Cosplayers Flood The Streets And Train Stations For Cosplay Commuter 2018!

Photo by Hanif Halimi

Back for its second year, the largest cosplay gathering on a train in the world supported by Prasarana and RapidKL made its triumphant return last weekend! Held one day before Malaysia Day and organised by THE MAGIC RAIN, the event saw the train stations and streets of Kuala Lumpur flooded with cosplayers of all colours, ages, and races in a celebration of youth, unity, and patriotism.

Here’s how it went down.

THE MORNING AT KL GATEWAY MALL
Registration began early in the morning at 10AM when groups of 10 cosplayers formed and prepared to embark on their journey. This included special teams led by Guest Conductors, i.e. invited guests who recruited their fans to join them for a day’s worth of fun and activities. These Guest Conductors were Le Josette, Tsuyu-SEI, Dreaming Ashley, Yoake Hikaru, 麦Mai, Eiji 瑛司 and Munchy-Chan Desu.

But before they could leave on their quest, teams were given a safety briefing by a representative from RapidKL on matters of safety and conduct on the train. This was followed up by an opening performance by the Sri KL Secondary Wind Band, who officiated the beginning of the event with a performance of our National Anthem, followed by a few fun anime and pop songs.

The opening ceremony ended with a speech from CM Char, the founder of THE MAGIC RAIN and organiser of the event, as well as a speech from a representative of Prasarana.


HITTING THE STATIONS ALONG THE KELANA JAYA LRT LINE
After the opening ceremony, station activities spanning across seven stations began operations as cosplayers began to leave their headquarters at KL Gateway Mall and head off to the stations. Each team  was led by one volunteer for safety purposes.

Competitive and Non-competitive Activities

Photo by Yueli

This year’s station activities had a brand new competitive element to them. Participants were encouraged to earn points as a team, with points being given out by selected stations and by THE MAGIC RAIN cosplayers and volunteer photographers. Competitive activities included the  Video Games Showdown, Photography Stop, Dance Off and Charades.

Ara Damansara - Video Games Showdown
Participants flexed their fingers at this station as teams faced off against one another in a battle of video games. The games on showcase included Mario Kart, Overcooked, Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, and others. The equipment and games for this station was kindly sponsored by Gamesfusion, a video game lounge located in Sunway Pyramid.

Taman Bahagia - Dance Off!
Teams showed off their best dance moves as they grooved to the beat of traditional Chinese, Malay and Indian music. As the difficulty upped with every track, some participants were beginning to find it difficult to keep up. The competition was on fire as only the best teams emerged victorious!

Taman Jaya - Photography Stop
The photography stop challenged the team’s synergy and teamwork by asking them to pose in teams of 3, 5 and 10 in hopes of beating out their opponents. With the help of local photography enthusiasts, participants were able to draw out their most creative poses and best angles, resulting in a grand time!

KL Gateway Universiti - Headquarters @ KL Gateway Mall
While the hustle and bustle of the stations were well underway, participants were welcome to return to headquarters to rest, grab a bite, and enjoy the other activities on display. This included the Cosers Confess Panel hosted by THE MAGIC RAIN cosplayers, Carousell goodie bag giveaways, the Oyoshi Time Attack Drinking Challenge, and Western Digital’s free play corner in promotion of their WD Black™ NVMe SSD.

The headquarters also hosted local ACG (anime, comics, and gaming) organisations, AniManGaki and The Banquet, as well as trading card games shop, Ministry of Hobbies who were hosting Vanguard tournaments throughout the day.

Abdullah Hukum - Videography Stop
At the videography stop, participants took a chill pill from the competition to share their thoughts on the event so far and their personal journey as cosplayers. The footage would be compiled after the event was over to share online.

KL Sentral - Charades
Back to the action at this station, teams were asked to act as best as they could in a competitive game of charades. The themes surrounded the best of anime, movies, and video games. Participants found it challenging to act out their favourite shows and franchises without saying a word, and this resulting in some amusing outcomes to say the least.

Masjid Jamek - Buskers Zone
The Sri KL Secondary Wind Band took the spotlight at this station as they performed classic anime themes and patriotic songs for both participants and the public alike. Smiles could be seen all around as commuters were treated to the rare sight of an entire wind band performing inside the train station.

KLCC - My Cosplay Story
At the final station activities stop, cosplayers shared their thoughts and confessions about cosplay and what it meant to be Malaysian. These thoughts were displayed for the public to see as they walked pass the activity area. There was also a display of online submissions, including the winning story of a 10-year-old cosplayer from the community.


LAUNCHING OF THE SECRET ACTIVITY
At 3PM, the event organizers announced their Secret Activity for the event, a massive cosplay parade from Pavilion KL to KLCC! Participants were first instructed to head over to MRT Bukit Bintang by 4PM, where crowds were gaping and taking pictures of the colourful sea of cosplayers. Although the activity was stalled by the rain, it did not stop the participants’ spirits as the cheers echoed in the station and participants sang along to Malaysian classics like Keranamu Malaysia.

Once the rain subsided, participants made their way to Pavilion Shopping Centre where more details on the secret activity were revealed. Quest number one was a journey to Gindaco Takoyaki in Pavilion Elite where participants were treated to a free meal on the house. Stomachs growling, participants were more than ready to satiate their appetite on a complimentary snack.

After that, quest number two saw participants going up to Tokyo Street where they would collect their Malaysia flags for the next part of the activity, the walk from Pavilion to KLCC! But before they departed, of course a photo op was in place against the beautiful backdrop of sakura trees in front of Tokyo Street.

Finally, the group then marched from Pavilion via the the skylink bridge connecting Pavilion to KLCC, attracting smiles and pictures along the way. Feet tired and souls happy, the cosplayers finally made their way back to KL Gateway Mall at the end of the day via the Kelana Jaya LRT.


BACK AT HOME BASE AND ENDING WITH A HIGH
The day ended with a giveaway from Carousell, lucky draw and prize giving ceremony. With prizes sponsored by Ricoh Theta, KC Distribution, KL Gateway Mall, Oyoshi, The Rift, Gamesfusion, Fifthroom, and Loob Holdings, the participants were in for a treat! Everybody walked away with something that night, although the ultimate winners were Team Dreaming Ashley who walked away with the best prizes of the night, having earned the most points throughout the entire day.