Epic Heroes

Kosupre or cosplay is a form of pop subculture in which people wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific character from anime, manga, video games, graphic novels and live actions. It is a performance art that started in Japan and continue to grow in different Asian and also western countries. In the Philippines, it started last 2000 as a form of hobby to a bunch of creative kids and now it grow into a kind of culture in which people of all ages can participate.

This October 1 and 2 2011, prepare for the biggest and most exciting cosplay event in the country, Cosplay Mania II. It started last 2008 as a small convention but as years pass by it continue to grow and become more popular. Now on its 4th year, this two day cosplay convention is pack of challenging competitions, creative galleries and cool merchandise.

Prepare to witness cosplayers perform at their best during the project cosplay individual and group competition. This is also the final stage for the Cosplay Tournament of the Champions or Tourch, the nationwide cosplay competition that started last August 2011. This year they also add a new competition exclusive only for kids age 12 and below.Feature also on this event is the popular Costume Building Contest wherein cosplayers will be test on their ingenuity and resourcefulness in costume building within a 5-hour limit. The theme for this year's costume building contest is "Alien Invasion."

This event will also showcase the 10 finest cosplay photos from the Cosplay Snapshot Project and the most creative cosplay video on Costube Contest.

The continue success of Cosplay Mania is brought to you by Cosplay.ph, the largest online community of cosplayers. They're consist of veteran cosplayers and professionals who aim to bring cosplay in the Philippines to its peak and to help Filipino cosplayers to be known across Asia.

The organizers forged and strenghthened its partnership to other Asian countries by bringing in international cosplayers from Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. Watch out for Pinky Lu Xun of Indonesia, she's part of the cosplay team "The Endless Illusion" and has been been cosplaying for 13 years. From Thailand are re-known cosplayers, YukiGodbless and JiakiDarkness, who won the 2nd place at the Thailand leg of the 2009 World Cosplay Summit. For its 2nd time visit is the famous Singaporean cosplayer Clive Lee who is known from his creative mecha (robot) costumes.These three special guests will conduct cosplay workshop to share their knowledge and tips on perfecting this craft.

Truly this event is worth visiting and its always fun to learn and explore new culture and practices. Its a family-oriented event and everyone will surely enjoy it. The continue growth and popularity of this event only shows that cosplay is not just a fad but its a culture that enhance the creativity of the people at the same time help them gain self-confidence by interacting with different people.

*Cosplay Mania II will be at the SMX Convention Center Function Rooms 3 to 5, SM Mall of Asia Complex Pasay City. The event will start at 11am and run up to 9pm for both days. Buy your tickets now at all SM Cinemas or online at www.smtickets.com.For more info check www.cosplaymania.com