It’s September 1. That means that not only is Project Otaking 3 months old today, but that we’ve finally escaped the infinite time loop we’ve been stuck in for 595 years. It’s true. That’s where all the deja-vu we’ve all been feeling lately comes from.

We have all been living the same span of time from The Cosplay Mini-Summit to the White Hat Charity Event over and over again. This is the 15,532nd time we’ve lived through all this — which makes sense because this damned cosplay-costrip-modelling fiasco feels like it’s been going on forever.

There were two instances where I didn’t go to Otaku Taiki: the 2,391st and 11,054th times. In addition, there were 437 instances where a flamewar didn’t break out in the comments page of my Otaku Taiki report. (Unfortunately this isn’t one of them.)

There were 9,056 times where our friend Sese cosplayed, but there have been six different variations. Aside from Kagamine Rin, she also cosplayed as Hatsune Miku, C.C. from Code Geass, Minky Momo, EVA Unit 01, and a large green frog.

I actually figured all of this out on the evening of August 31st and planned to tell you guys sooner. However, since time is reset at midnight, August 31st, back to August 17th, and our memories are also reset, we have no recollection of the previous iterations, and so I’ve kept forgetting to tell you all. Sorry!

Unfortunately I’d also been putting off writing today’s article, since I figured it was the problem of the Me that would somehow make it out of the time loop. So instead of a proper three month anniversary post, you have this silly piece instead.

(For those of you who aren’t Haruhi fans, or haven’t seen the second season, I apologize. This is one long joke about the Endless Eight arc.)

Look at the bright side: At least Hitler should be happy now:

So with the end of this Endless Eight, let’s all raise a glass to the final, definitive end to the same crap being spouted by the same people over and over again, and to the future of the local otaku scene! To three months of Project Otaking!

I’ve had an exciting couple of days, haven’t I? First my Otaku Taiki comments page bursts into flames, and then I get accused of stirring up trouble.

All because I had the poor judgment to ask questions.

There’s an order to things, here, see? People who ask too many questions get in trouble. Keep your head down. Don’t ask any questions. Accept things the way they are.

But I asked too many questions.

I came back to the community a blank slate, with few preconceptions about how things work, which groups were active, what was considered proper decorum and what wasn’t. I met with as many people as I could, with an open and inquisitive mind. I noted the differing opinions of people on the hobby, started to develop an opinion of my own.

All I had was my love of the hobby itself and my fervent hope that someday I would cosplay at a con without it looking like I just pulled a few clothes out of my closet and hoped for the best. I still feel that way. But the hope keeps getting dimmer and dimmer.

What is it about cosplay that makes people want to crucify you for not taking sides? Oh right, I asked too many questions.

I’ve kept my head above the controversy, without rushing to take sides. I sincerely hope that people aren’t saying I should control my readers’ opinions, moderate out the more vocal comments. I’ve invited free speech on my blog to the point of having to weather personal insults without sinking to the level of my detractors or censoring them. But does it follow that I share the opinions of everyone who posts in my blog?

Why are people so quick to assume I’m causing trouble, or taking sides? Why put words in my mouth?

Oh right.

I asked too many questions.

I admit it: I didn’t have high hopes for Otaku Taiki.

Otaku Taiki was postponed from July to August, eliciting doubts from the community whether the organizers could pull this off. Compared to Metro Comic Con, Otaku Taiki had less than half the space, and was held on only one day — Sunday — instead of the entire weekend.

But when I arrived at Megamall, I noticed immediately that the vibe was very different. Cosplayers filled the corridors, shopped around, ate at the restaurants and food courts. This little con that could was making its mark all over the mall.

Outside Megatrade Hall 3 the crowds were so thick that I could barely make my way to the ticket booth. The Thailand Convention next door at Megatrade Hall 2 went largely unnoticed. Cosplayers leaned on the rails, sat on the floor, bought flavored fries and mango desserts. Roving costumed gangs posed for pictures with delighted onlookers. There was a definite festive atmosphere around the entire event.

