For the first time at the International Game Festival in Cannes, a Cosplay event was held. This contest of manga, video game, and cartoon costumes has been around since the 1990s in France. Originating from Japan, this activity continues to fuel a great deal of passion.
Cardboard guitar, pointed hat, fantasy dress… there was something for everyone at the Cosplay. There were ten individual participants and two groups registered. Each one had to do their best to be the winner. The program included dancing, singing, or character performance. Prizes for the top three were mangas and DVDs.
The first candidate stepped onto the stage and immediately, the audience was electrified. Standing alone in front of 200 manga and video game fans, the performer of “Yuna”, the heroine from FFX, performed a choreography. Cheers, applause, and camera flashes filled the air. Next up were Dagga, Tianhua, Fuu, Yuna, Ikki, Raki, Link Hide, Pata, and others. All these names are famous in this fantasy world. After an hour and forty-five minutes of showtime, the judges withdrew to deliberate.
There were four judges in total: Isabelle Quintallet, Emmanuel Lapierre, David Cheam, and Séverine Ciré. These judges are members of the Tsubasa association, one of only two associations in France that organizes Cosplay. Their goal is to assist festival organizers with animations but above all, to promote Japanese culture.
For now, they had but one task to accomplish: to vote for the Cosplayers according to certain criteria. A score for the costume, a performance score, a score for how well the performance matched the character, not to forget a personal impression score and a general originality score.
Not a minute to waste! While the jury was deliberating, the competitors were invited to pose on the steps of the Cannes Festival Palace. A great way to keep a good memory of the day! At 5:45 PM, the moment for the results arrived! This year, the first place was awarded to two girls: the protagonist of Yuna (FFX2) and that of Dagga (Final Fantasy 9).
Crowned with success, this competition is very likely to return next year to the International Game Festival in Cannes.
