Saturday 26th October 2013
ASB Showgrounds
Finally I have managed to launch this blog.
My intention is to bring you content of events and general things that are going on in New Zealand. I have some older content I will post that I have been saving up and of course more up to date content as time goes on.
For those interested I also have a blog on living in South Korea in which I have posted 3 years worth of content. If you are interested check it out here: www.rawrkorea.blogspot.com
I am not sure how often I will update here maybe 2 - 4 times monthly (depending on what is happening around the country).
Well here is the first post about the annual Auckland comic, cosplay, anime, gaming etc event known as Armageddon!
The event is held on Labour weekend an annual holiday in New Zealand on the last weekend of October (or the last Monday of October - Labour Day).
This is the first time in 4 years that I have attended this event (as I was living in South Korea) and although some things were familiar a lot has changed. I noticed that the ethnic diversity of those attending has changed dramatically as well as the stores operating in the arena. Most of the toys and collectibles were new which saddens me a bit as time goes on less and less exciting trinkets from the past turn up. I remember one of the first events in Auckland (I'm not sure if it was called Armageddon back then) I think it was out by Avondale Racecourse where it was just an amazing collection of vintage toys and books and so on. A collectors dream! Even when this event was held at Aotea Square there were lots of things to add to your vintage collections. However the event has evolved and a new generation has come along with a strong emphasis on Anime.
Yes I have watched and enjoy anime myself (As you will see throughout these blog posts I have a very wide variety of interests and there will be something for everybody) however having lived in Korea and it being close to Japan I have been exposed to much more anime than which is available to be legally purchased in New Zealand and frankly I think people here are missing out on some amazing stories. I will give you a couple of examples: 1) Kaiji - in a nutshell about gambling 2) Chihayafuru - about a traditional Japanese poem/card game. Check these out if you have time.
So in addition to merchandise and gaming Play Station, Xbox and so on there was also a display of Wrestling by IPW Wrestling New Zealand. The Next event for IPW wrestling will be on Saturday the 16th of November at Lynfield Rec Centre - See you there. Tickets $15 Children $8 ^^
I have only seen these guys wrestle at Armageddon but I am planning to go to the next event and see them beat each other senseless!
Special guests on the day was a Dr Who panel (Catrin Stewart, Dan Starkey, Ian McNeice and Simon Fisher-Becker) Whom I knew none of the panel from Dr Who. I have not watched Dr Who since the 80's so I only caught the end of their discussion as I was waiting for the second celebrity panel.
Special guests Gigi Edgley and Ben Browder from a favourite Sci Fi show of mine called Farscape. I met Gigi maybe 4 years ago at the same event so seeing her again was interesting.
After the panel was a annual favourite for the organizers.... Kamehemeha challenge where contestants imitate a Dragon Ball Z shout.....? Not a favourite event of mine however.
And lastly the anticipated Cosplay Parade. Strangely it seemed that many of the exceptional costumes were not entered or participated in the parade?! There are apparently limited places and time for the event. One suggestion that I would make is that there should be a meeting area for cosplay enthusiasts to just hang out and perhaps take photographs. In South Korea there is a similar event held at an events center but all the cosplay enthusiasts are outside having pictures taken by the river or in the trees. Many have hired professional photographers to take their photos! (As I mentioned before check out my Korean blog under Cosplay... maybe I will post the link here: http://www.rawrkorea.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Cosplay ) Check out my pictures there and maybe you can hire me next time. ^^ : D
So that was it. Many more things were happening during the 3 days the event was on and I believe the event is held in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton and in Australia! Wow!
Check out their website for more information: http://armageddonexpo.com/nz/
For more pictures of the events cosplay ect... check out this YouTube video:
Next week I will have something interesting for you also so stay tuned and have a fantastic week!
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