Cosplayers showed off their love for anime and manga.It's been a blast as otakus, cosplayers and gamers check out the newest anime, comics and games at Hong Kong's 16th Ani-Com & Games Convention (ACGHK), which ends today.
Hardcore fans started lining up outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre three days before ACGHK opened. Lo Kam-wing was among the group. He says he wanted to buy a PS4 console because it was cheaper at ACGHK. Having just completed his DSE, it's the first time Lo had been able to join the queue so early. "You get cramps sitting for so long, but we take turns for a break," he says.
Also at the front was Edmund Tsoi, who has been the first to enter ACGHK for the past 14 years. "It's like a carnival," he says. "We sit and chat - it's become an annual vacation for me."
The 550 stalls at the convention offer a range of attractions. Like PlayStation, Xbox also have a booth for gamers to try out their newest products. Mobile game Tower of Saviors hold fashion shows with models dressed as the game's characters. Hot Toys showcases Star Wars figures, while ZC World shows off its lifelike Messi figurines. The Hong Kong Society of Illustrators are displaying works by local artists.
Cosplayers attracted attention with their colourful costumes; characters from Attack on Titan and Sword Art Online were especially popular among cosplayers this year. One team at the cosplay competition was from the Philippines. "It's great to participate here," says Yiannis Bien Pimentel, who cosplayed Subject Delta from video game BioShock. "The prize money is more than five times what you get in the Philippines."
Wan Tsz-lung, one of the judges, says more teams cosplayed characters from video games this year. "It's a bigger challenge because it takes more work for the characters to stand out," he says.
Wan also cautioned competitors not to let their bulky costumes affect their performance on stage. Experienced cosplayers Margaro Cheung and Kennis Fung incorporated creative elements such as drums and dance to their act. "Cosplaying is expressing the character as a form of artwork," says Cheung.