The world of anime and manga came alive recently during the HELP Matriculation Centre (HMC) Student Council Cosplay, Comic, Anime and Games Convention (C2AGE) With the objective of educating students about the subculture of cosplay, Anime Comics and Games, C2AGE was a hive of activity with a gathering of more than 70 people of similar interests.

“We want to encourage a holistic approach in our education here at the HMC and we hope through such activities, we can help students to nurture both their creative and critical skills”, said Mr Dhanesh Balakrishnan, Head of the HMC during the launch. “We have a lot of talented students at HELP who are able to draw, sing and perform, and we want to give them to opportunity to use and showcase their talent, and to learn new skills from organizing such events by themselves.”

The idea of organizing the C2AGE convention came from a group of young HMC students. One of them did a project on Anime, Manga, and Cosplay (Costume Play) for her foundation studies. Teri Wong Pei Jin, the bubbly and enthusiastic Vice President of the C2AGE committee said that she has always been interested in Anime since Secondary 3 when she became a fandom writer, and before Secondary 5, she became a Cosplayer.

“It’s a refreshing break from our dull lives, and from studying all the time. I really do enjoy dressing up as a character. Some people like to dress up for various reasons such as getting attention, for fame, or if they admire the character, they also do it as a token of appreciation to the character, or some find it a challenge to see how well they can dress up as their favourite characters,” Teri mused. “A lot of people misinterpret us some think that we are Goths, punks or rebels. That is not true though. Many Malaysians are still not exposed to Japanese comics and manga. In various countries throughout Asia, Cosplaying has become very popular, and Malaysia is already lagging behind some countries such as Thailand where interest in Cosplaying just started recently.”

“Cosplaying requires massive dedication, and it is very expensive looking for the materials for the costumes. One definitely needs the interest and passion for this hobby,” Teri said.

After the opening ceremony, participants were treated to an assortment of booths that were set up for the event. Goods offered ranged from on-the-spot art commissions to doujinshi (fan-made comics) and artbooks.

To top that, various anime and AMVs (anime music videos) were screened during the event. Among the animes screened were Combat Butler Hayate and participants had a hilarious time viewing the AMVs.

The emcees kept the stage active with their sense of humour and interaction, and at around 1.45 p.m., a group of cosplayers performed a short skit. The cosplayers (featuring characters such as L from Death Note and Orochimaru from Naruto) did a great job of entertaining the audience, who laughed at the funny antics of the characters.

The highlight of the event was Cosplay chess. This form of chess is generally chess played using real people (cosplayers) as chess pieces. As the pieces clash, the cosplayers are required to perform a battle scene in accordance to their characters. Two chess players are chosen to move the cosplayers. The main purpose of cosplay chess is not to win the game, but to play in such a way that every cosplayer gets a chance to display their characteristics in battle (which entertains the audience as well). This requires good, if not excellent, maneuvering and planning by the chess players. The play implemented was diamond chess, which utilizes 24 pieces.

As favourite characters were pit against each other, the audience cheered. The game ended with Black’s victory.

All in all, C2AGE was an enlightening and entertaining event that introduced participants to an all new sub-culture that promised a bright future for enthusiasts alike.