Unforgettable Cosplay Mania 2013

I have left my heart and mind in SMX Convention Center. Last weekend, October 5-6, 2013, Cosplay Mania 2013 Overdrive was held there. And woah! I just had the most overwhelming event in my experience as a cosplayer. It was so intense that, even after three days, the people, the overpowering feelings, and the exciting memories keep playing on my head. 

Guess who's on the screen, everyone. :D

I attended Day 2 -October 6, 2013. On that wonderful day, I debuted my latest cosplay: Xion of Kingdom Hearts. After almost a year of being Rei Ayanami, I can smile in photos again! Yay! 

A selfie of me as Xion of Kingdom Hearts

This day was all about one thing: Cosplay. Silly me, of course, it is not called Cosplay Mania for nothing! What I mean is, other events have gaming, manga, or toys in their lineups. Well, those things are still present in Cosplay Mania but the main focus was cosplay! 

Kaname and Reika were back, too! I remember last year, Cosplay Mania 2012, when I didn't get the chance to see them. And the only photo I have of them was their backs facing me. LOL! But now, I finally to got to see them up close. What an unforgettable moment for me when Kaname's eyes met mine. *Fangirl scream* I reached out for a handshake and he stretched out his hand too. But alas! The distance were just not enough for our hands to meet. I will write about this in detail in a separate post. For now, I hope someone out there was able to take a picture of that awesome moment in time. 

I'm still lucky, though. Being first in the barricades, I was able to take snapshots of Jesuke, Kaname, and Reika on the judges's mini stage. Thankfully, they posed for us, too. Yay! 

Kaname giving out handshakes to everyone. I love Reika's smile here. :)

Jesuke, Kaname, and Reika

The international guests were awesome! But I didn't forget that the local cosplayers around me were amazing, too! Because of that, I took lots of photos of them. In fact, the whole venue was filled with people that there was not enough space to move around. However, I didn't get irritated with it. Rather, it gave the energetic vibe that made this event a success. 

Pablo Bairan as Batman

Reeve as Roxas of Kingdom Hearts

Johanna Lietz as Nidalee

Shaoron Tan as Naruto

as Xenmas of Kingdome Hearts

Angel Cosplayer as Yui Hirasawa from K-On!

Hitori Shin as Zack from Final Fantasy Crisis Core

Jerome Velarde as Devil Jin from Tekken

Wynona as Cristas from Shingeki no Kyojin

as Sakura from Naruto Shippuden 

as Sakura Kinomoto of Cardcaptor Sakura

as Cray from Flame of Recca

Cosplayer Elle de Luna

My favorite cosplayer of the day is...

...this cosplayer who went as Alphonse Elric. Full Metal Alchemist is my favorite anime and I saw how accurate the armor is. Even the height was what I expected it would be. Lastly, Alphonse's kind and shy personality was successfully delivered by the cosplayer. Kudos! 

What made this event a success? The people who went and the cosplayers who were there! Personally, I'm very happy that my wish came true: for Kaname and Reika to come back to the Philippines! I feel good  that my encounter with them is a lot better than what I had last year, too. And lastly, I got to meet more cosplayers in the local scene. Thanks for giving me coscards, everyone! I just realized that it helps me in finding and tagging you in my photos! 

My Cosplay Mania loot

And oh.. what day is it? Three days later, Kaname's eyes and smile are all I see.