Supanova 2008 Report
6 April 2008
So there hasn't really been many updates lately. Sorry about that. I actually forgot about the website for a while.
This weekend was the Supanova convention in Brisbane. Much like Easter it sort of snuck up on everybody this year. This perhaps could explain the lower cosplay numbers.
In brief, it wasn't that different to years previous. As always, places with rare merchandise were ridiculously crowded, while everyone else mostly just twiddled their thumbs. There were a couple of guests; Spike Spencer (Shinji Ikari of English dub Evangelion and Akito Tenkawa of Nadesico) being the most notable of attendees for the anime crowd. There wasn't even elbow room on the convention floor, and the exits outside were like a river of molasses, except that the molasses was made of people. Given the heat (especially in the parts of the line exposed to the sunlight in the morning), it was rather amazing that there wasn't a crowd of fainters.
The atmosphere seemed flatter this year. Normally there's quite a lot of energy and good vibes at Supanova - one of the best reasons for attending - but it has deflated substantially, even if the number of attendees continues to swell. It is difficult to predict why this is so, but I would place bets on the continual convention emphasis on the comic, gaming and sci-fi crowds. Word on the street is that most of the anime fans (probably about 70% of the attendance) walked away a little disappointed.
I could go on about the convention lifecycle and the possible rise of a proper Brisbane Animania, but we all know that what everyone really wants is cosplay pictures. I scoured the convention floor like some sort of angel of death, stealing bits of people's souls with deadly camera flashes. These aren't all of the photos, but they're a selection of the better ones.
 Allen from D.Gray Man. There were actually a couple of D.Gray Man cosplayers running around, surprisingly enough.  Cloud from FFVII AC! Female Cloud. Surprisingly, the cross-players were on the opposite spectrum this year, with more girls dressing up as male characters rather than vice versa.  FFVIII cosplay team. A sharp drop in Final Fantasy cosplayers this year!  The Final Fantasy cosplayer population probably moved on to Kingdom Hearts. There were oodles of Kingdom Hearts cosplayers. That giant guitar apparently took a solid week to make. That's a combination of some serious crafty talent and dedication.  There was an absolute drove of Death Note cosplayers this year, including an actual Death Note. I'm only posting this one, as he was probably best the L by far - even keeping in character. Although if he were REALLY in character, you can bet he wouldn't allow his picture to be taken, as that could be dangerous with all those Kiras running around.  Link! This costume was crazy good. The shield was hand made.  Midna from Twilight Princess! The human version from the end of the game (perhaps she should have walked around with a giant spoiler banner over her head?)  Do you practice Haruhism? There were a couple of Haruhis wandering the floor, but this was probably the best one. A Kyon was also sighted, presumably running very far from the multiple Haruhis.  I originally thought this was from the Tales series, but upon reflection am no longer so sure. Either way, it was a stunningly detailed costume. (Edit: apparently Valkyrie Profile.)  There was the usual crowd of Naruto cosplayers. This guy had the right idea with the Hokage outfit - desert garb in the sun, genius!  A rather unlikely alliance of Naruto cosplayers. Fourth Hokage, Akatsuki and Jiraiya? This feels like a 'three men walk into a bar' joke in the making.  A really stunning Temari cosplay (also from Naturo). In true ninja fashion, nearly took out several pedestrians when opening the fan.  Prince of Tennis, Echizen Ryoma. Surprised that there weren't more of these, given the ease of the costume.  Ropponmatsu! This is sort of obscure when you consider that Excel Saga came out many years ago, but she did an excellent job. Her other Ropponmatsu half was wandering around, but didn't manage to get a picture of her.  From Saishuu Heiki Kanojo, or Ultimate Weapon Girlfriend. The metal wings in this costume were made with fabric.  You can't have a convention without Sailor Moon cosplayers! This was the first time I've seen Sailor Moon accompanied by one of her guardians.  From Wolf's Rain. Shame she couldn't bring some dogs with her to complete the cast.  I almost forgot to include some Star Wars cosplay pictures! There was the usual army of them. Here's Boba Fett. Japan may be infinitely better at anime cosplays, but we still win in teh Star Wars category hands down.  Wonder Woman. Just... why?  Not entirely sure if this group were actually cosplaying. This was maybe just their regular clothes?
Hats... um, masks... um, helmets... off to the crazy cosplayers who love their hobby that much. You make me feel just a tiny bit better about my terribly large collection of paraphernalia.
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