A blog specially for Anime & the occasional...regular...frequent...possibly non-existant rantings of Eneeli. Created & maintained by the Real Anime Freak. All Freaks Allowed.
Alright. Due to too many incomplete drafts piling up I hate emb-ing photos, this list is there just so it'll be easier to refer to previous events which I took my own sweet time over are finally finished.
Note: It'll not be done in chronological order since they're all in varying stages of (in)completion.
**Note: THE CANCELLATIONS ARE CLICKABLE! THEY ARE LINKS! CLICKY-CLICK!
1] S'pore StreetFest 2008 - D'J Party *DONE 03/04!* 2] NOMAD Preview 3] S'pore StreetFest 2008 - Hidama *DONE 06/04!* 4] S'pore StreetFest 2008 - WoW! Band Finals 5] NOMAD Fringe Festival 6] Superheroes Songs @ Esplanade Flipside *DONE 04/04!* 7] Miyuki Red White Animation Song Battle 8] S'pore Toy & Comic Convention *DONE 06/05* 9] NOMAD @ AMKSS 10] Cosfest @ D'Marquee 11] End of O' Levels 12] Prom Night! 13] TPRAWKS 2008 14] Bitch Rant of DOOM 15] First Job Ever 16] Farewell Assembly 17] Anime Festival Asia 2008 18] Project Breakout 2: A Japanesque Christmas 19] SOYA 2009 20] Ongaku Avenue 2009 21] Haute D'Horreur Camp *(PARTIALLY DONE) 22] Licensed to Play event 23] S'pore Streetfest 2009 - D'J Party 24] JCC Camp 25] SPP Camp
We had to do those I Aspire To Be... cards because the school said so. Then the instructions given were contradicting. Not more than 7 words (Preferably a phrase/sentence) and yet the option of explaining the aspiration is offered. Anyway, I finally decided on becoming a Forensic Anthropologist, not to be confused with Forensic Entomology (Sorry Agnes. Got confused myself). For those too lazy to click on the wiki pages, that means I get to cut you up with scalpels, scissors & chainsaws when you die a suspected unnatural death. So take care and don't go off getting yourself killed if you dislike the idea of someone else exploring your dead body. Ok, that sounds wrong (necrophilia!).
Anyway, I was pretty surprised when Agnes picked Forensic Scientist too. She doesn't strike me as the sort who isn't squeamish at blood and gore and decomposing bodies with maggots oozing everywhere. Appearances can be deceiving though. And then there were many job repetitions in class. Let's see...As far as I know...
2 Teachers 3 Manga Artists 2 Forensic Scientists 2 Actresses
Then I helped Joled with his paper, giving him Mad Scientist complete with drawings. Mrs Yeo rejected it. t_t...I still think it's viable. Sanity is overrated anyway.
This is the response to some of my friends' blogs/crazes.
HweeYing has already started planning for future cosplays. So here's a guide to making your own hakama. How To Sew Men's Hakama A hakama, by the way, is a reeeally loose baggy pants which the ancient Japanese wore. Some of them still do so if they're training with the katana or something. The Hakama is so baggy that your pants legs almost meet even though your legs are wide apart. But unlike normal pants, the Hakama is tied with a sash as shown here, leaving two WIDE thigh slits (The most common entrance of molest in Bleach Yaoi fanfiction).
How To Wear A Hakama
Some Presentable Kuchiki Byakuya cosplays. (INCOMPLETE)
Personally, I feel that the main part of Byakuya cosplay is the whole arrogant-like demeanor. Not exactly arrogant, but just that sort of distinctly noble aura kind of thing. Then there is the solemn look without appearing wooden & the piercing gaze..Ok I can't find proper words for his behaviour. Some people do try the cold look, but some of those some end up looking sallow and emo instead. But ye get my point, right?
And Byakuya does cosplay too. Here he is, cosplaying Uchiha Itachi (Naruto)
Hur hur...NC-17? And I thought I was already holding back on the Yaoi Smut uncommonly-discussed topics. We'll see if it jacks up to R when I decide to post my fave Yaoi couples >:D
And finally, a quiz noucturnal muggers can relate to. I had three cups of Heaven & Earth Osmantus Tea before this. Created by OnePlusYou - Online Dating Site
On the 30th of August 2008, I went for the Music Matsuri @ Vivocity. It was even more awesome than the Matsuri-The Butterfly Effect- waaay back in March. Let's recap anyway.
Back in March, I was first exposed to local J-rock bands such as Hellven & ethe'Real. The former of which entered Anugerah Band & the latter who is currently in Channel U's Superband competition and going strong. GO 异世界!!! MORE INFO HERE!!!
