This year they changed the venue, which I think that it was the main reason of more people attending. La Fira is much bigger than the previous place and it gave more room for basically everything.
As a curious note it has been 20 years since the first Dragon Ball volume got published in Spain and on Thursday it was settled the new Guinness Record of more people dressed up as characters from the Manga. I missed it because I didn't go to the convention that day, but I would have killed for seeing so many people gathered together as different people from Dragon Ball!
The main theme of the convention this year, pretty much for my enjoyment and my love towards Japanese food, was the food and cooking. There was an exhibition about the relationship between Manga and food, with different Mangas which main theme were food, even some barely dedicated to ramen, or just drinks.
The level of cosplay this year was... Weird. I might be wrong but I think that less people were cosplayed, but truth is the level was good. There were a lot of good cosplays, especially on Saturday which was the day of the Cosplay World Summit but even the Sunday which was the last day and it was prone to have less people dress up, there was a lot of good cosplayers.
There was also an exhibition of cosplays which won either the Cosplay Summit or the Yamato competitions. From cosplayers either from Spain or from other countries. Some of the cosplayed dispayed were absolutely impressive to see in real life and you could see why they would have won a prize or win a Cosplay competition.
( the exhitions of the cosplays that won summit competitions and yamatos.
some were really impressive in real life.)
some were really impressive in real life.)
Okay, day by day...
Lots of pictures are coming, so sorry~
FRIDAY
First day I attended the Con, in my Toshiya Macabre Tour cosplay (an entry about it is coming soon I do promise.) We arrived around 3pm and the place wasn't really crowded so it gives us some chances to just look around and get accostumed to the new place, which was enormous, and just take a general look of what the new place looked like.
I didn't see many cosplayers the first day, but I took a few pics in general.
This was only one part of the whole corner of Japanese food located at one side of the Convention Venue. There was around six or seven Japanese related restaurants which offered things such as Curry, Ramen, Onigiris or Dorayakis.
There was even a place which offered Japanese crepes and another one which made Matcha Latte.
( I've bought one and it tasted like heaven o(≧▽≦)o )
The onigiris were a bit expensive, but they tasted amazingly.
I didn't find many good cosplayers that day. But the group on the right? I was highly impressed by them!! I loved that Sherlock Holmes Anime show when I was a little kid, back in the day when I had no idea what Anime was. Their costumes were amazing and they have made the dog's faces out of papier maché so they couldn't speak but the way they acted and posed for the pictures was amazing. They also attended the Sunday, I think. And believe it was a pleasure to see them around. I wish there was more people doing older Anime cosplays.
( this picture sums up my absolutely happiness at the fact there was a lot of Japanese food to buy inside of the con. )
After that we came back home, I was staying in a friend's house and he made some amazing curry. If you think by now that all I do in Barcelona/Manga con is eating, then you're absolutely right.
SATURDAY
Was the main day of the Convention. It was the day were the World Summit competition was held, so it was extremely crowded and filled with a lot of cosplayers.
Was the main day of the Convention. It was the day were the World Summit competition was held, so it was extremely crowded and filled with a lot of cosplayers.
We arrived around two pm and the queue to either buy tickets to get inside and then the queue to get inside the venue was INSANE. And when I say insane I meant that the queue was probably a good 500 metres long? It lasted from the convention door to the square where the Subway was placed, absolutely insane.
( I don't know if you can appreciate it, but that line of people was the queue. )
It was visibly more crowded than the day before, but it was completely understandable since it was Saturday, the most important day and with the Summit happening. We gathered something to eat and then we claimed a sit to be able to watch the whole competition. This year I was surprised by the little amount of people inscribed. Usually it's around 40, but in the end it was barely... 18? I can be wrong about the specific number but there weren't more than 20, that's for sure.
I wasn't close to the stage, so I didn't take pictures or videos of the whole competition but I will share my favourite performance I found in a youtube video.
I didn't play Final Fantasy VI so I didn't know the characters but I can say, hand over heart, that it was the most impressive performance out of the whole competition. They didn't win! Which was a big shock for me, but I can say they were my most favourite of them all.
I went to the con that day with my Ciel Drama CD cover cosplay (an entry about it will come soon as well, I promise.) I don't think a lot of people recognised me but I had fun wearing it, and I think it was really accurate and looked good, so that's all I need.
( waiting for the summit to start, i can't tell how many of these i've bought the whole weekend. )
These girls participated in the Summit as well, the girl of the left's sword broke in the middle of the performance, it was such a pity!
( I'm so sad the picture didn't turn out well. She was amazing! ╥﹏╥ )
Yes, more food. We went to a Japanese restaurant after we left the con, and then we went to eat some frozen yoghurt for dessert.
SUNDAY
The last day of the con. Since past year I decided that I would go to the last day of the Barcelona's Manga convention in a really comfortable cosplay, so I could spend all day, walking around the stalls and shops and buying things either for me and for my friends.
This year I went as Ritsuka in his allovers look, basically something comfortable to be able toeat walk around and shop.
Later the evening there was a decorative sushi talk and presentation by a Japanese chef from a restaurant in Barcelona. I wasn't close to where they were so my pictures aren't really good, but it was amazing the things he did with slices of fish or leaves of bamboo.
We stayed until there were barely fifteen minutes to close the venue, and then we leave to a really cheap chinese restaurant to close the whole day with even more food.
This year I went as Ritsuka in his allovers look, basically something comfortable to be able to
( best picture of myself from that day~ )
Surprisingly for being the last day and a Sunday, there was a lot of people wearing really good cosplays.
( all the food we ordered. )
( my favourites, i love utapri cos when it's good!! )
Later the evening there was a decorative sushi talk and presentation by a Japanese chef from a restaurant in Barcelona. I wasn't close to where they were so my pictures aren't really good, but it was amazing the things he did with slices of fish or leaves of bamboo.
( yeah he actually cut that into a leaf, i was amazed. )
We stayed until there were barely fifteen minutes to close the venue, and then we leave to a really cheap chinese restaurant to close the whole day with even more food.
( i look at it now and get hungrydfjdf. )
Even though it looks like all I did was eating, I really had fun. The new venue is bigger and spacious and all the events organized looked good. Even with the queues and the amount of people who attended you didn't feel annoyed or overwhelmed and the space was well distributed.
Basically I can't wait for next year and come back, so Barcelona, until I see you again~
Basically I can't wait for next year and come back, so Barcelona, until I see you again~
Thanks for reading me~
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