Cosplay Repair
That awkward moment when bag check takes your scissors and you gotta style your wig and it’s half an hour before masquerade tech rehearsal! Cosplay Repair moved from the tiny third floor office room to the entertainment hall. It was much more spacious than last year. The changing rooms were still there. However, despite the larger space, there was a shortage of supplies. Bobby pins were being rationed. I was able to borrow a pair of scissors. Armed with my Sephora mirror compact, I was able to cut the bangs in less than half an hour’s time. It really helped that main events was right next door and we were on our way to tech rehearsal ready to go.

Masquerade Backstage
For many cosplayers, masquerade can take up the whole day. The backstage experience is pretty unique. Since Anime Expo is the the grandaddy of them all, expect to meet cosplayers from all walks of life and talent. This year, it was the first time Anime Expo adopted tiered judging - Novice, Intermediate, and Master. Because we had won about nine awards prior, we entered in the Intermediate category. Despite the levels, there were amazing costumes all across the board. One cosplayer, Extreme Cosplay, brought his Eva Unit 01 suit to the convention. He had shipped it from Rhode Island. It was nice to meet other New England cosplayers backstage too. What people don't realize is that the backstage experience allows you to meet other cosplayers and make new friends. I talked to a Vanquish and Kamen Rider group - we just talked about how we made our costumes. For many cosplay craftsmen, it also means the sharing of different ideas and shortcuts to make something look awesome. What I liked about this backstage experience is that people were generally kind and supportive to each other.

My only backstage gripe is that we only had limited amount of water. It did not last us until the end of the eveing; contestants were not allowed to leave the green room until the house was cleared after the awards. Even having dixie cups on standby would be nice to make trips to the drinking fountain. Additionally, the halftime performance ate up a huge chunk of rehearsal time that was originally reserved for cosplayers. I also found it interesting that I saw one of the cosplay judges, Alodia, backstage during masquerade performances - shouldn't a judge be with the rest of the judging crew when cosplayers are perfoming? It was distracting to some cosplayers who were waiting to go on stage to perform.

Masquerade Onstage and Awards
Anime Expo wanted to do something different this year. Before each presentation went on, we were given a quick 30 second video that introduced the characters the cosplayers were performing as. For example, for our act, we made a trailer to "Magical Girl Kaleido Ruby" before we went on stage. This gives the audience a point of reference and exposition. The audience can see what the cosplayers are portraying and it can also build hype into the next act. Because of technical issues prior to masquerade, some cosplayers did a quick video interview where they talked about their costume and what inspired them to enter it into Anime Expo masquerade.

The 2013 masquerade promised prizes of grandeur - thousands of dollars for top honors and even one sewing machine company was giving away embroidery machines. The stakes were high. People brought in set pieces and props for this show. A Princess Jellyfish act brought stage flats for their scenrery. A Clover act brought a huge cage. A Street Fighter group brought in a huge vending machine. Set pieces were the thing this year. Highlights included th Eva Unit 01, Street Fighter, Tales of Hearts, Kamen Rider, Tohou Project, Dynasty Warriors, Ash versus the Elite Four, Rose of Versailles among others. There were also some really nice quick walk ons like Belldandy, Gao Gai Gar, Vanquish, and others.

We also performed our Type Moon act. We were portraying characters from the Type Moon universe that were recently featured on the anime sketch comedy show, "Carnival Phantasm." Unbeknownist to us, the character Kaleido Ruby does make an appearance in the new "Fate / Kaleid" which debuted days after our Anime Expo masquerade act. Video is courtesy of American Cosplay Paradise.

Masquerade was given a halftime show from a Battle Royale group - they portrayed Battle Royale if it were set to American tropes. We also had a Kamen Rider group perform. Awards were given out shortly after. In addition to awards, there was a marriage proposal. Masquerade let out at 11PM. By this time, we wanted nothing but water...lots of it!

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