The wet weather was a doubled-edged sword for the event. On one hand, it kept people from leaving the shopping mall to go to the sheltered Amphitheatre where the stage is. But then it also prevented those who seeked shelter at said Amphitheatre from leaving. So those not inclined to knowing new things are exposed to these bands while it rained, thus giving them (The Bands & The Audience) greater exposure.
From the Sheltered Amphitheatre
Looking At The Audience Within
Needless to say, the Amphitheatre was full up. But thanks to the Singaporeans' aversion to sitting at the front when facing the unknown, I managed to get a good seat.
There were 3 bands and a solo singer in total. First up...
Cloud Sef
...Pretty Boy Guitarist.
That was the first thing I noticed of Cloud Sef. There is hope for Singapore after all...We DO have pretty boys in our midst. Anyway, their vocalist actually introduced said guitarist like this:
"And this is our guitarist Melvin, WHO IS A GUY." Lolz.
Cloud Sef - Shunkashuutou (Alice Nine Cover)
Online Videos by Veoh.com Then they started off with an Alice Nine cover, Shunkashuutou. Their vocalist was GOOOOOOD. But it didn't really make a good first impression when he kept referring to lyrics for the first song. At least, he sorta apologised later when he frankly admitted that they weren't quite prepared. Which is questionable since he didn't need any lyric help with the subsequent songs
That unwanted first impression was later cleared up by their AWESOME rendition of Haruka Kanata (by Asian Kung Fu Generation). Personally, I think Haruka Kanata is one of the harder songs to cover. There are parts where you have to singshout but not too much of "singing" and "shouting". Not to mention the high energy level must be shown in the singshouting. Although there is one part at 2.41 when the vocalist suddenly ROARED and...Well...I went "WTF" coz it was utterly random. But the little "drag" he did at 2.06 was nice. That is, if nice can be used to describe J-rock.
Cloud Sef - Lost My Music (Aya Hirano Cover)
For this they invited a female vocalist on stage. She started off a little low, then went into "Kawaii Voice" mode. Which was a tad bit much for me at times. But at least she hadn't shrieked or something like that. Note that the female vocalist is attired in matching outfits with the keyboardist. Who looks like he's cosplaying Raito from Death Note. If he's doing Raito...Then she's Misa?! O_O"
Cloud Sef - GO!! (FLOW cover)
Like Haruka Kanata, this is kinda hard to pull off too, since it also requires the singer(s) to be a giant leaping ball of PURE ENERGY active throughout the whole song. Cloud Sef seem a little "sianz" initially (after FOUR STRAIGHT SONGS IN A ROW, WHO WOULDN'T BE?) but quickly picked up the pace and sure enough, they packed some "oomph" into it. You can see the whole band is singing along and enjoying themselves there. =)
From what I heard, Cloud Sef is only a few months old. But they are quite good despite their age. The vocalist chose a rather interesting mike though. It's like the ancient ones from the 1960s.
The very name of Cloud Sef also intrigued me when I heard it coz it reminded me of Final Fantasy's Cloud Strife & Sephiroth which led to a half-thought that there was a Yaoi fan within Cloud Sef's line-up (Y'know, like Cloud X Sephiroth). But that was banished when I realised all but one of the band members was male. Though there is still a slight possibility about a Yaoi fan there....
Either way, Cloud Sef is good. I'm definately gonna watch out for them again.
MERFURY
When the MC introduced them, I kept hearing McFlurry at first.
Which was rather disturbing imagery since we're talking about a J-ROCK band here. But anyway that was ,thankfully , cleared up once the first song started. They covered mostly Dir en Grey songs with a little Gazette on the side.
Yep. Definately J-rock.
MERFURY - Yurameki (Dir en Grey Cover)
Frankly I haven't the faintest idea what song this is. Thanks to some kind Youtube souls who identified the song for me. Anyway, from here you can tell the vocalist had this richly deep voice (I prefer his voice to the original Dir en Grey vocalist's). It's pretty good, even though my cam doesn't exactly show that.
MERFURY - Yokan (Dir en Grey cover)
The next song, Yokan, was pretty good too. There were some Yokan MV cosplayers present, so the vocalist happily pointed them out and asked them to get down from the audience seats and dance! Lolz. Too bad they didn't do so.
MERFURY - Raison D'etre (Dir en Grey Cover)
He tried to invite the Yokan cosplayers to dance again XD. Anyway, he missed out on phrases here and there. Is it just me? Or does the way he keeps holding his chest hints at illness?
MERFURY - The Final (Dir en Grey cover)
I don't know what's with the low-slung guitar-playing stance the guitarists exhibited here. Perhaps it looked cooler with flashing lights and at special camera angles, but it doesn't quite work out here.
