Animaga 2024 was so much fun! Whilst the convention itself had its issues (check out Tanuki’s review here), the cosplayers really put on a show!
Whilst conventions are a huge part of Melbourne’s nerd community, there’s really no other as focussed on Anime as Animaga. After Manifest closed its doors for the last time in 2013, this little convention at the Melbourne Royal Exhibition Building took the reins. At one point merging with Oz Comic-Con, post lockdowns they returned to their solo form in a new location, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, in 2023.
This year saw a major increase in floor space, over 400 artist alley vendors and hundreds of cosplayers, which we’re here to celebrate!
Again, for a full review of Animaga 2024, check out Tanuki’s article!
Come with us and check out some of the cosplayers and the creators that expertly capture them ▼▼▼
We were there in our usual style, creating content and vibing with you amazing people. Whilst we didn’t manage to get as many cosplayers in front of the lens as we originally planned, the video came out very nicely!
Simple Simon is both a talented interviewer and total sweetheart from Melbourne who attended Animaga for the first time! I’ve got a soft spot for his content, since cosplay interviews is how the crew at mOB started behind the camera:
VQLFilms is an incredibly talented photographer with an eye for epic and a really “big” feeling to his shots. He’s also an accomplished videographer (who I’m always nagging to make more video content). Here’s one of his shots capturing the trio: Juimiee, blaisoo.1p and 3v3nus in their Jujutsu Kaisen group:
This just had to be mentioned. Captain Patch-It, the myth and legend of cosplay who inspired a global movement of “Cosplay Repair Corps” made a design created by artist clarincy.clem come to life and it was… Larger than life.
Animaga also featured a cosplay photo booth, with some of Australia’s most well-known cosplay photographers hosting spots there. Some have photos trickling out now, but keep an eye out for more from these guys:
Also, I’m seriously thinking about picking up photography again after snapping shots of these two. Owldamone, cosplaying Nurse Joy:
Cheesecake.cosplay cosplaying a Hot Dog. Yes, you read that right.
A literal Hot Dog.
Demon style, but a straight-up Hot Dog.
Twitch chat makes you do some odd things - though she absolutely killed it. Not everyday you meet a cosplayer that can make a comedic piece of food look badass.
We also attended the Sunday Cosplay Competition and witnessed true talent. The effort these cosplayers put into their outfits and the joy they had wearing and showing them off really shone through the unfortunate technical issues during the comp itself.
Photo dump coming soon!
Final thoughts
Whilst the convention itself had its issues, we have full faith in the team at Animaga. A convention can run well or everything can go pear shaped at the drop of a hat as it did on the Saturday, but the staff implemented fixes in real time and improved everything drastically on the Sunday.
We had fun, and we still love this little convention. Animaga team, thank you and we believe in you. 2025 will be a great convention!
With PAX just around the corner it’s awesome to see everyone coming out in style, and we at mOB CAN’T WAIT to see what everyone brings in October.
If you have anyone you think deserves a mention for their cosplay or craft, please comment below!
See you at PAX!
Love,
mOB
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