UTAR Bunkasai: Haru Matsuri at Sungai Long Campus

Group photo of UTAR cosplayers

UTAR organised Bunkasai: Haru Matsuri, an event showcasing one of the Japanese’s popular sub-cultures, at its campus from 6 April 2023 to 7 April 2023. The event included activities such as game booths, food sales and merchandise sales involving a selection of Japanese souvenirs.

The highlight of the event was the cosplay competition, which was formed as part of the Japanese Language and Cultural Week festivities. The event, which was held at the Multipurpose Hall of UTAR Sungai Long Campus, provided an opportunity for students to display their creativity, talent, and hard work. The competition was open to all UTAR students and staff and it required participants to dress up as their preferred anime or manga characters.

The competition was judged by a panel of experts who were cosplayers themselves. They evaluated the contestants based on their attention to detail, creativity, and overall presentation. The judges had a difficult time when selecting the winners, as the quality of the costumes from all of the six contestants was outstanding.

The judges

Contestants in action trying to impress the judges

Contestants receiving feedback from judges

The top prize went to Ban Cong Hao, a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.) student who dressed up as an interesting anime character, known as the Chainsaw Man from a popular Japanese Manga series. Ban’s costume was an accurate representation of the character, complete with the signature chainsaw weapon and outfit that was covered with bloodstains. The judges were impressed by Ban’s presentation skills, stage presence and also the effort he had put into designing and creating the entire outfit from scratch. “I made everything out of my own effort. I got my ideas and inspirations from YouTube,” he said.

Ban with his outstanding Chainsaw Man costume

Ban receiving his cash prize

The crowd exploring the various booths

Overall, the event was a huge success with a large turnout of students, enthusiastic cosplayers and fans. UTAR hopes to make it an annual event and encourage more students to participate in the future. The Japanese Language and Cultural Week indeed provided a great opportunity for UTAR students to learn more about Japanese culture and showcase their creativity and talent through cosplaying.

Contestants and judges after the award ceremony

Photos of some other cosplayers taken throughout the event