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Following an action packed opening day full of cosplayers, comics, heroes & villains, Comic Con returned with a bang yesterday for its second and final day at Liverpool’s Echo Arena.
The event, a meeting ground for Cosplayers, highlights the passion and effort of fans who attempt to recreate their favourite characters. Although MCM’s Comic Con is a convention that showcases the world of comics, it has grown to include much more than that.
Chosen characters span across a wide variety of genres, from gaming characters to anime to popular movie characters. At Comic Con anything goes. It provides the convention with a real, feel good vibe. Unlike other specialist conventions, Comic Con feels inclusive- you don’t need to know a lot about comics you just need to have an appreciation for the world of fantasy, whatever form that might take.
This was evident right from the stalls that provided everything from Japanese treats to retro gaming devices such as the much loved SNES and Sega Mega Drive, right through to the Cosplay masquerade.
The masquerade itself was a spectacular array of costumes, dancing and even a contestant who sung in Japanese but more on that later. The masquerade started with a younger age group of children and adolescents, then continued into the adult category.
It was obvious how much work had gone into each and every performance. From the personalised soundtrack right through to the minute details of a costume. While some preferred a theatrical catwalk style entrance, others opted for a more comical approach with exaggerated dance routines and tricks.
Highlights included No-Face from Spirited Away who threw golden coins into the audience which went down a treat, the ironic thing here is that you should never accept coins from No- Face! Likewise there was a fantastic, playful cosplay of Eliott complete with ET, bike and moon.
However there could only be four winners. At the end of the showcase two runner ups were awarded, alongside a Best Performance and Best Dressed prize. Crowning champions were The Little Prince for their tongue in cheek, catwalk style, Flynn Rider (from the movie Tangled) performance.
Next to receive a runner up prize was Ormia Cosplay for her incredible creation of Snowstorm Sivir from the immensely popular League of Legends. Winning best performance was Madly Scientific Productions who was previously mentioned. Not only was her cosplay of Ranko Kanzaki from Cinderella Girls on point, there was also a full performance sung in Japanese which proved very impressive.
Finally the Day 2 prize of best dressed was awarded to Elise Longden with her stunningly beautiful recreation of Margaery Tyrell’s ‘Purple Wedding’ costume from the cult show Game of Thrones.
Although only four prizes were awarded it is worth noting that not every cosplayer enters into the masquerade for competitive reasons, there is also the option to enter just for fun. It was an incredible showcase that highlights the hard work and passion that goes into the art of cosplay.
With the masquerade finished so was this year’s Comic Con. It was a weekend of fun, excitement and a perfect example of the bringing together of a fan community. If you really can’t wait until next year check out MCM’s website for the tickets and locations of future events.