AX2000 - Masquerade

...continued from previous page

Masquerade

Although AX Masquerade has developed a reputation for starting late, by using a refinement of AX 99's ticket system and managing to avoid any last minute technical glitches ensured that this year's masquerade would not suffer the same fate as its forebears. Starting at around 8:00pm and capably emceed by Darryl Hwang, this year's masquerade featured a nice variety of costumes and skits. With costumes ranging from such standard fare as SAILOR MOON and TENCHI MUYO to characters from FINAL FANTASY VIII and VAMPIRE SAVIOR, audience members were sure to recognize at least one of the various acts as they paraded across the stage.
The skits exhibited a good deal of imagination also. There were the two Mirage Knights where the goofball of the duo hammed it up for the audience. The FF8 characters were involved in a DATING GAME parody. A group came out as Seele (from EVANGELION) and entertained the audience with their out-of-synch dancing. A group recreated the video game BUST-A-MOVE (BUST-A-GROOVE in the U.S.) on stage. There was even a beauty pageant in which the audience participated by clapping loudest to determine the winner.
With 48 acts to choose between, the three judges certainly had their work cut out for them. Here is a brief rundown of some of the results:

1st Honorable Mention for Craftsmanship: A family cosplaying as characters from LAPUTA won this award for their well-tailored costumes. The judges also made note that it was nice to see a family participating in a cosplay together.

2nd Honorable Mention for Craftsmanship: A CARD CAPTOR SAKURA costume was singled out for its accuracy in capturing the original character.

Best Novice Costume Design: This went to a group dressed up as characters from SLAYERS. The judges noted the group's attention to detail, particularly in the case of the person playing Zelgadiss.

Best Master Costume Design: The previously mentioned Mirage Knights from FIVE STAR STORIES were the recipient of this award. The judges were impressed at how they were able to take common household objects to create the impressive-looking metallic arms.

Best Child Performance Award: Perhaps inevitably destined to go to the cutest cosplayers in the Masquerade, this was awarded to the act composed of Chibi Moon and Queen Serenity.

1st Honorable Mention for Presentation: This award went to a group who entertained the audience with their antics which included the aforementioned DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION routine as well as a reference to Budweiser's popular "Whassuuuuup" commercials.

2nd Honorable Mention for Presentation: The winner of this award must have appealed to the judges' minimalist side as it went to an Akari Kanzaki who crawled out of a cardboard house, saw the audience, and then quickly ran away.

3rd Place for Presentation: The group who danced around in cardboard boxes as Seele won this award for their ability to keep the audience rolling in the aisles while dancing along to "Fly Me to the Moon."

2nd Place for Presentation: A group was honored for their portrayal of a battle between characters from DARKSTALKERS and CASTLEVANIA.

1st Place for Presentation: Won by a group dressed up as Sailor Senshi, this act was well choreographed as they danced to a song from SAILOR MOON.

Best of Show: The family portraying characters from LAPUTA were brought back for a second time when they won this award. Perhaps the anti-Disney nature of their skit appealed to the judges?

The three judges also got to choose their personal favorites:

Judge's Award: A Sharon Apple cosplayer was awarded this prize for her elaborate costume and skit where she was wheeled across the stage as she sang.
Judge's Award: A group reenacted scenes from the movie MONONOKE HIME and threw in some subtle anti-Disney humor to pander to the crowd.
Judge's Award: This award went to a group portraying characters from TENCHI MUYO.

Perhaps the strangest aspect of the entire show was the appreciation shown by the audience for the chairs used onstage. Applause broke out as chairs were paraded around the stage, and boos rained down when they were taken off. Perhaps it was just as well that the year that began in furor over the Y2K computer bug would see an AX Masquerade in which as simple and bug-free an implement as the common chair would get its due.