[ By Luqman Abdullah ]

Subang Parade was invaded by cosplay enthusiasts and Japanese pop culture this weekend, 16-17 May, during the Malaysia Cosplay Show. With Japanese music blaring from the speakers, cosplayers from all over the country flooded the scene dressed as their favorite manga or anime characters in an attempt to wow the crowd and have a little fun.

Japanese culture invades Subang Parade at the Malaysia Cosplay Show this weekend

The event housed four main booths. One was a showcase of featured artwork by Malaysian artists Ooi Choon Liang and Fei Giap. Another was a small booth that sold anime related merchandise, such as plushies, posters, manga and key chains. The third booth featured cosplay merchandise, such as masks, wigs and costume accessories. The final booth featured a photo set where cosplayers could pose and take pictures. Finally, the stage served as the setting for the competitions, including a karaoke competition, costume grading and anime trivia quizzes.

A cosplayer portrays “Ultron” from Marvel’s “The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron” at this weekend’s Malaysia Cosplay Show at Subang Parade.

From Goku to Ultron, participants walked through the venue, posing with friends or passers-by, snapping pictures, admiring each other’s costumes and generally just having a good time, expressing their love for the characters they love.

“It’s great to be around a large group of like minded geeks” said one spirited cosplayer portraying Levi from Attack on Titan. “It’s cool to think that I can just be whoever I want to be for a few hours”. The event ran for two days, and featured appearances by famous Japanese animators as well as the announcement of the winners of the competition, who will join the official Malaysian Cosplay team and travel to compete against neighboring countries.