But… why?

Inside the convention hall, I pushed and elbowed my way around to check out the layout. There was an entire section devoted to the 1st Philippine Anniversary of Highstreet 5, the online dancing game, complete with mesmerizing laser light display.

The usual stalls of merchandise were given an entire quarter of the hall, and I found Shuu, the artist for my upcoming webcomic Vigilant, at her own stall, selling cute keychains, stickers, and other cool doodads.

Another entire corner was dedicated to row upon row of Gunpla enthusiasts, taking part in an on-the-spot model kit paint and line contest, concentration evident upon their faces. The products of the time and labor of true enthusiasts graced shelves and tables.

Wandering the aisles some more, I soon ran into the cosplay equivalent of Afternoon Teatime from K-On!, and realized that Mugi-chan was actually Taiga in disguise.

Alodia and Ashley Gosiengfiao arrived and the crowd got even thicker. I wanted to have a word with them but the gaggle of photographers and fans prevented me from even approaching the very earnest looking bouncers around them, let alone the sisters themselves. Their mom sat at one of the tables at the Cosplay Circle booth, proud of the attention showered upon her daughters, as usual.

I decided to wait before talking to them.

Soon after the cosplay contest proper began, with the Gosiengfiao sisters as judges. I only had a spot next to the sound guys, but it was good enough a vantage point to take a few pictures.

As the cosplay competition ended, the crowd began to thin out. I took the opportunity to make my way to Alodia and Ashley, who were chatting up Megatron.

“Hi!” I greeted them as a scrawny bouncer started to push me aside. “I’m Cliff, from–”

“I remember, from Cosplay Fusion!” Alodia replied. “How are you?”

I gave the bouncer a smug look. He let me through. “I’m fine thanks. Listen, I just wanted to ask you about something.”

“What is it?”

“Well,” I said, “I was at Cosplay Mini-Summit and I wanted your opinion on something. Robert Wong from Cosplay.ph unequivocally stated that if you dressed up in costume for money, it isn’t cosplay, it’s modelling. What do you think about that?”

Alodia raised her eyebrows but kept smiling. “Well, we’re not getting paid.”

“I know that. But I think he meant any sort of commercial gain from cosplay. And since you endorse stuff, I was wondering–”

Ashley interrupted me, smirking. “Excuse me, can I take this question?”

“By all means.”

“As long as you’re wearing a costume to play a certain character from a game or anime or whatever,” Ashley replied, “then it’s cosplay. That’s all there is to it.”

“Well, I think Robert was coming from a purist standpoint,” I said, “and from the opinion that any sort of commercial involvement taints the hobby, which his group claims to represent.”

Alodia smiled, almost a colon-three. “Well, that’s Robert.”

Soon after, I said goodbye to my friends and left the convention. I had enjoyed Otaku Taiki despite the fact that I hadn’t expected much out of it. Why was that? What did this convention have that others didn’t? It certainly felt like a rougher production than previous events I’d attended. The venue was cramped, there was less merchandise this time around (something Marielle complained about), but there was a real festival mood to the event. Why was that?

Maybe it was the tight focus of the event. There was only one day to get everything done, and space was a scarce commodity. Maybe the organizers realized that they had to pack as much awesome as they could in as little time and space as possible. Or maybe it was the feeling that this was an enthusiasts’ event instead of a platform for advertising. Or maybe I was just in a good mood and wasn’t as picky about anime as I am about comics.

Well, whatever it was, I actually had fun. Even packed in with other people like sardines. Even in the heat. Maybe the success or failure of a convention isn’t measured in tangibles like spacious venues or good sound systems or effective marketing. Maybe fun is just fun. And maybe it isn’t something you can construct, or calculate.

Or maybe I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.

Hi guys, tired from spending a day at the Otaku Taiki 2009 at Megamall. Small venue + huge crowds = standing room only! I’ll be posting my OtaGonzo report on it sometime tomorrow! For now, enjoy another silly commercial from Japan!