Manga Day took place in Leer on Saturday. One of the highlights was the cosplay competition in the evening at the cinema center. The outfit that ultimately won first place was a year in the making.
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Leer – On this Saturday, September 21st, a flying visit to Japan was possible in Leer. The Manga Day allowed participants to immerse themselves in the colorful world of anime and manga. Among other things, there was free manga at the Thalia bookstore, a drawing workshop and – what was certainly one of the highlights of the day – a cosplay competition in the Leer cinema center.
Many visitors
“You all look fantastic. Thank you so much for coming in such large numbers,” said cinema manager Rocco La Rocca and Thalia branch manager Judith Münch. Around 120 people came to the cinema for the competition. Among them were cosplayers, their families and friends, and also curious visitors who just wanted to watch. “We are really excited about how many people came,” said La Rocca in an interview with our editorial team. 15 cosplayers ultimately took part in the competition. Among them were ten who were selected by the jury from the pre-registrations, and five who spontaneously caught the jury’s eye on Saturday. At 6 p.m. all participants were announced. And then it started: They only had one to two minutes to represent their chosen character. How was entirely up to them. Scenes from well-known anime were re-enacted, danced, and even sung.
High quality prices
Ultimately, the jury created a ranking from place 1 to 15. “You didn’t make it easy for us,” said cosplayer Sarah_puuh, who moderated the competition together with La Rocca and was on the jury. Ratings from the audience were also taken into account when awarding points to the participants. And the 15 participants were able to look forward to some great prizes. Among other things, there were anime merchandise, cinema vouchers, a high-quality make-up case and more to be won. Third place ultimately went to Tatjana Shubenko for her portrayal of Brigitte from the computer game Overwatch, second place went to Friederike Schrader as Bloom from the series Winx Club, and first place went to Jana Becker as Izuku Midoriya from the anime My Hero Academia. As she told La Rocca in an interview, she worked on and refined her cosplay for a year.
As a reminder: At the first cosplay competition last year, a Ghibli favorite was able to convince: Totoro.
The cosplayers put a lot of effort into their character portrayals.
Maike Hoffmeier
Rocco La Rocca, theater manager of the Leer cinema center, as Zorro from the anime “One Piece”.
Maike Hoffmeier
Have fun and good atmosphere at the cosplay competition.
Maike Hoffmeier
People were happy to pose for photos.
Maike Hoffmeier
Cosplayer Sarah_puuh moderated the competition together with cinema manager Rocco La Rocca.
Maike Hoffmeier
Twice Zorro.
Maike Hoffmeier
Gandalf the Grey from Lord of the Rings also visited the competition.
Maike Hoffmeier
Poison was even mixed into the performances.
Maike Hoffmeier
The cosplay of Izuku Midoriya took a year to create.
Maike Hoffmeier
There was even singing.
Maike Hoffmeier
