Masquerade was dubbed, "Hot in July" by its organizers. We were scheduled as the closing sketch. Fair enough, considering the Chidori Kaname was commissioned and the wig was styled by Kat. Luckily, we were let in early. The line for masquerade snaked through the artist alley hallway. The more people gathered to line up, the more stuffy that hallway was.

This July's masquerade was hosted by Ebi-chan (as Haruhi) and Imari (as Roy Mustang). Imari's Roy fit in well with the theme - Hot in July. Prior to masquerade, the judges were up to last minute hijinks such as "Initial D.Grayman." I'll let Diana and Albert's car explain it.

The masquerade started at around 4PM. Bart Boy opened the show - Full Metal Alchemist style. There were roughly 30 acts, divided by an intermission. The intermission was an encore of the "Candy Mountain" skit from Fanime 2007 masquerade. Tom and I did the closing skit for masquerade in the key of Full Metal Panic. Tom had most of the masquerade on video.

Highlights included an Advent Children dance off. My favorite part is when a wheel chaired bound Rufus started getting his groove on (under the sheets).  The summer style Tortoro won the hearts of the audience. A group of Naruto girls emulated a routine from "Mean Girls" ("Jingle Bell Rock"). Bleach's 10th Division and 5th Division did a little dance, and maybe Hitsugaya got to make a little love. The Akatuski peddlers reminded Tom and I of Merchant from Final Fantasy as they were off to sell of various goods under their coats.

Another favorite highlight was Diana getting down and funky to "Wizard of Oz" by Toybox.

Thanks to Tara, these are the winner's from the "Hot in July" show. Tom and I had to leave early to avoid traffic into San Jose. We didn't get to hear the judges announce the winners. 

Honorable Mention (overall) - Wiimote
Honorable Mention Performance - Akatsuki Peddlers [Naruto]
Honorable Mention Craftsmanship - Hinamori, Hitsugaya, & Matsumoto [Bleach]
Most Original - Haruko & Little Timmy [Original Designs]
Best in Division (Junior) - Kairi from Kingdom Hearts
Best in Division (Novice) - Ex Dee Lollerplay for Naruto: Shippuden
Judge's Award - Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Dance Off (Reno/Rude/Rufus)
Best in Show: Totoro

We apologize if we didn't give our friends a proper send off until the next time we meet, but we want to let our friends know that we enjoyed spending every moment with you all. Thanks for understanding.

Meanwhile, Tom and I went to Borders for more shopping fun and his Jojo's Bizarre Adventure reservation. Take advantage of the Viz "buy three, get one free" offer! To wind down the evening, Tom and I watched Transformers: The Movie (1986).  

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