A Year of History - GrandLine PH

It has been an Adventurous Year Nakama’s!

Everything started from a simple idea of cosplaying your favorite character and attend cosplay events and meet different kinds of people. Through this event you will meet new friends where you can share your common interest in manga, anime, games, toys and even songs.

As for me, I always wanted to try cosplay way back in my college days but I don’t have enough “influence” to wear some costumes and attend cosplay conventions. I was only able to have some confidence when I found out that one of my classmates on our elementary reunion was actively cosplaying and from there I decided to cosplay on that exact same year (2011).

One Piece was already airing for couple of years in Japan and I was an avid fan of it for a very long time and the first time I watched it was from a local TV channel way back in Highschool but my first costume plan was not a One Piece character at all, it was Shishio Makoto of Samurai X.

At that time I had a problem, I have no idea yet where I can buy some boots and gloves for Shishio even though I already have the cloth to use for the kimono. Thus, my first cosplan was postponed.

Later on, I had thought of One Piece and which villain character I can cosplay. I wanted a villain because the StrawHat Pirates is quite too common in cosplay conventions and the first villain that crosses my mind was Crocodile aka Mr.0. After reviewing his costume it will be too expensive so my 2nd cosplan was postponed again. After numerous searching of what character will best fit me, I selected Admiral Borsalino Kizaru of the Marines.

I was successfully able to attend my first cosplay event as a cosplayer at the Hero FaceOff last September 2011. The fans of One Piece was really happy to see a Marine Admiral at the cosplay convention, they took a picture of me with them numerous times. As I walk the hallway, I met up with a group a StrawHat Pirates with Portgas D. Ace with them; we joined for couple of shot for the fans to take a group picture of us together.  After the convention ended, it was tiresome but when I remember all the fans that were delighted to have a picture of me it takes away the tiredness because I know that I was able to give some happiness to cosplay fans on that day.

The day of the biggest Cosplay event in the Philippines came, Cosplay Mania 11. I only attended day1 but I didn’t come alone, I was with my 3 loyal marines. We roam around the entire SMX to take some wanted photo shot with any Pirates we will see.

The Pirates we were able to capture on that event was Luffy, Nami and Robin in Alabasta costume, also Shanks and Roronoa Zoro. Cosplay Mania day1 ended, we decide not to return on day2 and that’s where we miss another epic assembly.

The StrawHat Pirates that I met at Hero Face-Off were there with Brook and Franky; Nami and Robin were there together; Also Admiral Akainu, WhiteBeard, Marshall D. Teach and Trafalgar Law were there.  I was online on the internet talking to one of my marines telling him that we just missed a bunch a One Piece Cosplayers on Cosplay Mania Day2 and at that moment I told him we need to prepare and gather all of those One Piece cosplayers and make a Grand Assembly at the next Cosplay Mania event.

Afterward GrandLine story started on this exact same day October 6, 2011. I created the group GrandLine Philippines in facebook and started hunting all the One Piece Cosplayers that was present on Cosplay Mania. All of their group and solo pictures was posted in different event and fan pages related to cosplay. Several days passed and we were able to add and invite most of the One Piece Cosplayers that was present on Cosplay Mania.

Our first assembly as a GrandLine Philippines group was on November 2011: Pinoy Otaku Encore at Megamall. The first assembly was very EPIC, it was our first time to meet all together but the bonding and relationship was like we known each other for years. As we form a line for a group picture, photographers and fans alike was continuously gathering just to take a picture of us. There were times we were posing in one position for five minutes because there were really so many con-goers taking pictures of the whole group.

Also, in this assembly we were able to meet and invite some One Piece cosplayers to be part of our GrandLine group. When it’s all over, we are very sure to ourselves that we just made an IMPACT because even the organizers of the said event are trying to invite us to be part of their group but we denied their offer because we decided to become an independent group to lead ourselves and to have our own goals and plans.

For every event that we attend, the count of our members’ just keep on increasing and the numbers of costumes and characters that we launched provide us another step on achieving our goals. Even fans and photographers were starting to know us in cosplay events, when they saw a One Piece cosplayer the first thing that may cross their mind was that the cosplayer was a GrandLine PH member.

Later on, we keep on attending events at least once a month to make the group active and known every cosplay events. We make sure that there will be variety of cosplayers in every event where there will be new characters and new members to introduce to the fans of One Piece cosplay. As the group keep on growing and improving, we always keep our mission of mostly completing if not all the characters and costume of One Piece and the vision of providing entertainment and performance to the fans by attending events and competing in different kinds of contests.

This year 2012, We GrandLine Philippines were able to achieve our 1st goal of assembling in the biggest event in the Philippines, Cosplay Mania 12.

Some of the One Piece Cosplayers are not a part of GrandLine PH but we are proud that there are more and more cosplayers are starting to cosplay One Piece. As for our next goal, we will prepare and make a way to win our first Cosplay Mania award as its one of their Grand winner.