A motley cast of characters at UP Otakufest

SJ de Ocampo and Jennifer Jendall
of Team Eurika,
strut their stuff in the UP Otakufest.

BEHIND the white wig and tailcoat she was wearing to look like Viktor from the anime series “Yuri on Ice” is a girl who writes codes, loves crafting, and anime most of all.

She is DD Tenka, a Chinese cosplayer based in Singapore.

DD and Team Eurika, who are a force to be reckoned with in cosplaying, came as judges for the Otakufest at the University of the Philippines Cebu (UP Cebu) grounds last weekend.

Even as she appeared at the Otakufest as Viktor, one lucky guy (fan) still succumbs to DD’s charms and blurted out, “Are you free tonight?” when he was invited on stage for a photo opportunity.

For DD, one of the nicest things about cosplaying is the fact that it’s an alternate world where imagination rules, gender is just a word, and
age is just a number.

“I first cosplayed as Tezuka of “Prince of Tennis” when I was 15 years old. Actually, I like cosplaying male anime characters because they’re
less costly to portray. I’d save on money by using my real hair instead of buying wigs,” she said.

Being in Cebu for the first time, DD said she was surprised at the fans’ warm welcomeduring the Otakufest, the region’s largest anime and hobbies event held every February.

Like most cosplayers that milled around the Otakufest grounds, DD makes her own costumes and styles her wig, on top of mastering the
gestures of the anime character she’s channeling.

“I think it’s harder when you are wearing simpler costumes,” DD said. “You have to exert more effort in your gestures—unlike when you’re in heavy
or elaborate costumes, which already exude the character.”

Five-year-old Sasha
Villaflor came as Harley Quinn. She chose the
supervillain because
like her, Sasha loves lollilops, too.

Consider it one of DD’s so-called tricks of the trade after spending more than 10 years in the cosplay community.

Her love for the craft, tediously preparing her own costumes and armor for conventions has earned DD not just a lot of fans, but friends, who share the same passion.

Still, not everyone knows that DD works as a software engineer back in Singapore.

“I migrated to Singapore for work. On my first year, initially I thought that no one liked cosplaying there… until I met someone, and instantly we clicked. I gained friends as she introduced me to her circle of friends who do cosplaying,” she said.

Meanwhile, Davao-based Team Eurika also came to greet their Cebuano fans during the Otakufest.

Even at 27, Jennifer Jendall, also known as Hong Ping Ping Bi, still does cosplay. “Well, besides cosplay, I’d also perform. But there was a
point when I almost stopped because of the notion that it’s only for kids,” she said.

DD Tenka channels Viktor from the
anime hit series “Yuri on Ice.”

According to Jennifer, who marks 10 years in cosplay, she lost her inhibitions when the Team Eurika was formed back in 2014, with her partner Sarah Jane (SJ) de Ocampo, 24, who has been at it for six years now.

“I saw a poster for World Cosplay Summit (WCS) online and that’s when I felt a change–I wanted to compete,” said Jennifer.

SJ said their friendship started when Jennifer asked her to be her partner. Team Eurika were the first cosplayers to represent the Philippines at the WCS held in Japan in 2014, where they had to cosplay different anime characters for 11 straight days.

“Para siyang Miss Universe, except that we made and brought our own stuff. Plus, we didn’t just walk around; we also performed,” said SJ.

“I like cosplay, but doing it for 11 days was a challenge. Then again, it was so much fun nga malabwan niya ang kahago,” she added.

From there, SJ and Jennifer’s partnership blossomed and they started joining conventions as a pair, or matching characters.

“The WCS inspired me a lot. You can be a cosplayer regardless of your age or social status,” said Jennifer.

Jennifer came as velvet Crowe from “Tales of Berseria” while SJ portrayed Genderbend Gilgamesh.

(Here are some of the photos during the fest)