Culture Nurture: The Rise of Cosplay in Negros Occidental by James U. Sy Jr.

Samantha Joy Villafuerte, 18, of Himamaylan City/Riverside College cosplaying as Saber was crowned champion of the COS its all PLAY: The Second Encounter held by the SAS Inc. under Manager Ritchie Vargas last August 11, 2013 at the District North Point, Ayala Mall, Talisay City, Negros Occidental (Samantha Joy Villafuerte photo). Riven Villafuerte, 23, of Himamaylan City cosplaying as Zeus during the COS its all PLAY: The Second Encounter held by the SAS Inc. under Manager Ritchie Vargas last August 11, 2013 at the District North Point, Ayala Mall, Talisay City, Negros Occidental. Villafuertes has previously been crowned champion in another cosplay competition held by Cyberzone at the Event Center, SM City Bacolod, Reclamation Area, Bacolod City and is set to compete in Manila for a Cosplay Mania (James U. Sy Jr./NDB/SAS Inc. photo). Kent Agdana,23, of Sagay City cosplaying as Sektor during the COS its all PLAY: The Second Encounter held by the SAS Inc. under Manager Ritchie Vargas last August 11, 2013 at the District North Point, Ayala Mall, Talisay City, Negros Occidental (James U. Sy Jr./NDB/SAS Inc. photo). Christine Ibañez, 15, of Domingo Lacson National High School (DLNAHS) cosplaying as Cyclops during the COS its all PLAY: The Second Encounter held by the SAS Inc. under Manager Ritchie Vargas last August 11, 2013 at the District North Point, Ayala Mall, Talisay City, Negros Occidental (James U. Sy Jr./NDB/SAS Inc. photo). Christine Faith T. Aplaon, 19, of Riverside College cosplaying as Tenten during the COS its all PLAY: The Second Encounter held by the SAS Inc. under Manager Ritchie Vargas last August 11, 2013 at the District North Point, Ayala Mall, Talisay City, Negros Occidental (James U. Sy Jr./NDB/SAS Inc. photo). Louelle Tiamsing of CHMSC cosplaying as Black Rock Shooter during the COS its all PLAY: The Second Encounter held by the SAS Inc. under Manager Ritchie Vargas last August 11, 2013 at the District North Point, Ayala Mall, Talisay City, Negros Occidental (James U. Sy Jr./NDB/SAS Inc. photo). Negros Daily Bulletin (NDB) columnist/writer James U. Sy Jr. with little Spider-man during the COS its all PLAY: The Second Encounter, held by the SAS Inc. under Manager Ritchie Vargas last August 11, 2013 at the District North Point, Ayala Mall, Talisay City, Negros Occidental (James U. Sy Jr./NDB/SAS Inc. photo). Pretty COS trippers pose for the camera during the COS its all PLAY: The Second Encounter, held by the SAS Inc. under Manager Ritchie Vargas last August 11, 2013 at the District North Point, Ayala Mall, Talisay City, Negros Occidental (James U. Sy Jr./NDB/SAS Inc. photo). Cosplay grabbed the attention of Negrosanons again with the successful conduct of COS its all PLAY: The Second Encounter by SAS Inc. under Manager Ritchie Vargas last August 11, 2013 at the District North Point, Ayala Mall, Talisay City. Cosplay (kosupure in Nihonggo), a portmanteau of the English words costume and play, is an activity where participants wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific fictional character or idea. The term was coined by Takahashi, Nobuyuki of the Japanese studio Studio Hard while attending the 1984 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) in Los Angeles. Over the years different cosplay competitions had been held, with the World Cosplay Summit being the most popular; the competition selects cosplayers from 20 countries to compete in the final round in Nagoya, Japan. Cosplay Mania, created and hosted by cosplay website and organization Cosplay.ph, is the biggest cosplay® event in the Philippines; it had its last event on September 29-30, 2012 at the SMX Convention Center Function Rooms 3-5, SM Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. Bacolod and Negros Occidental are catching up with the cosplay trending as at least four Bacolod cosplay group accounts are found in Facebook. SAS Inc. presented its inaugural event last August 28, 2012 at the Terra Dolce Mall, Corner Hilado Ext., 13th St., Bacolod City. The 1st Kabankalan City Cosplay Competition was held by the House of Rising Youth, Negros Cosplay Federation, and Cosplay on the Move last January 12, 2013 at the Kabankalan City Public Plaza. Eventual champion of the COS its all PLAY: The Second Encounter was Samantha Joy Villafuerte, 18, of Himamaylan City, a 3rd year Medical Technology student at Riverside College, who cosplayed as Saber. It was just her second competition and she entered it together with her brother, Riven Villafuerte, 23, who portrayed Zeus and who had previously won the Regional leg of the single category of the Cyberzone Grand Prix last year at SM City Bacolod. Competitors from Bacolod, Himamaylan, Sagay, and talisay joined the event. The other cosplayers who competed were Cherry Ann Alagaban (Yuna Braska), Christine Faith T. Aplaon (Tenten), Glennie Grace G. Arostique (Neapors of War - Fairy), Uzziah Ballesteros (The Flash), Bryan Boy Capunong (Archbishop), Marvin V. Donasco (Allen Walker), Christine Ibañez (Cyclops), Stephanie Ignacio (Amy Sorel), Jessalyn Sta. Rita, and Louelle Tiamsing (Black Rock Shoder). There were also several cos trippers who were present. Since a picture says a thousand words, here are a few to best describe the event.