I pity & applaud the vocalist for roaring so often to keep to the feel of the song. He manages to sing rather richly while breaking into a roar for every other song. Here, he roared at 1.25 & at 3.05. It's good for the song, bad for his throat.
The vocalist kept with the audience interaction, advertising the band members'ages and marital status at one point
As usual, it was friggin' crowded. It amazes me that despite getting nice large venues, the crowds still overflow every single bloody time. It still irks me time and again that everytime I tried to take a photo, someone nudges/bumps into/blocks me. GRRRRRR.
Anyway, I did manage to take some pretty clear shots of some of the cosplayers there. Yeah, yeah. Missed a whole lot more as usual.
~The Cosplayers~
The ratio of cosplayers to crowd was even smaller than usual. At first that is. I think I missed out on alot of them because of the crowds. All photos were taken by me.
Cloud in a dress was sheer ROFL. I think it was fan-spawned as with all crack ideas.
I think. I hope actually. Coz I can't imagine the Final Fantasy franchise entertaining fangirls by putting Crossdressing Cloud in the game.
The Soi Fong cosplayer was PERFECT. She had that tough look which practically emanated this meanness. It sorta made me a bit hesitant to ask for a photo initially (What if she was TOO MUCH in character?). But when I did, she just nodded mutely and struck a pose even though I might have interrupted her break time.
The pirate, btw, was actually hired by a shop to promote something. He was giving out pamphlets at one point.
~The Competition~
The cosplayers were actually spontaneous and IN CHARACTER. I think the best was Hatsune Miku, she was so genki that she bordered on annoying. I'm not sure if a VOCALOID was suppose to even have a personality to begin with, but if you want judge by looks alone....Then I guess it fits. Typical Japanese Girl character, you see.
Then the guy with the massive wing (from a game, which I don't know) had all but threatened the audience into voting for him. LOL.
Hmm...What else...The afro dude was totally hip! And Kakashi (in spite of a lack of spikes in his hairstyle) remained so Kakashi-like even when the limelight is not on him. He read porn on stage while waiting for the other contestants.
I can't remember everyone, but the one-winged cosplayer was one of the winners. Shows that threats worked pretty well, eh? XD
~The Dolfies~
The dolfies on display had a more Western look, considering their facial features and all. While it's nice to see dolfies with another type of appearence, I still prefer the Asian-looking dolfies. They look more refined somehow.
One example is the very first picture of the black-haired dolfie. His owner had very kindly permitted me a picture. The rest of the dolfies were on display at some booths.
The LEGO Patriotism
It was probably some competition on showing iconic Singapore in the form of LEGO. I was quite impressed considering that many of these works were pretty intricate (buildings and more buildings). But I preferred the orang utan one [1st one in the slideshow]. Guess which Singapore icon it represents? Ah Meng
My favourite LEGO art was this though. It was not a part of the above collection, which was a pity since they just left it sitting in a miscellaneous display shelf of Star Wars merchandise. I just found it kinda cute. It's YODA! (how could anyone not like YODA)
They had this massive graffiti wall out front of the entrances. The graffiti style...Hmm...Psychedelic?
It reminds me of the Beatles. A lot.
This are all the miscellanous random photos I took.
They had famous designers and cartoonists as guests. The range is pretty large, I have to say. The guest cartoonists included people like the Lao Fu Zi creator to modern ones like the creator of Tokidoki. This is a sample of Tokidoki art btw.
Damn cool siah.
What I liked was how down-to-earth the cartoonists were. I mean, they mingled amongst the crowds, signed autographs and did impromptu demostrations. It was cool, their lack-of-airs.
Besides that, there were THOUSANDS of figurines on display. From Star Wars to the Simpsons, it's...Whoa. I wished I spent more time snapping photos of them. It was simply exquiste!
Hopefully the next Singapore Toy & Comic Con would be more organized. And I want to see more cartoonists. And this time, do some research about time beforehand so I can get in onto the fuss. They're cool people who creates cool designs. It'll be a shame not to see them up close. Then they had veternans of the Animation industry give talks as well, but the ignorant me ended up dismissing that in favour of the cosplayeres. T_T
(This is my scrappy Streetfest booklet which got trodden on by accident, hence the shoeprint at the corner)
I arrived there late (as usual) and so, missed out on quite a number of bands.
And then I was running around taking photos and ended up missing a couple more bands. But thus far, these are the ones I've paid attention to.
It wasn't such a good idea to hold a cosplay/music event in such a small area of Suntec City (Where the CONVENTION HALLS could be used instead). To make things worse, the D'J Party clashed with some Canon promotion event. Which resulted in a lose-lose situation for both D'J Party peeps and Canon. The latter gets pissed off by the photography of cosplayers (takes up space) and the rest of us are peeved by them stopping random people to hawk their wares (takes up space). As you can see, this is the crowd AFTER the cosplay competition.
