. Bleach is quiet famous and pretty much anyone should know now, and you cosplayed Halibel. How has this series influenced you? Does it hold a special significance? A: This series..umm how will I start??Theres a lot to say, first of all I love action, fighting etc genres. As you can see the series is all about fighting and many villains popped out from somewhere that we dont even know, its interesting, full of fighting and every character in this anime has their own special abilities. Even the names I dont even know what kind of language they use but Im always curious to find out and the writer is so intelligent, I can say just by watching the series. PZ: What was the process or how did you put your costumes and props together? A: I made my costume by myself. I bought the materials I need, I stitched the garment part and I weaved the sandals using a thin rope even the mask too and Ive done a lot of modifications on the hair to make it look alike with my character, it was not her original hair so I have to do things like cutting, setting, everything just to make it look real. It feels great when it came out good but its tiresome but hey, you have to give your time and energy if you want to make your costume look cool. PZ: Thats a lot of hard work no wonder u looked amazing that day. What was your favourite part in putting on a costume? A: You know, how will you feel if people call you by your favourite characters name and look at you??Thats my favourite part. People will see me and say OMG!!Halibel..Halibel

come lets take a picture with her ehh I felt like I was the real one (laughs). And thank you for your compliments. PZ: How was your experience? Which part of the program did you enjoy the most? A: Well I dont know, maybe all of it because Ive never experienced something like this before, everything was new to me and Ive really enjoyed it. I experienced great things which will help me for next years event.

PZ: So you dont plan on quitting anytime soon, I think thats great news for us. Will we be seeing you again in this years cosplay convention? If so can you tell us what you are planning to cosplay this year? A: Yes of course youre going to see me again. Though I cant tell what Im planning to do right now. I want to give you guys a surprise and show new things. Wait for it and come to the convention. Ill be there waiting for you to come with me to another world.

PZ: How does your family feel about you cosplaying? A: They support me and help me a lot. They feel its a good way to dig out our talents. PZ: Thats a great family you got there. How long have you been cosplaying? Why do you cosplay and what is cosplay to you? A: Im a new cosplayer so its only been a year since I started cosplaying. I cosplay because I love being someone cool, cool as my character. As I mentioned before, cosplay brings out fantasy into reality. Its a great thing to do for those who live in the world like mine. PZ: Is cosplaying a hobby that you could see yourself in doing after 10 years? A: (smiles)I dont know, lets see well who knows, maybe I might cosplay an old lady from some anime after 60 years(laughs).

PZ: What are you most excited and looking forward to in this years cosplay convention? A: Ive seen that people are extremely working hard on making their costumes and I know theyre going to bring something new that weve never seen and experienced before. Its going to be so amazing, Im really excited about this and Ill be looking forward to more cosplayers participating this years event.

PZ: And for our last question. Did you learn anything new about yourself from the whole experience? What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of cosplaying this year? A: I didnt even know that I could make such costumes like that!! but I did it. Its all about determination. Try before you give up. Everyone is good at something so make use of it just go and break the wall and show them what youve got.

DOS AND DONT`S

1. Disruptive behavior that disturbs other attendees is not allowed. These include running, screaming, yelling or any other behavior deemed disruptive by the convention staff. 2. Please be kind to your fellow attendees, cosplayers, dealers and conventional staffs. 3. Shoplifting is strictly forbidden. Under no circumstances will it be tolerated and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 4. Once youve entered the convention, you are requested to stay inside. Please refrain yourself from going out. If any chance you went out, you will have to buy another ticket to enter. 5. Drinking liquor is not allowed. Anyone found drunk and being a bother to others will be kicked out of the convention and will not be allowed to re-enter again. 6. Smoking is allowed but only in the smoking area .You can ask for the convention staffs for directions. 7. Bringing food and other edible stuffs inside the convention are not allowed. There will be a food stall where you can buy food and drinks. 8. Fees will be collected for bringing in cameras into the convention. 9. Take care of your belongings. We will not be held responsible for lost , stolen or damaged personal item. 10. Please follow the directions of the convention staffs and the convention security. 11. If you have any problems, questions or concerns, feel free to ask the staffs , we will be more than happy to help you.