(Please excuse the  one-day-later post but this couldn’t wait another whole week). *Ahem*. . . Hello there, fellow Dark Diamond readers and friends, and welcome back to another one of my very well-received coverages about events that gather our one similar trait; that what makes us wake up early on a cloudy Saturday to be ready just in time to assist the one event you’ve been waiting all year long: The -anime- Halloween Party (because most of the other parties . . .just don’t cut it).

There I was yesterday; the planets had aligned for October 31st to be exactly on Saturday, no “I have to wake up early tomorrow because my work demands it” and no “Ehh, maybe I go, maybe I don’t since I may have plans with my family”. . . NONSENSE, I say! Yesterday had no excuses, you were going to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve whether you liked it or not and in fact, you were going to enjoy it, no questions asked.

A week prior to the event I got the Oh-so-wonderful idea to do cosplay about Kisuke from the Wii game Muramasa but, little did I know that my sewing-fu wasn’t going to be all that great when making the top part of the costume and that at some point, for the second time, I became frustrated with this creative and wonderful hobby that is cosplay. Nevertheless, everything went fine and was very pleased with my cosplay, although I had some problems with my camera and only my photos were corrupt when transferring to the computer. Coincidence? I dont think so. . .

Here we can see the armor that goes on the character’s thighs, made from a plastic “For Rent” board.

Returning to the event, it started exactly at 03:0 p.m. and the first assistants got there in the nick of time, something extremely weird in this area. The feeling I got when a pick-up full of Guilty Gear characters dropped them on the event was awesome. As the first hour passed, more and more attendants  populated the building, some in cosplay and others in casual wear, something I really frowned upon since last year’s cosplay party’s rules made cosplay obligatory, giving a better opportunity to socialize, all attendants being treated and seen as equal. Oh well, I guess some people just don’t like cosplay (and somehow they’re in an anime club. . .).

Speaking about the club activities, I proposed that an actual anime club must have anime, and not just videogames, so I was in charge of the anime series to schedule throughout the event, with popular shows like Haruhi, Rozen Maiden, and Afro Samurai to less known (but great) series like The Chevalier d’Eon and Genshiken.

TV’s and consoles in place, the gaming started. There were around 7 TV’s, each with a  different game, from GoldenEye 007 for the N64 to KOF XII for the PS3, stumbling upon the usual Naruto, Bleach, and Smash Bros. games; a guaranteed setup for entertainment, for the casual as well as the hardcore gamer.

Back of the room: the gaming area. Closer up: Staff member flirting with Vampire Moka. Special Guest: my laptop.

Around 5 o’clock, most of the members were either playing, watching anime, or just chillin’ outside the building, where the anime and j-pop songs were in full bloom. Everything was fine and merry when, the time came to announce that the line for the official meal of the anime club was open. The meal : Sandwichon.

This is just a reference picture; our sandwichon was 7 times larger than this feeble tuna cake.

Eating as fast as playing a guitar hero song in Expert+ most users returned to their previous activities, although the ones interested went outside, for the Karaoke singing was about to start. You can just imagine lots of Naruto songs, Hare Hare yukai, Death note songs, and music of the like, with some really good singers as well as some others that will argue that the love for singing is what counts. . .

A Haruhi, a Sakura, a Black Star and a late XVIII century maiden watching the Karaoke / Cosplay contests (one looking at the camera, though).

At the same time these people were outside, the Smash Bros. Brawls and KOF XII tournaments started and, to my surprise, I won the latter tournament with a huge prize of $15 bucks (entry was $.80 cents [Oh, the economy!]).

Rapidly going outside after the tournaments, I got a glimpse of some contestants for the cosplay contest, doing their choreographies, spurting their dialogues, and even playing the guitar live.

Everyone having fun, aww yeah.

All in all, it was an OK reunion; there were a bunch of videogames, nice anime shcedule, good food, very acceptable cosplay and what really counts, there was enthusiasm, something a lot of anime fans lack due to weeaboo experiences or lack of buddies that also like anime. My advise: just enjoy the moment. Don’t start arguing why Naruto sucks and why Legend of the Galactic Heroes is the best Space Opera the world has to offer. That’s what the forum is for, unless your companions have that level of maturity to accept different opinions with their respective verbal back-up.

Now, before scrolling down to what everyone wants to see, I leave you with this small diorama I made some weeks ago and never had the opportunity to show the internet: a DMC concert live from. . .my room.

Now on we go to the cosplays: (Also remember that some pictures are cropped so you might want to click on them to show the full picture, there are some members that only appear that way. . .)

-“Is that. . .”

                                                                                                                     -“Yeah, dude. . .”