Despite a large no. of people leaving after the cosplay competition, the place was still considerably crowded.
Quis
Quis is relatively new on the scene (3 months old!). Did you know the vocalist was a former child actor? He played the character "Luo Tou" in the 1990s' mandarin drama "Tou Fu Street". In addition to that, he was a finalist in the first generation of Campus Superstar. I was kinda surprised to see him performing in a J-rock band because of all the Mandarin-related work he did.
Anyway, the videos don't do the band justice (Youtube never does). They were certainly much, much better live.
ALONES [by Aqua Timez] (Bleach)
The first cover of ALONES I've heard. These guys are pretty updated loh. At that time, ALONES was the latest Bleach opening theme.
Driver's High [by L'Arc~en~Ciel] (GTO)
Skyler
The vocalist had this uber-strong voice which is easily identified too. However, they seem to have a knack for choosing songs by artists with uniquely different voices (hard to emulate). It's great that they are challenging themselves to cover this kind of songs but they don't always work out though.
Jam [by YUI]
I like Skyler's cover of this. The vocalist's voice doesn't take your attention away from the music (which is actually pleasantly laid-back in a way) but manages to stand out anyhow. =)
YUI has this high-pitched, whiny-ish voice which sets her apart from other J-Pop songstresses, but it tends to grate on my nerves sometimes (That's just me though).
Ooh, I like the flute (Is that a flute?) solo at 2.43. And also the scat thingy she does before that. While it's a little faster than normal, I think it turned quite nicely.
Shiina Ringo (original vocalist) has one of those love-em-or-hate-em voices (with the occasional screeching and all). Just to note.
God Knows...[by Aya Hirano] (Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi)
I think this is a pretty decent cover (I've seen worse ones out there). Though it's kinda clear that the vocalist is quite tense. I'm not used to hearing this song being sung in a lower pitch(?). Aya Hirano has the typical Anime girl voice (a.k.a. High-pitched, squeaky-ish & annoying after prolonged exposure) and she did this song with much aplomb. So "God Knows..." is arguably a difficult song to cover. Kudos to Skyler for trying though.
This very performance led me to discover one of my all-time fave J-Rock songs. I'm partial to this cover since I saw it before the original. But once I got to know about X Japan's one, this cover version was quickly forgotten even though it is the only FEMALE cover version I've seen so far. Because once again, Skyler chose a song which is so closely tied to its original artists that anything else would pale in comparision.
X Japan is practically legendary and their vocalist Toshi had one of the more unique voices in the history of J-Rock. Attempting their songs is a whole new class of "difficult" regardless of whether you're keeping to the original style as much as possible or trying to imbue it with your own style.
Still, I like this cover enough. It's definately one of the better ones.
Although there were many Gothic characters around that day, this lady here caught my attention. She really stood out with her wild white tresses (complete with mask) and slender profile. For some reason she reminded me of Death from the Sandman comics. It's not the physical appearences, but the...mysterious charm they both possess.
Now this is one classy Gothic Lolita. Or should I even classify her as a lolita? She seems so much more mature than the others. The masquerade-like mask added a really nice touch to her poise.
Suzumiya Haruhi (Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi) CHIO!
Lavi (D. Gray Man)
Near (Death Note)
This young cosplayer was unfortunate enough to be the target of a teenage stalker. >_< I'm not kidding here..>_<...Fortunately, said teenage stalker didn't put him off cosplay permanently.
Reborn (Katekyo Hitman Reborn). This guy was with the KHR jumpsuit team. He's perched on Adult!Lambo's head (as seen by the turf of hair there).
Watching the team have fun makes me want to cosplay myself.
This was the third cosplay event I've attended and the second in which I've brought a camera to. Unlike the spendiferous Cosfest 2005 which left a deep impression and a hankering for more cosplay and the slightly disappointing Nikon Cosplay at the WCG 2005 Finals, Coscon 2006 was a mix of both letdowns and surprises. For instance, the cosplayers weren't as numerous as those of the Cosfest 2005 and were a lot more reserved than the vociferous bunch at Cosfest 2005. I felt uneasy whenever I ask to take a picture. It's as though I'm waiting to be punched with a lethal helping of REJECTION. Anyway, these are some of the pictures I took. To whom it may concern, if I'm not supposed to be posting these on a blog, please inform me ASAP.
Gintoki from Gintama during the second round of competition. After-Series-&-In-Retirement Pink Ranger does cosplaying. Dosu from Naruto Inuoe Orihime & Arizawa Tatsuki from Bleach. Roy Mustang [FullMetal Alchemist]. Unfortunately, the selected location was against the sunlight which darkened the picture altogether. "You're all illogical people." - Star Trek lady in the front of the trio.
