Top-class cosplayers from eight countries in the region will be competing at the Asia Cosplay Meet Championship this weekend aboard Royal Caribbean's 15-deck Mariner of the Seas cruise ship. <\/p>\n
Back for its second edition, Cosfest Sea: Beyond The Great Horizons will feature US guest cosplayers for the first time, a cosplay parade along the ship's 136m-long Royal Promenade, and a superheroes costume museum for passengers to try on outfits. <\/p>\n
All guests aboard - cosplayers and non-cosplayers alike - are welcome to watch the competitors from Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong and China vie for the top prize. <\/p>\n
The champions from Thailand won $2,000 in cash last year. <\/p>\n
At the championship, teams of three will dress up as characters from any movie, TV series or anime, and perform acts of sword fighting, dancing or singing before a panel of judges. <\/p>\n
It is not all fun and games for the cosplayers, some of whom learn new dance routines or make their costumes from scratch. <\/p>\n
Event co-organiser Stephanie Loh, president of The Singapore Cosplay Club, said: \"Some contestants even undergo martial arts training to play their role.\" <\/p>\n
Ms Loh, 34, who also cosplays as comic book character Wonder Woman and Elsa from the movie Frozen, said tickets for this year's Cosfest Sea sold out last December. <\/p>\n
This is earlier than for last year, a testament to the growing popularity of cosplay here. <\/p>\n
Ms Loh said: \"It takes courage to express what you like in costume, but more people are plucking up the courage to do so. <\/p>\n
\"That's why cosplay is so refreshing to Singaporeans.\" <\/p>\n
Royal Caribbean's corporate communications manager Chin Ying Duan said last year's cruise saw full capacity, exceeding 3,500 passengers, and this year will be the same. <\/p>\n
The ship also has an ice-skating rink, full-sized sports court, DreamWorks Entertainment theatre, six whirlpools, boutiques and cafes. <\/p>\n
The cruise ship will leave Singapore this afternoon and make a stop in Penang before returning on Monday morning. <\/p>\n
Tickets cost $495 a person. <\/p>\n
Co-organiser Takahan Tan, 42, who also cosplays as Batman, is glad about the rising popularity of Cosfest Sea. <\/p>\n
He said: \"We want to make it better each year so the cosplay culture can continue spreading\". <\/p>\n
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All aboard for Cosplay on the high seas, Latest Travel News - The ... - The New Paper<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Top-class cosplayers from eight countries in the region will be competing at the Asia Cosplay Meet Championship this weekend aboard Royal Caribbean's 15-deck Mariner of the Seas cruise ship. Continue reading