The big event of most conventions is the Cosplay Competition, a place where cosplayers can show off their craftsmenship and performance abilities, Nan Desu Kan is no different in this aspect. The showcase of talent here is honestly awe inspiring, but I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

There are some rules that the competitiors need to follow:

Cosplays must be made by the cosplayers themselves, or a minimum percentage of said cosplay
There are differing brackets for competitors, Childrens; Beginners; Intermediate; and Masters, once you win the top prize in the previous category you can move to the next one, or age out of the childrens category
Performances must be within 1 to 2 minuites and utilize as much of the stage as possible, showcasing the characters and cosplays in full
Judging is based upon Craftsmenship, performance and audience appreciation

Team Whatever Cosplay

Two bestfriends sharing their passion of cosplay and performance

THE JUDGES

Winged Light Cosplay

Cosplay Judge and Panelist from Colorado

I'm going to start the meat of this off with just the sheer talent that all of the cosplayers had to offer. There was at no point where I could guess, if the announcer had not stated, what category each of the competitors would be in. The cosplays from the beginners category could easily be in the masters given the opportuinity, thats how close in skill so many of these cosplayers are. I empathize with the judges who have to determine a winner for each category, because as an outsider looking in, it cannot be easy.

The run time for the competition was about 2 hours for the entire event, between close to 40 plus contestants, judging, catwalk and awards. Honestly, it never felt like it took that long, kind of like when watching a movie or getting sucked into a book you love, time just flies by and its over before you know it. Each performance was filled with heart and determination, showcasing just how much time and effort each individual put into their own individual sequence.

The choreography of each contestant was mesmerizing and sucked you in, even if they didn't fill the entire run time. For the cosplays that were culturally based, especially things like Genshin Impact, Avatar the Last Airbender and Demon Slayer, you coule feel the appreciation the cosplayers had for the practices and history behind their performance. If anyone did not know the effort many can put into this craft, I feel like they can empathize with the cosplayers as they performed on the stage.

For the most part, the stage was well lit and large enough that the performers had alot of realestate to work with. Many of the cosplayers used this to their full advantage, dancing, running and gliding acrossed it as if it were a dream. The dedication they had to each step was intense and you could feel it from the audience. Doing these types of competitions are no easy task to complete, and that leads into the awards, where you can see just how the judges and audience felt about each.

I am going to state this now, if you did not recieve an award, do not feel down about it. Everyone did such an amazing job, and there were only so many to go around for each category. Keep it up and you will get there, no matter your experience there is room to grow and soon you may be holding the trophy yourself.