rAge Expo (October 4-6, 2013) Will Feature Biggest Cosplay Contest Yet
Beloved comic book, anime, and video game characters will come alive this year at the rAge Expo, a large video game and comics expo in South Africa sponsored by NAG magazine. The contest itself is being planned by LegionInk, a South African organization aiming to support creative individuals of all kinds. Well over 100 contestants are expected this year.
You can catch the show throughout the rAge Expo from October 4th through the 6th at the Coca-Cola Dome, Northgate, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Tickets can be purchased at iTickets or at the door. Day tickets are R70 (7.31 USD), while a full weekend pass can be purchased for R120 (12.54 USD). Kids under six are free.
Cosplayis now an internationally popular hobby. It involves fans carefully constructing elaborate costumes to dress up as their favorite pop culture characters. This process often involves an extensive commitment of time and money. Co-Founder of LegionInk Ray Whitcher explains:
Quality Cosplays take massive amounts of time and dedication and often an equal investment of cash to ensure the best possible results.
- Famous South African cosplayer Yamaki poses as Eren Jager.
LegionInk is pulling out all the stops to encourage new and veteran cosplayers alike to attend. This year’s competition has been restructured to give cosplayers the best experience possible. Each contestant will be judged individually, allowing the judges a chance to have more in-depth conversations about the character being represented and providing a comfortable environment for both extroverted and introverted cosplayers. In addition, a private contestant rest area will be provided throughout the expo.
Whitcher hopes that the rAge expo cosplay contest will help identify South African cosplayers who have what it takes to compete at worldwide cosplay championships. Because of the significant burden of travel expenses, few representatives from South Africa can attend such events, but LegionInk is hoping to be able to raise funds to help the winners of the rAge Expo with these expenses. Whitcher adds:
This doesn’t mean that the rAge event will solely be the national qualifier. We’d still run the normal competition as well, but the country’s top cosplayers would compete separately from the others. The major [urban] centres have several cosplay competitions throughout the year, like Cape Town’s Free Comic Book Day, Jo’burg’s ICON and Durban’s UMICON. These smaller events can actually function as regional qualifiers, with each competition yielding a top three, who would compete at the rAge cosplay event.
To prepare for the competition, Whitcher recommends chatting with South Africa’s top cosplayers, such as Yamaki and KomboKitten, through their professional cosplayer pages. In fact, these two will be joined by Jiraiya at the NAG magazine booth for photos with any rAge attendee.
