Under a blazing sun today (we hates the Sun, we hates it forever!), the 11th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival Anime Costume Contest went off without a hitch today in Civic Center.
You’ve seen 2008’s, here’s this year’s:
An unbelievable number of shutterbugs were there. Photographer dude from the AP didn’t know what to do with himself upon witnessing this scrum – one thing he knew for sure was that he wasn’t going to line up with the paparazzi. Click to expand:
There was a backdrop set up, so I imagine there’ll be a lot of images looking like these floating around soon:
Haru Yoshioka and Baron Humbert von Gikkingen from The Cat Returns (猫の恩返し, Neko no Ongaeshi, lit. The Cat’s Repayment.) These two spent the past four months making the get ups:
For the 8-bit-obsessed Boing Boing demographic, a larger-than-life Game Boy (ゲームボーイ, Gēmu Bōi). Has it really been two decades since this thing debuted?
Edged weapons were the order of the day…
but stick fighting adherents were not uncommon.
Of course the Raccoon Police used more modern implements to keep matters under control:
Hello Kitty’s foil Badzt Maru managed to make plenty of friends…
…as did Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon:
All right:
Some posed individually…
…and others took the time to set up ensembles:
Did the judges award extra points for this plush victim in the upper mouth? We can only hope:
Gratutitous “fake lesbians in ill-fitting anime costumes” kissing for cameras? Affirmative. CBS 5 Eye on Blogs won’t be surprised.
Good puppy, bad puppy:
And bubbles. Everybody loves Bubbles.
See you next year!
A stab at the winners:
1st -
Lilleah & Gemily West – Midna & Wolf Link
2nd -
Katy Lauters – Teto (Nausicaa)
Beau Williams – Baron (Cat Returns)
? (sorry, forgot name) – Heartless
3rd -
Lauren Andraus – Talim (Soul Caliber)
Tiffany Kum – Seung Mina (Soul Caliber)
Stephanie Scholl – Valentine (Guilty Gear Overture)
Kristie Metz – Almira (OZ – The Sword of Etheria)
Lorraine Yee – Suu
4th -
Sigrid Williams – Haru (Cat Returns)
Stephanie Tran – Taokaka
Monique Brossard – Bankai Hitsugaia (Bleach)
Sharon Peng & Kei Luong – Kagene Rui/Kagene Ren (Vocaloids)
Becca Parker – (Kuroshitsuji (Ciel Phantom Hive)
Laura Chin – Deathscythe – Gundam Girl (Gundam Wing)
Christine Tsin & friends – Silfer the Sky Dragon (Yugioh)
Charie Monterola – Deijiko (DiGi Charat)
Natasha Hrepcshak – Hyuuga (Neo Angelique)
Katherine Hrepcshak – Angelique (Neo Angelique)
Laura Eldon – ?
2009 Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco
It’s coming up yet again! The Cherry Blossom Festival at San Francisco’s Japantownis an event over two weekends. On the last day of the festival, there is a grand parade. Japan Video sponsors a costume contest for the parade that has become more and more popular over the years. As a result, the contest is limited to 100 people. However, the number of people able to join the parade is unlimited!
Here’s the flier:
2009 Cherry Blossom Festival
11th Annual Anime Costume Parade
To accommodate more applicants and to better serve you, we are offering two levels of participation; please choose one.
Costume Contest & Parade (limited to first 100 persons)
You can participate in both the anime costume contest and the parade.
Date: Sunday, April 19, 2009
Time: 10:00am – Check In
10:30am – Costume Contest begins
1:00 pm – Parade starts
Place: In front of City Hall
Costume Contest
1st Prize (1 person)
2nd Prize (3 people)
3rd Prize (5 people)
Consolation Prize
[We'll Announce Prizes Later]
Parade Only
You can participate in the anime parade only.
Date: Sunday, April 19, 2009
Time: 12:00 noon – Check In
1:00pm – Parade starts
Place: In front of City Hall
Pre-registration is required.
>> DEADLINE IS 4/12. <<
Organized by: Japan Video & Media, Inc
1737 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
Tel: 415-563-5220, Fax: 415-563-5454
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日本語も出来ます。
