On August 19-20, cosplayers, gamers and fans of Japanese pop culture flocked to Rosehill Racecourse for the annual Sydney Manga and Anime Show (SMASH!). The highly anticipated convention is one of the biggest events in the Australian cosplay calendar. It certainly didn’t disappoint. Here’s our video highlighting some of the cosplay we saw on the weekend.
There were cosplayers who dressed up as characters from Japanese pop culture classics like Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, Street Fighter and Zelda. Besides the classics, however, there was everything you can think of. A crew of classy Disney princesses, a comedic Jim Carey lookalike, a towering inflatable dinosaur, traditional kimono wearers, superheroes, supervillains: all brought their own flair, interacted with each other, and gave SMASH! a wonderfully eclectic atmosphere.
The crowd had the same energy and enthusiasm as the crowd on football grand final night. Unlike football, there was no hint of rivalry between the different teams – or in this case, the different genres of cosplaying. You can see the genuine surprise and delight from fans who were excited to see some of their favourite characters walking around.
The cosplayers, whenever a photo was requested, sure knew how to put on a show. They would drop whatever they were doing, assume the right pose, work different angles and did it all with a smile. Another request would come ten minutes later from someone else and they would do the same. It was as though, for one glorious weekend, they were the A-list celebrities in town.
It’s easy to understand why. At SMASH!, it was the cosplayer’s time to shine. Many of the cosplayers had outfits that would have taken months to make. Months of painful threading, sewing, painting and whatever it would take to get the outfit right. The dedication to their craft and the skills they acquired are truly admirable and were on full display.
Sydney’s cosplay scene is huge, vibrant and here to stay. Events like SMASH! prove it. I’m sure SMASH! will be back bigger and better than ever next year. And while you’re reading this, I’m sure some dedicated cosplayers who were at SMASH! are already working on their next costume.
Kevin Nguyen (Co-Founder)
Gamers Classified
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Heroes withins are awakening! This is a great example of it and I LOVE it! thanks for sharing, namaste :)
It's like a furry convention, but the orgy afterwards is a lot sexier.
Hahah I like your sense of humor!
Is there anything awesome Australia DOESN'T do??
It is certainly awesome here but every country has its perks :)
Well I'm counting my pennies until I can finally visit! It's been my dream for over half my life! ❤️
Amazing cosplays !!
Love their outifits.
They were amazing! So much effort and time put into it! the quality certainly shows :)
Awesome outfits! I love cosplay a lot @gamersclassified hope someday i could draw one, but for now im still learning 😊. Upvoted.
You'll only get better everyday :)
Some amazing high quality craftmanship on display here, well done to everyone involved!
It was a great 2 days! I can't wait for next year :)
must have been loads of fun !
It certainly was :) The next year one is going to be even bigger!
Great coverage and respect. I've covered cosplayers at conventions before and it's EXAUSTING chasing them all down for photos. People have no idea lol
This is excellent. The thing I particularly love about cosplay is not just the ability to bring a character to life, however the ability for someone to show they are comfortable enough within themselves to be someone else. The dedication these people have shown to accurately bring virtual life to reality is excellent.
Its growing slowly here in Australia. It'll only get bigger hopefully :)
The last time I checked one of these out I felt like I only recognised 1/4th the characters. 10 years ago would probably have been 3/4th so age must be catching up to me.
Its never too late to get back into it i'd say :D
cool :)