Students competing against each other in a game of Nintendo

Some of the participants in the CosPlay competition

Members of the public thronging the registration area

Kuala Lumpur, 5 March 2009 - UCSI University students got a taste of Japanese culture at Bunkasai Night, an event organised by the University’s AniMaC Club. Held for one whole day and night at the North Wing campus, students from more than seven universities and colleges as well as members of the public turned up at the event to take part in various activities at stalls that were set up, a CosPlay competition, Japanese culture exhibitions and an acoustic concert.
The highlight of the event is the CosPlay (Costume Play) competition, in which individuals dress-up in their favourite anime character. Points are given for the degree of creativity in the creation of the costumes and how well participants are able to project their characters. The three grand prize winners were Nikko Nam Chee Hoong, Catherine Tan Cheau Yun and Janice Lee Yun Shen. Chee Hoong personified Shinigami from the show Bleach, Cheau Yun embodied Rukia, also from Bleach while Yun Shen dressed as Chii from Chobits.Stalls decorated with bamboo were also one of the main attractions of the event. Students as well as members of the public had a fun day playing traditional Japanese games such as catching live fish, spining tops (or koma) and Hanetsuki, a traditional Japanese game that entails bouncing a shuttlecock on a wooden paddle. They also wrote “wishes” on pieces of paper and hung them on a “wishing tree,” just like the Japanese usually do in most festivals. Visitors were also able to sample Japanese food and beverages and tour an exhibition of Japanese art and crafts at UCSI University’s hall. Visitors were also treated to an acoustic concert by Indonesian singers Ichi and Keith who sang popular anime songs.Visitors were impressed with the authenticity of some of the displays as well as the activities that took place. The event also attracted a handful of Japanese visitors who live around the Cheras area. AniMaC Club, the organisers of the event were pleasantly surprised at the huge turnout. An estimated 600 people thronged the event. “We did our best to promote the event and collate sponsorship for prizes and cash, but were excited by the large crowd that came. I am very happy that many people share my passion for anime and Japanese arts and culture,” Project Vice President, Kendrick Ng said.

The event received much attention from big sponsors such as the Animation Comic Game Convention (ACGC), Leet Games, hobby magazine Gempak, and the Japan Foundation of Kuala Lumpur which sponsored traditional Japanese attire for committee members. The event also attracted many photographers and hobbyists who are anime and CosPlay enthusiasts.

Bunkasai or Japanese Cultural Festival is a regular event held in Japanese schools in which students showcase their work and their classrooms to members of the public. They do this through fun games and interactive activities that will engage people and increase social interaction. Students are also able to see what life is like in other schools through this annual event.

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