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WCS 2018 Picture Galleries – Finals

As the light slowly dimmed, and the focus shifted to the main stage, the excitement in the room became almost palpable.  Backstage, the teams were getting ready, the media were doing their final test shots and video streams, and everyone knew we were just seconds away from another supercalifragilisticexpialidocious year at the WCS.

Here’s a look back at all the incredible performances from the main event, which was held for the first time at Dolphin Arena, opposite Nagoya Castle this year.

A lot of people actually don’t realize just how big and important the WCS is in the Cosplay world.  Teams from 36 countries compete in initial competitions in their own countries first, and the winners are invited to come to Nagoya for a weeklong celebration of all things Cosplay – eventually culminating in this main event.

All the teams are judged on various criteria ranging from costume design, to respect for the source material.

As usual, all the teams gave their best and really brought their chosen characters to life.  There were a variety of performances ranging from acrobatic battle-scenes, to comedy sketches, to beautiful dance-like choreography, all the way to heart-wrenching stories of loss and betrayal.  There was something for everyone.  The event was MC’d by Nagoya’s own Chris Glenn again this year, who himself is a veteran at the WCS by now, lending his memorable voice and narrative style to the event for the past several years.

The Champions this year were Team Mexico, who, with their fun and truly indelible performance from Street Fighter II, easily won over the crowd as well as the judges.  The team won 5 out of the 10 available awards, which was unprecedented in the history of the WCS.

A big thanks to everyone for making this year’s WCS another outstanding event. It was the first time at the WCS for all the competing teams, but for many, it was the first time to Japan as well.  You see, the WCS is also a great cultural-learning opportunity for the participants, and many life-long friendships have been formed at the event as a result.  There were numerous comments and photos across social media, highlighting the most important aspect of the WCS – the camaraderie between teams.  We here at JD hope that everyone enjoyed their time competing in Japan.

Photo credit for the images in the first gallery, goes out to Nick Edges, who’s a seasoned photographer / graphic designer / programmer here in Nagoya.  Nick did a great job helping to cover photography and some videography duties this year, so if you’d like to see more of his work,  please check the link above.

Thanks for reading, everyone, and hope to see you here in Nagoya at the WCS next year!

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