From childhood, we all grow up reading different comic books, watching cartoons, anime shows and also fall in love with some of our favourite movie superhero characters. Somewhere in our mind we hold those favourite characters tightly and wish to be like him/her in our real life.
Converting this wish into reality among the younger generation, Dhaka Geek Convention 2019 (DGC) was held last week at Jamuna Convention Center. It created a platform for cosplay lovers in Bangladesh to gather together, with more than 50 cosplay performers performing disguised as their favourite characters. The 3 day event received a huge response among the ‘geeks’ of Bangladesh, as well as the general population.
Segments included a robotic show, dance, concert and Emulator game contest, all of which were cheered on by the public, but it was the cosplay competition that grabbed everyone’s special attention. The event gallery was full of superheroes and comic characters from around the world, all gathering together and enjoying a party with one another.
Kazi M Noor, one of the organisers of DGC, said: “We got a huge response from the young who are actually Geek lovers and they really love to play with and create costumes. So, we wanted to create a platform for them with all the perfect elements so that they can show their passion and they can feel like themselves in an original cosplay competition”.
Shafeen, who became Sebastian from Black Butler, said: “It’s a new experience. You play as your favourite character from the show you watch and you try to give as much effort as you can to your costume, so there is a self fulfilment”.
Disha who played Sango from Inuyasha, said: “This culture is not our own culture and it is very new to Bangladesh so I think special concern should be given immediately to develop this Geek community. If someone takes this as a profession, he/she can also earn a good amount of money”.
“It develops our craftsmanship as well as help us to know more people and helps us to develop communication. In summary, these type of events are needed more often so that this geek community can develop”, said Noobita who played Charizard from Pokemon.
The best 3 cosplay performers were selected by the judges every day and received rewards from the organisers.
Anirban Das, the set designer, said: “As we are in the primary level, we could not make the best design as there is also a space limitation. We hope in future we will develop more.”
Kaji added: “We all can see the output. They are doing good. It is clear how passionate they are. During the last 7-8 years Bangladeshi cosplay performers have developed themselves nicely. We are already starting to think about the future of cosplay in Bangladesh and we hope in future Bangladeshi cosplay performers will perform Internationally to represent Bangladesh.”
In Asia, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan regularly arrange cosplay competitions nationally and internationally. Japan is also known as one of the most famous countries for cos players. In addition, cosplay performance and competitions are already happening regularly in many western countries.
> Dipto Paul
