International Cosplay Day Singapore (ICDS) 2014

International Cosplay Day Singapore (ICDS) 2014 was held yesterday at *SCAPE. It was my first visit to the event and I was looking forward to what was in store. I was told that the Cosplay Chess in particular was not to be missed.

The event occupied the majority of three floors. Stage activities took place in the Ground Theatre while the Doujin Market and the Illustrators Showcases could be found on levels 4 and 5. I got there early to have a look around. A small crowd had already gathered at the theatre entrance.

Outside the Ground Theatre cosplayers could pick up the ConQuest Cosplay Bingo Card. To play, they had to form a line with other cosers and take selfies based on the propeties listed. Completing all rows gave you a chance at the Conquest Grand Draw and also got you the E.P.I.C card which alternatively you could get for $5. The card came in four designs featuring the mascots of ICDS and it entitles you to discounts at various stores.  

The stage schedule was jammed packed and the first item began shortly after the doors opened. Dat-Baka Cosplay who was a guest at the event was out for a Meet and Greet session. I don't know what costume he's in but it looked pretty impressive. He posed on stage for a bit before doing an autograph session. 

Dat Baka (left)

While that was going on I went to check out the Jay Tabalante Geekology 2.0 exhibition. Jay's a photographer who's taken wonderful photos of cosplayers. He was also a guest at the event but I didn't see him. I could use some photography tips.

Geekology is a compilation of some of his work. Here's a sample of it.

Heroes of the Storm is an upcoming game from Blizzard featuring characters from their previous titles like Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo. Teams of 5 compete against each other in an arena type battle. The game was available for testing at ICDS. Many took the opportunity to do so. I'll check it out once it's released. Besides I'm still happy with Hearthstone. If you like to play the beta you can sign up for it at www.HeroesSea.com.

Fightsaber was there as well. They had a display of the weapons and props they use. Unfortunately I missed their performance. There's not long to wait for their next one though. They'll be at STGCC!

Click here for more images of the Ground Theatre. 

- Jay Tabalante's exhibition and Anime Yorozuya toy display within.

Let's leave the stage for a moment and have a look at what was on on the other levels. Here's the Doujin Market on level 4. There were lots of interesting, unique items to pick up. The place got really crowded in the afternoon. 

The Extravaganza Illustrators Showcase featured the works from Evacomics, Shawn Yap, Ray Toh, Caravan Studios just to name a few.  

There were talks and workshops conducted by some of the artists but I opted to take photos of the cosplayers. 

There was more stuff to see on level 5.

The Kantai Collection Battleship was very popular.

The submissions for the Extravaganza Illustration competition were on display. There are truly lots of talented people out there.

Click here for more images of the Doujin Market and Illustrator Showcase.

A lot of the cosplayers could be found at the open area on level 4 and the drop off point at the ground level. I stopped to take some shots whenever I passed by.  

Click here for the cosplay gallery.

Back again to the stage segments. I move around a lot and lose track of time but I made it for the Cosplay Runway...

... and the Meet & Greet session with Kamui who's the other cosplay guest at the event.  Kamui is a cosplayer from Germany who is known for her armored costumes. You can see why from the costume she wore. It was awesome! There's lots of great detail. Good colours too. 

Kamui (right)

Kamui's books on props and armor making were available on the show floor. Kamui also conducted an armor making panel. You had to pay for admission to that though.

I only caught a bit of the Cosplay Talent Showcase. The League of Legends cosplayers caught the eye for their fantastic costumes. They were the winners of the Best Newcomers Prize. I wish I had stayed for the whole segment. I saw the Iron Giant outside and found out he was a participant. His team won the Judges' Choice prize. I'm interested to see that act. Hopefully the video of it will be out soon. 

I came back late for the Cosplay Chess... By then the hall was packed and I was out of position and blocked so I decided to just watch this one and enjoy it. The match pitted two "Hades" against each other. They selected their pieces (the cosplayers). No pawns were used. To determine the outcome of a fight, a game of "scissors paper stone" was played. Sometimes members of the audience were asked to play on their behalf. The "pieces" spoke and they was true to character. Those that I know of anyway. The dialogue was sometimes witty and hilarious. The fights were well choreographed and had great sound effects to accompany. I'll like to mention Grell who I think did an awesome job! There were also some fun bits thrown in between. We can always count on Deadpool for that. At the end of the match one Hades lay dead while the other got trapped in a TV. I recommend watching this segment when the official video goes up. 

The main stage segments ended with the Prize-giving Ceremony and the draw for ConQuest. There was a Dance and Music Party after that which I couldn't stay for. 

Here are the links to the galleries again:

Cosplay Gallery
Doujin Market and Illustrator Exhibition Gallery
Ground Theatre Gallery

I enjoyed ICDS. I think it's a nice, fun event. There were lots of things to catch, especially the stage segments. I didn't even mention the song and dance performances, and the Anime Quiz challenge. Kamui's costume was an eye opener. We don't often see an armored costume with such a high level of detail. The highlight for me was the Cosplay Chess. It was certainly entertaining. I can't wait to see what they put up next year. 

Right that's all for now. Thanks for viewing!